Heidelburg

Heidelburg Oct. 17

Where to start?

Off the ship onto the busses at 9:00, back aboard at 6:00. Depart the ship tied up in Ashaffensburg, get back aboard the ship in Miltenburg, depart for Karlstadt. Smacks of someone not paying their electric bill or the landlord.

Heidelburg today for the tour was a tour of the Heidelburg Castle, a great lunch at a famous hotel/restaurant, shopping or taking a 'Mark Twain' tour through Heidelburg (Twain lived here in 1878), shopping the local stores, and a narrated tour to and from the city.

All in all, a very good day.

The Heidelburg Castle was built over 400 years on and destroyed by the invading French in the late 1800's.

Part of the charm and history of Heidelburg is the University of Heidelburg, now a university of more than 30,000 students. 'Back in the day' (1778 to 1914), students could be accused, given a trial in absentia, convicted and sentenced to 'student's prison'. Offenses could be trivial or semi-severe. Being convicted meant the student would spend time in the 'students prison'. As the students of the day were mostly members of the privileged class, they were expected to report to the 'prison' with their bedding, their servants, their money, and their air of civility. While in the 'prison', most  of the students decorated the spaces with marvelous graffiti. Really fun to see.

Tomorrow, off to Wurzburg (to see the palace, naturally) and Rodenburg (again, naturally, to see an old German town.) Who wooda guessed?