Baden-Baden, Black Forest to Bacharach, Rhein Valley via Heidelberg Germany

Thursday 7th November 2019
Well time for another big day. After breakfast we went for a brisk walk along Lichtentalerallee, a beautiful tree lined walk along the waterway. It was spectacular with all the autumn colours.

It was then time to move on from Baden-Baden to our next destination. First was to drive 96km on the autobahn, it was very hectic, with trucks passing trucks, passing cars, speeding cars, it was a very high intensity drive. At the end I was physically and mentally drained. There was so much going on at once and you have to be totally aware of where every vehicle is to ensure your safety. We arrived safely in Heidelberg. Phew!

On our arrival we took the new cable car to the Heidelberg Castle. These ruins are quite spectacular. We then took the old cable car to the top for an outstanding view of the city. Back down again to the Castle for a stroll inside and outside. Then back down to the city to visit the market square, Church of the Holy Spirit and the Altebrücke (Old Bridge). That was Heidelberg done and dusted in 2 hours.

Next stop is the Rhein Valley. Lisa drove this time thinking there was only 28km of autobahn, but we were wrong. She had about 80km but luckily the truck activity and traffic was a lot less than this morning. It was still intense as the traffic is travelling at 130kmh and more. We arrived at Bacharach, our home for tonight which is an old medieval town. It is very pretty. We then searched for a place for dinner and found one of only 3 places available for a meal. Everything has closed down for the winter.

Tomorrow is our last touring day before Lisa heads home and I head to Ben’s place.

I apologise for the different spelling of Rhein and Rhine. I can’t decide which to use, their spelling of the word or ours. Each time I write it I have conflicting views as I don’t understand our need to change their spelling but it happens world wide. Over here they spell Australia as Australie.

: A quiet stroll down Lichtentalerallee, Baden-Baden..

: ..with beautiful palaces along the way..

: ..amazing autumn colours..

: ..lovely gardens and statues..

: ..a couple of clay tennis courts. Not too sure what the little ant hills are all about.

: Street in the old town of Baden-Baden

: The Market Square where Lisa did a U turn yesterday after realising she wasn’t able to drive here. I had left her in the car whilst checking in to our hotel, she had already been told off in German by another driver for being where he wanted to park. Oops.!!

: New funicular at Heidelberg, it ranks amongst the most popular tourist attractions in the town. Every year more than one million passengers use them, enjoying the spectacular views of Heidelberg and the Neckar valley. You can see far across the Rhine lowlands as far as the Palatinate wine route from the vantage point of the Königstuhl.

: ..The lower railway, one of Germany’s most modern funicular railways, starts at Kornmarkt in the old town and runs via the Castle station as far as Molkenkur (The Castle)..

: ..From there you can continue with one of the oldest electric funicular railways to the Königstuhl, the town’s highest point at more than 550 metres.

: After a quick look at the view we headed back down to Heidelberg Castle.

: Nestled in the hill 300 feet above the city of Heidelberg stands the breath-taking Heidelberg Schloss (castle)…

: The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look…

: ..Each building highlights a different period of German architecture…

: ..The first parts of the castle were constructed around 1300, but it wasn’t before Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 – 1410) that the castle was used as a regal residence.

: Amazing view of Heidelberg from the Castle.

: The Heidelberg Tun, or the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel”, was built in 1751 by Prince Elector Karl Theodor to house the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers of the Palatine.

: It stands 7m high, is 8.5m wide, holds 220,000 litres of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it. This is the staircase down from the dance floor.

: Apothecary museum in the Heidelberg Castle. Steam distillation machine about 1890 made preparation of medicines a lot quicker..

: Cabinet for all the tinctures in the apothecary

: View of the Neckar River from the castle

: Old Town Square in Heidelberg.

: Church of the Holy Spirit Heidelberg.Th

: The Altebrücke (Old Bridge) Heidelberg..

: ..statue at the side of the entrance to the old bridge..

: ..it is a footbridge only, no cars..

: Looking up to the Old Bridge.

: Statue in the Market Square.

: Our first stop in the Rhine Valley, Bacharach..

: .. a little mediaeval town, time for a walk..

: ..to see if we can find somewhere for dinner..

: ..the town is deserted and we enjoy a nice walk in the twilight..

: Heading back through the town to our accommodation. A lovely little pension run by a nice couple who have been to Australia 3 times. A rarity. They are planning a trip to Perth next year. They have already been to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. Short 2 week trips as their busy keeps them in Baden-Baden for the rest of the year.