Toweled elephant welcoming us back to our room

Embarking the Viking Var

And what a lovely welcome home we received from the staff after a full day in Heidelberg.

Keyed locks on the bridge

The idea is that you and your sweetheart buy a lock with you names engraved on the lock. After locking it onto the bridge hardware the two keys are to be tossed into the river. This signifies uniting the couple forever.

Kathy, Juli and Bill on the pedestrian bridge in Old Town Heidelberg

The bridge in Old Town Heidelberg

Another view of the monkey

Is our group touching the mirror, the fingers or the mice?  Looks like the monkey also gets lucky once in a while.

Alex behind the mask of the monkey

The entrance to the Old Bridge in the Old Town of Heidelberg

The brass monkey statue holding a mirror in his hand with mice all around. Local superstition is that you should touch the mirror for wealth, the outstretched fingers to ensure that you return to Heidelberg and the mice to guarantee many children. 

Patisserie window on the streets of Heidelberg

Actually I should be using a German word. How about konditorei for pastry shop or bäckerei for bakery.

Christmas market of Heidelberg with the castle on the hilltop

The Holder family on the deck/ concourse area of Heidelberg Castle

View of Heidelberg University from the Castle

And more images of Heidelberg Castle Germany

More images of Heidelberg Castle

Heidelberg Castle

Roxanne and Alex at Heidelberg Castle

Frederick assumed the crown of the Protestant King of Bohemia against recommendation from his advisers. To make a long story short this event resulted in the eruption of the 30 years war between the Protestants and the Catholic Church from 1618-1648. Frederick and his family were forced into to exile.

Heidelberg Castle is the most famous Renaissance structure north of the Alps

The earliest structure was built before 1214. Frederick V from the Germàn monarch married Elizabeth Stuart of Bohemia in an arranged marriage at the age of 16 yrs old. He added on to the Roman castle making it into a showplace of a palace for his new bride. 

Day 5 of the Father Rhein cruise to Heidelberg Germany

Walking through the Arch de Triumph to the Heidelberg Castle. Our tour guide was from Atlanta GA and married a German man who teaches at a university in Heidelberg. We learned a lot about the German culture.  The people of Germàny like rules and predictability and want to obey the rules. They have a lot of security as the guide put it similar to Canada and Australia.  University tuition is free since WW2 even to outsiders.

Entrance into a tunnel

Hitler had these built to look like castles knowing that the Allies would not bomb historic or religious structures. From an airplane this structure may look like a castle.

And even more eye candy along the Rhine

More eye candy along the Middle Rhine

Note vineyards above the town. The steep grape fields are harvested by hand.

Top floor of the ship central circulation area

Note skylights above with roof deck above.

Center circulation stair on the middle floor

More castles

The castle protecting the village people below

Along the Middle Rhine a River

Castle along the middle Rhine

Haley & Alex on the rooftop

Village along the Rhine from the ship rooftop

The bathroom in Kathy and Chuck's Stateroom

The details were well executed in this small space.

Roxanne and Chuck standing beside a severely pruned sycamore tree

Kathy & Chuck's State room on the Var ship

Our room is on the lower floor of the ship.

Back on the Viking Var to begin cruising the Middle Rhine

This stretch of the Rhine up is most picturesque with small villages, grape fields and castles.

Loading onto the Viking bus to take us back to the ship

Suits of armor represent different historical period

Inside Marksburg Castle

Marksburg Castle

Dominique our program director with Viking

At Marksburg's Castle

Chuck and Bill taking in the view from the castle hilltop

Roxanne and Alex as townspeople in Braubach

Back in the day they would have been protected by the castle in the background.

Chapel ceiling at Marksburg Castle

Marksburg Castle canon

This canon was built in 1730 with a range of only 200 meters.  The gap in the barrel would allow the gunpowder to explode out the back end when the stone ball was shot.

Marksburg Castle was positioned above the town of Braubach Germany

The fortress was used for protection rather than as a residence for the Royal family. The Medieval Castle was first referred to in 1231.

A food truck at one of the Christmas markets

Ludwig Museum in Cologne

I was disappointed that the museums were closed on Monday as this modern museum has one of the largest Pablo Picasso collections.

Christmas markets of Cologne

Chuck and I enjoyed the street food at the markets. We ate a bratwurst on a roll, kartoffelpuffer which is fried potato pancakes with applesauce and flammkuchen which is flaming pizza with a very thin crust. Each of the 6 markets served a gluhwein hot drink in their commemorative Christmas mug. We collected one from several different markets. 

Christmas markets as seen from the Cathedral Tower

The first day of the 6 Christmas markets of Cologne

Cologne as seen from the top of the cathedral

In the bell tower of the cathedral

Alex, isn't that hat just a bit over scaled for your head?

The Cathedral underground at the ticket booth after the descent

In the bowels of the cathedral