Schloss

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After our hotel supplied breakfast of healthy bread rolls, yoghurt and coffee, we headed for the main tourist attraction and outstanding feature of Heidelberg; the Schloss or castle. It is a magnificent, crumbling ruin that rambles over a large area, encompassing gardens, courtyards, parklands and even a pharmaceutical museum. We were over-awed by the magnificent scenery as each turn presented a new photo opportunity. After wandering through the gardens (where a red squirrel entertained we tourists), we paused for coffee on a sunlit courtyard. Having bought a bag of soft centre truffles and another punnett of the delicious local strawberries, we dined in style. After that it was off to do some hard work trawling through the pharmaceutical museum, noting that atropine, cocaine, opium and morphine featured from early times as medical essentials. To ensure we could walk back it was essential to sample a local bratwurst sausage in a bread roll, topped with mustard and tomato sauce. Feeling it was possible to make it back to the old town, we meandered down cobblestone pathways until we found the old student jail, where the uni students were incarcerated for such crimes as night-time carousing!

Feeling adventurous, I tried a back massage at a local Thai shop, it was extremely good and very relaxing. As evening was approaching, we had our ritual half litre glass each of local brew (cloudy wheat micro brewery beer), along with a substantial helping of potatoes, pork and delicious gravy. Taking advantage of the evening sunshine, we walked along the banks of the Neckar river, where we could not find a single student indulging in carnal pleasure ( must have been because of the recent heavy rain soaking the pathways).

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