Tag: Heidelberg

Heidelberg – Idyllic German City

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany18 Comments
Heidelberg

It was special for us to visit Heidelberg a couple of weeks ago because our youngest daughter spent three weeks there a little over a year ago. To be able to see the places that she had seen and compare opinions and the things that we both had seen was a wonderful experience. It isn’t that often that we travel to a destination at different times and get the opportunity to share them, even if not at the same time. We already shared the Heidelberg Castle (Schloss Heidelberg), but there was a lot to see than just the castle. It was only a forty-minute train ride to Heidelberg from Frankfurt, so we expect to go back again, so we weren’t worried about trying to see it all in a single day’s visit, but we definitely enjoyed what we did get to see.

Old Town
Beautiful Building
Gorgeous Castle
View down the River
Unique Architecture

It is very much a tourist destination, so expect crowds, even if off-season, as well as shops catering to those visiting from around the world. Honestly, we didn’t mind for once, it wasn’t too crowded and we were able to pick up a couple of Christmas decorations to display in our apartment in Frankfurt, when it is time. There are plenty of restaurants with local beer and food, but you can find other options as well if you desire. Unlike Frankfurt, Heidelberg was not destroyed during WWII, so it is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy the historic architecture of Germany. Obviously there are statues and town squares, but one of the main sites is the Old Bridge, which will take you across to the Philosophers’ Road. It is supposed to have incredible views of the city, but we had already done our fair share of walking, so we decided to leave that to our next visit.

View along the River
One of the Town Squares
Typical German Building
The Old Bridge
Town Square

Like many days in Germany, the day started cloudy, foggy, and cold, but as the day progressed, the sun managed to make an appearance and it truly brightened our day in all respects. Walking the streets of the old town was a relaxing experience. Life slowed down, people weren’t in a rush to get to the next tourist spot, and it made for a completely enjoyable day. We continue to enjoy everything that Germany has to offer and Heidelberg is definitely a highlight of our relatively short time in our new home.

302 Stairs, We Walked this Twice
Foggy Start to the Day
The Market Place
Another Interesting Building

 

Autumn Foliage

 

The Food of Heidelberg

On By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany, Recipes19 Comments

Every region in Germany seems to have local favorites that are unique to that area, while everyplace seems to have schnitzel and sausage. We were only in Heidelberg for a day, so we didn’t eat a wide variety of food, but we took a chance and ate what was deemed to be a specialty of the region. It was listed on the menu as “Pork Stomach”. Needless to say, we weren’t sure at all as to whether we should order it since it didn’t sound particularly appetizing. It actually turned out to be pretty tasty and we have some assumptions as to how it is prepared.

Pork Stomach
The Restaurant

Basically the pork stomach is pork meat, potatoes, and vegetables that we assume are stuffed in the stomach lining and then cooked. The result is something that looks kind of like a giant sausage or for those who are familiar with it, a slice of Spam. The texture is a little difficult to describe, but with the brown gravy it was served with, it was very good.  We probably won’t order it again, but at least we gave it a try.

Local Beer
Goulash

Obviously there was local beer and we also had a very nice goulash with noodles. We have had this particular style of noodles a couple of times and they too are a little difficult to describe. They a soft and chewy, nothing like most pasta that we have had. It is a good thing that we have been walking a lot because the portions here have been very large. After almost every meal, we are asked if we didn’t like the food because we couldn’t finish the whole meal. We have done a lot of reassuring because it has been good, we just can’t eat that much.