HEIDELBERG

At last, we arrived at the destination I most wanted to visit - Heidelberg. It was everything I expected, except there was no Student Prince and we didn't "Drink, Drink, Drink"

I did finally see a castle up close, even though it was in ruins, the result of the various wars over the centuries. During the 30 years war, many battles were fought in the area, but in 1689 and 1693, the French attacked the town and left the castle in ruins.

The view from the castle was fantastic.
Although the castle is in ruins, it is still very impressive.


There is a huge vat which was designed to hold over 58,000 gallons of wine. Unfortunately, the wood slats didn't always fit together and it leaked. It was very impressive though.

The original university was founded in 1386 although the current buildings date back to the early 19th century when it was re-founded and rebuilt. While students come from all over the world, all classes are conducted in German.

After our tour, we decided that, while the food on the boat was wonderful, we really wanted some authentic German food, so our guide suggested the Hotel Ritter.

This hotel was built in 1592 and is listed as a landmark building. The restaurant was very comfortable and very German. The food lived up to our guide's recommendation. We were not disappointed.

I really enjoyed Heidelberg castle and looked forward to seeing more on the rest of the trip. I don't understand my fascination with castles. I must have been a princess in a past life and there are people who believe that I think I am now.