Since our friends' kids were still in school during the day, we decided to make some daytrips to explore Germany & hope to make it back to their house by the time the kids return from school...maximize all 4 kids playtime while we can! We drove a little over an hour from our friends home to Heidelberg. I tried to enjoy the ride & scenery as much as possible, but I was still jetlagged & snoozed in the car!So, before we begin, I will confess that I love history & the stories behind stuff. So, of course, I had to include a history of the Schloss Heidelberg, the Heidelberg Castle: "Nestled in the hill 300 feet above the city of Heidelberg stands the breath-taking Heidelberg Schloss (castle). The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture. The castle has a history almost as old as the city itself. The first parts of the castle were constructed around 1300, but it wasn’t before Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 – 1410) that the castle was used as a regal residence. Until it was destroyed by lightning in 1764 leaving it permanently uninhabitable, the castle was the residence for most of the Prince Electors. In 1800, Count Charles de Graimberg began the difficult task of conserving the castle ruins. Up until this time, the citizens of Heidelberg had used the castle stones to build new houses."
Since we were WAY downhill, we knew we had an uphill climb...but then we saw some stairs & decided to take those instead. Little did we know, we would hoof it up about 300 stairs! So, we go up the stairs & probably get about 1/3 of the way & now I'm regretting NOT getting into shape BEFORE our trip! My hips were burning, my feet were hurting, my calves were shaking, & my lungs were trying to work as hard as possible to take in as much oxygen as possible...I AM OUT OF SHAPE!!!
We finally arrived at the castle, huffing & puffing, but got to see a great view of the city below & the kids got to see the remnants of a real castle! The castle still had a portcullis that the kids got to touch & feel & stand next to. We tried to move it, but it was secured open. It didn't seem that heavy but you know it is. In the portcullis, there is a smaller doorway. So, it was fun for them to imagine what it was like to stand guard at the gate, hear a knock, & ask "Who goes there?"
We continued to walk through the interior courtyard & went down into the cellars of the castle. In the cellars, we found a BIG wine barrel. We had heard that this castle housed the Heidelberg Tun, or the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”. And we thought that we had found it, but were unimpressed by what we saw.
After we saw this wine barrel, we kept on walking & found more downward ramps & steep stairs! Oh, we were wrong...the above was NOT the Heidelberg Tun...but this one is:
History Lesson time again: "The Heidelberg Tun, or the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”, was built in 1751 by Prince Elector Karl Theodor to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers of the Palatine. It stands seven meters high, is eight and a half meters wide, holds 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it. The court jester who guarded the cask during the reign of Prince Elector Carl Philip, a Tyrolean dwarf nick-named Perkeo, was supposedly known for his ability to drink large quantities of wine. Legend has it that he died when he mistakenly drank a glass of water."
The rest of the time, we just looked around what we had access to...it's still "winter" time in Germany. There are lots of things that are closed during the "slow" season. So, unfortunately, we couldn't go inside the more "important" parts of the castle. But the kids found the most important part of the castle, as you will see in this video:
After we finished at the castle we walked back DOWN the same stairs that we shamefully climbed to get to the castle. Thought that you'd like this video:
After we finished our treck down the stairs, we decided to visit the Heiliggeistkirche, The Church of the Holy Ghost. Of course, here's a history too: "One of the few buildings in Heidelberg to survive the many wars during the past centuries, the Church of the Holy Ghost stands reverently in the Marktplatz. And even though the foundation was laid in 1398, it took until 1544 to finish the tower. The church has been home to Catholics and Protestants alike throughout the centuries. In 1706 a divider separating the two denominations was put in when both wanted to have services there, and it remained until the 1930’s. The church also has remains of the tombs and epitaphs of the Palatinate electors as well as a collection of manuscripts." Of course, we have a video for you too, an interior shot of the church!
After visiting the church, we decided to stop for lunch. We weren't sure what was good or where to go. This was our first German dining experience without our friends to help translate. We ended up in a quiet cafe & just stuck with what we knew...PIZZA! I know, I know...risk-takers we are NOT! We did manage to order water for everyone with NO GAS (apparently sparkling water is a staple in Europe, but not a favorite of the Kempers!) and a ham & pepperoni pizza. Or at least, we thought that we ordered pepperoni. We quickly learned that pepperoni in the U.S. are NOT the same as pepperoni in Germany. I'm not sure what German pepperoni's are technically called, but they are essentially small, slightly mild peppers. They remind me of the banana peppers we get on the side when we order pizza from our favorite place, but I don't think the banana peppers have any spice.
Oh, well! We laughed about this as a fun "German" experience & memory! Even the waitress got a kick out of our "ignorance." She asked if there was something wrong with the pepperoni since we picked them off the pizza and still didn't understand what we meant by pepperoni when we tried to describe it to her!
In the 1st video, I showed you a bridge. After lunch, we walked to the Old Bridge. Here's the history of it: "Prince Elector Carl Theodor built the Old Bridge in 1786. Although the fifth bridge built over the Neckar in this location, it was the first stone bridge to be constructed. The twin towers on the city side of the river were once part of the city wall, and contain dungeons used for housing criminals. In the center of the towers, hanging above the portcullis, is a plaque giving acknowledgment to Austrian troops who helped defend the bridge against a French attack in 1799."
Throughout Heidelberg, the streets are made with cobblestones. For whatever reason, the cobblestones are a favorite to Sheridan. She always noticed if we were walking or driving on them! She always pointed out the cobblestones everytime she saw them.
And with that, we have another fun adventure in the books.
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