Heidelburg

Heidelberg's Old Bridge

Although alarms were set for 6 am, we awoke around 5:45 and completed packing, did our morning German lessons and prepared for our trip to Heidelberg. Checking out online was easy then we had a quick breakfast at the King’s Hotel before starting toward the train station at 7:15. The same route as last night through the subway access underground got us quickly to the train station. The temperature in Munich was in the upper 40s and snow on the streets was becoming slush. We were at the platform when our train to Heidelberg arrived, and were pleased to get seats with a table. On the nearly three-hour train ride Jodie slept, Mary and Cindy played cards, and I read a book that I had checked out of the Lexington Public Library. The train was less than a quarter full so we had plenty of room in the car.

Kartoffelpuffers in Heidelberg

After we had been on the train from Munich to Heidelberg for about two hours, the conductor announced in German that the train would not be stopping in Heidelberg but would, rather, stop in Friedrichsfeld. We exited the train there and caught a short regional train to Heidelberg. We waited outside at Friedrichsfeld for about 40 minutes for the train to arrive to take us for less than 30 minutes to Heidelburg’s main train station. On exiting the station, we found a Mercedes taxi to take us to our hotel in the Old Town area of Heidelberg. 

Hotel Hollander Hof in Heidelberg

We were pleased that the Hollander Hotel Hof was at the bridge crossing the Neckar River and near Heidelberg Castle and the Christmas markets. Although it was just noon when we arrived at the hotel, we were able to check in at our second-floor rooms. The hotel is very historic, dating back to 1787 but still has modern amenities in the rooms. We unpacked a little then walked to the nearby Christmas market for lunch. We had potato pancakes (kartoffelpuffers), Heidelberg style bratwursts on a roll with sauerkraut and Mary had a Feuerkuchen which is a thin flatbread with mild peppers and goat cheese. We had glühwein and hot chocolate as we walked. 

Heidelberg Castle

After lunch we took the funicular rail up to Heidelberg Castle. Construction on the castle began in 1214 and was completed by 1224. The castle is partly in ruins and partly intact since it sustained damage several times during the 30 Years War. The most significant damage was in 1622 during an attack by the Swedes. Of course, additional damage from weathering and age have taken a toll on the structure. Parts of the castle have been rebuilt, but current efforts appear to focus on stabilizing the palace as it exists today. We took some photos, but since we have been here two before (2010 and 2014) we didn’t take a lot of pictures. Unlike previous trips, we elected not to have a guided tour inside the castle. Probably the most popular feature of Heidelberg castle are the huge wine barrels in the lower level. The largest barrel has a capacity of 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) and has a diameter of 8.5 meters (nearly 28 feet).

Jodie, Cindy & Mary with wine barrel

After leaving the castle we elected to walk down the steep road to the town rather than taking the incline rail. We walked across the bridge over the Neckar then came back across. Cindy and Jodie wanted to Christmas shop a bit more so they walked to the Kathe Wohlfahrt store in Heidelburg’s Old Town.

Heidelberg Castle as seen from the Neckar River

Mary & I walked across the Neckar River to look at Heidelburg from that perspective. After meeting back up, Mary, Cindy and Jodie wanted a bite to eat, so they went to the coffee shop adjacent to the hotel and had hot soups (lentil or sweet potato) and a local dessert. I walked along the river while they ate. After dinner, Cindy and Jodie took a few photos then went up to their room. Mary and I took another walk around the old town. We didn’t go up the hill on Philosopher’s Walk but enjoyed the view of the beautiful and historic old city. We walked by the prestigious Heidelburg University which has been in the city since 1386 and has produced 57 Nobel Prize winners. After our walk, we came up to our room at 6 pm. We planned to meet for breakfast at the Hotel Hollander at 7 am then take a taxi to the train station for our 7:45 trip to Frankfurt, our final destination.