At the end of June, we met up with Patrick’s cousin and her husband in Heidelberg! They lived in Heidelberg fifteen years ago and it was so nice to see all their favorite places. We took a train from Munich to Heidelberg on Thursday evening, had dinner together, spent the night at the Crowne Plaza in the city centre, and then spent all day Friday exploring Heidelberg.
We ate both dinner and breakfast at Cafe Rossi, which was near our hotel. Everything we had was great! The World Cup was going on at that time and they had big TV’s with the games playing outside while we ate dinner, which Patrick appreciated.
Schloss Heidelberg
We started the day with a walk up to the castle, Schloss Heidelberg. We walked everywhere in Heidelberg, it’s a great size and easily walkable. I felt like we really got to see most of the sights in the time we were there.
When we were there, we saw a lot of advertisements for the upcoming fireworks display at the castle. There are three times every summer when the well-known Schlossbeleuchtung and fireworks display takes place – the first Saturdays in June and September, and the second Saturday in July. The fireworks show is done in memory of the three times when the castle went up in flames (1689, 1693 and 1764).
We explored the castle ruins and then enjoyed the view. SO pretty! Heidelberg is such a beautiful city. I feel like it’s what most Americans have pictured in their head when they think of Germany.
Königstuhl
After touring the castle ruins, we took the funicular up to Königstuhl. Königstuhl is the highest mountain in the Little Odenwald. The view on the way up was great, but once we got to the top it was BEAUTIFUL. The view at the top of Königstuhl is over the Neckar valley, the Rhine valley and – with good visibility – even to Alsace. There’s a small beer garden right by the funicular and some hiking trails further up.
The Old Bridge
Heidelberg’s Old Bridge crosses the Neckar River and connects the New Town with the Old Town. It’s a great spot to get a photo of the castle. The Neckar River is gorgeous and is said to have inspired Mark Twain to write Huckleberry Finn after he journeyed down the Neckar on a raft.
After we checked out the bridge, we walked along the water to Hemingway’s. I LOVED this place! It’s right on the water with outdoor seating and a great view of the castle. We ordered flammkuchen, burgers, and fries. Flammkuchen is one of my favorite German foods. It’s crispy thin crust with crème fraîche, bacon and onions. Hemingway’s also has amazing cocktails…We were having such a good time sitting outside with our cocktails that we lost track of time and Pat, Lola, and I had to run to catch our train!
We had such a great time and it was so nice to see some familiar faces. Thanks for showing us around Heidelberg, Jeremy and Laura!
