Heidelberg

After an early breakast, we board buses for the 30-minute bus ride to Heidelberg. The old town lies across both sides of the Neckar river. The Barouque charm of the city was spared in WW2 because it is a university town and has Germanys oldest university. It was the first university to admit women into the Faculty of Medicine.

First, we go to the Heidelburg Castle, which was started in the 1200s and has Rennaissance, Gothic, and Baroque styles of building, reflecting the many centuries over which it was built. The European Protestant states attacked the castle and it's Catholic occupants during the 30-year war from 1618 to 1648. They lay ruin to the castle at that time. What remains is beautiful. It was also struck twice by lightning, the second of which, in 1764, rendered it uninhabitable.

A feature of the town is the arched bridge, known as the Friedrichs arched bridge built in 1877.

The grapes grown in this region are Reisling. We see vineyards everywhere.

It is a cold and windy day, but we're blessed there is no rain.Read more