Today was our last day of touring the cities and it ended on a high note. We went to Heidelberg which is one of my favorite cities and castles. We first toured the castle which is about as old as Nürnburg Castle dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries. This makes it one of the oldest castles we toured on this trip. Unfortunately the castle was destroyed by lightning and the subsequent fire on 2 occasions, once in the 1500s and again in the 1700s. After the fire in the 1700s, it was never rebuilt, although in the 19th and 20th centuries some rebuilding happened but the castle is roughly in the same shape it was in after the fire in the 1700s. The architecture of Heidleberg castle covers many periods as different parts of the castle were added at different times over the centuries. The remaining in-tact structures are now used for weddings, large parties, etc. See the pics.
After touring the castle we went into the old town Heidelberg, ate and shopped. For lunch we stopped at a local brewery in Heidelberg where I had pork stuffed pigs stomach. I wanted to step out of the box and this time it ended up alright, in fact the meat was good. It tasted like Spam but with more flavor, richer, and less fat. We stopped at the city gate which is on one end of the bridge that spans the Rhine river. See the pics.
What is interesting about The castle and city of Heidelberg is that they were never bombed during World War 2. This was due to the American forces making Heidelberg and some surrounding villages a US military installation during the war.
Tomorrow we will tour a neighboring castle close to Bergoberbach, and then go to the Humpeneder family reunion...this should be interesting.
See our pics at...
https://picasaweb.google.com/kmcmullen81/McMullenTravel?feat=directlink
Update...
After I posted the blog last night, Tammy and I were helping Marcus grade tests from his English class. Michael came put in his police uniform and arrested me...got pics prove it and everything, although it would be more believable if he was wearing shoes at the time...see the pics. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY...after that we went back to grading and shortly after they called us out to the patio area. When we walked out there they had sparklers going and then gave us wedding gifts...totally unexpected!! They gave Tammy a dirndl and me a lederhosen. We tried them on and got pics. But what was funny was that the night I put on lederhosen with Manuel and Michael, those were the lederhosen they got for me, they were seeing if they would fit me, and for Tammy, Erika offered to do our laundry...but to get Tammy's clothing size...those sneaky Germans!!! Hey Jurgen...you and I...in lederhosen...Oktoberfest...Helen...2011!!! Check the pics of me and Tammy in our gifts.
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