Where: Heidelberg, Germany
When: August 7 - 8, 2013
With: Dave
The next stop on our road trip through Germany was Heidelberg. Situated between a river and the foothills of the Alps, Heidelberg is another gorgeous medieval town. The things that make this one unique? The formidable castle that lurks above the skyline and the large university that gives the town that energetic 20-something vibe (and we weren't even there while school was in session!) This all makes for a place that's a bit more touristy than some other places we'd been, but hey, we ARE tourists, so that's ok.
The town has one long cobblestone pedestrian walkway through its center, running parallel with the river and lined with shops, Brauhaus and tons of people. The many open-air restaurants made it easy to select a place for the now-traditional stein of beer to commemorate our arrival in a new town. These steins came with pretzels, which was amazing.
As the castle closed fairly early, our first mission was to work off our beer and pretzel with an uphill hike to the fortress. Despite being in near ruins, this is considered one of the prettiest, most romantic castles in Europe. Its design has been through several iterations and monarchs since the foundations were first laid in 1214, but demolition during wars that took place in the 17th and 18th century have left it largely unrepaired, leaving the ghostly structure we see today.
When: August 7 - 8, 2013
With: Dave
The next stop on our road trip through Germany was Heidelberg. Situated between a river and the foothills of the Alps, Heidelberg is another gorgeous medieval town. The things that make this one unique? The formidable castle that lurks above the skyline and the large university that gives the town that energetic 20-something vibe (and we weren't even there while school was in session!) This all makes for a place that's a bit more touristy than some other places we'd been, but hey, we ARE tourists, so that's ok.
The town has one long cobblestone pedestrian walkway through its center, running parallel with the river and lined with shops, Brauhaus and tons of people. The many open-air restaurants made it easy to select a place for the now-traditional stein of beer to commemorate our arrival in a new town. These steins came with pretzels, which was amazing.
As the castle closed fairly early, our first mission was to work off our beer and pretzel with an uphill hike to the fortress. Despite being in near ruins, this is considered one of the prettiest, most romantic castles in Europe. Its design has been through several iterations and monarchs since the foundations were first laid in 1214, but demolition during wars that took place in the 17th and 18th century have left it largely unrepaired, leaving the ghostly structure we see today.
The most spectacular aspect of the castle is the view it gives of Heidelberg below. The river, church and town were picture perfect.
Indoors, there are several exhibits covering a wide range of topics all relating back to the history of the castle. Our favorite was the world's largest wine barrel!
There is, quite appropirately, a wine bar next to the world's largest wine barrel (wine did not come from the barrel). We tasted a flight while sitting in the caves of the castle.
There was also a large apothecary exhibit, showing how ancient herbs and medicines were stored, measured and mixed to heal the inhabitants of the castle.
The courtyard of the castle best demonstrates the mix of old, crumbling walls with the well-maintained, elaborately carved facade of the castle.
To return to the town, there were many stairs. But that's ok, they're all down (both emotions demonstrated by Dave).
Once we reached the bottom of the hill, it was time to cross the river and climb another hill.
Just over the bridge, hidden behind a gate, was a famous pathway called the Philosophenweg, or Philosopher's Walk. A favorite hike for the thinkers and professors of the university, this trek offers tranquility and solitude. It was beautiful.
After a bit of climbing, the views open up around you back onto the city of Heidelberg.
After all the hiking, it was only right we earned ourselves a good pub crawl.
The first Brauhaus we went to was Zum Roten Ocshen ("the Red Ox Inn"). With the walls covered in old photos and the carvings of students etched into the table, this place had such a fun ambience. It even had a man playing old German tunes on the old-time piano while the locals sang along.
However, most brew houses are far more modern, with giant copper tins brewing the area's famous Weissbier (or "wheat beer"). We hopped around to a few of these places, attempting to blend with the locals and take in the atmosphere.
As we headed home for the evening, we got one last glimpse of the Heidelberg castle from below. Despite being very touristy, there's a reason the people come here. It was a fun place to visit.
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