Christmas in Germany: Heidelberg

It was a little over three and a half hours on the train from Munich to Heidelberg, with one train change. The trains were all delayed somewhat due to the dense fog that restricted visibility to a few feet. Upon arrival, we promptly got lost. Luckily, some friendly German guys saw us puzzling over our maps and helped us orient ourselves. We checked into the Heidelberg Marriott and argued with the concierge over whether it would be ideal to take the city roads to the Old City or the park walkway across the river. He was for the city roads because it was so foggy, we couldn’t see anything across the river if we took the long way around. We took the park walkway across the river, and we were glad we did, despite the fact that both of us had serious pain in our shins from the hike to Neuschwanstein the day before.

We crossed the Old Bridge, erected in 1788, and entered through an original town gate, from medieval times. The fog held; it was only after we had crossed the bridge that we saw the faint outline of Heidelberg Castle through the mist. The old town (German: Altstadt), situated on the Neckar River, is long and narrow. It is dominated by the ruins of the Heidelberg Castle. It was all the more beautiful for being just a hint, a suggestion, a whisper through the fog.

We were hungry after our long train ride, and we immediately ate at the Hotel Zum Ritter. This was a lot fancier than we expected, and we were the only people there. We felt out of place in our jeans and hiking boots. I had a cheese tortellini in paprika cream sauce drizzled with a balsamic reduction and a riesling. Michael ordered the deer steak, but he received the wiener schnitzel. He didn’t realize he got the wrong menu item until he’d already finished half of his meal. Everything was terrific.

After lunch, we took the historic funicular railways up to the castle. It was already almost 4:00 in the evening. These rails went about 45 degrees up the mountain and were a little disconcerting.

We then paid for the audio guides and started walking around the grounds of the breathtaking ruins of Castle Heidelberg. This ended up being my favorite castle in Germany. Perched high above the narrow lanes and picturesque roofs of the old town, the magnificent red sandstone building breathed history. Again, the fog only added to its beauty. Built in the 1100s, the castle was partially destroyed during a few different wars and sieges, mainly in the Thirty Years War in the 1600s.

A cannonball embedded in the wall

The witch's bite - legend has it the king offered to give the castle to anyone who could bite through this ring, and a witch tried really, really hard, but only managed to dent it.

The largest wine cask in the world. It was filled 4 times.

The Powder Turret, split by an explosion, was described by Mark Twain in his 1880 book A Tramp Abroad:

“A ruin must be rightly situated, to be effective. This one could not have been better placed. It stands upon a commanding elevation, it is buried in green woods, there is no level ground about it, but, on the contrary, there are wooded terraces upon terraces, and one looks down through shining leaves into profound chasms and abysses where twilight reigns and the sun cannot intrude. Nature knows how to garnish a ruin to get the best effect. One of these old towers is split down the middle, and one half has tumbled aside. It tumbled in such a way as to establish itself in a picturesque attitude. Then all it lacked was a fitting drapery, and Nature has furnished that; she has robed the rugged mass in flowers and verdure, and made it a charm to the eye. The standing half exposes its arched and cavernous rooms to you, like open, toothless mouths; there, too, the vines and flowers have done their work of grace. The rear portion of the tower has not been neglected, either, but is clothed with a clinging garment of polished ivy which hides the wounds and stains of time. Even the top is not left bare, but is crowned with a flourishing group of trees & shrubs. Misfortune has done for this old tower what it has done for the human character sometimes−improved it.”

After we had seen the castle, we wandered the old town as long as our legs could carry us. We stopped for a glühwein by an ice skating rink and wished fervently that we had a place to stow our camera bag and our legs didn’t hurt so we could skate with the other revelers. But as darkness took the city, we meandered back to the hotel, stopping at every store that was open and enjoying the chilly night. We skipped dinner and returned to the hotel as soon as we had explored the rest of the old town.