Heidelberg, Germany

This medium-sized town in Germany might be the postcard for what a medieval castle town should be. Founded sometime around 700 AD the town is dominated by the ruins of an ancient castle sitting high on the hill. Apparently it was largely destroyed when the French attacked, but a substantial portion of it remains. The entrance to the town through the bridge towers in absolutely amazing. It must have been an imposing sight to approach the town. But not too imposing – the town was invaded numerous times over the years.

Of course there is more to Heidelberg than just the ancient structures. Of particular note is the world famous University of Heidelberg with it's internationally acclaimed programs in physics and music. The town does a great job of preserving the old and making it functional. For example, hidden in alleys are almost secret doors that lead to underground parking carved underneath the historic buildings. Modern grocery stores are similarly hidden and integral parts of the neighborhood. One neat thing was that the city supports an enormous number of bicycles and many cobblestone streets are reserved just for walkers and bicyclists. Even the Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza loaned me a bike to ride around town and most people don't even bother to lock them up.

This was my first trip to Germany and I couldn't have been more delighted with the “quaintness” of it all. With the Christmas decorations already up in some shops it was like something from some little holiday picture. My language skills weren't as bad as I feared either: my 8^th grade German teacher would have been proud when I navigated a restraunt menu all by myself and ordered the entre and salad. I was feeling pretty smug about learning so much despite all the goofing off in class – all the way to the point where the soup and some unrecognizable meal showed up. I actually did better than I expected, but I still meant a lot of time muttering “Mein Deutsch ist nicht zu gut”.

I blame Scott Rouse and Doug Lucy