Heidelburg

The day after Frankfurt, we had breakfast at the korean hostel and off we go! out to explore Germany.
We got out really early in the morning, the streets were still empty but that's perhaps it's a saturday. We went to the second hand market in Frankfurt which is one of the largest market in Europe. there were lots of stuff to see and buy, everything was pretty cheap but nah i'm not really into hand me downs =P
and then we had to go to the train station to catch our train to Heidelburg, daljoon says "15mins before the train leaves" and from what i recalled the train station is really far from where we are now! eeeeksss rush rush rush....walk faster steph! but my feet was so filled with blisters from yesterday, it was soo difficult to walk, be it run. thank goodness we made it to the train just in time

the journey from frankfurt am main to heidelburg is pretty long, maybe an hr or so. the scenery was real nice from the train, and the train is so comfy, unlike the uncushioned ones we have on mrt. and alas! we reached Heidelburg station. we came down from the train, all excited only to realise, that it wasnt the stop! it wasnt the main train station! oopsieeee, hahaha blunder=P so we waited for another train which took 10mins to arrive, to the next stop, the correct one. and ta da! Heidelburg!
a little introduction on Heidelburg:

Heidelberg is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. As of 2006, over 140,000 people live within the city's 109 square kilometres (42 sq mi) area. Heidelberg is a unitary authority. The Rhein-Neckar-Kreis rural district surrounds and has its seat in the city, but the city itself does not form a part of it.

Heidelberg lies on the river Neckar at the point where it leaves its narrow, steep valley in the Odenwald to flow into the Rhine valley where, 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of Heidelberg, it joins the river Rhine at Mannheim. Heidelberg is part of a densely populated region known as the Rhein-Neckar-Triangle.

it is probably a university town, the university campus is said to be spread all around Heidelburg. it's much more lively here compared to the where im living. so many shops, so much to do! SHOPPING! when we talk about shopping, daljoon's face turn into disappointment. haha shant be so bad to him. he is a real good tour guide actually, he knows everything! walking wikipedia! daljoon-pedia =P

a snap of the shopping district in Heidelburg

our next plan is to have lunch at a Thai buffet which is according to the daljoon, real goood, so we searched and searched but to no avail! where the hell isit?! it's suppose to be 15mins away from the train station but it seems like an hour or 2 already. we ended up having Nordsea which served seafood! yummmy! hadnt had that for a really long time! look at my 8.45Euro fish & chips which is equivalent to $17 Sing dollars. and my yummy crepes which cost me 3.50 euros.

Sightseeing in Heidelburg.
1. Student Prison

where naughty boys and girls are placed in the 1700s. they were allowed to go to school while serving their time and friends are allowed to visit. they could even bring alcohol into the cell. the spent their free time carving on tables and drawing on the wall using whatever materials they have.

2. Bits and pieces of Heidelberg University

it's a really famous university actually, and the campus is strewn around the town itself. we went to one of the lecture halls and wow! they're impressive. it's so medieval like, it looks like those u see on the big screen, especially on Harry Potter.

and the library is amazing! the facade of building is so magnificant and grand and inside is so modern just like any other library. envy.

first 2 pictures are of the lecture hall and the last one is of course the library

3. Heidelberg Castle

a little information of the castle from Wikipedia:

The castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398–1410) erected the first representative building in the inner courtyard as a regal residence. The building was divided into a ground floor made of stone and framework upper levels. Another regal building is located opposite to the Ruprecht Building: The Fountain Hall. Prince Elector Philipp (1476–1508) is said to have arranged the transfer of the hall's columns from a decayed palace of Charlemagne to Heidelberg.

Today, the hall is used for festivities, e.g. dinner banquets, balls and theatre performances. During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air musicals, operas, theatre performances and classical concerts performed by the Heidelberg Philharmonics.

The castle is surrounded by a park where the famous poet Johann von Goethe once walked. The Heidelberger Bergbahn funicular railway runs from Heidelberg's Kornmakt to the summit of the Königstuhl via the castle.

this is the first castle i've visited, excluding my school that is. the walk up to the castle is sooo tiring! ekkks! it's a long road up and what's worst is, the whole stretch of road is a steep steep steep slope! i was afraid i might just roll down the slope while climbing it. and after 20mins of climbing we finally reached the castle! yay! totally breathless at that point of time. but the scenery is breathtaking =) well worth the walk

and this is the big water/wine barrel located in the castle, to store wine for the king, and to store water when there is a war. it is said to be 2000litres. it is HUGEEE!

and the park next to the castle, i've nv been to a place so green before and it makes u wanna just lie on the grass and laze there all afternoon