Happiness in Heidelberg, Germany

The kids have a break from school this week, so we decided to head out and have some fun. We had such a great time when we took a "vacation" to Spangdahlem a few months ago, we decided to do it again. With Spang as our home base, we took a few day trips to explore Germany. Our first stop was Heidelberg, with it's magnificent castle overlooking the city. (Don't mind the scaffolding. She's having a little work done. A lady has to keep up, you know.) How would you like to wake up to this view each morning? Amazing, huh? I must say, Heidelberg was a LOT bigger than I thought it would be. It runs along both sides of the Neckar River. The original part of Heidelberg Castle was built around 1300, but it wasn't used as a regal residence until the reign of Prince Elector Ruprecht in 1398. It remained a residence for most of the Prince Electors until it was destroyed by lightening in 1764. After lightening made the castle inhabitable, the locals started using the stones to build new houses. This went on until around 1800, when Count Charles de Graimberg decided to try to preserve the castle. This is the inner courtyard of the castle. Just around the corner to the right, is an Apothecary Museum. It was very interesting to see the history of the pharmacy throughout the ages. Each room represented a different time frame. I thought the golden dragon downspout was amazing. Jess was more impressed with this little beauty. This is someone that you might not want to mess with. Look at those arms! (We won't even mention the head. Ouch!)This is the view back toward the entrance of the inner courtyard. The doorway is that arch under the clock tower. We had a fantastic day wandering around the castle and checking out these stunning views of the city below.