| On our way from the trainstation to our hotel, I was a bit worried that staying in a non-host city in Germany would not give us the World Cup environment we were hoping for. As soon as we turned down the main strip in Heidelberg, I knew we were in for a good time. Here is a street, lined with flags and teeming with people chanting all sorts of soccer songs. |  |
| Here was more evidence of World Cup fever. Pat Burrell, phamous Philadelphia Phillie, was seen at this outdoor bar watching a match just seconds from our hotel! Amazing!! |  |
| The next morning, we decided to take a walking tour of Heidelberg to see what was cooking in this town. Here is Cindy waiting in the shadows on a street corner for me to catch up with the group. |  |
| A stop on the tour was the Heidelberg University Student Prison. Used to house hooligan students who broke curfew, put out street lamps, or were late to class, most of the students sent here wore their time in jail as a badge of pride rather than shame. Only after World War One, did the university decide a prison was a bit too much punishment for the students' misdemeanors. |  |
| A discovery made early on in stay in Germany was the delicious beer known as weizen. Here is Cindy enjoying a nice cool glass of Franziskaner after a hard morning of touring. Along with the wiezen, the sausages, bratwurst, bretzel, and saurkraut were outstanding. Other than these items, I cannot speak very highly of German cooking. |  |
| No, I didn't go pale in Germany. I wanted to show you the funicular (little rail car) we took to the top of the hill which sits behind the town. The trip is taken in two stages, the first in a modern monorail like car. The second is a bit more shakey in a wooden cab that works on a pulley system where the car at the top is sent down the hill and gravity pulls the car at the bottom to the top. Yeah for German engineering! |  |
| For the faint at heart, you can take the alternate way down, paragliding. Here is Cindy soaring like a bird. |  |
| Okay, so she didn't go paragliding, but she did agree to take a self portrait. |  |
| What would a trip to a high place be without a shot of me looking nervous. We are near the top of the hill and I'm doing alright, not great, but okay. |  |
| Back near sea level, we toured the castle. It changed hands many times as wars raged through Germany. Along the way, it also fell into parts of disrepair. Here, Cindy stands along side a wall. |  |
| The front of the castle was adorned with statues of various noble occupants. Cindy really liked this statue of Fredrick, one of the owners of the castle. I like the idea of adorning my conquered castle with statues of my vanquished foes. This, in addition to my coat of arms, will also one day adorn the front of my home. |  |
| Heidelberg, besides being home to Germany's oldest university, is also home to the world's largest barrel. This is one attraction I remember from my trip to Germany when I was a young lad. Here I am all grown. |  |
| Cindy and the barrel. Very exciting no? |  |
| Here is a self portrait of us inside the barrel! It was dark and smelled vaguely of wine, which was the drink of the time at the castle. Beer was considered a lowly drink and was not particularly common in this region of Germany which is more noted for its white wines. |  |
| There were several lesser barrels that weren't as large. This is a poorly composed picture of Cindy and I taken by a Japanese tourist. I hope all the pictures he took come out better than this one! |  |
| Cindy thought it was a rather interesting shot with the sky behind the windows. This wall was part of the facade built while the French occupied the castle. It almost looks like some cheesy computer graphics from a movie, but this is Germany! |  |
| What castle would be complete without a view of all the people you control? This is a view from the castle ramparts down into Heidelberg. The Neckar River flows through the center with the old bridge spanning it in the middle. |  |
| Additionally, what castle would be complete without armless, legless, bleached women to entertain your guests. "Hey baby, how you doooin'?" I wanted one of my own, but Cindy wouldn't let me. |  |