Heidelberg 1

Took three trains to get here; first to Olten alongside fabulous Rhône-Alps scenery, then to Mannheim, then the short hop to Heidelberg. Taxi to our apartment as the helpful lady in the station clearly thought we'd not cope on a bus! - although subsequently we've found an excellent bus route which drops us outside a handy shop just around the corner. After the bijou tight squeeze of Geneva, this place feels huge, with a separate bedroom for us and comfy beds for the boys in the lounge. Andy cooked omlettes for dinner and we introduced the boys to Groundhog Day which they thoroughly enjoyed. Was a late night though so had a late start in the morning- decided to walk in to get our bearings and it took a long time to get anywhere attractive! Once we did, we were sorry we'd not got there sooner - the Aldstadt is just glorious, with university buildings, churches and civic buildings lining pedestrian squares and streets. Matthew bought a magnetic clock (Grandpa may approve) and we learned the word uhr. Eventually found information, bought tickets and went up both funiculars, modern and historic. Lots of queues, so no time for Schloss - hopefully later. Fab, dizzying views from top. Ice creams needed twice to keep some of us in a happier frame of mind by this stage, but locating a marvellous pub for dinner where we could sit inside, unmolested by wasps, made a fantastic end to a great day.Read more