Our day stop was "romantic" Heidelberg Castle. As we entered it through its metropolitan city, struggled with parking, and proceeded to still have problems finding things, I wondered why I added it to our itinerary!
My instructions were to get to Heidelberg and then park in one of the several lots. But upon arriving, I didn't think it was that easy. I also had made a note to NOT park at the top of the hill - at the castle - because there is no parking. We followed the parking signs (they tell you how many spots are available in the lots), and after passing a closed lot, suddenly found ourselves at the top of the hill and stuck in a mess of cars. Back down we went, and took the first parking we could find - which was a bus lot at the train station; the attendant let cars park there for the going rate of 1.50 euro/hour.
Next my notes said to head to the Haupstrasse to find some lunch. Another poor set of notes. Heidelberg's Haupstrasse is the worst shopping street we have been to yet. None of the places to eat look any good - they all seem highly touristy. But we needed to eat, so we picked one.
Trying to find a quick, simple place to eat on the Haupstrasse
Next I knew we had to go to the Kornmarkt to catch the funicular up the hill (free with castle entry). It was under construction, so I assumed it was closed (it turns out it wasn't), and we walked 10 minutes up the stairs. We got on the next English tour at 1:15pm, and then left Heidelberg.
View from the castle, looking down over the Haupstrasse and Alte Brucke. The metropolitan city is to the left.
Beautiful blue sky ... for two minutes today!
Inside the castle walls ... this is romantic? Scaffolding and theater equipment are everywhere.
Greg found a sunny spot to wait for our tour. It was pouring rain before the tour even started.
We think sundials are purely decorative in Germany.
Not much to do at the castle, especially in the rain
After leaving Heidelberg, we headed for our apartment rental in Kaub along the Rhine River.
Tina (our GPS) took us right down to the water and told us to "board ferry".
I couldn't read the tarifs on the sign. Greg told me to get out. Nope, still can't read German!
We took the Loreley ferry.
I almost missed the Loreley statue. Kate was making a fuss in the back seat because it was raining, which meant we couldn't go on the Loreley Bob - a bobsled coaster nearby. It closes in the rain. (How does it ever open, I wonder?)
We couldn't find the apartment. We were distracted by trying to find a grocery store. Oh why did I pick this random town, I wondered? The lady who checked us in did not speak English, so gave us all the instructions in German. She was thrilled that Chris could understand her! "Scheisse!" she exclaimed, when Chris wasn't in the room to translate. The best part was when we got to the room with the boar's rug. The kids were freaked out - it still has a snout and claws! "You sleep here," she said to Jeremy. He didn't. It was actually the common room in the apartment rental (there are three floors of rentals, all empty). After she showed us the bar, laundry room, game room, and sauna (which we had all to ourselves), she finally brought us to the first floor to our apartment. (Finally we are not on the top floor!) Everyone was stunned by the luxurious apartment! It feels like a home and has no sign of being a rental. It has three bedrooms, a nice kitchen, and a shower bigger than ours back at home. The bright front room faces the river so we can watch the ferries and barges go by. Greg announced he wants to take this apartment with us on the rest of our trip!
Our view is of Pfalzgrafenstein Castle which sits in the middle of the Rhine River.
The living room in our apartment rental.
The apartment is a few doors down from a youth hostel. I am shocked. It is like a hotel for kids. There are around 30 kids (they look 16 years old) spilling out - with no adult in sight.
We did finally find a market that "has everything you need". It is the size of our living room so trying to put together a few decent meals was interesting. And of course ... more locals who only speak German.
We ended our day with three very happy kids (to be in their own rooms connected to wifi), a home-cooked meal, and laundry. Going seven days without a laundry machine was a stretch! But getting it done with two washers and two dryers (no more hang drying!!) was a breeze ... I think I need another set of machines at home!
- Have a good idea where you are going to park, if possible. Set your GPS to the Market Square. It had plenty of parking when we walked by, and it is right in the center where you want to be. Or park where we did - we left our bags in the car and had several bus drivers plus the attendant guarding it!
- Allow a minimum of 3 1/2 hours to visit Heidelberg Castle. It takes a while to park, get to the castle, get on a tour, and one hour for the tour. If you want to shop or walk around the town, add in more time.
- I wanted to stay on the Rhine River but the hotels were small and over my budget. The normal apartment rental websites did not have anything. Finally I found Sabine Barde who has a rental in Lorch on Homeway. She suggested this rental ("Burg Gutenfels") for our family.
