(and a nice surprise when we check out of the hotel and realized that our price had been quoted in US dollars instead of Euros)! The buffet was a combination of a traditional German breakfast and American-style breakfast, with lots of cold cuts and cheese, fruit, pastries, sausage, eggs, etc. And so many options of juice, which I loved!
Next, we headed west across the border into the Alsace region of France. We loved walking around Colmar. It is actually the only place where we got a photo of all four of us together! An American woman took it for us. :)
After that, we drove back across the border up to Heidelberg. My family lived here when I was a baby, so it was nice to go back and see even though I had no memories of it. Sadly, the US Armed Forces buildings were all closed down and abandoned, but I enjoyed hearing the stories my parents had to tell about where we lived.
We walked along the Hauptstrasse checking out the shops until it was time for lunch. Mom finally had the famous spargel she'd been longing for while Dad ordered the XXL schnitzel. James and I had more beer and brats. We couldn't get enough of that!
We walked along the Neckar River and up to the Old Bridge. It was absolutely gorgeous! When I win the lottery one day, I'm going to buy one of those houses on the banks so I can look at this view everyday.
After a little touring, we decided to get our luggage from the car and check into our hotel. Unfortunately, we had parked in a parking garage but apparently come out of an almost secret exit, so it took us nearly two hours to find! But our hotel (Hotel Weisser Bock) was fantastic. It was located one block off of the Hauptstrasse and our view was beautiful. The rooms were comfortable and nicely appointed, too.
Heidelberg Castle was closed, but we were able to tour the outside and took the long, steep walk up to the courtyard. I LOVED it there. There was a restaurant that I'd love to eat at next time we visit. Or at least get a beer and enjoy the view and the perfect weather. Since the castle was closed and we were some of the only few people there, it was really easy to imagine what it looked like in the castle's heyday...or maybe I'm just a history nerd. :)
Mom and Dad called it a night early, but James and I went back out to the Marktplatz for a late dinner. The meal was fantastic (another apple streudel and potato pancakes with applesauce) and our view of the Heiliggeistkirche and Heidelberg Castle all lit up at night was even better! I wish I had been able to get a good photo of that, because it was my favorite evening of the trip.
When we were planning our trip, I requested Heidelberg as "my stop" and it definitely didn't disappoint!
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