HEIDELBERG.

More Xmas markets and chocolates.

Another five hour trip by train to Heidelberg, arriving at dusk to a lovely hotel on the edge of the old town (with staff that never bothered to answer emails to let us know if they’d be there to let us in, but thankfully they were). We passed through the beautiful Xmas markets on our way to have a fantastic Thai dinner, skipping the heavy German food for a night.

Next morning I walked to find cute old cafe, there were plenty here as Heidelberg wasn’t bombed during the war so the buildings here date back to medieval times and there are a lot of beautifully preserved buildings. It’s a university town as well and it’s where the first bicycle was invented. The city is full of riders and car free streets in the centre.

I walk down to the river and the beautiful old bridge, where a bronze statue of a monkey serves to remind people as they cross the bridge that they’re the same no matter what side of the river they come from. This one is new but there’s been a monkey on that bridge as far back as the 15th century.

Just up from the river with it’s beautiful houses being reflected and swans gracefully swimming by, I found a lovely cafe, warm and cosy and I watch a stunning elderly woman reading the paper and I hope I’ll be like her in my eighties.

I visit churches and admire the beautiful rose coloured stone of the buildings here and end up at a chocolate shop called Heidelberger Studentenkrup, purveyor of the Student Kiss. The proprietor of a long standing cafe in the old town, Fridolin was witty and well liked. His exquisite chocolates attracted many young ladies studying at the Heidelberg finishing school. The presence of these young ladies attracted the male students of the university but the girls were chaperoned by governesses so communication was difficult. Fridolin noticed the secret glances and so he made a chocolate in 1863 which became a token of affection when given. If the young lady accepted a Student kiss, all was good but if she returned it, it was a rejection . It’s such a lovely little shop, with the guy there telling me the story and using an ancient cash register to take cash only.

I go to a beautiful old pub, Schnookeloch, dating back to 1703 for a hot gluwein and an excellent tuna, cheese and vegetable dish and wander through the Xmas markets and a beautiful shop full of Xmas decorations.

Next morning we go via a funicular up to Schloss Heidelberg, the old palace built in 1214, and now a ruin overlooking the old town and the river. It has spectacular views and a Medicinal museum which is fascinating. It was destroyed by lightning in 1764 and left as a ruin with citizens removing the stones to build new houses but on the cold wintry day, the rosy hues of it stand out starkly amidst the leafless trees.

It also now houses the Heidelberg Tun, the biggest wine barrel in the world, built in 1751 to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers of the Palatine to the Prince. It holds 220,000 litres and has a dance floor built over it. We walk in and have our photo taken at what looks like the largest barrel only to discover the biggest one in another room with a staircase leading to the top.

Later that afternoon, I find another old pub, the Max Bar near the market to wait for the girls and order a drink only to discover that in this particular bar you can still smoke and also bring your dog. The second is fine but the first is a shock and after a while I’m back in my memory of the past when pubs were full of smoke - needless to say, I can’t handle it. We head off for one last excellent Asian meal before I head off to Salzburg and the girls return to their favourite Netherlands city of Utrecht.