Again using our trusty train passes, we journeyed to Heidelberg. This was a bit of a hike, as we took the high-speed train to Stuttgart, then changed to another local train which took us right to the historic district. We were able to easily walk to the beautiful old city, and saw gorgeous graffiti on the way. On the way into town, we didn't take this tunnel because we weren't sure of the directions. On the way back, we did, and it turned out way easier (and was also covered in spectacular graffiti). Once in the heart of the old city, we chose a Thai restaurant for lunch. Pictured below is the view from our outside table, at least before the hornets moved in a chased us inside. Can you spot the tourist trap kitsch on the left side of the frame?
After our meal we wandered around the old city, checking out shops and cobbled streets. Matt wanted to visit the University library, so that was our main destination. It was an impressive structure both inside and out. The exterior was imposing and ornate, and I couldn't get far enough away with the narrow streets to take a complete photograph. Hundreds of bicycles were parked outside. The interior was also ornate, and partially a museum. We were mistaken on the way in for college students, which was somewhat of an ego boost at newly 35. I remember Matt having an interesting conversation with someone doing a poll on German college students, but I don't remember the content.
Both of us wanted to visit the castle, so once we were satisfied with our library visit we pushed on. We saw some funny shops, bought the best peach gummy candy we've ever had, and saw a gorgeous city square.
To get to the castle you must go up. Far, far up. We could have taken the funicular, however for reasons that escape me now (too many tourists?) we chose to walk. We found the path easily enough and started up. It was made of great stone steps. Naively, we wandered up, up, up. It became clear that the castle was quite high up. Mountain-level up. By this point we were past the point of no return, for our honor in particular. We kept going. There have been several times in my life where I have realized that I am actually out of shape, despite a steady workout and dance regimen. This was one of those times. The way up was lovely, if challenging.
Once we reached the summit, we were very hot and very tired of climbing stairs. The castle grounds were vast and lush, perfectly calming and comforting after such a hike. Perk: there are clean public toilets that don't cost money! First we checked out one side of the ruins:
The upper left part, where you can see rows of windows, is now a performance space where Shakespeare is often done. I think there may be orchestra sometimes as well. Matt really liked the idea of Hamlet being performed in this setting.
We continued walking the grounds. From the first side of the castle we assumed the ruins were more or less intact. Then we rounded a corner and saw this:
The castle was famously struck by lightning in 1534 and 1764, and we wondered if this whole part of the castle that had slid down off itself was damaged in one of those events. Turns out it was destroyed in an explosion, as this part of the castle was the "powder turret." Hashtag "some genius". It was an awe-inspiring view nonetheless. We looked at it and understood why the builders had gone, "nope, we out," after the series of unfortunate events that befell this structure across centuries. Read more about the castle's history here.
The rest of the grounds were just as lovely as the main castle area. We opted out of purchasing tickets to see the apothecary museum or the inside of the castle, preferring instead to spend our day walking through the gardens and looking closely at every detail we could find. There's far too much to put down here, but two that jump out are below. The top photo is an entrance to some underground chambers that were built into the mountainside in an exterior defensive wall. Apparently little lizards run throughout the rooms so the doorknob on the gate is decorated with a brass lizard. The bottom photo is along the same wall on another side of the grounds, where Matt wants to stage his production of Hamlet as mentioned before. He had a good time reciting the famous soliloquy and hearing it reverberate off the structure.
We'll leave you with this view from the mountaintop, looking down onto the old city. Across the water is the old University City, and in the far distance is the modern downtown.
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