Ruth’s Diary

July 21, Friday, Heidelberg We got up at the usual hour at 6 o’clock. Then after dressing & packing we were taken on a tour of the school. It was a large school, the laboratories were really very well equipped. We went back to the missions house for breakfast. We had rolls & bread, very delicious jelly and pot after pot of cocoa. The nurses or missionaries whatever they were wore quaint costumes & funny little white hats. The place was so clean & beautiful handwork – the curtains in particular were wonderful. I offered to take their pictures & they were tickled to pieces. They had to get their best apron on, black. Then they gave me their addresses so that we could send them one. We got started about 8:30 as there was no particular hurry & got into Heidelberg a little after noon. It began to sprinkle a little but not much to matter. We had an excellent lunch in the hostel, pot toast, creamed cauliflower, soup, bread, butter, & potatoes. Desserts are a thing of the past except when we buy our own pastries in a bakery. There were three missing at lunch, as they had stopped to take a look at the airport – we passed a huge military port – heavily guarded. After lunch Helen & I went to see the town – we stopped & got a guide book in English. It was a lovely walk beside the ‘Neckar’ River, & we could see the old Heidelberg & the castle opposite. We walked a steep, steep climb up to the castle. We bought a (sweet?) a little pickle fork & then went on a conducted tour of the castle. (See the Guide Book on Heidelberg). We hurried back to the hostel & got their (sic) just in time for supper, 7 P.M. We had another excellent meal soup, potatoes, pork & gravy, & string beans. This is about the first place we have a vegetable in Germany other than potatoes, & lettuce. At supper we found out that the three missing from the group, Florence, George, & Harold had been detoured by the Nazi police – for taking pictures of the airport. They were held for about 2 hours & asked all kinds of questions. After a great deal of trouble & going back to Mainz, they managed to get back their passports & Harold his camera minus his film. After supper I went to bed in order to get my diary up to date. (We met quite a few English girls & some more Americans. On our way down town this bicyclist stopped beside us – a queer looking fellow with a long fringe of red hair beneath his cap & out of a clear sky said, “Heil, Hitler, & where in the hell is the Am. Express?”. Not knowing he was Am. or spoke English amused us immensely). I had a letter from Aunt Eliz. in Eng. & she said that things were bad & a great deal of tension.