Christmas 2007 on the Rhine River ~ A Uniworld Cruise: Speyer and Heidelberg, Germany

9a Arrived in Speyer and departed for excursion to Heidelberg

Light snow when we arrived, then off on the bus to Heidelberg. Spent most of the day there. Toured the Heidelberg castle. Learned that it was in Heidelberg that Mark Twain finished writing "Huckleberry Finn" and came up with the name. The mountains here have lots of wild blueberries that they call Heidel berries and they resemble the huckleberries that he knew. Lunched at the "Haus zum Ritter." It is the oldest house in Heidelberg, built in 1512, and was not destroyed in a fire that took most of the town because it was built of stone and the rest of the buildings were made of wood. It was dusk when we returned to the boat, too dark and cold to tour Speyer on my own. Next trip.... Entertainment after dinner tonight was the crew singing Christmas carols in German, Slovakian, Croatian, and English.

The Old Bridge across the River Neckar.

The brass baboon sculpture is titled "What are you Looking at?" and is designed so that you can slide your face behind its face and look through the eyes. It is said to be lucky if you rub the brass plate it is holding.

Loved seeing this little black pug in its sheepskin coat!

"In 1592, Friedrich the IV was Elector of the Palatinate. This house was built by a cloth dealer, Carolus Belier and his wife Francisca. It saw many rulers and noblemen of the country. As by a miracle this precious jewel of German renaissance architecture overcame the many annihilation Heidelberg had during a 30-year war and the total destruction of the city in 1689 by Melac. The gracefulness of this proud house has been preserved. One admires the living expression of the brilliant culture in the skillful facade. The house was an inn for the first time in 1705 to the knight St. Georg.