Heidelberg

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With a few days to spare before we have to hand our car back, we have decided to make a weekend of it in Heidelberg. So a few hours from Trier we make our way to this romantically impressive University City. The University was established in 1386 and is the oldest University In Germany.

Located on the banks of the Neckar River, in the south west of Germany and the western gateway to the “Black Forest”, Heidelberg is a world class tourist destination and a must see for anyone visiting Germany.

Despite the fact that the US has had a military base, located near here, since 1951 does not distract from the grace of this city.

We have booked into an Irish Pub, The Dubliner, right in the centre of the old city. Spectacular night views of the castle from our room and an excellent atmosphere.

We stroll cobbled streets and are amazed at the number of tourists that crowd the streets, mostly North Americans.

On the Friday we catch the funicular railway, to the top of the Königstuhl-Mountain which overlooks Heidelberg and on a clear day you can see the northern tip of the Black Forest. Unfortunately the weather has closed in on us & the top of the mountain has turned cold and wet. We have trouble seeing the city below.

Half way back down we stop at the Heidelberg Castle and then walk through the lush gardens & forest back down into the city.

During WWII, Heidelberg, unlike many other of the cities in Germany was spared Allied bombing (one of the theories surrounding this, is that many of the Allied commanders had spent a number of years studying here, prior to the war and had too fond a memory) hence many of the buildings retain their charm and beauty.

For the next couple of days the sun makes brief appearances and we spend some time strolling around the city and along the river banks. It is here that we watch river boats, barges and cruise ships use the many locks that assist the river craft utilise this vast water way crisscrossing the European Continent.

It is easy to see what draws people to this area and without sounding like a broken record; we just don’t have enough time to fully explore the region.

Time to move on again.

We will now make our way back across Germany and into Belgium

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