Day 2 - Heidelberg

Wake up call at 6am, a little better than 3.30am. Luckily I was organised and got down for breakfast at the Thon. The breakfast was really, really good and I was able to get some pastries and fruit for snack today. 

Fascinating drive so far, there are solar farms, and wind turbines all along the highway. Germany was going heavily into Nuclear Power until the Fuchashima disaster in Japan. Now, Angela Merkel has started a new energy program and solar farms and windmills can be seen all along the highway.

One of the few remaining coal fire stations. Solar farms and wind farms are seen all along the Autobahn.

Interesting fact 1. The Autobahns were developed by Hitler in the late 1930s to move his armies across Germany quickly. now they grow big forestry trees along the edges for noise abatement. 

Interesting fact 2. All transport trucks must stop at 12midday on Saturday and they cannot continue on their way until 12midnight Sunday. Everywhere along the way there are big layovers with many, many trucks parked until they can continue on their way. 

At our first toilet stop we had to pay 70cents to use very clean toilets. You get a ticket and then when you buy a coffee you get 50cents off. Yesterday at Bruges you had to pay 50cents, (no English money accepted) but there was a man cleaning each toilet as it was used. Very strange.

We joined the Rhine cruise ship at Dopard. It was a beautiful journey. We had lunch and I decided to have a beer as Oxtoberfest is just around the corner and this area is famous for its beer. It was good.

Following photos, our Rhine Cruise.

My lunch - Goulash soup and a beer (it was very nice).

After the cruise we drove to Heidelberg. As it was a university city it was not bombed during the war and it is one of the few cities in Germany which retains its historic integrity.

The Schloss is quite incredible and it has the largest wine vat in the world in its cellar. It holds 21,000 litres. There was a very large moat built around the Schloss but it would not hold water so they put bears in the moat instead. It was attacked and badly damaged twice in the 16th Century so after the second attack it was not rebuilt.

The city of Heidelberg is lovely. We stayed at the Marriott and had a great dinner and breakfast. We have been told not to expect such good breakfasts as we head south.

My lovely comfy bed.