After escaping from the wine cellar (fortunately for others, we did not have to resort to a distractionary strip-tease) we all boarded the bus to head back down the hill into the town of Heidelberg.
Heidelberg University was the third university established within the Holy Roman Empire and dates to 1386, making it the oldest university in Germany. It's primarily known for its emphasis on research and has been associated with over 50 Nobel Prize laureates. Clearly we were out of our league here, but the faux University Doctoral black robes complete with funny little caps and fake Nobel Prize medals helped us blend in completely. We did get stopped by people asking questions in their thirst for knowledge. We answered all the questions quickly and in Latin. Those robes were pretty awesome!
This is the Church of the Holy Spirit which stands in the middle of the marketplace in the old center of town. Construction of the original building took over 150 years. Then in 1709 it had to be rebuilt when the French set it on fire during the War of Palatinian Succession.
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| Church of the Holy Spirit |
While the church originally contained the tombs of the Palatinate electors, they were destroyed during the fire and today only the tomb of Prince-Elector Rupert III and his beloved wife Elisabeth of Hohenzollem remain.
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| Tomb of Prince-Elector Rupert III and Elisabeth of Hohenzollem |
The church has been used by both Catholics and Protestants at times and in a brilliant example of German efficiency, it is sometimes used by both simultaneously! We keep picturing the masses of people singing hymns, competing to out-do each other like cheering football spectators. In 1706 a partition was inserted (though it's since been removed) so both services could be held without disturbing the other group.
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| Interior of Church of the Holy Spirit |
The town has an interesting bridge over the River Neckar which is a tributary of the Rhine. We especially liked the portcullis. Look at this photo of the bridge rather than Auburn's horrible drawing of the bridge.
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| A true portcullis ready to drop |
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| Two Palermos with a castle in the background |
We walked around a bit just enjoying the town, stealing souvenirs under those long robes (after paying for them, officer!) and finished up enjoying a gelato to stave off impending hunger at a lovely outdoor cafe. Obviously the two of us will waste away if not fed on a regular schedule.
Blondie and Dagwood were late to return, claiming their watches were wrong, but we suspect they were searching for Nobel Robes too. We made it back to the ship for a delicious late lunch on the forward deck.
Our second port of call for the day was Speyer, a town of approximately 50,000 people. As it was Easter Monday, much of the town was closed for the holiday so our visit was fairly short.
The town is dominated by (surprise!) the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St Stephen or, as the locals call it, Speyer Cathedral. It's a UNESCO World Heritage Site (how many is that for this trip?). It's also known as the Kaiserdom because it contains the crypts of eight German emperors and kings along with assorted queens and bishops.
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| Speyer Cathedral |
As we've come to expect, there have been several versions of the building over the years though the present one maintains the general form and dimensions of the 11th century version.
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| Speyer Cathedral Interior |
With many businesses closed, we just strolled up and down the Maximilianstraße looking at the shops - though we seem to recall cousin Snappy raiding a liquor store somewhere along the way.
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| Maximilianstraße |
That night after dinner we gathered in the lounge to play Name That Tune. Since most of our team members were from Music City, naturally we won. Our prize was a bottle of bubbly, was split 10 ways. Mickey skipped her ration as usual, but was proclaimed a hero for the night for her selfless actions. We reluctantly went back to our room and sent those robes in for cleaning.
