Thursday, April 3, 2008

Heidelberg castle

Everyone had a good sleep after the exhausting trip yesterday. We met at 10 o´clock in the morning. The weather was somewhat better than expected. But still, this time of the year it should be much warmer. We took a bus to the centre of Heidelberg.

The public transportation is quite convenient in this region. We purchased a "24plus" ticket for 8,50 Euro. It allows five persons to use all means of public transportation within the region 24 hour after the ticket is stamped. It is the easiest way to get around.


"Universitätsplatz" was our stop. From there we took a short walk to the castle, passing the gorgeous university library (see picture)

The first challenge of the day was to climb up the 308 steps to the castle.


The castle itself is located on the hill ridges of the Odenwald. It was tough, but we all made it. There were a couple of school classes around the front court as well as a bunch of tourists, mainly Americans, Japanese and French. As it started to rain we seeked shelter in the inner court of the castle. Happily a guided tour in English was starting shortly after, so we took advantage of it.

Our tour guide, a student of history and linguistics, welcomed us. She said that she is a bit nervous since this will be her first guiding tour in English language. It was obvious that she is stronger in her native language German. However, the tour that she gave was very ok.



The history of the Heidelberg castle can be found here

After the tour we stayed in the castle for a little while. We saw the big oak barrel and took photos on the castle terrace.

Since we were all hungry, we decided to go back to the old town and look for a place to eat. We ended up in kebab place, were basically everyone ate a kebab. Our bulk order made it possible to bargain the price. And actually, kebab is called "Döner" in Germany and its taste is quite distinct compared to kebab offered in Finland.

The afternoon was used to discover the old town of Heidelberg. Some of the group drove to a supermarket and bought some groceries for the next day.

Tonight there is student party in Schwimmbad Club, which is very close to the hostel. Free entrance with student card.


Jarno & the box

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