Relaxing Down The Rhine - A Hangover With Worms

The next morning our ship docked in Worms (pronounced Vurms in German). Auburn was really happy to find out there was no de-Worming necessary to go sight-seeing. We boarded our bus for the university town of Heidelberg. Like many university towns we expected to see thousands flocking to spring football practice but the region was a bit too hilly to support a football field.

Our first stop was Heidelberg Castle, which overlooks the town. Our guide was a local student actor though by now (18 months later!) we've forgotten his name, but it must be Axel, Fritz, Klaus or Hans. We are nearly 30% certain of that. Auburn had visited the castle in the late 80's was relieved they let her back in after a small tithe to the Castle Guards Retirement fund.

The earliest versions of the castle were built before 1214 though the remains you see now date from 1650.  But in looking at the various buildings inside the keep you can see different architecture from different eras, making for a interesting timeline of styles. Not unlike our own home remodeling efforts.

View of the castle from below

Interior of the castle. Not pictured, the scaffolding just behind the camera.

Different architectural styles are obvious

Every good castle has a moat, right?

 Though the castle was abandoned over 300 years ago, it's still home to the largest wine vat ever constructed. Yes! Vats of wine! We searched for monks' robes to fit in, then remembered this was a castle, not a monastery. The vat is so big that there's even a dance floor on top.  While there's no video evidence (that we know of), it was here that Auburn gained a new moniker: Fannie Heat.  Cries of "Acapulco!" and "Wilson!" could be heard throughout the giant room where the vat resides. Please do not under any circumstances Google "Drunken Monk Striptease" or "Compounding your Interest at Banker Conventions". Thank you.

Looks like a pretty big wine cask, right?

Not as big as this one!

Being a castle, there's always at least one good story.  This one concerns a misguided knight and the beautiful lady of the castle.  As the story goes, the knight was very reluctant to betray his master, despite the lady's advances.  At some point she used a pretense to lure him to her chambers, intent on seduction.  However her husband arrived home unexpectedly and the knight was forced to flee out the window. A third-floor window. And he was still wearing his full suit of armor! He must have been very handsome, but not very bright. He jumped out, landed on terrace and his foot sunk into one of the stones as he made his escape.

The mysterious footprint

Eyeballing the distance from the window to the patio (over a grassy area, no less) this would have been one heck of a leap wearing athletic clothes, much less a full suit of armor.  Still, there is a footprint and good stories never go out of style.  Who says Germans don't have a sentimental romantic side?!

The castle is perched up on a hill overlooking the town of Heidelberg and produces some lovely views.  Our next stop, much like the escaping knight, was the bustling city.

View of Heidelberg town

Heidelberg town and the River Neckar