Looking Up in Heidelberg

Strolling on the Hauptstrasse, in Heidelberg's Altstadt.

At the end of our Rhine cruise we headed for Heidelberg, home to Germany's oldest university (founded in 1386!) Heidelberg straddles the Necker River, a major tributary of the Rhine. It's a fun city to visit, with its many nice shops and cafes.

Schloss Heidelberg towers above the Altstadt (Old Town)

The picturesque Schloss Heidelberg is perched high up on a mountainside, overlooking this romantic city. Construction of the castle began in the 13th century. It was later destroyed by fire (two separate lightening strikes!) and a series of wars in the 17th and 18th centuries. Parts of the castle have been restored, but much of it remains a ruin. 

The Heidelberg Tun

The castle cellar is home to one of the ancient city's treasures- the Heidelberg Tun. The tun is a HUGE wine barrel, made in 1751. It has a capacity of nearly 58,000 gallons. Its wine-storing days are long gone. Now it's one of Heidelberg's major tourist attractions.












In Heidelberg I found myself always looking up! I had to look up to see the beautiful old castle ruin, of course, and to see the church towers high above the narrow streets. One afternoon when I was strolling on the Hauptstrasse, I looked up to see where bubbles floating through the air were coming from! A little mechanical bear was blowing them. He was perched on a red chair attached to a balcony railing above my head. There was no sign to explain why the bear was there, or why he was blowing bubbles. This mysterious bubbly bear was one more reason to love this charming city.



There were lots of other beautiful things to see on- and above- the streets of Heidelberg. High on the corner of one building I found beautiful mosaic portraits of famous German citizens. Religious statues adorned the corners of many other buildings. The Hauptstrasse Starbucks had a beautiful Madonna and Child sculpture on its corner. Not something you see at most Starbucks!

Most corner statues were of a religious nature. Some celebrated more down-to-earth pursuits:)

But the best part of visiting Heidelberg was the chance to see some of my friends who live nearby. Martin Ost brought his son Adrien into the city and we had a lekker snack at a very cool cafe called Urban Kitchen. Adrien is my godson. He was born in Pennsylvania while his parents were working in the states. Now they're back in Germany, so I don't get to see them so often.

Martin was wearing a "Johnny Cupcakes" t-shirt that I had bought him in Boston. He collects t-shirts, so every year I send him a few unique selections made in the USA. I'm sure he's the only guy in Heidelberg who was wearing a Johnny Cupcakes t-shirt that day:-)

Before we left Urban Kitchen, Martin told me to check out their unusual rest rooms, so I did (taking my camera along!) A door labeled with a word that I guessed said "rest rooms" opened into a circular area with a large stone sink in the middle. Doors off of the circular washroom were cleverly labeled to indicate which were ladies' rooms, men's rooms...and whatever rooms:-) 

Das ist super cool.