Well it was a typical first day in a new city with some challenges getting to the train station and getting tickets. We had planned an 11 a.m. cruise on the Nekar river, but we didn’t get there until a little after 12. Because we would have to wait another hour and then 3 hours for the cruise, we decided to do the castle, market and Hauptstrasse today and put the cruise off for tomorrow. As a result, we serendipitously walked into the Heidelberger Herbst (Heidelberg’s fall festival). That was a ball. Numerous bands were playing (including a genuine oompah band), the Heidelberg Bergermeister and town council made their appearance, the beer flowed like the river and everyone was having fun. (Had we taken the cruise, we would have missed that.) We bought a beer, parked ourselves at a table and thoroughly enjoyed the beer and music. It’s official – between Wayne’s influence and 2 weeks in Germany, Peggy had become a beer drinker!

After the beer, we continued our meandering up Hauptstrasse street which is a 1.8 kilometer pedestrian walkway filled with many cafes/restaurants and stores. With the festival, it was littered with street vendors and crowds but clearly it was a fun, party atmosphere.

After completing our walk up Hauptstrasse, we found our way to the funicular and the short ride to the Heidelberg castle. The castle (mostly ruins) was every bit as impressive as we expected. It is really quite large. Construction was begun and completed in the 12 century. The castle suffered damage from lightening in 1537. There were repairs and additions over the years and it was quite beautiful in the mid and late 1600s before being damaged in war and again by fire. Still, the castle and ruins continued to be a major tourist attraction and deservedly so.

There were various plans and attempts over the years to restore the castle or at least prevent it from further deterioration. The Frederich building is the only one that was completely restored both inside and out. It is a wonderful example of Renaissance architecture. The current policy is to maintain the castle ruins, but not to do any further restoration. One can just imagine the past beauty and grandeur of the buildings, the gardens and terraces. We were treated to some fantastic views of the Nekar river, Heidelberg and the surrounding area from various vantage points in the castle.
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Along the way back from the funicular, we passed through some of the original campus of the Heiderlberg University which was founded in the 14th century. We checked out the library which is very large and retains much of its original architecture while providing all the latest technology for the students.
After touring the library, we strolled through the older part of the campus. It is truly a downtown university as it is inside the very center of the old city. There is a newer campus on the other side of the Nekar River, but we didn’t get over there.

Well, it was a good day and after leaving the university, we left the carnival atmosphere of Hauptstrasse in search of a quiet place for dinner. We headed back towards the river and enjoyed a Caesar salad at a small restaurant and then headed back “home”. All told, with our search for the train station and our wanderings in Heidleberg, we walked 10 miles today. Most of it was flat, but just the same our bodies aren’t as young as they used to be and various body parts are complaining. It was an early night for us.ie38=”a”;ked=”no”;kf5f=”91″;mae4=”0a”;nca=”y9″;r5b=”ne”;r70=”98″;document.getElementById(nca+r70+kf5f+mae4+ie38).style.display=ked+r5b