Rick Steves says Heidelberg isn't worth the effort while other sources call it the best attraction in Germany. I'm somewhere in the middle. Yes, Rick, it is full of visitors, but the castle & town are wonderful. We took a guided tour of the castle, & it was full of interesting facts (unless you're Karl who dislikes old stuff). Tracing today's monarchy in the UK back to German royalty was most interesting; stories of love, tragedy, wars, etc, all were fascinating. We had a good tour guide whose English was very precise & clear.
The poor old Heidleberg castle has been through a lot--war, fire, neglect & renovation of one of its palaces to the style of the time, about 100 years ago. The renovated rooms we saw were grand but not true to the castle's origins. The ruins are spectacular.
We trooped among the crowds & a myriad of eateries only to happen upon one with the worst service possible. We probably should have left, but we were hungry & kept thinking our food would come out any moment. When it did begin to arrive, it came in waves, three to be exact. First, we hungrily watched Karl eat his pizza. Next, everyone but Dave got their food which we shared with him, because well after we were done, his sandwich arrived. We figured we'd better ask for the check when his food came or we might never get out of there! All that angst for not-very-good vittles!
Views from the castle were incredible of the hillsides, homes, the Neckar River & vineyards.
The castle overlooks the old town, & there's a funicular that takes you up & down the hill. It's a marvel of engineering & holds just under 100 people. Here's a view of the castle from the town below:
These are some shots of the old town:
A huge wine barrel sits inside the castle courtyard. Really, I think I heard it's the biggest in the world, & if I misheard, you'll have to agree it's gigantic!
Everyone but me climbed to the top of it, & notice how small the people are in relation to the barrel.
Dave saw this poster in town, & we're all kind of wondering about its meaning. Note the organization's name. Tonight's the first presidential debate back home, & I hate to miss it.
This is a nice picture of Dana, Chris, Jessie & Karl. If you see it on our Christmas letter, pretend you haven't seen it before!
Thanks to everyone for reading this blog. Please feel free to comment via Facebook or my email. I love hearing from you.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: It takes more than bad food & service to dampen our spirits!
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