Heidelberg: off the beaten track, Brezeles to Chocolate

  Heidelberg:
  home of the bretzle, castle, university, chocolate and  more

Heidelberg was a surprise.  The city bustles.  I spent only two days in the Old Town of Heidelberg and found so much to see and do.

There is endless history surrounding Heidelberg and my wonderful guide Charlotte Frey knew it all.
She wove German history into all the buildings we visited, told stories as we walked the cobbled streets and answered my endless questions about places a solo traveler could dine, shop and tour.
Thanks to Heidelberg Marketing for my wonderful visit. 

Reflection of the church in a window facing the square

Heidelberg is a lively town.   It is very easy to train into the city and to take a bus, tram or taxi into Old Town.      I stayed at the Hip-Hotel Heidelberg in the center of Old Town. Hauptstrasse 115, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.   This theme hotel offers each room based on a country.  I stayed in the English room but was able to tour the unusual up-side down room.  The bed is attached to the ceiling, the lamps and photos are upside down
(a normal bed comes out of the wall for normal guests)

Without wasting any time we were off to see the most popular sites in Old town.
The student prison:     I would have missed all the background information without the help of my guide.  We saw the student prison, the Marketplatz filled with cafe tables and customers enjoying the sunshine, the town hall, the Church of the Holy Spirit, a beer hall, local crafts stores and the sweetest store in town.

Two of the rooms of the 'student prison'.  The deeds that put a student in this lock up seem tame today.

Church of the Holy Spirit:  Heiliggeistkirche

Vendors have small booths around the church selling typical items a traveler may enjoy.

My guide showed me the amazing carvings in the walls of the church that mandated the size of brezels.   The story of brezels can be seen here. 

High on the church walls you also see carved gutter 'critters' that are always fun to photograph.

The size of the brezel was controlled and the outside of the church walls have different size carvings.

The student Kiss
An amazing candy shop on a quiet street between the river and the main shopping street, Haspelgasse 16, is a chocolate paradise.  The Knosel family continues the tradition of the student kiss.

I was enchanted with the owner of this small shop and would enjoy learning how they make all the different chocolates sold in this wonderful shop.  Perhaps it is a long standing secret.

DAY TWO:  I was on my own and walked the side streets and lanes on my way to take the funicular
to the castle that overlooks the city, tickets complements of the tourist office.      I enjoy the vertical trains you find all over Europe.   Amazing engineering as you cling to a thin rail on the side of a mountain.

The view from the top shows the vast expanse of the city

Things to do on a return visit:
View a duel if possible.
Take the solar boat on the Neckar River.  My visit was on the day the boat did not run.
Explore the town on the other side of the river
Visit a brezel bakery
Visit during a market day
Visit the Old Lecture Hall at the University

Another few days in Heidelberg will be on my list.

The photos and opinions are the property of MatureSoloTravel.com   I want to thank Heidelberg Marketing for my two day adventure.