It's now been a month since we've returned from our trip, but I wanted to continue the travelogue.
After our first day of wandering around semi-lost in and around Heidelberg, we had a good night of sleep and woke up ready for more site-seeing. Our daughter had class in the morning, so we hiked down the hill a short way to the runs of the Heidelberg castle - or schloss. Apparently, it was much loved by Romantic artists and poets, and it's easy to see why it captures the imagination. Early records date the castle as far back as 1225, but it was added to over the centuries. Documentation of the design of the gardens dates back to 1610, and during the 1600s there was quite a bit of building and expanding, but also quite a bit of destruction and rebuilding - wars with the French and lightning strikes were primary destructive forces. In the mid-1700s, the ruling family moved to neighboring Mannheim, and the castle fell into neglect, although various reconstruction efforts continued sporadically until the 1900s, when a historical preservation society considered rebuilding, starting a debate about whether to rebuild the castle or maintain it as ruins.
From Wikipedia - A painting of Heidelberg Castle painted in 1815 by Karl Phillip Fohr
A cave like garden party room now a protected home to bats and salamanders
Christ the pharmacist
A convent pharmacy on display in the castle
Unicorn horn remedies and a mounted unicorn at the pharmacy museum
Castle views
After we documented our own perspective, we walked down into town and met our daughter for lunch in town at a little vegetarian place, and then had sweets at the vegetarian bakery next door. While she had another class, we walked across the river to hike up the "philosophenweg" to the ruins of an ancient church, tower, and amphitheater. The name is supposedly a nod to the university professors and students who would hike up the hill to contemplate life and beauty and the meaning of it all. The footprint of a church dates back to a monastic community that lived on the hill a thousand years ago, but the tower can still be climbed. We walked as far as the little gasthaus, but the biergarten was geschlossen, so we turned back there without seeing the amphitheater, which supposedly was used by the Nazis as a gathering place in the woods. I would have been happy to hike further, but this was a compromise on my part. Hiking is another source of marital discord when my husband and I travel together - I like to hike and walk in nature; he likes to walk around town and sit in coffee houses and pubs. Actually, we both like to do both things, so we try to split our time pretty evenly. If the biergarten had been open, we both would have happily sat and enjoyed a beer in nature, and then I would have campaigned to walk farther. Happily, most things we both agree on - such as visiting castles and museums like the pharmacy museum when time allows.
Lunchtime deserts - no calories in gluten free treats, right?
Crossing the River Neckar to head up the Philosophenweg - weather was cool enough for jackets, but hiking we warmed up.
The medieval tower. Still standing a thousand years later.
Phlox? in bloom
Back in town we had time for some glutwein and some kuchen, which was a great boost of energy to walk back up the hill to our hotel. The plan for the evening was to treat our daughter and a few friends - in this case a few means seven - to dinner. We had time for a shower and in my husband's case, a short nap, while I explored around the hotel. We then took the car down the hill with the thought that walking up in the dark wouldn't be fun. The students were craving Italian, so we strolled through town to pick out a place, where they met us after having a happy hour with one of their professors. The restaurant was practically empty, a benefit of traveling during off-season. I was a little worried it might be a testament to the quality of the food, but actually the food was delicious and spirits were high, so it was a feast to remember.
The next day was Saturday, and the plan was to take our daughter and a friend to see a bit of Switzerland and France. So we checked out and loaded up the girls and their stuff and headed to Zurich, a four hour drive through beautiful countryside - an advantage of driving. A disadvantage - at this point we still thought our daughter's cell service could navigate us there, but we had to use the map book and the directions we had downloaded before we left the wifi at the hotel. We both got a laugh out of the comment our daughter's friend made about how she liked taking trips with her mom or with her dad, but when they were both together, they bickered too much. Too familiar!
In Zurich I had reserved a little apartment just on the other side of the canal that circles the old town. We checked in and then walked to the town, passing first by a canal where canoe polo is played before strolling through the botanic garden where snowdrops carpeted the hillside and hellebores were nodding and crocuses were just peeking out of the ground. Since our daughter's friend was vegan and our daughter loves vegetables, lunch was at a restaurant that supposedly was the oldest vegetarian restaurant in the world. It was also really expensive, just as everyone had warned us about Zurich. The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering through twisting lanes and peeking in and out of churches and shops. Zurich has several remarkable churches, one dating back to the time of Charlemagne but with stained glass windows by Marc Chagall. It also has more than a fair share of high end designer shops and stores with pretty linens and housewares out of our price range.
Stone Musicians in Zurich
The botanical garden and Conrad Gesser
Snowdrops
More beautiful flowers shops
Swiss chocolates in Zurich
Does our mutt need a swiss anorak?
Statue of Charlemagne removed from the tower of the St Peterskirche to the crypt to avoid environmental damage.
Lake Zurich sunset - alps in the background. Happy together again
I'm not sure the relationship of Ganymede to Lake Zurich but a scenic photo stop.
While sipping vin chaud and snacking on more pastries, we worked our way back to the far side of town where Lake Zurich forms the edge of the town. We arrived just in time for a glorious sunset over the alps in the distance. We strolled along a large park that borders the town and the lake, and admiring the golden rays of the setting sun and the other people doing the same thing. For a half second we contemplated stopping in an outdoor sauna/icy lake experience. I think our daughter's friend would have gone in, but the rest of us weren't up for the co-ed experience, so we turned back to walk through town to our hotel. It was a bit of a challenge finding a place for dinner because of my concern for overspending, the need for vegan options, and the dining in restrictions - the Greek place said they weren't seating in doors, although I think they just assumed we didn't have our covid passes, and the Indian place didn't look appealing, but we found a place with poke bowls, which our veggie loving diners loved. My husband was beginning to despair of all the schnitzel and wurst he was missing out on.
After dinner the girls talked about going to a movie, but at 25 euro a ticket, they decided to head back to the hotel with us, with a stop at a fancy grocery for dessert snacks and breakfast foods. I got my muesli and yogurt I was craving, and we all enjoyed shopping the fancy foods. And my husband was happy to get a German beer and pretzels, even if we were in Zurich.
A contemporary church near our apartment that was hosting a one man show that evening
Sisters
Christmas decor was still brightening some doorways
Even while florists were displaying hellebores and bulbs
A shiny tribute to Zwingli, Swiss Protestant
A relief of some nuns right across from shiny Zwingli.
Inspiration
Father daughter bonding time
Some beautiful contemporary frescos in the courtyard of the frauenkirche
"Heads Up," it says.
So you don't miss this view
Friendly Zurich swans
The next morning, we compromised on a hike up a small mountain alongside Lake Zurich - not a part of the Alps, but the zenith offered a view of the higher mountains. The girls were up for the adventure, and I agreed to take the shorter route to the top. It was absolutely breathtaking- partly because it was chilly, but we all warmed up quickly. The guesthouse at the top of this mountain was open and quite busy. It had an inn, a tower to climb for an extra fee, and a cafe selling coffee, pastries, and beer - all accessible by a road up the other side.
Narnia-esque
We took our time enjoying the views and the fresh air before hiking back down for a quick lunch snack before driving to Strasbourg, where the buildings, except the Strasbourg cathedral, look very German, but the vendors sell crepes and vin chaud, instead of pretzels and glutwein.
But more on that soon - this post already has way to many photos!
