Let me introduce you…

Let me introduce you to my new friend, Pascal.

Peter and I have been Couchsurfing hosts for a decade or so. (If you don’t know about the Couchsurfing network, Google it.) I was hoping to do a little Couchsurfing on this trip, and I just spent two nights with a kind, generous, interesting CS host in the town of Worms (pronounced “Voorms.” Yes, as in The Diet of Voorms”

Pascal responded to my Couchsurfing inquiry by saying that he’d be happy to host me. Since he would have the day off, he suggested that I make a stop in Heidelberg on the way to Worms and he could meet me there and show me around that beautiful town. What a great suggestion! Heidelberg had everything:

The next day was spent walking around Worms with my guide and seeing the sites, including the cathedral where Martin Luther defended his theses in 1521 and was basically declared a heretic.

Also note-worthy was the old (I mean really old) Jewish cemetery, with graves from as far back as the 12th century. Can you imagine?

And a large statue of Luther with some of his predecessors and cronies.

Pascal usually hosts Couchsurfers with his partner, but Shako was out of town so I did not get to meet him. Pascal was off to work that second evening, so I stopped by to say hello and give him a little business.