The bulk of our trip was centered around France, but I didn’t want Grafenwöhr to be my family’s only German exposure. (Flying into Frankfurt doesn’t count.) So, since Heidelberg was essentially on our way to Strasbourg, it made sense to stop and look around.
The old town is delightfully medieval, as is its castle on the hill. I knew I’d visited Schloss Heidelberg as a child, but my memories were too disjointed to recall anything concrete.
The earliest parts of the castle were built in the 12th century. But, after several lightning strikes, fires, and wars, prompting a series of rebuilds throughout the Renaissance era, the castle was eventually left to ruin. It was officially a tourist attraction by the 19th century, and it remains a charming, inexpensive way to get a beautiful view of the city below.
After seeing the long line, we opted for the steep walk uphill to the castle instead of taking the tram.
This may look like a big barrel of red wine, but there’s one even bigger around the corner.
Behold The Great Barrel!
After perusing the castle ruins, we hiked back down the hill in search of food.
The best option we found was a busy marktplatz with open seating.
German food isn’t my favorite, but it was good enough for the afternoon, particularly since we followed up with gelato.
Soon we were on the road again. Strasbourg was less than two hours away, so there was going to be much more walking around that evening.