November 19, 2011
For travel buffs, mad dreams are commonest ailments! They desire to drink from deep African falls, to campfire on poles and to smoke cigarette stamping the Himalayas. Yet, not often we find a tourist planning a sojourn to heaven (unlike Yudistir). Quite fortunately, you might just get to do this (well, almost) in a little German town.
Situated in southern Germany, city of Ulm, has a thing or two about height. While it inspired one of its glorious sons ( Albert Einstein) to surmount the pinnacles of science, it also offers each of us, our best chance to climb highest distance from the ground ( pardon, mountaineers and telecom tower repairers). The cathedral at Ulm is worlds tallest church. Like most of its cousins spilled all over the European soil, it is a captivating structure with gigantic sky- piercing steeple. The best thing about this 450 feet tall edifice is that you are allowed to reach its spire by climbing the 768 steps that wind and twist throughout.
Unchecked enthusiasm of a naïve tourist prompted me to take up the challenge without much thought to my state of preparedness. But it didn’t take too long to get enlightened. By the time I was on the fiftieth step I had learnt more about gravity than all my teachers and lecturers could teach me in sixteen long years with their impressive credentials, admirable efforts and frequent punishments.
When you climb up, one and one doesn’t add up to two. Every next step is tougher and harsher than the previous. When you try to move, like a insecure lover mother earth pulls you back with redoubled effort into her bosom.
But the exhilarating view outside weaves its spell. I felt like a triumphant toddy captor. People, seen in their top views, appear like balls on a huge billiards table. Cars seem like slow moving match boxes. The unique sight of pitch roofed houses from an unusual angle is another blessing. From here, you derive tremendous joy, watching the harmony of the houses in Ulm’s Cathedral alleys with their background.
100th step taught me a curious lesson about anatomy. Man’s legs have strange construction features of losing out bones and transforming into uncontrollable jelly when fatigued. Thanks to some rest, few drink breaks, and plenty of encouragement of my host and friend Joel Raja, I kept moving ahead.
On the 168th step, I found a stout and nasty (as I found later) German in his forties coming down on the winding steps. We both had to adroitly handle our tummies to let him pass me. But, the blessed fellow got a hint or two about the state of my body and mind, and added salt to my wounds by saying “only 600 more” in his vulgar English. I have never been a great fan of Germans but this simply made me mad. Though I wouldn’t have disliked to roll him off the 166 steps that had to carry his bulky body, being a peace loving Manglorean, I ignored him and trudged ahead.
Once we crossed the 500th step, body stopped complaining and nagging. Mind too went into a serene spell. Spirit Within me was now rising upwards sans those treacherous slaves of mine. The last two hundred steps were a supreme experience of exhilaration by watching nature from an undreamt perspective.
From this splendid stage man and his life seemed just a bare minimal part in the scheme of existence. Nature and its elements came to center stage. The lush that patched the town and embraced its surroundings became obvious. The view of river Danube (second longest river in Europe) sauntering across the geography and the obvious dependency of human inhabitation on it were evident from here. Town planning, train course, extent of the city and its spread could be easily gauged from this high spot. Panorama of distant hills, view of the whole city, stays etched in your heart, when you see them from this angle.
My heart was thankful to those souls and those times that conceived such wonders and also blessed the people who executed the schemes to a perfection enduring every test of time and nature.
On my return journey I got another bout of scientific enlightenment. It vindicated Einstein’s formula E=MC square to me. During physical excursions , if you forget about your Mass (body) your spirit journey’s at the speed of the light and Energy just explodes in you into a outbound wave of cheerfulness.
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