Exclaim Nills Lilienthal and Kathrin Hacklenter, when asked which place they liked most in Pune. This oft-repeated sentiment is this time around being echoed by these students from Germany, who are in Pune as part of the inter-university student exchange programme. Here for a short trip, they're making most of the time they have.With the host families having taken them to all the historical spots in and around the city, the Raja Kelkar Museum seems a favourite with the two. It has obviously fascinated them, especially the idols present therein. Sight-seeing through, their shopping expeditions have got them to buy Aadivasi paintings, stone elephants and other curios. "The Fergusson College campus is so massive and beautiful. We hope that the authorities work on the renovation of the damaged buildings in such a way that the quaint look of the campus is not lost,'' say the two. Talking about the college campuses they've visited in Pune, they say, ``The university campuses in Germany are not as big as the ones here.''``I like chapatis very much,'' says Nills, talking about Indian cuisine, ``and also daal and rice.'' As for the weather, Nills smiles, ``The Indian winter is much like the summers in our country. We are very comfortable with the weather here.'' When asked what they liked most about the city, ``its people'' is the prompt answer, ``they are so friendly and warm.''Kathrin says, rather earnestly, that seeing the poverty in India has led her to look at things from a different perspective. She is touched when she sees the queues of poor people waiting for food on the roads. ``I have now realised the value of what I have back home, all the things I have always taken for granted,'' she affirms. The one thing the two are apprehensive about is crossing roads because they find the traffic here extremely unruly. But ``shopping on M.G. Road is a lot of fun,'' says Nills, and continues, ``and I've bought myself a lot of casual clothes and sunglasses. Clothes in Pune are very cheap compared to Germany and I'm having a great time buying them here,'' he says, pointing towards his booty of clothes.``We'll take home very good impressions,'' say Nills and Kathrin. Seems like Pune has won itself two more friends!
