Heidelberg, Deutschland

Ok, finally! I'm going to tell you all about the first stop on our European Union tour. Heidi and I boarded the Eurostar train on 16 August and headed to Heidelberg. We stayed in Heidelberg, not only because of how old and beautiful it is, but its close location to Frankfurt; the European Central Bank is located in Frankfurt. Besides visiting the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, we had the usual city tour and a visit to a castle. Our first night with our group there we had a group dinner at the Brauhaus Vetter, which was a traditional German Gasthaus. I was a little worried since we were having a group dinner at a traditional German restaurant. German food isn't the most famous for veganism, so you can understand my concern. I was pleasantly surprised though at the meal that our tour guide, Nicola, was able to get for me. Here's the first photo of it:

It was pasta with vegetables and spices. It was tasty and there was loads of yummy noodles. It was also slightly spicy, which I always enjoy. I was so glad that they were able to accommodate my veganism at this restaurant. I just love a big plate of pasta every once in a while.

Since they didn't have any vegan desserts available for me (sad, I know) they brought me this lovely coffee with a vegan biscuit on the side. It was a nice end to the meal and since I was so full already this was probably best. Anyways, not much explanation here - only coffee and a biscuit!

Here's a shot of Heidi and I before dinner when we were supposed to be 'walking around' and exploring Heidelberg. We didn't feel like it. Ok, now before you get all 'you should experience it while you're there' on us, we were just being smart. We knew we were going on a guided tour in a couple days anyhow. We sat and watched children jump in a fountain and almost trip and fall! Bahahaha!!!

The next day we visited Frankfurt to see the European Central Bank and learn about the Euro, interest rates, and the like. It was mostly interesting and we also went on a walking tour. It was rather cold that day and we ended up going up to the top of this tower thing to get a good view of the city. It was nice, but extremely windy. Here's a view that I got off of the tour. With Frankfurt being such a financial centre and not quite a tourist area it is mostly skyscrapers and empty apartment buildings. Oh well, it is what it is.

In Frankfurt, we visited the department store, Galeria Kaufhof. They are all over Germany and usually have foodhalls in the basements. I got this Joya brand soya yoghurt there. It had a really nice texture - very creamy and smooth with just the right amount of fruity bits. I really liked it and wished that I could buy it in the States!

I also got this Joya brand soya drink, chocolate flavour. This was tasty as well with a nice smooth texture and nice chocolate flavour. It wasn't anything special, but nice for the train ride back to Heidelberg!

I also saw this in Frankfurt. It's a rickshaw cab thing, but the advertisement on the top reminded me of that one Doors song. Can anyone guess which one I mean? It's incredibly obvious if you've ever heard any of the music by the Doors!

Here's a shot of me at the top of Heidelberg Castle, overlooking the 'Altstadt,' or 'old city.' We climbed to the top of the castle to look at this great view, and there it is!

Heidi and I had lunch at this little Asian restaurant in Heidelberg, and it was an interesting experience. They had extremely beautiful flatware (see it on the left?), but the food was only okay. This is my starter of fried tofu with a spicy sauce. It was good, but not great.

I got a miso soup with my main, and it was also alright. It was the end of my meal though. My main, that did not say that it had meat in it in the English translation, ended up having chicken in it! I can read most German, so I should have read that menu to double check, but I didn't. After that sad lunch I was not in a very good mood...

On our way out of Heidelberg we stopped at a European tourist attraction, called the 'Mummelsee,' which is somehow associated with this ghost thing. The photo on the left is of some guy dressed as this ghost and charging for photos with him. Great, huh?

Fortunately the Mummelsee is also right in the 'Schwarzwald' or Black Forest. We were able to take photos there as well during our twenty minute stop. I would take this photo over one with the creepy Mummelsee ghost any day!

We also stopped in Baden Baden that day. Apparently Bill Clinton said that it, "was so nice they had to name it twice." It was very beautiful and one of the main attractions is the traditional Roman-style baths. Heidi and I didn't go in the baths, but went to a lovely park and found this beautiful river-type water thing. It was nice and relaxing.

We also stopped at a fancy cafe for some Earl Grey tea. It was sort of expensive, but it came in a huge pot that gave me at least four cups of tea. It was also really, really good tea. Plus we were in a great location to watch people. What fun!

Here's a shot of the tea after I poured it, just so you could see the lovely colour!










So, that was Heidelberg and the places we visited while there and on the way out. Be on the lookout for my next blog post, hopefully tomorrow or the day after!