Heidelberg

June 15, 2019

Heidelberg is a town about 1 hour from where we live in Otterberg. It is considered one of the top 5 tourist destinations in Germany by people with strong opinions. Heidelberg is in the German State of Baden-Würtemberg. There are 16 German States. The area is dense in population with Heidelberg University students making up a good portion of the residents. The river you see in the picture is the Neckar. Based on what I saw, they do tours there and transport goods up and down the river.

The goal today was to have a family outing in Germany. Specifically we wanted to see Heidelberg Schloss which means Castle of Heidelberg. There is also an Old Bridge which crosses over the Neckar River which also is a top attraction.

Because Michelle is the only one with her German License, she drove us the 1 hour to Heidelberg. One of the roads to get there is on the autobahn (A6). People drive really fast on the autobahn, it is very intimidating as a driver. We got good directions on Facebook on where to park, doing a research on where to park is key especially in densely populated European cities. After parking, we exited the parking garage and were immediately in the middle of Town Square. We had to follow the German signs to the Castle. The walk up to the Castle was tough, straight incline on cobblestone. No wonder why Europeans are skinny?! Jared was being a downer which always makes Michelle upset. I told her that Jared is going through his teenage hormonal years which is going to make these next few years interesting. That was one decision why we moved, things were getting too comfortable in Hawaii and I saw the kids living a Hawaii lifestyle, which isn't bad, but with the high cost of living, highly competitive job market, and not too much hope in our local government to help local families, really what do you foresee for the future in Hawaii???? I'm not a fortune teller, but it can't get better. Having the kids live in Germany and going to DOD schools, it forces them to see the world from a different lens, that it isn't Hawaii and if you want to make a life of yourself, you have options not just stay in Hawaii.

I was in complete awe of the place. What more can you ask for a Medeival Castle! I was trying take as much pictures and videos while walking up. We got to the Castle Bridge and I saw one of the best views I've seen in a while. Take a look. Michelle was thinking about going on the castle tour, but I suggested that it wouldn't be worth it if nobody wanted to do it. Jared and I were still in jet lag mode. I still think she regrets not going on the Castle tour. I'll have to make that up to her sometime, there is always Newschwanstein (future European road trip)

After enjoying the palace grounds, we headed back to the Town Square. Dozens of shops await, lots of them were restaurants. We ate at the Löwenbräu which a Brewery in Munich owned by Anheuser-Busch. They also have a chain of restaurants. A lot of unknowns when it comes to eating in German Restaurants. #1 You seat yourself. German workers are no nonsense, they don't chat like American waiters. They ask what do you want to drink and eat, and then leave you alone. Another thing is they don't rush you, you can spend all day there, not like America where they ask if you want dessert and your check. You actually have to ask for your check in Germany. The cost of food is actually cheap because you don't tip, the portions are big, they don't charge sales tax, well they do it is called the VAT which 19% of your bill. It should be included in the bill, but for some reason it wasn't this time. You could actually pay $5 for a VAT refund, however people in Germany reserve that for big ticket items since I don't think you have unlimited VAT cards. The food was just okay, nothing spectacular. Germans love their potatoes, especially french fries.

We shopped around for another hour before getting to the Old Bridge. The Old Bridge which was constructed in 1788 is not that old. I read that the first bridge was constructed in 200 A.D. by the Romans and many subsequent bridges were constructed and destroyed due to war. Also for many years they used ferries or a make shift bridge to get across to the city. The bridge is a work of art. A lot of statues surround the bridge and are on the bridge. Jared said they are Roman statues.

One thing interesting about Germany are these cobblestone streets with beautiful German style houses. The attention to detail is spectacular. This is what drawed me into Germany. I'm not an expert in Gothic, Medeival, Romanesque, etc.