Schloss Dagstuhl: Best of Both Worlds

As the nights stretched longer and the weather turned rainier, I braced myself for a few months of no travel. Surprisingly, a business trip to South Germany breathed new life into the impending grey winter.

Germany is well known for its many castles, and almost every town boasts of their own fortress. Tucked away in the remote town of Wadern near the borders of France and Luxembourg, lies one such castle. It is so remote that it can only be reached with a car or a 40-minute taxi ride from the nearest train station. And I haven’t told you guys the best part yet: it hosts research seminars where Computer Scientists come together and brainstorm new ideas.

Schloss Dagstuhl¹ is a beautiful blend of so many of my passions: a quiet romantic getaway nestled in the heart of a forest where one can meet new people and have interesting discussions. The child in me was super excited to be living in a castle for three days! I drove there with three of my colleagues, and everyone kept telling me that seminar participants don’t get to stay in the castle. But a little hope never hurt anybody. And guess what? Our accommodation was, in fact, in the castle! My room was definitely more modern than I had expected, but it was super cozy.

After our sessions, we went for a little tour of the castle, and the rooms were so impressive! There was a music room, a kids’ playroom and many more gorgeous halls. Crossing the indoor bridge that connected the castle to a modern building was like walking into my dream. There it was: a gigantic library with thousands of books and lecture notes of Computer Science. I was awestruck, but also very conflicted. I loved being there, but felt very intimidated by all the knowledge surrounding me. We were in Dagstuhl as participants of a training seminar, but the other longer research seminars are held for world renowned Computer Scientists. I was completely overwhelmed. This was the place where so many great minds had birthed so many new ideas, and here I was, still unsure of whether I want to continue with reseach after my PhD ends. The question, “What am I doing here?” crossed my mind several times, but I was soon distracted as the tour took us to a cute little wine cellar. We had some cheese tastings and amazing conversations with new people in this cellar.

The wine cellar

My stay at Dagstuhl had many gems: the super formal meals, endless free hot beverages and the insightful brainstorming sessions. I had a good time wandering the corridors and getting lost in the castle :) The castle premises stayed true to their German roots by having a sauna (Germans absolutely love saunas). It was a super refreshing and cozy experience, especially with the chilly autumn weather outside. In the evening, I tried my hand at table tennis but my personal favorite was chilling with my colleagues and meeting new people.

With the sun setting early, we squeezed in a short walk before our sessions to explore the surroundings. The castle was tiny with small well-maintained gardens. The weather was moody, but surprisingly the sun shone on us for the twenty minutes we spent exploring the gardens! The backdrop of the fall palette just added to the landscape, and I remember feeling overjoyed to be there. It hit me then—being happy was the answer to my earlier question, “What am I doing here?” I was traveling, meeting new people, learning about diverse cultures and getting an experience of a lifetime!

Anyway, I will leave you with some photos from the cozy days I spent in this romantic heaven! This whole journey had me feeling like I’d stepped into a beautiful fairy tale, and I was pretty bummed when it was time to head back home. Having said that, I feel super grateful for this opportunity, and I am absolutely spellbound by the beauty of the country I now get to call home!