Heidelberg

It was my last day of the six-month stay in this rationally immeasurable city that has dazzled the old and new alike. Every memory of the adventures past was fresh in my mind as I walked on the road to Königstuhl, the highest point in Heidelberg, to visit the historical Heidelberg-Königstuhl State Observatory. The small road twisted and turned, and I took in every detail of the castle as it passed on my left. I couldn't believe my laziness: I had lived exactly in the center of Heidelberg’s old town, the Marktplatz, had walked up to the castle, and then simply walked back down. And now, only a few hours before my flight from Frankfurt, I had decided to climb almost 5 kilometers because I had no money for the Bergbahn (mountain train – expensive).

I had the energy to walk up, though, as I had had an apple strudel and coffee breakfast at yet another historical place – the Café Gundel – before starting my ascent. It’s hard to understand why man gives so much importance to aesthetics, and in Heidelberg, this importance is perhaps derived from the centuries old German romanticism. As one goes further and further upwards, this idea becomes clearer.
Heidelberg’s war torn castle looks northward to a city divided by the ever-flowing Neckar, linked together by the magnificent Karl Theodor Bridge watched over by the Philosopher’s Walk (a trail where famous thinkers met and inspired wonders); The University of Heidelberg situated next to cathedrals right in the shadow of the castle since the Renaissance; so much Intellectual vigor standing in the face of royal influence. With only basic knowledge of its history, I was able to see how the red city developed its atmosphere under these two opposing forces.

I easily managed to reach the Molkenkur station, a few hundred meters after the castle. According to a local I met there, the Königstuhl was still a good way off and would take more than four hours both ways. Letting out a sigh, and calling myself a sloth, I walked over to the ticket booth to purchase a ticket for the next train. The attendant asked me if I had my student travel card. Here’s one of the great things about Germany: if you look like a student, they presume you are one and offer discounts without asking. It was my lucky day – I didn't have my card on me. But I was happily offered a ticket, free of charge, to the top and back! The ride to the top took about 20 minutes. Before going to the observatory, I saw Heidelberg from the top, and understood love.