DAY 115 – Castles, Cuckoo Clocks, Chocolate, and Cars

July 12 -  Heidelberg...What a Fun Day!

I posted in Day 114 a little information about Heidelberg, so this post will mostly be pictures.  we had a great day with our new friends, Luis and Nancy as well as by ourselves.  We packed a ton of things in our 12 hours.

It began with a great breakfast - some German pancakes with fresh fruit, yogurt, and Nutella.  Everyone in Europe LOVES Nutella.  You'll find it on most everyone's pantry shelves.

Nice healthy breakfast for a full day of activities

 Luis and Nancy had extra bikes, so we all went together to the Altstadt and the Schloss (palace).

Look up on the hillside and there is the castle.  First we have to cross the Neckar River

Some more Love Locks - Every city with a river seems to have them.

 There have been proposals done up here, we are told by Luis and Nancy.  They decide to renew their proposal and re-enact it.  We are able to catch it with our camera.

"Of course I'll say YES."

Guess we had better do the same thing.

"Will you marry me again?"

On the Altstadt, at the entrance to the bridge side, is a statue of a Brass Monkey holding a mirror and surrounded by mice: "touch the mirror for wealth, the outstretched fingers to ensure you return to Heidelberg and the mice to ensure you have many children."

 "I have had 6 children already - is that enough?"

The Heidelberg Palace is set against the deep green forests on the north flank of Königstuhl hill.  

The red sandstone ruins tower majestically over the Neckar valley. From its lofty position, the palace’s silhouette dominates the old town centre of the city.  First mentioned in 1225, this was destined to become one of the grandest palaces of the Renaissance.

Up up we climb and through the tunnels

We're almost to the top looking over the city

 This devastation seemed to be the worse.  The tower was totally split in two and some toppled over the side.  Grass and flowers were growing up around the ruins which have laid there now for a couple of hundred years.

 In the late 17th century, the palace was repeatedly attacked and ultimately destroyed by the French in the War of the Grand Alliance. These catastrophic events are commemorated in a spectacular fireworks display, held several times each year.  In 1764, after some makeshift repairs, the battered palace was heavily damaged again: this time by the forces of Nature, in the form of two devastating lightning strikes. The once-proud residence caught fire – and was left in ruins.  It has remained in ruins and has been the subject of many stories, poems, and stories through the years.  WWII didn't help the ruins either.

 

Terrible stories of death in the moats back in the early years of the Castle

View down onto the city

 Time to come back down and go around the city a little bit.

Time to fill up my water bottle in an OLD drinking fountain

I absolutely love Daisies and these Fuschia were beside them  What a great picture - agreed?

The University Library was absolutely beautiful.

Remember to always look UP in the old cities.

  Rich was in Heaven when he started seeing all the old sport cars driving by.  When we got down to the center of town, we were witnessing a car show and contest.  We took some pictures - "This is for you - Dave and Phil."

 Time for me to go shopping by myself to a most popular place in Heidelberg -  one of the Christmas Shoppes.  It would be fun sometime to come at Christmas time, when there are a couple of hundred shops and market places open everywhere.  This is the next best thing, though:  "Christmas in July."

I love the Cuckoo clocks - I have one, but it doesn't work.  :(

This is for you ladies - a flower for YOU!

"How sweet of you....thank-you."

Our hosts were so great preparing yet another Vegan Picnic Lunch for us.  A wonderful salad with couscous and garbanzo beans.  The other dish was a potato salad with carrot, corn, peas, and lettuce.  SCRUMPTIOUS!

We posed by a VERY OLD rock formation - oh if it could tell its stories

We ended the day by going next door to the university where Luis was working and studying with fish as he observed their stress behavior under fixed circumstances.  It was so interesting.  Things were learned that could then relate to the human being.

Luis showing us in the microscopes some of his experiments with fish under ultra-violet rays

Albert Einstein would come and lecture from here to the students - the Library

Max Planck - who the school is named after.

If you're wondering where the pictures of chocolate are - I need to find them as they are mixed in with another group of photos, I guess.  Anyway - we've tasted chocolate from nearly every country, and German chocolate is my favorite so far.  Dark chocolate - YUM!

Another wonderful day in Germany - people are so friendly and kind.  Heidelberg is a definite destination that you'll want to visit someday.