Heidelberg 28 November 2019

Heidelberg          28 November 2019

Today we took a full day, optional tour to Heidelberg, a beautiful university town located near the edge of the Black Forest on the Nectar River.  It was one of the few German cities that did not sustain any damage during WWII.  It has the oldest university in Germany, dating from 1386.

Heidelberg Castle

We began our tour of Heidelberg with a visit to the ruins of the 14^th century Heidelberg Castle.  It is located on a hilltop that overlooks the city and the Nectar River.  We entered the castle through Elizabeth’s Gate, which was built overnight by Prince Frederick V in 1613 to surprise his wife Elizabeth on her birthday.  Elizabeth was the daughter of the English King James I.  When she awoke on her birthday, the proud prince had her look out her window at his surprise.  She was not very happy at what she saw.  Unfortunately, she was looking at the back side of the gate which had no adornments.  When Prince Frederick took her outside and showed her the front of the gate, all was forgiven.  From all sources, in spite of having been an arranged political marriage, the couple were deeply in love and produced 11 children before Frederick died at the age of 36.

Front side of Elizabeth's Gate

Side Elizabeth First Saw

In 1690, French troops of Louis XV destroyed much of the castle, and what wasn’t destroyed then was finished off by a lightning strike.  In the basement of what would have been the main living area of the castle is the Great Cask (or the Heidelberg Tin), the largest wine cask in the world, that symbolized the excessive lifestyle of the princes.  Built in 1751, it holds more than 55,000 gallons of wine.

Miller's Building

Inside the Castle Grounds

To the left of the main building is the Miller’s Building with a wreath over the door.  The wreath tells the tragic story of the man who was constructing the building and the wall around the castle.  He and his wife had twin sons, but sadly she died in childbirth.  Several years late, the twins were playing on the top of the wall when they fell to their deaths.  The father was so distraught that he would not get out of bed.  Every night he had a dream that his two sons would visit and leave him two white roses.  But when he awoke in the morning, there were no sons and no roses.  Finally, one morning, when he awoke, he found two white roses, and he knew then that his sons were in heaven and were all right.  He was finally able to get out of bed and finish the wall.  The wreath has two angels and two white roses on it.

There is also the Apothekenmuseum (Pharmaceutical Museum) located in the Chemist’s Tower to the right of the main building.  It has many of the tools used by the medieval chemists and samples of the different herbs and chemicals that were used to treat illnesses.  It also highlights the pharmaceutical research done at Heidelberg University.  Inside the main castle building is the largest wine cask in the world.  It would keep you supplied with wine for a long time!  Behind the castle ruins was a large overlook that offered spectacular views of the river and Heidelberg.  Unfortunately, today the rains that had been threatening off and on for the last few days finally came (as well as some fog), so the pictures are not as beautiful as the in-person view.

Pharmacy Museum

Largest Wine Cask

View of Heidelberg from the Castle

Alte Brucke from the Castle

Bruckenaffe

From the Castle, we drove into the town where we had a short orientation walk before lunch.  Our first stop was at the Alte Brucke (Old Bridge), a twin-towered stone span built in 1788, but destroyed in 1944 by German troops in an attempt to halt the advances of the Allied forces.  Located on the side of the bridge is the Bruckenaffe (Bridge Ape) where it is customary to touch his mirror for wealth, his fingers to ensure a return to Heidelberg, and the mice surrounding him to ensure progeny.

Student Kiss Shop

As we walked, our guide told us the story of the “Student Kiss,” a nougat candy put on a wafer and covered with chocolate.  When Heidelberg University was first founded only males were allowed to attend.  But around the 1870s women were able to attend, but they were very strictly chaperoned – no contact with the men.  However, the men, finally having women on campus, were actively seeking ways to woe the ladies.  They first tried sending “love” letters (or notes) to the young lady that caught their eye.  But they had to use so many conduits to get the letter to the right lady, that the ladies were not impressed.  Then a confectionary shop owner came up with the idea of a chocolate heart that he called “Student Kiss.”  The young men would purchase one, fill out the attached note with romantic prose, and have it delivered to the young lady.  This seemed to work, and the “Student Kiss” became very popular among the college students.

Helliggeistkirche

The Altstadt (old city) is located on the south side of the Nectar River.  In the center of the old city is Marktplatz where you find the Rathaus (Town Hall) and Helliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit).  The church was the birthplace of the university and then became a repository for books. The church was once a catholic church, then a church for both the protestants (mainly Lutherans) and the Catholics, and today is a Lutheran church.  When both religions used the church, there was a wall erected down the middle to separate the church into two parts.

Palmbrau Restaurant

Lunch was in a local restaurant, Palmbrau, just off the Marktplatz.  We had maultaschen, a dish of spinach and minced pork wrapped in a pastry.  The pork was minced so fine that you could not see it nor really taste it.  It was a dish that earlier monks, who were not supposed to eat meat, would make so they could “have their pork, and eat it too.”  It was very delicious and very filling.

After lunch we walked to the Student Prison.  In 1386, the university’s founder, Count Palatinate Ruprecht I, built some cells for unruly and drunk students – the stay was usually only a few days.  However, in later years, the students thought that being held in the jail was a badge of honor and they would have contests to see who spent the most time there.  They would also spend their detention decorating the walls and ceilings with their graffiti.  In 1914, the jail closed, but the graffiti on the walls and ceilings can still be seen.  It was considered a rite of passage to be detained in the cells before graduating from the university.  Once detained, the students were given lavish meals, plenty of beer, and visits by young women.

Student Prison

Student Prison

After visiting the prison, we walked through the Christmas Market and of course we had to partake of the local Glühwein.  The white wine Glühwein is very good – most agree it is better than the red.  And it comes with a mug that was especially designed by the city. 

Scenes from the Heidelberg Christmas Markets

Stack of Gluhwein Mugs

We returned to the ship about 5:30 which had sailed to Mainz while we were in Heidelberg.  We had just enough time to clean up and join the rest of the passengers for cocktail hour.  Dinner tonight was our Thanksgiving Dinner.  The chef tried to make it like our traditional dinner.  The turkey and gravy were good, but the dressing and pumpkin pie left a little to be desired.  I have discovered that they do not do pie very well on the ship.  All the other deserts have been outstanding, but not the pie.  But it was a fun evening, and the crew decorated the ship for Thanksgiving, a holiday not celebrated in Europe, and everyone had a good time.