Day 10: Heidelberg - To the Motherland!

After another early morning wake up we were on our way into Germany on an all day bus journey through Europe's most populous country. Not much to talk about the journey there except for a lunch stop at a McDonald's. Finally after a bus ride filled with lots of catch-up sleep, we arrived in Heidelberg, an extremely old college town in the southwestern region of Germany. We only had a few hours to tour the small town on the banks of a river that flows into the Rhine.

After a quick walking tour with Mike that showed us the highlights like the town square and a hotel that was built in the 1400s along the main shopping street. With our free time we decided to visit the castle that overlooked the town and the river valley below and was dated to around the same era. The visit was definitely worth the 3 euros to see something still standing that was from the late middle ages and the view was extraordinary. With our last hour we headed back down into town and picked up a few souvenirs and had a quick pint of great dark beer for much cheaper than anywhere else we have been on the trip. A good sign of things to come.

After leaving Heidelberg we had a 30 minute drive to our hotel, a Best Western, in Ludwigshafen. Easily the best hotel and beds we could ask for on the trip. After a quick freshening up we all met back downstairs for a walk to a pub down the street. I was really looking forward to having some authentic bratwurst and sauerkraut, but after 15 minutes of walking we found out that the bar was actually an Irish pub that served really only pizza. No worries though, because a pitcher of beer was the same price here as a single small pint was back in Amsterdam and Paris. I knew there was a reason I am so proud of my German heritage, and the hefeweizen there was great. Easily the cheapest night out on the trip and a great time since it was karaoke night, with mostly old American songs. Zach tore up the stage with Sweet Caroline and a few of the girls from the group belted out a Spice Girls hit. After the short day in Germany we were pretty bummed we couldn't stay in the country longer, but tomorrow we will be headed off to the Alps for a stay in Switzerland.


Prosit!

Josh

 A visit to a wooden clog/cheese maker on the way out of Holland

 the Market Square in Heidelberg, with a view of the Heidelberg Castle on the hill above

 the square inside the castle

 the Heidelberg Tun, a wine barrel that holds almost 60,000 gallons

 view of Heidelberg from the castle's porches

 the Honorable Michael Willis, our tour guide, in the middle with his murse, which he denies is a murse

 finally cheap beer..in an Irish pub, in Germany