I travel back in my memories to the spring of 1980 in Heidelberg, where my sister Hekla and I are walking with our parents through the entire Hauptstrase, and have reached the town hall square next to the old church. The weather is warm, the sun is shining and we are all lightly dressed. Us kids are in a good mood, I’m eight years old and Hekla’s sister is 11 years old, and we are full of energy and joy on this day. We want to go up to the Heidelberg castle. It is possible to walk up to the castle from the square itself in two ways, either walking along the road up or walking up the old steps that lead directly to the castle. Hekla and I want to walk up the stairs, as our energy is inexhaustible and the will to conquer the stairs is too good to let go. Mom and Dad agree with a smile to walk up the stairs with us and we walk to the steps. Mom says that we have to count the steps all the time and if we lose count on the way, we have to go all the way down and start over. We accept these terms and count and step up at the same time. On and on, we walk and count, the competition is intense and we have no time to stop or rest on the way. When my sister counts 300 we have reached the castle grounds and the victory was achieved. We laughed with joy and Mom and Dad laughed along. We bought ice cream cones and walked around the ground, with a view of the city.
This memory warms my heart because only me and my mom are alive now in the year 2024 while my sister Hekla and my dad are not with us anymore. But here in my memory they are both alive, young, smiling and laughing, on this beautiful day long ago. My memory holds their life and energy, and my infinite love for them.
