1936 On the Continent

its catering for pleasure. The opera and the theatre are first class, and the latter has played an important part in the history of modern German drama. The great Gross-frankfurt contains a cinema, variety house, etc.; in addition to the hotel restaurants there are many smaller ones, such as Thomas in the Schillerstrasse, to mention only one, which specialises in delikatessen; but all these things are to be found more or less good in other towns. Only Nuremberg, I am told, however, possesses the equal of the cosy establishments that are to be found in the Old Town. Naturally, anywhere in Frankfort you can get the genuine Frankfurter sausage, but a new discovery for me was the Frankfurt apple wine which resembles our Devonshire cider, but is more widely drunk. Dozens of establishments are principally engaged in the sale of apple wine, and the wine shops at Sachsenhausen on the other side of the Main, are specially worth a visit. Frankfurter apple wine, of which about 125,000 hektolitres are produced each year, is well known all over Germany, and Frankfort must not be left without thoroughlysampling it. It is very wholesome and contains only 5 per cent. of alcohol, although one can get quite merry over it, as I found during my evenings in Frankfort.
From Frankfort to Munich
    I spent two days there and then found myself again faced with a difficult decision. Three different journeys appeared equally attractive. Frankfort is one of the junctions of the German railway system, and I could be in Berlin in eight hours, or in Nüremberg in three and a half hours, on the way to Munich. I chose the third possibility and travelled south to Munich, that is I so arranged my journey that I could at least get a superficial idea of Heidelberg, Baden-Baden and the Black Forest. Although I must be content this time with a short excursion to the Black Forest it does not mean that I shall not later spend a much longer time there. Young people, especially English, are going in increasing numbers to the mountains and forests of the Schwarzwald, where in winter good sport may be enjoyed, and in summer the most ideal conditions for walking. The centre of the Black Forest is the famous university town of Freiburg im Bresgau, but unfortunately I did not get as far this time.
    I left Frankfort in the morning and arrived at Heidelberg some time before lunch. From the carriage window I saw one of the most charming districts in Germany, the so-called Bergstrasse, which possesses a climate nearly equalling that of the Riviera. The spring here comes earlier than anywhere else, the summer is more prolonged. You journey between forests of fruit trees, the products of which are the finest in Germany. We stopped in Darmstadt, which was once the residence of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, and which in spite of its industries still retains its reputation as a famous garden city. In the cultural life of Germany this city takes a prominent place, for the theatre is well known, and the School of Philosophy of Count Hermann Keyserling has brought many foreigners to Darmstadt.
    This short journey also gave me an idea of the beauty of the celebrated Odenwald, but I did not see the great industrial towns of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, which lie very near the railway line.
Heidelberg
    I already knew Heidelberg to a certain extent from plays and films, although it really looks quite different from its representation in the operettas and American films. It is chiefly known as a student city—its university celebrates this year its 450th anniversary, and I am reminded of the dispute as to whether the English universities should or should not take part in the festivities. The life of Heidelberg is still under the influence of its famous university, but the old customs of the students, as celebrated in song, have vanished. Their jolly life of drinking and song in their famous “Corps,” each of which had their own house, was not compatible with the ideas of National Socialist Germany. The idea of the community of the people which is at the forefront in the Third Reich is opposed to this sequestration of the students, and teaches young people a new way of life, expressing itself in service, in acquisition of knowledge and in the National Socialist organisation. As I know the new as little as the old, I cannot draw comparisons and can only wish I could have seen the old happy-go-lucky crowd with their coloured caps and sashes.
    Although the student life has