Heidelberg Castle

June 8th

Ruined Heidelberg Castle

Today I went to see the Heidelberg castle.  Unfortunately there isn't much of it left due to it being captured by the French several times and then being burnt down by lightning strikes on more than one occasion and there is only one small section that was rebuilt in the late 1800s.  Overall it was not a very defensive castle because it was captured so many times in its history.

55,000 Gallon Wine Barrel

I took a guided English tour through the castle.  The first thing we were showed were models of what the castle used to look like before its destruction, very cool to see.  Then after that the real tour of the castle began and we were able to walk through much of the old stone sections that survived the fires and destruction and then through the partially reconstructed section.  Of the sections that survived are the Kings Hall, a banquet hall that is still used today for wedding receptions and the chapel, that is also still used today for wedding ceremonies, their constant use is why their upkeep has been so good.  Lastly we ended our tour in the basement of the castle where the largest wine barrel in the world is held; would hold about 55,000 gallons of wine.

Schnitzel

To end the day I met Irene and Brian at the plaza near their apartment for beers and dinner.  I have picked up a little bit of German so far in my stay, I have learned how to say the important stuff like ordering and paying for a beer.  I had another evening of firsts, I had my first schnitzel for dinner, very delicious!  After dinner we strolled on back to the apartment and ended the day with drinking glasses German Cremant (sparkling wine) on there balcony as the sun set.