Heidelberg

Do you know what this is...?

If you said, "That can't be Frankfurt Freddie on the Autobahn, cause he's in the right lane,"...you'd be right (no pun intended)

And I should hope you know my photography pedigree enough to know there's a reason why this picture seems a bit out of focus.

Now, lemme dispell some myths about the Auotbahn before you begin to think its Gumball 3000 all day, err'day out there (although a Ferrari did gun past by me though =). First, the Auotbahn is not some small stretch of unrestricted speeding, its the German highway system and it goes all throughout the country. If you're traveling between two German cities, there's a 99 percent chance you'll get on the Autobahn at some point (if not for most of the trip). Second, there are many stretches of the Autobahn that have speed limits, it's not totally unrestricted. The only problem is, for American drivers, the speed limits are in km/hr. So when you see a red circle with '80' or '100' in the middle, you have to do the quick calculation that that means the speed limit is roughly 50 or 62 mph, respectively.

That said, as long as you remember to always and only pass on the left, and if you're in the left lane, you better be pushin' it...you're good to go. To where you ask? Heidelberg.

If you want a detailed history on the city, go here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heidelberg

Truth be told, history/significance-wise, all I know about the city is this,

"Approximately 600,000 years ago, the "Heidelberg Man", whose jaw-bone was discovered in 1907, the earliest evidence of human life in Europe, died at nearby Mauer."

And that was from the first and only sentence I read on wikipedia...just now. If it weren't for the numerous people, before and after arriving in Frankfurt, that told me I have to see Heidelberg, this city would have been nowhere near my radar. I wasn't sure if it was because it was actually a picturesque city, or that it was the closest "traditional" German city to Frankfurt and the place people who find themselves in Frankfurt go for a weekend trip (sort of like Mount Vernon or Annapolis is to DC). But I had the company "pool" car for the weekend and an hours drive is nothing to a DC-born and bred road warrior, so I was going to find out.

Before leaving, I was able to get a close-in map of downtown Heidelberg from a lady in our office who happened to be from Heidelberg (or at least the surrounding area). So, with the help of the "absolutely-would-NOT-have-been-able-to-get-around-without" GPS deivce that was hooked up in the pool car, I was able to find the intersection at the end of the main drag and parked in a nearby underground lot. FYI...there was a Sirocco parked down there too (shout to vwflix.com)


I was told by the lady who gave me the map that the best thing to do was park around this area, and walk down the main drag towards the castle at the other end. The "main drag" I keep referring to is called "Haupt Strasse" ("Main Street") and basically consists of a long strip of modern-looking storefronts on the ground levels of old-time looking German buildings of 3- to 4-stories.


But it's after no less than a block that you see one of the reasons why people are drawn to this German city...

If you look to the right, you see the city is literally at the foot of a mountainside.

Make that two (this is the view to the left). And yes, the mountain extends into the clouds (it was an overcast/drizzly day). What you also can't see is the Neckar River, running between the mountain and the city (just on the other side of the turret).

The lower portion of the castle begins to come into view about half the way down the strip.


And at the end of the strip...you see who wears the crown when it comes to why people venture to Heidelberg.




A funny thing happens not long after looking up at the castle. You see a camera flash...from up at the castle. Its then you realize the castle is open to the public. Two seconds later, it sinks in...your calves are finna be sore tonite. But the payoff is the money shot...


Honorable mention...


Ironically, walking down was almost as difficult as walking up, given the millenniums-old construction of the steps and sloped cobblestoned walkways (not to mention the wet the weather conditions as well).

It was getting dark and I wanted to get back so I didn't get a chance to check out some of the other attractions at the top of the mountain around the castle (I think you can go inside, there are a number of street-side shops up there as well, there's a tram that goes around the upper portions of the mountain, etc.). I guess I'll consider using my German Rail Pass to revisit the Heidelberg area in the coming weekends.

Also, I would have talked more about the shops, but its really nothing to Skype home about. A couple "Schokolade" (chocolate) shops and a number of bakeries and gelatto spots (really no different from Frankfurt) were the bright spots to me. The bulk of the stores were mainly geared towards womens fashions, and they didn't look all that fashionable (but I'm no critic on women's fashion...heels make pretty much anything look sexy to me). But most importantly, I really didn't go there to shop, I came to give ya'll the picture reel that is this blog.

I'll leave ya'll with the last picture I took out there, as it was getting dark. I think I like this one just as much as, if not more than, the money shot.


Cheers.