After the Jet Lag: Germany 2019, pt. 8

We were an active duty military family for about 13 years.  We were stationed from the West Coast to the East Coast and in between - and even lived in Würzburg, Germany for 3 years.  Some of the people we met during that time are the kind of people that you remember for a life time, and if you ever run into them again, you just kind of pick up where you left off.  I am so thankful for our military friends!

When Dan and I were a young married couple, living far away from home in Washington State at our 2nd duty assignment (a 3 month stint in Monterey, CA being our first), I met Randy by a chance encounter at the commissary while grocery shopping.  I was wearing a t-shirt from my recently-graduated-from university (Tennessee Temple, a small school in Chattanooga), and he approached me.

He too had spent a semester at TTU ... and as we talked, we found he knew my brother-in-law.  Small world!  We soon decided that our spouses needed to meet ... and from that time on, his wife Laura became my closest friend for the 2 years we lived in Washington.  Since then, almost 24 years have gone by ... their children grew up, married, and had children.  Dan and I eventually had children, who are now almost grown up too (well, except our 9 year old!).

A few weeks ago, Laura messaged me for tips about visiting Germany.  Randy was going to be doing some training there as an Army flight instructor, and she was going to go with him.  As we compared notes, we figured out we'd be in Germany at the same time!!  So, of course, we planned to meet up!

On Thursday, June 20, my daughter Anna and I drove up from Ravensburg to meet them in Heidelberg.  June 20th also happened to be a Germany holiday - Fronleichnam (Corpus Cristi) - but that didn't stop the tourism at the castle by the Neckar River.

I have tons of pictures of Heidelberg because the castle ruins are just so amazing and the area around the castle is lovely and historic as well.

There was just something beautiful every where you look. 

We chose not to take a tour of the castle (I had been previously), but we spent some time walking around the castle grounds and inside.

Again, it is just such a lovely place to visit ... and I am sure the tour would have afforded more insight into the history of this castle-fortress on the hill over the Neckar River valley.

But I have to say the BEST PART of our Heidelberg experience was catching up with old friends and realizing we still have SO MUCH to talk about ...

and the very best of the best was that my friends immediately took in my daughter as a friend too ... 

It helped that Laura and Anna seem to be kindred spirits.

Our time in Heidelberg went by too quickly, and we had to be on the road by 6p.m.  Anna and I did stop in Darmstadt (which we'll visit again later!) for dinner:  a Schnitzel for me and "Spare ribs" for Anna.  Then we headed back to Frankfurt to spend the night with my aunt.  

Parking our huge vehicle in her neighborhood turned out to be a little bit of a dilemma as the parking spaces around her apartment were all rented to residents, and the narrow streets around the neighborhood were already full of parallel-parked vehicles.  We parked half-way on and half-way off a fire lane since it was just for a quick over-night ... but believe me, a nosy German neighbor lady let us have it the next morning when we went to move the car!  I love that my aunt (who is 84 years old!) just smiled at her and said she understood and wished the lady "a nice day" as we drove off...  

Friday, June 21 - Old Town Frankfurt - in part 9

German Cities & Towns: Heidelberg

In an effort to preserve my memories and pictures of Germany, I am writing a series:  German Cities & Towns.  While you can get information about these cities from far more professional websites than mine, these are MY memories, perspectives, and pictures.  I hope you will enjoy them with me!  And share what are YOUR favorite German cities & towns.  

Today I am sharing some information and memories I have of visiting Heidelberg in 1996:

Heidelberg is a university town, located in southwestern Germany, just 50 miles south of Frankfurt, above the Neckar River.
Its castle ruins are probably one of the most recognizable and visited sites in Germany - among Ludwig's Neuschwanstein, Berlin's Brandenburg gate, and München's Oktoberfest ...

In 1996, the entry fee to the castle courtyard was a mere 2 Deutsch Mark and and included a stop to see the famous world's biggest wine barrel, which was built in  1751 and stands 7 meters high and holds 58,124 gallons of wine. There is even a dance floor on top of it!

The castle tour cost us another 4 DM each - but of course, was well worth the money!

Heidelberg's castle is an interesting mix of styles from Baroque to Gothic.  It was built in stages, first as a residence for the Prince-Elect Ruprecht III, starting in 1398, and in the 16th and 17th centuries two buildings were added to make the castle more of a fortress.  Much of the castle was destroyed during the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) and the Palatine War of Succession (1688-1697).  Restoration attempts in 1764 by the prince elector of the time were thwarted by lightening.  Then the castle grounds were used as a kind of quarry to supply stone for new houses in the city of Heidelberg - until this was put to a stop in 1800 by Count Charles de Greimberg, who began the restoration process.

Johann von Goethe walked the parks of Heidelberg castle in the late 1700's; Mark Twain lived in the city in 1878 with his family.  Martin Luther was fetched to the city of Heidelberg shortly after posting his 95 Theses in Wittenberg to defend his writing in 1518.

On the northern bank of the Neckar River is the "Philosopher's Walk" where philosophers and university professors would discuss and contemplate.  Heidelberg is after all the home of the oldest university in Germany, founded in 1386.

I have visited Heidelberg several times in my life ... and it is true to state that "I lost my heart in Heidelberg" as a famous song, composed in 1925 by Fred Raymond with lyrics by Fritz Löhner-Beda and Ernst Neubach states.  This song remains Heidelberg's theme song as well as the inspiration for the 1927 film, The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg:

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, also known as The Student Prince and Old Heidelberg, is a 1927 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer silent drama film based on the 1901 play Old Heidelberg by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster.  (source)

Other Cities To Read About:

Rothenburg o.d. Tauber

Bamberg

Dinkelsbühl