HEIDELBERG, GERMANY: A Walking Tour of the Old Town and Castle

Heidelberg, Germany. Church of the Holy Spirit.

The historic city of Heidelberg, situated on the banks of the Neckar River, is the home of the oldest university in Germany (founded 1386) and exudes the charm of an earlier era. In late April, while my husband was attending a conference, I had the opportunity to explore the Old Town and Castle, taking a self-guided walking tour of the cobblestone streets and riding the funicular up to the castle grounds. It was a beautiful sunny spring day with flowers blooming and trees beginning to leaf out.

Walkway along the Neckar River. The Neckar is a tributary of the Rhine.

The city of Heidelberg developed along the banks of the Neckar River. Before diving into the maze of the Old Town streets I took a short walk along the Neckar on a shady tree-lined path.

Shops on the Hauptstrasse.

Once inside Old Town I followed a map from the Tourist Center that identified key historic buildings, including houses, churches, businesses, departments of the university, and other significant sites. The main street, Hauptstrasse, runs the length of the Old Town paralleling the river and is for pedestrians only. Lined with shops and eateries, it is meant for tourists.

Cobblestone street in the Old Town.

Typical house decoration.

Side streets are narrow and lined with colorful building framing the wooded hillside beyond. I followed one street into the courtyard of the Jesuitenkirche, which dates back to the 17^th century. When I pulled open the heavy wooden doors and went inside I was greeted by a light and airy interior, giving the space a calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Interior of the Jesuitenkirche.

Ruach. Wood sculpture by Bernhard Apfel in the Jesuitenkirche.

But then, on my way out, I was caught by surprise when I looked up and saw a carved wooden figure, bright red, perched over the entryway. Unlike the rest of the more traditional decorations in the church alcoves, this was a modern piece. A sign explained (in both German and English) that she was a Ruach, or a feminine depiction of the Holy Spirit. She was created by wood sculptor Bernhard Apfel.

Church of the Holy Spirit and marketplace.

The huge Church of the Holy Spirit, the largest church in Heidelberg and one of the oldest, constructed from 1398 and 1515, is located in the historic market place of the Old Town. 

View of the castle ruins from the Old Town.

From there I followed signs to the castle, which sits on the hill overlooking the town. There is a walking path to the castle grounds (very steep) or you can ride the funicular. I chose the funicular. The ticket includes the price of entering the castle courtyard. The vast grounds and gardens around the castle are free.

View from the ramparts of the castle. The wooded hillside on the opposite side of the river is full of hiking trails including the famous Philosopher's Walk.

Old bridge over the Neckar. View from the castle.

One of the primary reasons to visit the castle is for the spectacular view. The castle’s history goes back to medieval times but in 1693, after it was destroyed during the Palatine War of Succession, has not functioned as the seat of government since. It is most famous as a ruin. Nineteenth century painters, writers and travelers loved it. The English painter James M. W. Turner painted it surrounded in evocative mists. Mark Twain visited it and wrote about it in his 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…..Nature knows how to garnish a ruin to get the best effect.”

Lilacs at the castle.

Within the castle courtyard a few buildings have been renovated. One of these has become a Pharmacy Museum, displaying old pharmacy equipment and exhibits about the history of medicine. My favorite room was for children, which included a display of an old pharmacy in miniature.

Restored building in the castle courtyard house the Apothecary Museum and a restaurant.

Miniature old-fashioned apothecary shop displayed in the children's room of the museum.

I had packed a sandwich and enjoyed my picnic lunch at a table of an outdoor café on the castle grounds before walking to the funicular station for a ride back down the hill. I then retraced my steps through the Old Town to the bus stop that would take me to my modern hotel. But for the few hours I spent in Heidelberg's Old Town and Castle, I felt like I had traveled back in time.

View from the Castle.

ISLE OF WIGHT, A Short Hop Off the English Coast, Guest Post by Susan Kean

iew from Osborne House, Queen Victoria's summer residence.

My friend Susan Kean and her partner George recently did a two day trip to the Isle of Wight off the south coast of England.  It is the largest and second most populous English island. I thank her for sharing her thoughts and beautiful photos with The Intrepid Tourist.

Wightlink ferry.

Tuesday’s adventure included lots of Kings (and Queens)! George booked for us to spend an overnight on the Isle of Wight. 

Victoria valued family life and was very romantic.

Our first stop was Osborne House, Queen Victoria’s summer residence. An amazing place! I now understand the adjective “Victorian” much better! She seemed to love lots of ‘frills’! 

Victoria's bedroom.

Everything was elaborate.

The dining room ceiling was beyond crazy!

Dining room.

And every course had its own piece of silverware.

Place setting.

We toured the house and then the gardens. 

Walled garden with espaliered peach and fig trees.

My favorite was the walled garden. It was a way of having a protected area for growing vegetables and fruit. The walls heated up when the sun shone and meant the area could support fruit such as peaches and figs that would not normally thrive in an open garden.

Planting out garden for next spring.

After lunch in the cafe, we headed to Carisbrooke Castle where Charles 1 was kept prisoner. 

Carisbrooke Castle--a real castle!

We finally ended up in Ventnor where George had booked us into the Palace Hotel, whose claim to fame was that it is where Queen Victoria enjoyed visiting and started the concept of tea parties! 

Royal Hotel Ventnor

It was amazing--like stepping into the set of Bridgerton.

Palace Hotel dining room.

After some walking on Wednesday morning we drove to Freshwater for lunch. Just about a perfect October day--we were able to eat lunch outside.

Freshwater.

CRUISING THE RHINE, Part 2: Castles, Churches, Cuckoo Clocks and More, Guest Post by Monique McLay Shore

Strausberg, Germany.

My friend and fellow Grinnellian, Monique McLay Shore, went on a one-week cruise of the Rhine River last May with her mother and sister Deidre. I thank her for sharing her report and excellent photos with The Intrepid Tourist. This post is adapted from Monique’s day by day reports she wrote on Facebook during the trip. It is in two parts—Days 1-4, followed by Days 5-7 a week later.

Speyer.

Day 5:  May 19

Today had a relaxed start as we didn't reach our excursion point until after lunch. But once we arrived in Speyer I had one of my trip highlights - a reunion with one of my dear college friends, Nadia! Meanwhile, Mom and Deidre were touring the town, doing a bit of shopping, and working on their selfie skills. 

Romanesque Cathedral in Speyer.

Speyer is a delightful town with a lovely Romanesque Cathedral. It has a markedly simpler design aesthetic and quite lovely. As with most towns here, there are remnants of ancient city walls and layers of centuries of history.

Day 6:  May 20

Tram in Strausberg, Germany.

Today we explored a few corners of Strausberg, Germany. Because of its location it has actually changed from being French to German and back again many times over the centuries, giving it a solid footing in both cultures. This also makes it a great seat of power for the EU. 

Cathedral, Strausberg.

It has a beautiful cathedral that is also home to a mindboggling astronomical clock. And the area known as La Petite France is right out of a medieval sketchbook. Mom and Deidre went on a more limited tour in the morning and mainly saw the cathedral while I explored Petite France with another group.

Strausberg.

After lunch back on the ship Deidre and I went back to explore some more. I logged more than 20,000 steps as here was no easy transport between the various places. But it was totally worth it.

We were rewarded with a festive German feast for dinner onboard, the most spectacular sunset of the week, some festive cocktails, and then the excitement of moving through the first of several locks that will take us upstream.

Tomorrow looks to be a rainy day visit to the Black Forest region before we disembark for good in the predawn hours on Thursday.

Day 7:  May 21

Breisach.

Today was our last full day on the ship. In addition to beautiful scenery, we also had rain, an exciting bus ride to the mountains that included a detour on the autobahn, and delays at the locks to start and end our days. We had been looking forward to today being restful, with nothing scheduled but the bus ride up the mountain. But then Deidre and I opted to take a quick peak around the quaint village of Breisach,

View of Breisach from the Cathedral.

Deidre thought we should give the cathedral a quick peak.... Of course the cathedral is at the top of this early walled city. So up, up, up we went! The view from the top was fabulous and the cathedral was great. Of course, then we had to come down, down, down. Needless to say, it was not the restful day I had been hoping for! As we ate lunch we could all see the storm clouds rolling in. Just after we boarded the buses the skies opened up.

Rainy day in the Black Forest.

We had a very rainy drive to the Black Forest but you could still see the beauty of the area. Once at the top there was a wonderful cuckoo clock store and a shop filled with beautiful hand-blown glass from area artists. There was also a massive cuckoo clock in the square that we watched strike four. On the ride back, we took a more direct route, only to be stopped by a traffic jam caused by a crash in one of the tunnels on the Autobahn. We then hit a backlog of ships at the locks. We just went through one and we think we have two more before we dock in Basel. I guess we shall see in a few hours if we will really get off at 4:15am as planned.

Sunset in Strausberg.

Home again: My Mom and sister and I had a great time on our Viking River cruise on the Rhine River! 

BERGEN, NORWAY, 3 DAYS IN MAY: Old and New and a Walk About Town

The Domkirken (Cathedral) in Bergen, Norway, dates to the 12th Century.

Conventional wisdom says to always carry your umbrella when you are in Bergen, and on our recent trip to Norway in May, we were glad we did. Unlike Oslo, where we had enjoyed warm, sunny weather, it was cool and cloudy in Bergen with periods of rain. But that didn’t stop me from going out and walking around the city.

Our hotel and the colorful building fronts of Bryggen.

Our hotel, the Radisson Royal Blu, where Art’s conference was being held, was in the heart of Bryggen, the historic center of the city, now preserved as a UNESCO Heritage site. 

Historic buildings of Bryggen. View from our room at our hotel.

From medieval times through the late 1800s, Bergen was the focus of trade on Norway’s west coast. Colorful storefronts facing the waterfront were once busy offices and warehouses and other buildings connected to the shipping business. Today they are restaurants and souvenir shops.

Entrance to the Bergen Castle.

Just beyond the warehouse district is the entrance to the old castle/fort and its large ceremonial hall, the Hakenshallen, a structure dating back to the 1200s. The opening reception of Art’s conference was held there and we were greeted by the mayor. It was not hard to imagine knights in armor dining in the magnificent room long ago.

Hakonshallen (ceremonial hall)

My first job after arriving in Bergen was finding a laundromat to do our laundry. I learned that, like virtually everything else, all the machines were operated by credit card. We had gone to an ATM machine when we arrived in Norway and gotten cash (Norwegian kroners), but almost never used it. Even the smallest purchases (like a cinnamon roll at the local bakery or the toilets at the train station) was paid for with a tap of a credit card. 

Spring flowers in the Bergen city park.

Armed with a map picked up at the hotel, I took a self-guided walking tour through the streets of Bryggen, then circling the city park, where strollers ambled down flowered paths and swans floated past a fountain in the center of lake. 

Swan in the lake at the Bergen city park.

Bandstand at the Festplaza.

Tulips, rhododendrons, and all kinds of flowers were in the glory of the spring bloom, brightening the overcast weather. At one end of the park a bandstand was ready for summer concerts.

Sample piece (from Brazil) in the Indigenous Histories exhibit at the Kode art museum in Bergen.

Facing the park on one side are three of Bergen’s art museums. One afternoon I met a friend for a visit to a fascinating exhibit called Indigenous Histories. (For a virtual tour of some of the pieces in the exhibit, go to my June 22, 2024 post my Art and Books blog.)

At the main shopping plaza in downtown Bergen, a modern portico has been added to provide protection from rain or snow. Look carefully at the metal column and you can see multiple images of me with my camera.

I then returned to the waterfront by walking through the business district of downtown Bergen. There a wide plaza with memorial sculptures is flanked by commercial buildings dating from the 19^th Century.

A food stand at the fish market offered burgers made of salmon, whale, elk, and reindeer meat.

In the fish market along the waterfront stalls were filled with artfully arranged fish, caviar, and sausages made from reindeer, whale, elk. There were also stalls with various cooked foods to go. (I didn't try any.) The fish market seemed to be more of a tourist draw than a place where locals went to purchase seafood to cook at home.

White building at end of the street is the beginning of the Floibanen Funicular.

A popular attraction in Bergen is the funicular, a skyride that whisks you up from town to the mountain overlooking the city for a spectacular view. But on the day I planned to do it, it was raining and the clouds were so thick that I knew it would be impossible to see anything from the viewpoint. So, instead, I went to the archeology museum next to our hotel and joined a one hour tour.

Trade routes from Bergen in the Middle Ages.

In the Middle Ages, Bergen was a transportation hub, sending ships to ports in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

Layers of history revealed in the archeology museum.

Over the centuries the wooden buildings of Bryggen burned many times and were rebuilt many times. As archeologists dig through the layers of remains they have uncovered evidence of life going back to medieval times. In the museum there were displays of ancient shoes, combs, tools, knitting needles and more--even a communal wooden toilet seat! I was particularly fascinated by the display of wooden sticks covered in runic writing.

The Futhark are ancient writing systems used by the Old Norse people of Northern Europe.

Both sides are carved with Runic inscriptions. "Hakon carved me, but the boy owns me." and "Bard owns me. He found much to object to in the person who carved me."

And on our last morning, after the conference was over Art and I did a tour of another museum in Bryggen, which introduced us to life in Hanseatic times. (Bergen was a member of the Hanseatic League, a confederation of German city/states involved in trade in the 14th to 16th centuries. Norway did not become an independent country until 1905.) We then checked out of our hotel and made our way to the ferry building to board the ship for our overnight trip to Alesund. As the ship steamed out of the harbor, the sky cleared and the sun came out as we said good-bye to Bergen. We no longer needed our umbrellas.

Leaving the harbor and the cloudy skies of Bergen.

For more about our ferry trip from Bergen to Alesund go to my post of May 27, 2024, Two Weeks in Norway: Trains, Planes, and Automobiles, and a Few Ferries, Too.

And for an overview of our three days in Oslo, go to my post of June 17, 2024, Oslo, Three Days in May: Opera, Art, History and Sunshine. 

 

The Bryggen waterfront, historic buildings, with the addition of a modern Ferris Wheel, constructed while we were there, perhaps in preparation for the summer tourist season.