Bike Trip on the Rhine: Heidelberg

Our boat chugging down the Rhine

Our next bike trip was one of the longest with a butt-numbing 48 Kilometers (30 miles) along the Rhine and through some more nature reserves.  Somewhere around Mannheim we stopped for lunch.  Looking at all the buildings I tried to see some trace of the Germany I remembered when I was a kid back in the seventies living in Germany.  Then Germany was still very much a post WWII society and firmly entrenched in the Cold War as a divided nation.  I did see one old apartment building with the little balconies outside each apartment.  This style of apartment building was prominent when I lived there. Other than that I could conjure up no sense of nostalgia.  It was like I had never been there before.

This was slightly before my time but the apartment buildings looked exactly the same in the seventies.

There were places on our bike ride where we had to cross the river on a small ferry such as the one above.

As usual Josh took photos of geese and ducks.  They are beautiful, aren't they?

We finally made it to Heidelberg and since we didn't want to waste time we parked our bikes at the dock and wandered around the town. I stopped at a pharmacy and bought a few Chocolate bars.  Some people like to sample beer from different countries.  I like to taste chocolate from every nation.  I fully intended to bring some back home for my family but the heat melted the chocolate bars pretty quick so Josh and I had to eat them so they wouldn't go to waste.  Which was sad.  Sad for the people back home, that is.  They were yummy!

 Heidelberg Gate

The following photos were taken as we walked around the downtown area of Heidelberg.

On the hill you can see part of Heidelberg Castle.  I visited it as a child and would have liked to again, but Josh and I were too hot and tired to walk up the mountainside to get there.  So we contented ourselves with admiring it from a distance.

I don't know the age of the bridge above the house, but it looks Roman.

Heidelberg Castle

Some of the buildings in the town square.

Later we took a tour led by a slightly crazy German woman who, nevertheless, was passionate about her subject:  Heidelberg history.  She took us to the University there and old apartments of important historical figures such as Robert Schumann.  It was also where Martin Luther went to defend his 95 thesis, Heidelberg playing a significant role in the Reformation. Below are photos of a Lutheran church.  I found it remarkable in its contrast to St. Peter's.  The one filled with opulent, gold plated figures and adornment, the other striking in its almost Shaker-like simplicity.

St. Peter's Cathedral interior

Another view of St. Peter's Cathedral in Worms

Lutheran church below

There's more to Heidelberg than these photos but I think that's enough footage for now.  I hope and pray you all have a blessed week and very Merry Christmas!!

Biking Down the Rhine: Continuation of Day 3: Worms

After biking 37 miles from Mainz we finally arrived at Worms.  As if we weren't already seat sore, the bridge above was quite steep.  Originally there was a wall around the town to protect the townsfolk from invaders.  The wall is mostly gone but the stone entrance-way at the apex of the bridge is still intact.

The tower and surrounding building above is all that is left of the original Medieval wall that once circled Worms.  It is now a museum about the Epic story of the Nibelungenlied. 

I read the Medieval Saga on my Kindle in the evening after dinner on the boat.  You can read my review here.

This is a wonderful museum that gives the history of this legend of Tristan and the Rhine gold.  The reason for the museum in Worms is because legend has it that it was at Worms where the gold was dumped in the Rhine.  The museum also has footage of Fritz Lang's silent films, Tristam and Brunhilde and Revenge of Krumhilde.

The following photos are of St. Peter's Cathedral where the edict against Martin Luther was read.

              
Not far from the Cathedral resides a Medieval Jewish Cemetery.

Part of the wall surrounding the cemetery.

After biking over three hours across dirt roads to get to Worms we then got to bike across cobbled stones as we toured the town.  Were my legs tired?  Not at all.  Was something else a wee bit sore?  You don't even know...

We barely had time to recover that evening before we jumped on our bikes the next morning and pedaled to Heidelberg via Mannheim.  Until then!