the little town on the neckar

There is a boat company which runs cruises down the Neckar River. We decided to take it on a really hot day. There is no shade on the boat except in the resturant onboard. Unfortunately, this is also the shaded smoking lounge. So we hacked our way along. Here is a view of the castle from the ship.
Everyone is looking left in this picture except me. Maybe I missed something important? Maybe I'm just very hot.
We decided to disembark half way and eat our lunch. During our stop, I took this lovely picture of Cindy.
On the return trip, there were many crazy folks. One of them is this guy who I am not sure if he was trying for the Mr. T look, or was just straight up gangsta?
We loved watching games at the Heidelberg Student Union. Cheap, good beer and pretzels. Fun, young people, and very few whiney America girls. We watched a Germany match here. The animation is a bit hokey, but it's festive, no? (click to restart)
Hanz and Franz, crazy Germany fans.
The Germans really take their beer seriously. In fact, they hire guys to walk around with kegs on their backs and serve up the froth. The local beer in Heidelberg is called Heidelberger. I think they were kinda lazy on the naming of that product.
More of the crowds at the Student Union.
My vertically challenged wife had a bit of trouble during this match. But determined to see the action, she found a way to see the game!
After the German victory over Sweden, we headed over the the Heidelberg town festival which featured, you guessed it, more beer, pretzels, an American rock and roll band, and bratwursts. We sat at a table with a group of German students who were very excited about Germany's win and were willing to take our picture!
The festival made you pay a 1 euro deposit for these lovely mugs. We didn't return 2 of them. This is one of the two that didn't make their way home, but rather now live in San Diego. Next time you come over, we'll let you try one out! Just ask!!
In a univerity town, there is bound to be romance. In the olden days, you couldn't just "kick it to a sista" without having something to give her. Thus was born the Heidelberg Student Kiss. This enterprising confectioneer designed these chocolates for boys to bring along as gifts for their amores in hopes for a kiss at the end of the date. I was pleased that they sold the kisses in 1, 2, 3 and 10 packs. "How lucky do you feel young man?" Or was the thought behind the multi pack "Oh ugly lad, may I suggest the 10 pack, just in case?"
Our hotel only had 16 rooms. Here is Cindy standing outside the gate of the courtyard. I would certainly recommend the Gasthaus Backmulde for a stay in Heidelberg. Great breakfast, very quite, and conveniently located.
A stay in Heidelberg is not complete without a walk down the Philosopher's Trail. The initial elevation rise is tough, but once further along, the view of the city is great.
Along the way, we stopped at the Philosopher's Garden and Cindy paused for inspiration.
As I mentioned before, Heidelberg is an old town. Coming back down the trail, we had to pass through this perilously narrow, high and stoney path. The walls started to bend in. Being the gentleman I am, I braced the walls up long enough for Cindy to snap a picture and hurry past safely.
We crossed the bridge back into the town. Cindy says," I feel smarter! Can we do it again?"
Yep, another cute shot of us. Sorry to subject you to it, but there will be more. The price you pay for peeking into our trip.
Katamari Damacy anyone? Here is Cindy with her "arch and tower earmuffs."
On the old bridge, there is a statue of a monkey. A very anatomically correct model of a monkey. Pee-eew.
Thankfully the front of the statue is much nicer. It is said that anyone who touches the monkey's mirror will return to Heidelberg. Looks like we'll be back!
One of the best matches we watched at the student union was Italy v. Australia. This match went to the 90th minute and was won on a penalty kick by the Italian squad. Here I am rooting on the Azurri.