Germany Trip Day 4: Heidelberg

After a delicious breakfast, during which the owner himself offered us eggs and bacon in addition to the spread already available, we got ready to head to Heidelberg. Equipped with a map and directions to a centrally-located parking garage, we drove into town with our sites set on the castle and a Fairy Tale park.

After parking the car, we walked toward the tourist-y section of town, and drank in the beauty of the historical buildings and structures. We paused by a beautiful bridge, which spans the Nekar River, a beautiful hotel, and then decided to visit one of the churches.

One of the streets leading to the church we visited.

A view of the church from the outside.

We looked around the inside, which includes vaulted ceilings, a pipe organ, frescos, and a stained-glass windows ranging from traditional style to modern.

A view toward the front of the church.

One of the many stained-glass windows.

The pipe organ

A closer view of the front

Then, for a few Euros, we chose to climb the spire. The first set of stairs led to the balcony, where I witnessed this beautiful stained-glass window that was otherwise impossible to see.

It was a good ways up for the kiddos, and Timo had to be careful of Hunter’s head, but the view from the top was worth it.

Going up


AJ taking a break

Once we had completed our ascent, we paused to look around and enjoy the beauty. While we were up there, the church clock struck 12, as did a neighboring church's clock. I told the kids it was like they were talking to each other, as they took turns sounding out the hours.

View of the top of the church

View of the castle from the church

View of the town, facing the mountains. You can barely see where the cable car goes up and down in the upper left.

I took a better picture of this fresco on the way down.

The church spire we climbed.

After the church, we walked toward the information center to find out where the cable-car station was located so we could ascend the mountain. The first stop was at the castle ruins. The view of the city from here was breathtaking. It was high enough to be able to see across the city and the river, but it was low enough to still be able to enjoy the beauty of the buildings.

This pictures includes the church we visited, on the left, and the bridge we saw at the beginning (toward the middle).

Another view of the city.

The castle dates back to AD 1214, was expanded in 1294, and has suffered various degrees of destruction due to lightning bolts, fires, and wars. Some parts of it have been rebuilt, and expanded since the 13th century, but much of it remains in ruins. It is a rather large structure, and must have been something in its hayday.

Timo and AJ in front of a ruined part of the castle.

Checking out another part of the castle.

Walking around the exterior of the castle.

The entrance

The bridge and the castle entrance.

Stone soldiers guarding the entrance.

The portcullis

The courtyard and some of the surrounding buildings

Looking back toward the entrance.

Look how ornate this building is.

An old sundial

The German Apothecary Museum is located inside the castle grounds and costs nothing more to visit. It was well worth the time to see and did not take a long time to go through, which is a bonus with kids.

Dispensary of the Benedictine Monastery in Schwarzach, Baden, around 1724

An old steam distillation machine.

Pharmacy to the Crown, Ulm, around 1820

Some jars and various ingredients used in historical times

Room for processing raw materials.

Furniture from a pharmacy in Bamburg, around 1730 or 1740. It's difficult to see, but notice the alligator hanging from the ceiling. I'm not sure what that was about.

Dispensary from the Klagenfurt Monastery, 1730

Look at these old jars. Makes even the fanciest medicinal packaging today look shabby.

This room depicts a view in the lab of a pharmacists' tower. I loved the old flasks. They look just like the ones in the book about Pasteur that Kristen and I read recently.

After the museum, we took one last look around the castle. We decided not to tour the inside since it would have taken an hour, and our guide-book described it as "less than scintillating."

Seats to watch the various plays put on in the courtyard. You can't read it, but the sign on the left reads "The Student Prince" in German. Appropriate for Heidelberg, I think.

This is one part of the castle that is in great shape. This side is one of the parts seen from the city.

One last picture of the city.

After leaving the castle, we headed back to the cable car station. This time, we got to ride an older car to the top of Königstuhl, as this hill in the mountains is called by the locals.

Timo climbing the steps to find a place in the cable car. That's AJ's head (and hat) at the bottom.

A long ways down.

At the top, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. The kids tried their first schnitzle, and I tried some white brautwurst, made with veal meat. H nursed and fell asleep, and we put him down on some chairs we pushed together in the lounge area. It's a good thing everyone else was eating outside, because he was able to rest in peace and quiet. Timo took the older kids to the Fairy Tale Park, called Märchen Paradies, while I waited with H. I finally got H up and joined them. The park had a nominal entry fee, and most rides cost a token worth 50 Euro cents, but it was overall worth it.

This was a very important part of the day since the kids had been doing "adult" activities all day. We decided to include kid-friendly adventures in our plans so the children would feel like they had a vacation, too. I think it's the only way we could complete a two-week trip with everybody's sanity still intact.

K on the first ride

Riding the caterpillar train

Jumping

AJ on a swing

AJ going down a slide

AJ and K on a merry-go-round of sorts.

K on the backhoe

K playing with the mini-crane

Timo and AJ

Timo with H playing around with the crane

K on the horse ride.

Me taking H for a ride on the horse

K in her race car

AJ driving his "motorcycle"

Timo at the "shooting range"

What he was shooting at

This castle had a track around it with a dragon that two people can sit in and pedal.

H on a small trampoline

Riding the train

They had a castle where they were telling and illustrating the story of Rumpelstilsken

More Rumpelstilsken

As dinner-time approached, we decided it was time to walk back to the cable-cars and make our descent. But first, we stopped to admire the view.

View of Heidelberg from the top of the mountain

Our cable car for the top part of the ride.

View from inside of the cable car into the building as we departed.

Looking back

Here comes the next cable car.

K, Timo, and H waiting for the cable car to go

After the day's escapades, we chose to enjoy a low-key dinner of sandwiches, yogurt, chips, and cherry tomatoes in our hotel-room. These meals are always easier with H (who just ate a jar of baby-food), and the older kids did not seem to mind, either. We found a grocery store, where I ran in to make our purchases, then we drove back to our hotel for our evening's feast. Eating in also meant an earlier bed-time than we would have had otherwise. I was even able to snuggle with K and AJ and read some stories. It was a winning situation all around.