Heidelberg: Good Sights, Good Conversations

More than one person told me that Heidelberg is a must-see destination, and so, seeing the beautiful forecast for Friday, I prepared for my day trip. The expectations were high--the city is one of the most popular tourist stops in Germany. With that comes a positive and a negative: a high potential that I would run into crowds, but also a good chance that the city would be easy to navigate. So, when I borded the EC train heading south, I was pleased to see plenty of open seats. 

A little history: Heidelberg is home to the oldest university in Germany, which is located at the center of the Altstadt, or Old Town. Throughout the narrow cobblestone streets and baroque architecture, there is an international feel that comes from the diverse student body and sheer number of tourists. The city sits between two small mountains and on both sides of the Nectar River. Perched 300 feet up on the Konigsstuhl mountain is the Schloss, or Heidelberg Castle. Partly destroyed, the massive ruins loom over the Old Town.

The sun emerging from behind the massive castle

My train arrived on time to the Heidelberg Hauptbahnhof, and I quickly set out west. It's an easy bus ride from the train station to the center of the Old Town; from there, a short but steep hike takes you straight to the castle. Each step offers a better view of the city. Weaving between high stone walls and under low archways, I reached the tiny ticket office. Three euros for a student (I used my Williams rec. pass since I don't have anything from Middlebury yet) and I on my way, again heading upwards.

The pictures do a lot of the explaining, but at each turn I anticipated the next sight to see. From the extravagant (and most likely restored) statues to the gigantic ruins of towers and walls, I was more than impressed by the entire experience of discovering the castle for myself. Not to say I was the only one there; the grounds were packed with (mostly) American and Asian travelers. Still, as I wandered from sight to sight, occasionally stopping to eavesdrop on a tour group, I felt that sense of amazement that's sometimes difficult to find. Maybe that's the reason I wanted to come to Europe so badly.

The main wall of the front of the castle

The massive scale of the partly ruined courtyard

The view from the top of the castle, looking down upon the
Old Town and Nectar River, between the two mountains

The Heidelberg Tun--the biggest wine barrel in the world

The intricate designs found on the inside of the courtyard

On Friday, the sky in Heidelberg was one of the bluest I've ever seen

My morning at the Heidelberg Castle was well worth the early start. I tried to take in everything that the historic fortress had to offer; while this may be the case, I wouldn't be surprised if I end up returning in the coming months. I say this partly because I feel I barely scratched the surface on the rest of Heidelberg. Even though it feels touristy, there is so much to be explored. I couldn't possible have done it in one day.

Descending from the castle heights, I formulated my agenda in my head: first, find lunch (preferably not at a MacDonalds, Burger King, or German chain bakery); second, buy new shoes (I needed a Euro-style sneaker classy enough to wear when I teach and when I travel, but comfy enough for a lot of walking); and third, make sure I make it to the train station by 2:30 to catch my ride back to Bad Homburg.  If I had extra time, I would walk around and see what's worth a look.

In the heart of the Old Town is a street called Hauptstrasse--one mile long, pedestrians only. The area is definitely geared towards tourists and students, as the two most common types of stores are pubs and souvenir shops. I wandered down a busy side street lined with restaurants, and found Vetter's Brauhaus. It looked like a popular stop, and the outdoor seating was perfect for the beautiful day. I sat down and flipped through the menu. The menu advertised the beer much more than the food, but they had bratwurst and schnitzel so I decided to go for it. Using my limited German language skills I read that one of the beers once held a record for being the strongest in the world.

Within a minute of my sitting down, two men and a woman took the table next to me. One of them had a Boston Red Sox shirt on, so I introduced myself and asked if they were from my home state. Jeff, the one with the Sox shirt, lived outside Boston, and the other couple had lived and worked in Germany for twenty odd years before moving to Charleston, SC for early retirement. Working for the military has its perks, as Mark said. (Heidelberg is home to one of the larger American posts in Germany). It was no time before they invited me to sit with them--they wanted to hear how I ended up in Germany and what my plans were for the road ahead. I talked while they consumed a large quantity of beer (not the strong stuff, though!). Jeff and Mark were both IT guys, and while neither of them they loved their job, they said it's a field where a smart person with a little training really go places. Also, they said that working overseas for the government can be a great career--Mark made a lot of money in Germany and the government paid for his house. Most of the ex-Pats that I've met so far have some connection to the government. Marty, who gave me a ride home from Heidelberg, also works in the military base, but I'll get to that later. As the US gears up for a crucial election, I've seen the extent of our interactions overseas. It's amazing how far we extend our influence (and our spending), especially in the military.

I enjoyed eating and talking with the three Americans (they even paid for my beer), and it was great to hear their perspectives. For me, that's partly what traveling is about--meeting people and hearing different perspectives.

After the long lunch, I walked down the Hauptstrasse searching for a shoe store while making my way back towards the train station. Soon I found a pair of Adidas that fit what I was looking for, and I wanted to wear them right away but decided against it.

I found a bus heading east and by 2:20 I was at my pick up spot. Marty, Luke's baseball coach and whom I've been helping since I've been here, had told me earlier that if I ever wanted a ride to or from Heidelberg, he'd be happy to help me out. At baseball the night before I told Marty I was heading down for a day trip, and although I said no to a ride down at 6 AM, the return fit in just fine. Right on schedule, Marty pulled up in front of the MacDonald's next to the train station, and we were on our way home. Currently, the Lufthansa Airline workers are on strike, which made us worried about the traffic, but it wasn't unbearable. (My family, however, who drove to Switzerland on Friday afternoon while I stayed to play soccer, didn't fare so well. The four hour ride turned into seven, as everyone in the state of Baden-Wurttenberg to the south of us seemed to be traveling on their last weekend of summer vacation. The states in northern Germany start school much earlier than those in the south.)

Marty talked a lot about his job as an environmental consultant for the Army. For a while he's been helping the American soldiers and families at the Heidelberg base "catch up" to the Germans in terms of recycling. I will probably write a whole post about recycling in Germany, but basically the country has 80 million people living in an area the size of Montana, so there's no room for land fills. Everything gets reused, recycled, or composted; the small amount of trash gets burned, with the heat being used to produce energy. The country is known for efficiency, and that has certainly been clear to me so far. So, Marty put in a system to help the American military families understand and implement large scale recycling, and now the Heidelberg base is a model for the other bases around Germany.

I was home by late afternoon--the thoughts and images from the day still swirling through my head. From now on I hope to start traveling further from Bad Homburg--the day trips becoming weekend getaways. As for now, I'm content with my day in Heidelberg, and I would return to the city in a heartbeat.

Click here to see all of my pictures from Heidelberg