This train ride was much nicer. We had seats and were able to relax, work a little and get caught up on Youtube videos. From the train station we took the 10 minute walk to our apartment, dropped off our bags and headed out for dinner. The next morning we started with a walk along the river to Heidelberg’s old town. The city offers fewer highlights than Berlin did so with took a much slower pace. We came to our first destination the Old Town Bridge, a 17th century arch bridge that separates the Old Town from the city. The bridge was undergoing minor renovations, but we were still able to walk across it. One side had a small Lovers Lock monument that people put locks on like in most cities but this one had a window looking across the river at the city’s main attraction, the Castle. Once we crossed the bridge, we found the Monkey Statue and took our pictures The statue stands as a reminder that both royalty and commoners are equal. Legends says if you rub the monkeys hand you will return to Heidelberg and if you rub the coin he is holding you will be granted wealth, There is also a statue of 2 mice next to him and if rub them you are blessed with fertility. Tourists can also pose with their head inside his for laughs. After that we headed into the old town for a few delicious traditional snacks and then made our way to the Heidelberg Castle. The castle was built in the 1200’s, and the upper castle was destroyed by lightning in the 1500’s. Then war and fire from more lightning destroyed the rest in the 1600’s. Since then, some parts have been restored but most are still in ruins. For $9 you get to go in the courtyard, the old pharmacy building(now a medieval medical museum), the balcony and the Big barrel room. All were really well restored. For another fee and reservations you can get a personal tour inside the castle but the highlight was the grounds. They are free and most people spend the day just wandering around. The grounds are well kept up and offer views not only of the castle but spectacular views of the old town and the river below. My Dad took me here on my first international trip as a child. He was a pilot and I was able to fly in the cockpit with him. When we returned home we sent our pictures out to be developed (some of you may remember this process) however the truck returning the pictures to the store got in an accident and all the pictures and negatives were burned. Being here almost 40 years later to the day was pretty special. I didn’t remember the castle or Heidelberg but I do remember the trip and spending the time with him and his coworkers out on the town at night. I remember Pac-man in German was Croc-man. Funny what sticks with you and what doesn’t. Our last stop for the day was to have some Spaghetti Ice Cream. Apparently popular here. Turns out it is vanilla soft serve ice cream severed through a playdough like machine in long skinny strands then toped with strawberry sauce made to look like marinara sauce and topped with crushed white nuts that resemble parmesan cheese. Quite silly but you can’t go wrong with ice cream no matter what you dress it up as. This little city shouldn’t be missed whether it’s a day trip from Frankfurt or a few day visit.