Heidelberg

Wednesday, July 25, 2012 The ship has actually docked in Worth. We boarded buses for Heidelberg about 1.5 hours away. Poor Rick looks miserable and I know that it will be a tough day for him. It is very hot here (but not as hot as in St. Louis). Air conditioning is not as cool as it is at home so we are always slightly sweaty. Lying in the steep valley where the Odenwald mountains meet the Rhine and Neckar Rivers, heidelberg has long been considered the jewel of Germany. The city is often thought of as Germany's intellectual capital. It is home to the country's oldest university established in 1386.  It is home to the world's largest beer barrel.  Many of the older, well-preserved buildings that the five the old city center such charm are owned by the uniersity. The most notorious of these is the student jail. Students could end up here for all kinds of infractions, and many came to wear a sentence as a badge of honor; in fact, amny a student failed to get into the Big House felt that he had missed out on a crucial part of a Heidelberg education. Heidelberg was also the epicenter of the country's Romantic period, drawing artists, writers and scholars from all over the world--inspiring Goethe's poetry, Turner's landscapes and even Mark Twain's travel tales. In fact, Mark Twain wrote extensively about his travels in Germany, and no other city seemed to have attracted him more than Heidelberg. A book containing the best of his writings from this period, including a hilarious piece on his attempts to learn German, is still a popular best seller in Heidelberg. While other German cities were destroyed during the Allied bombings of World War II, Heidelberg was largely spared. As a result it has retained its baroque charm with narrow streets, helmut-shaped towers, stone bridges, historic churches and, of course, ivy-covered castle ruins. After the war, the US built a military base, which now houses 30,000 Americans made up of soldiers and their families. The most defining feature of Heidelberg is surely its castle, considered the most magnificent castle ruin in Germany. It took 400 years to build and exhibits a mix of Gothic, Renaissance and other styles. The building suffered severe damage several times during the 30 Year's War and the War of Succession. Rebuilding followed, but when lightening struck in 1764 and set the arsenal ablaze, attempts at restoration ended. Many houses in Heidelberg were built with stone taken from the ruins, until Count charles de Graimburg put a stop to the looting in 1800. So beautiful is the castle, even as much of it liesin ruins that many believe American raiders during WWII steered their bombs away from it. I began taking my Predisone and my knees have stopped hurting and the infection on my thigh has cleared up. I guess I should have taken the meds sooner so I wouldn't have had so much pain. The ship met us in Miltenberg with a brand new rudder. The First Officer Ferdinand gave us a slide program showing how the ship was repaired. I forgot to mention that during our free time in Rudesheim, I began searching for a new walking stick to replace the one I left on the mini bus. It was very hot and I walked for a long time. I finally decided that there wasn't one to be purchased in Rudeshiem and I started back to meet the bus. Then, all of sudden, I saw a shop with walkingsticks displayed out front. They were adjustable. I found one that had a headlight and a compass. I paid 13 Euros for it which is about $17. Sure beats the $85 I paid at REI for the one I lost.