Heidelberg, Germany

Day #07: The Historic City of Heidelberg, Germany

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Onward towards the the historic city of Heidelberg!

Meisenheim to Heidelberg

  DAY #07 of 35   France   411 miles total

Today was another lovely day cycling through rolling hills as we approached the end of our first week cycling across Europe. The morning ride went smoothly after departing from Meisenheim. We stopped for a coffee break in Alzey, about a third of the way to Heidelberg.

Alzey has a well-kept old town with many timber-frame houses, restaurants, cafés and shops, surrounded by ruins of the medieval town wall. This historic city also lays claim to having hosted Napoleon during his German campaigns, making it a perfect fit with our Napoleon-themed journey.

In 1812, Germany was part of the French empire. After Napoleon’s victory at Austerlitz in 1806 he created a precursor to modern Germany – the confederation of the Rhine, a merging of 16 states. He named himself as its protector, obviously.

The beef broth (and afternoon off) cleared up Shauna’s sore throat enough for us to ride today.
Leaving the lovely Meisenheimer Hof and heading to Heidelberg.

Heavy cloud cover and rain showers dotted the landscape in every direction.
Beautiful but really hope we don’t get to experience those showers up close and personal.

We were sure that we were going to get wet.

But we had spots of sunshine and it turned out to be a terrific day to ride.

The roads were wet and the weather was nice and cool.

Several of the small villages we passed through had onion- or helmet-shaped domes which are usually associated with the Russian Orthodox Church.

The German ice cream dessert menus often border on …..well, I’m not sure how to describe spaghetti ice cream.

…or an ice cream burger with french fries. Though they almost had Shauna at “Nutella.”

A nice spot for a bit of lunch, next to the Rhine River. It was pouring rain here 2 hours before we arrived, but we were still dry!

Crossing the Rhine – the Rhine is one of the major European rivers, which has its source in the southeastern Swiss Alps
and flows in a mostly northerly direction through Germany and the Netherlands, emptying into the North Sea.
We were happy that the bridge had a bike lane for our crossing.

Stunning vineyards greeted us just outside Heidelberg with our new friend, Noel Mullins.
Originally from Ireland, Noel and his gracious wife Deb live in Perth, Australia.

….and with Richie Mitchell, one of our excellent tour guides. A former soldier and firefighter, Richie hails from near the Lakes District in England.

Loving all the wide rivers in Germany. The Neckar river flows through Heidelberg.

Mark loves the yummy rewards that always await us.. today for 76 miles and 4,500 feet elevation!!!

With the first building erected around 1400 with many later additions,
the Heidelberg Castle is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance.

Heidelberg’s old stone bridge was erected 1786–1788. A medieval bridge gate is on the side of the old town, and was originally
part of the town wall. Baroque tower helmets were added as part of the erection of the stone bridge in 1788.

Part of our group at dinner in Heidelberg’s Old Town. Obviously the favored part as they already have their dessert!

Our table at dinner in Heidelberg … at least we still have wine!

Ben, our ever creative-problem-solving tour leader, finding a way to communicate from an otherwise inaccessible end of the table.

Historic Heidelberg

The Church of the Holy Spirit towers over Heidelberg, Germany
The Church of the Holy Spirit towers over Heidelberg, Germany.
Heiliggeistkirche – the Church of the Holy Spirit – is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture.
Its steeple towers over the cafe-lined Marktplatz town square in the Altstadt (Old Town) and is visible throughout the city.

Trivia Fact:   Built in the early 1400’s, the Church of the Holy Spirit is actually the third church to be built on this site.

The red-sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, a noted example of Renaissance architecture, stand on Königstuhl Hill ... pictured here from the hillside.
The red-sandstone ruins of Heidelberg Castle, a noted example of Renaissance architecture, stand on Königstuhl Hill.

Tomorrow marks the halfway point of Stage 1 and will be a much-needed rest day before the all-German week ahead. There are optional riding loops to the local vineyards (ha! not us!), but we are looking forward to a well-earned rest day before the second week of Stage 1 begins.

Our Route

Map of our route from Paris, France to Bautzen, Germany
Halfway through the first stage from Paris, France to Bautzen, Germany

Next Stop:   Jagsthausen

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