NBD - I have been to both of these cities, To Marburg actually with someone who is a total stranger but shares my family surname and he had 'found me' on a musical thread on the internet. I have walked the old-fashioned and steep cobble-stones of Marburg for almost a whole hot summers day - but we also had wonderful rests in between and imbibed, had icecream, coffee etc.
As a typical German he refuses to accept our shared surname is of Slavic origin - we had a long discussion on that and then he showed me the research he had done - he had five of those old-fashioned folders (with metal clamps) full of lists of names - I couldn't believe he invested that much time - he had even found my girl in England who kept her surname . . .
I have visited him and his family twice now - but it's a long journey by train - and he is a big talker - told me his whole family dramas in an all-night sitting. I wondered what his wife thought of it and I didn't have the heart to say to him: 'I have had enough' - because he had found himself a confessor - strangest of all he is a devout Catholic and it seems 'normal' confession wasn't enough to contain that family drama - if you ask me now, I cannot remember, just a vague recollection of being incredibly tired.
So: mixed feelings about Marburg - apparently it's one of the few German cities which didn't get bombed during WWII - he also told me the reason, but I have forgotten. I prefer to go to a place maybe a couple of times and pick a nice spot where I can watch people, like a market place and just imbibe the atmosphere, listening to 'life' going on around me! Need to get tidied up for the 'technician' - my internet didn't work again from 6 am - 7am - now it's 8:25 here and it's working. Tau
- but we also had wonderful rests in between and imbibed, had icecream, coffee etc.
