Heidelberg - Friday July 13

We woke up this morning and knew we had a long day of walking and exploring. Before that we headed to the breakfast room in the hotel, and were amazed at the selection. Fried eggs, scrambled, boiled, smoked salmon, smoked trout, at least 5 different cheeses, ham, salami, prosciutto, yogurt, strawberries and at least 6 other fruits & melons and rolls and bread. Wow..... a lot more than we expected. No doubt we did justice. After eating a wholesome breakfast we headed for the famous Heidelberg Castle, walking along the Hauptstrasse, Germany's longest pedestrian street that leads through the Old Town. We finally reached the base of the hill, upon which the castle lies. We took the funicular to the top, walked around and took many pictures of the Neckar Valley below. After checking out the Castle, which was built in the 17th century, we walked all the way to the bottom. We walked a bit more around the Old Town, checked out many of the unique shops, and I sucked down a bratwurst while Gail thoroughly enjoyed a banana/chocolate crepe. After taking a break back at the hotel, we headed out to the Old Town again, for a few rounds of wonderful beer, including a weissbier mit schuss and some dinner. After a very tiring day of walking and exploring were retired to the hotel rather early.........10 PM.The whole day, in perspective was quite amazing......riding a funicular up a steep mountain, viewing Heidelberg from 1430 feet above sea level, exploring a 400 year old castle, and of course enjoying some of the finest beer that Germany has to offer.