Heidelberg

On Tuesday Matt and I took the train to Heidelberg. Its only about an hour away and its a great university city. There was plenty to see, including the famous Heidelberg Castle. When we got off the train we picked up our self-guided walking tour from Tourist Information and walked towards "Altstadt" (old town) about twenty minutes away. You could tell as soon as we entered the old town. Here's a view of the main walking street:

We had lunch at a great little sidewalk cafe and then headed toward the university. There we viewed the Hexensturm (Witch's Tower) which was part of a fortification in the 13th century. They have since modernized the inside with classrooms and lockers but the outside is still impressive. We also passed the library which was only build in 1901.



The Heiliggeistkirch (Church of the Holy Spirit) was in the center of Altstadt near the city hall buildings. Compared to the rest of the buildings in the area this church just towers over everything. It was built between 1298 and 1441 as a burial site of the Electors.

As we walked up to the Heidelberg Castle we saw this view. I loved it for the character the old street had and the ornate house at the top of the hill. The house looks to be just a normal residence now (probably several flats), but you can only imagine what it was like in its heyday. Double click on the picture to make it big so you can see all the detail.

The castle was by far the most impressive stop to our visit. After riding a tram up the hillside we bought an audio tour and began our exploration of the castle. I've included a photo album of our trip.

20071009 - Heidelberg