Venture Finley: Heidelberg

Temperatures have fallen tremendously here in Rheinland Pfalz. The Finleys are experiencing autumn for the first time in years. I don't know what it is about fall, but I love the crisp air, the pallet of colors decorating the leaves, and the smells. Don't forget the smells. The leaves. The crisp air. The fire burning in our living room fire place. Fireplaces are more than dust collectors here in Germany!

We took a trip to Heidelberg Germany with Grandma and Pop. We toured the Heidelberg Castle that overlooks the city, took in the views, and watched the kids play in the autumn leaves. The castle dates back to as early as 1196. Over the course of history, the castle has been damaged by wars and lightening bolts (several times) and rebuilt again. Martin Luther, a leader in Christian reformation actually spoke here defending one of his theses and visited the castle.

After touring the castle we made our way down to the Marktplatz where we did a little window shopping and stopped in for dinner at a local brewery. Following dinner, we made our way onto the old bridge to take in the River Necktar. The stone bridge was originally constructed of wood before it was knocked out several times by storms and floods. One section of this bridge was actually blown up by German soldiers to prevent American soldiers from passing into the city from the North. However Americans were approaching from the West, making German efforts useless.

The kids were entertained by the violinists playing for spare change. We stopped to take in a few boats dotting the water, as well as a few standing paddlers on their boards coming down the river. The hillsides were painted in red, orange and yellow fall folliage.