Hey Hey Heidelberg



Hotel Zum Ritter



I have a problem. I don't know the last time I had a drink of water. Well, that's a bit of an exaggeration. I had some water when I took my back medicine this morning. But, for a girl who drinks close to three liters of water a day, this is quite a drought. From our experience, Europeans drink very little tap water. It's all mineral water which contains, well, minerals – and this includes salt. So, if I'm going to pay for mineral water (no free tap water) then I'd much rather spend my hard earned money on a taste of the good life … and for me, that's beer. My lips and skin are feeling this dry spell, too. They're thirsty. I've also managed to gain a considerable amount of weight. I don't know for sure but I feel like a swollen version of myself. Knowing this would be the case, I prepared by losing close to 20 pounds before we left. Good thing I did too because this is kind of a right-back-where-we-started situation, or at least it feels like it. Se la vie, though, right – we're in Europe!

Heidelberg was exactly what we expected and what we needed from Germany. After the concrete jungle that is Berlin, we needed some green, some cobblestone, some mountains, and some lederhosen! What a charming little city Heidelberg is, too. Feeling like we were in the middle of the best little secret in Germany, we knew we would need to call our friend Rich to thank him for such a great recommendation. It was Rich that prompted us to stay in Heidelberg. Quite the recommendation.

We stayed at the Hotel Zum Ritter – on the Hauptstrause – the place to be in Heidelberg. This splendid Renaissance facade is considered one of the best in Germany. Built in 1592, it is the only Renaissance building to survive the War of Succession. We were lucky enough to get a room that faced the Hauptrause and if we looked out of our bedroom window, any hour of the day, we could look down at tourists taking photos of the iconic building.

A charming street in Heidelberg

We arrived in Heidelberg late afternoon. After getting settled at our hotel, we set out to explore the Hauptstrause, so conveniently located right outside our front door. This famous street is lined with shopping, drinking and dining opportunities. Eten & Drinken as the storefronts say. Funny enough, there is also a Build-A-Bear workshop on the strip as well. These bears wear lederhosen! Nice touch. Not five minutes from our hotel is the Neckar River and The Old Bridge. If you have seen any pictures of the city of Heidelberg, chances are you have seen this bridge. It is the Neckar's oldest bridge, dating back to the 13^th Century. Erik and I walked across the bridge, stopping in the middle to soak up the delicious view. On the other side we found a path that allowed us to walk along the river. Down the steps, a quick right and we were hidden from the world. With nobody in site we found a perfect little bench where we sat and chatted about our travels. I also requested Erik tell me a story I've requested he tell me close to 50 times by now – when he knew he wanted to marry me, what it was like to buy the ring, and how he decided on what he would say when he was down on his knee. We have been reliving that moment as often as possible for the last three weeks.

You can find many Black Madonna statues in Heidelberg




Erik, The Old Bridge, Neckar River



We returned to the other side of The Old Bridge and decided it was time for a Heidelberger Pilsner. Approaching an open courtyard, full of cafe seating, we knew this was our spot. The Heidelberger is slightly sweeter than the Berliner, but just as smooth, and just as good. It was Cinco de Mayo but there was nothing remotely celebratory going on in Heidelberg, at least, not for the Mexican Revolution, anyway. But, we wanted Mexican. Yes, we were surrounded with bratwurst, but tonight, we would have fajitas! Lucky for us, we found Coyote Cafe, which advertised their Mexican fare on their chalkboard, outside. This was it! Dinner was lovely and very familiar, a little something I think both Erik and I needed. The day of travel wore our energy thin and we retired to the hotel shortly after we completed our German celebration of Cinco de Mayo.





Me, The Old Bridge, Neckar River



The Old Bridge

Friday, May 6. I'm 30. I don't feel 30. What does 30 feel like? I don't think I ever felt 29 either. In fact, very recently, someone asked my age and I replied “23”. I didn't mean to lie, whatsoever. It honestly felt like the right thing to say. Not that I feel 23. I don't. After a feeling-fresh-shower and a pretzel for breakfast – hell, it's my birthday, I'm having a German pretzel for breakfast, we made our way to the Heidelberg Castle. Donning my “30” glasses, given to me by my cousin, Molly at my surprise birthday party, we were on our way to something special. The steep tram ride up to the castle was a complete indication that we couldn't have walked what we thought we could. Of course, we could have, but it would have taken a few rest stops, maybe a beer and of course a nap. Maybe I am 30 after all?

This massive castle is nestled in the mountains and overlooks the city of Heidelberg. The construction began around 1300 and lasted over 400 years. We spent close to three hours examining the ins and outs of this remarkable place. Walled by castle, we found beautiful green courtyards where people were baking in the sun or sharing picnic lunches. Erik left to discover picturesque opportunities while I found an area to sit in the sun and enjoy the beer we purchased on our way in. This is the life, I remember thinking. We reconnected and continued our tour of the castle. Inside is The Great Vat. Finished in 1751, it has the capacity of over 700,000 liters of wine. The vat is connected to the Festival Hall, which is the King's Hall, where wine consumption exceeded 2,000 liters per day. Holy wine-o! An old story goes that Perkeo, a court jester and guardian of the vat, drank water rather than wine, accidentally of course, and died. He was a redhead. Go figure. I'm just happy to say that I got to spend my 30^th birthday at a castle. It has quite the ring to it!



My Birthday Pretzel



Inside the Heidelberg Castle

 It was time for lunch so we took the tram back to the city and made our way to an outdoor cafe. For my birthday lunch both Erik and I enjoyed a traditional bratwurst, sauerkraut and spicy mustard dish. Words cannot describe how outrageously good it tasted, either. It was another one of those “I'm gonna have this for dinner!” moments. We sat in the sun and enjoyed a few beers. Once again, as we had learned to do, taking it slow. Because we were so close to the hotel, we decided to drop off a few things before heading to the Philosopher's Walk, across the Neckar River. For just a second, I hopped online to find the most special birthday gift from my darling niece, Brooke. I video message. She said “Aunt Katie. Happy Birthday Katie. I love you. Hiiiiiiiiii!” with the help of my sister and Pat, and it was perfect. I sobbed over it and demanded the time to call my sister. There's no fighting the birthday girl and Erik agreed. I spoke with my sister for some time and thanked her for such a lovely birthday gift from my beautiful Goddaughter. She said they had been working on it for about a week. What a gift!

After a few more sobs of missing my sweet niece, we left the hotel for Philosopher's Way. This would allow us another fantastic view of the city, from the other side of the Neckar. It took some effort to get up there, honestly. Straight up for over a mile, but, worth that effort. We sat in the Philosopher's Garden and enjoyed the sense of relaxation provided by our surroundings. Let's go further – this was Erik's idea. Further meant higher, steeper, up. So, we did. We didn't go far, though, because just up and around the trees we saw the backside of a man – bending over, sawing something, in his boxer briefs. They were light colored and thin. Yes, we saw his twig and berries. Erik spun faster than I did, simply because I couldn't believe my eyes. Who saws in their boxer briefs? I guess we were in the mountains, but … That was the end of our time on the mountain. We retreated to the river where we would walk up and over The Old Bridge and back to the Haupstrause.

There was a restaurant across from our hotel that was most intriguing. 5 Euros for any cocktail and a huge menu. More than anything, though, a great view of the people around us and those passing by. Including two middle aged drunk American men who stumbled toward a woman and her 2 year old child. “She is the most beautiful girl I've ever seen! Hi! I love you! She is beautiful!” The woman, graciously accepted their compliments and asked her daughter to wave goodbye to the men. The men walked on but reappeared around the corner just twenty or so minutes later. This time carrying, and drinking from, I might add, bottles of brandy. They proceeded to interrupt a tour group standing outside The Church of the Holy Ghost. Standing in the middle of the group, now, they proceeded to offer the individual tourists drinks from their bottles. We watched from 5 yards away, laughing and enjoying the spectacle. The tour guide wasn't too thrilled with the debauchery and turned the group away. They were laughing too and the Americans wanted to know why. “Why are you laughing! Why are you laughing?!” They got the hint … just not soon enough.

A few gin & tonics down and I was ready to order. Erik and I had already shared a starter of toasted white bread with three dipping sauces. The fig mustard was a once-is-enough-for-me experience but I very much enjoyed the aioli as well as the sweet chili sauce. Erik decided on the currywurst and chips while I went for the swaddies – pasta stuffed with spinach – awesome. Another gin & tonic later I was feeling good and enjoying my birthday as the sun went down.

Rather than spending more Euros at a bar, we decided to grab some wine and return to our hotel room to listen to music and enjoy each others company. This relaxing night turned in to a competitive game of rummy. With a negative score the first round, I begged Erik to let that be a practice round for the birthday girl. He agreed and I ended up beating him by 10. He's still sour.

Heidelberg was lovely, charming, quaint and delightful. The people, the places, the things. It was a fantastic way to spend my 30^th birthday and a wonderful introduction to the Germany we so desired.

Now on our way to Munich, where we will spend the next three days.

Take it from a 30 something …

Cheers,
Kate & Erik

5/7/2011

DISCLAIMER:  Our hotel in Munich does not have the bandwidth for me to download any more pictures.  To see an album of pictures of Heidelberg, please visit my Facebook page.  Sorry for any inconvenience!!