Monday we boarded our train to Heidelberg with first-class tickets in hand, anticipating free coffee, sandwiches, cocktails, croissants and other goodies, plus free Wi-Fi . . . because this is what we experienced when traveling first-class on the high speed train from Brussels to Cologne. In expectation of the sumptuous free feast awaiting us in first class we decided to just have coffee and a croissant for breakfast and skip lunch. However, our first clue that this "first-class" trip would be different was when we were asked if we wanted to "purchase" drinks or food. Our second clue was when we couldn't access "free" Wi-Fi because there was "no" Wi-Fi on our "high-speed" train. Our third clue that our first-class trip would be different was when a young college student sitting next to Trudy explained that this was not a "high-speed" train, just an IC (inter-city) train! And so we arrived in Heidelberg hungry, thirsty and laughing!
The silver-lining to this story is that we spent the last hour of our train ride conversing with Arne, a delightful young man studying topography (map-making). After sharing our plans to travel in Europe for awhile and the description of ourselves as "homeless", Arne was intrigued enough to ask for our blog. So if you're reading this, Arne, good luck with your thesis and thanks for the tips on driving in Germany!
After checking into our hotel we went in pursuit of something to eat. Now street-vendor food has never appealed to us, but after chowing down those turkey sandwiches sold on the first corner we came to, we have a new respect for them! That was definitely worth the 2,8 euro! Having fed our empty bellies, off we go to meet Diane who is arriving on a shuttle from Frankfurt Airport, and The Three Musketeers begin their adventure!
Refreshed after a good night's sleep, we are ready to tackle Heidelberg's castle and the 340+ steps to get up there. With just a few stops in between, the not-so-young Musketeers reach the top and are delighted to see a beverage stand there. So Diane insists on buying Tom a "retirement drink" and she attempts to order 3 bottles of water. Now anyone who knows Diane is familiar with her "southern" accent and that's why Tom and I think we got HOT WINE instead of ice cold water . . . lost in translation! The proprietor waited with a smile and gestured (our interpretation: bottoms up!). We all took a taste, smiled in approval at the proprietor, walked away and tossed the hot wine! Note to ourselves: avoid "gluhwein" in the morning or letting a southerner order for you!
Here are some pics of the castle.
We enjoyed a spectacular view of the city after taking the funicular at a 43% grade up another 1000 feet ( the castle was at 846 feet). . . and a few more pictures.
The legend of the next picture goes something like this: the baboon holds a mirror to remind the people of Heidelberg that they are no better than anyone else in the reflection of the mirror. Or our interpretation of what was said by another passer-by we asked: the monkey sees penguins on the ice! I guess we'll go with the philosophical legend.
The Cathedral at Cologne looks pretty amazing. Nice photos, by the way. It's still hard to believe the how long they work on these things. Looks to me like you should have Diane order more regularly. I'm just getting caught up on your blog (10/12)--busy week at work. However, it looks like you've been slacking off on the blog this week. I hope that means you are have a fun and relaxing time
ReplyDeleteOK, so I decide to check in again to see what you're up to and .... no photos or posts for an entire week. Tom will need to start keeping the wine from you girls. Hope you're having a great time.
ReplyDeleteLee