Day five of our Rhine River Cruise was spent in Germany. The boat docked in Mannheim, and then we boarded buses headed to Heidelberg. Heidelberg is Germany’s oldest university town and home to Heidelberg Castle. Although we didn’t visit the university, our tour guide was a grad student at the university. We did visit the castle though.
Heidelberg Castle
Heidelberg Castle is the only castle we visited during the trip that was in ruins. For me, this made it the most interesting castle we toured. The castle, constructed of red sandstone, sits 330 feet above the Neckar River (east of the Rhine). Built in the 13th century, the castle suffered damage many times due to lightning strikes, war and fire while inhabited through the 18th century. One of the most interesting parts of the castle lies down in the basement – the world’s largest wine barrel. It stands almost 20 feet tall and holds 58,000 gallons! A dance floor sits above it to encourage dancing and drinking all night long. It was about 10:30 in the morning when we visited, so no drinking and dancing for us.
Out and About In Heidelberg
After touring the castle, we had time to explore Heidelberg. We heard about a Christmas store, so we were on the hunt. While searching for the Christmas store, we enjoyed some currywurst. None of us knew what to expect, but we enjoyed the snack – a sausage with curry powder on it, then slathered in ketchup and topped with more curry powder. The bite-sized pieces were perfect for sharing, and were served along with a slice of bread. We found the Christmas store, got a few goodies, checked out a few more stores, and then decided it was time for a more hardy snack. Beer and pretzels from Vetter Brewhouse, the original Heidelberg brewery, did the trick!
Next it was back to the buses and back to the boat, which had made its way to Speyer, Germany. After dinner, we played a family feud type game. Our family teamed up and came in 3rd place, winning a bottle of sparkling wine. Then it was time for bed, to rest up for a day in France.
