August 12th – Heidelberg

I have been to Heidelberg another times in the past (three as I will find out later) and each time I have enjoyed the city. The first job of the day was to get our train tickets to Konstanz. The tickets were surprisingly cheap. 39 euros included four people and two bikes. We also had a transfer but this time with a reasonable 30 minute transfer time.

The primary attraction in Heidelberg is the Castle which was founded in the 1300 and expanded over the next 400-500 years. During a number of wars in the 1800s the castle was badly damaged. A fire shortly after this destroyed all the wooden parts of the castle. What is left is an interesting puzzle of walls, turrets, gardens and moats. There was even one section that was incorrectly restored in the early 1900s. Our guided tour was very interesting putting the puzzle together and explaining the sources of the different architectural styles that were used over the 400 years.

We ate our packed lunch sitting in the ruins of part of the castle and then wandered down to enjoy the old city. Heidelberg has many tourists and also many tourist shops. We purchased some small items and went on a boat ride.

In the evening we visited with relatives. It was interesting since they had a guest book that they wanted everybody to complete. In this book, I found the last two times I had been in Heidelberg. The second of these two entries said that this was the third time I in Heidelberg. We struggled to remember the first time I was there. Eventually we determine I had been there with my sister in 1982. I was struck by how a simple book could help us remember things in the past. The blog has been a struggle to keep up to date because it requires an hour or more a day to update. Add pictures to this and you likely have another hour. After realizing how quickly we forget some experiences I have renewed energy for the blog.

We returned to the Youth Hostel late in the evening and went straight to bed. Tomorrow should be a relatively easy day as we travel by train to Konstanz on the Swiss boarder.

2009-08-12 Heidelberg