We boarded the “Europa Express” from Interlaken to Frankfurt. And being an Indian that was the fastest train I ever traveled. The moment we crossed Bassel, the geography started to change. Compared to Switzerland, we saw more plain grounds, huge farmlands and less hills. After travelling for around 5 hours we finally reached Frankfurt- the Economic capital of Bavaria. To our surprise, my friend sent a chauffeur driven Mercedes-Maybach to pick us from the station and, I did see the obvious happiness of being driven in a luxury car, in my wife’s eye. We checked in to Movenpick and after a quick bite we went for a walk. Like any other modern city, all we could see were sky scrapers, malls and banks. As we were tired we decided to be back to our hotel and rest for the night.
Heidelberg:
The next morning we started off to Heidelberg. Situated between the river Neckar and the foothills of Odenwald forest, Heidelberg has a picturesque setting. The moment we drove downtown, we were thrilled to see the old bridge, the mighty castle, the university and the local eateries. We immediately got down from our vehicle and walked uphill towards the castle. You can very well explore the mighty fortress on your own but we were guided by Ms. Barbara, a local tourist guide.
This mighty castle has seen a fair share of ups and downs. In times of war, the lord would order everyone in his country to be inside the castle. The massive iron pillared gates would be locked and no enemy could dare to enter the castle. The barn is so big that it could have fed everyone for more than a year. We were also curious to see a beautiful sculpture of two young kids. They seemed to be fairies and their story brought tears to our eyes. Legend says that these two lovely kids were the sons of the architect who built the castle. One day when they came to see their father suddenly they slipped from a rock and died. Unable to bear the grief their father- the architect stopped building the castle. One night the architect saw his sons in his dream asking him to complete the castle. The next morning when he went to their graves he saw the white roses turned red. This made the architect to start his work again and he completed this huge & beautiful castle.
Another amazing thing in the castle is the wine cellar. Never have I ever seen a barrel so huge. In turbulent times the lords would have made a regular use of the wine cellar. This is home to the biggest wine barrel in the world – made from 130 oak trees, it is seven meters wide, over eight meters in length and has a capacity of precisely 221,726 liters. There was a peculiar looking statue of a guy with a glass of wine in his hand. He was Mr. Porkeo, an Italian, employed by the lord to look after the wine. History says that Porkeo never drank water in his life. Wine was his life. At the age of 32 he accidentally took a sip of water and died immediately.
We also saw a foot imprinted on the castle floor. This was the foot print of the Queen’s friend who had to jump out of the Queen’s room on sudden arrival of the King.
After the castle we walked pass by the University to the old bridge. The bridge over the river connects both parts of the town. The university side seems to be old part of the town whereas the other side has more modern infrastructure. At the center of the old town is the market square and towering above is the famous Church of the Holy Spirit. Apart from café’s, shops, chocolates stores, the sight of beautiful fountains delighted us.
It was 2 in the afternoon and it was time to feed our bellies. Roaming on the tiny streets near the university we were happy to see a variety of opportunities to eat. Finally, we went to a Italian restaurant to have lunch while enjoying a game of soccer in the screen.
What a great day it was. We bid adieu to this beautiful city and headed towards our den for the night- Hofgut Sternen, Best Western Hotel. Surrounded by countryside and the famous black forest it’s a upscale village resort. It’s 8 km from Titisee lake and 11 km from Feldberg ski area. In the evening we enjoyed a glass of wine with the famous black forest cake and went to the nearby cuckoo clock shop. The person there gave us a demo how the cuckoo clock is made and how it works. It was interesting to know that in olden days when people were stuck inside their home during winters, they had nothing to do. So, they started making cuckoo clocks which would run on pulleys. Buying a cuckoo clock here is easy as it will be shipped to your address. And one can definitely not ignore the various kind of liquors available there. A bit of shopping and it’s time for dinner. A traditional Bavarian dinner with a glass of wine just completed our day.
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