Kassel

I am now in Kassel. The train from Hamburg to Kassel was very comfortable and quiet. I was also in good company. The gentleman who bought the group ticket had travelled a lot in Europe, he was a young civil engineer and very interesting to talk to! The other travellers were three young women. I got to know one of them who had also travelled. We had to change trains in Uelzen. The station was built according to the plans of an artist (Hundertwasser) and is colourful and friendly. In Kassel, I went to Ulrike's place. They have a very nice and modern house without any heating system. (YES!) The house is heated by the sun, through lots of huge windows (triple glass) and by the means of a heat exchanger that keeps the heat inside the house in the winter, and, I imagine, does the opposite in the summer. It is also very well insulated for sound and very peaceful. (This is good because everybody plays music here, Jens, Jannis and Alina the piano, Ulrike the guitar and Julain the trumpet!) From the second floor, where I sleep, I have a nice view on rows of only gardens without houses. A little brook runs at the end of the garden.
Since I am in Germany I ate lots of cheese, bread and ham. It is the staple food for all meals. Here in Kassel, same as Hamburg, the tap water is as good as mineral water. Very very good, no special taste, a bit of sweetness.