 in front of the railway station
All those bicycles should topple over like domino rows.
|  in front of the railway station
highnoon rider
|  Heidelberg
Bismarck time sidestreet
|  Heidelberg
sidestreet near the Old Bridge
|  Heidelberg
Off hand, neo-Gothic Art Nouveau mix with Renaissance gable
|
 Heidelberg
bay window with caryatids
|  Heidelberg
Heiliggeistkirche. Church 'endorsed' trinket stalls. Variant view: it may well have started with a market stall endorsed little shrine.
|  Heidelberg, market square
Strong man on a column with Corinthian capitel.
|  Old Bridge
Sponsor statue of the reconstructed 1788 bridge, the Palatinate Elector Carl Theodor. Naiad entourage. The bridge was blown up on the 28th of March in 1945. As long as you can still go through the standard retreat motions. Eminent domain probably not required if it is public infrastructure. I do not know why the charges were set for 10 o'clock at night. An earlier covered bridge, Zurich model, was destroyed by ice floes in 1784. Act of nature.
|  Old Bridge
not completely sure what came first, the bridge or the castle
|
 Heidelberg
Neo-Gothic manor. Slightly too lavish for even a Greek letter frat house. [Ludwig II would probably have opted for something more swan shaped.]
|  Heidelberg
|  Heidelberg
Roof with colored bird droppings (or something of that nature)
|  weather vane
|  weather vane
|
 Heidelberg, Heiliggeistkirche
In situ: Heiliggeistkirche and historic downtown. The original hight ratio of secular versus temporal buildings is still preserved.
|  Heiliggeistkirche
The church was once divided into a Roman Catholic and a Lutheran (Calvinistic?) part.
|  Heiliggeistkirche
The nave and tower base are 16th century. The 'tower bonnet' is a Baroque addition.
The dollar bill in the clock face
Most clock faces are not considered legal tender (at least this side of the Solomon Islands). There still is a wampum connection, although a somewhat tenuous one. Traditional clock faces show one anomaly. The Roman numeral for four is spelled out IIII rather than IV. The difference, which may well have started as a permissible variation (as in allophone something), has some theological ramifications. Roman numbers are 'weighted numbers' in the true sense. Some are thicker than others. This allows for their use as secondary configuration code. Thin number (I, II, V) regardless of actual value versus thick number (XII). I have now given away most of the plot. Remaining task, find the three thick numbers on a clock face and connect them with straight lines. Cheatsheet (XII, VIII and, by notational dispense, IIII). Superimposed form, an equilateral tri...
|  the castle
somewhat exposed, a highly perched 'pillbox'
|  the castle
Sky window 'Dicker Turm'. [Somewhere you have to store your bridge mining explosives.]
|
 the castle
With scepter and globus cruciger. Saints did rate similar niches.
|  the casle
Empty slot for a UNESCO world heritage plaque. No luck so far.
|  the castle, Friedrichsbau
Renaissance facade with family tree theme. Charlomagnus (upper left hand corner) and moi (Elector Frederick IV, lower right hand corner). Rule of thumb: the longer the list of begots the larger the facade. All electors were in theory descendants of Carlomagnus. Suspect some dispense for ecclesiastic franchise holders. Heidelberg was adjudicated to non-electoral Württemberg by Napoleon.
How to keep them apart: Most halfway serious castles in the region come either with a 'corps de logis' or with a Renaissance front. Michelangelo versus Versailles.
Short version of the history of the castle (14th to 20th century): Nearly as often destroyed as rebuilt.
|  the castle
I was probably not the only visitor.
|  the castle
fountain
|
 the castle
No goldfish - there goes your 5 star rating.
|  the castle
|  the castle
'golden' gargoyle, Friedrichsbau
|  the castle
the golden gargoyles
|  the castle
Sundial, mirror room building. The grid line for September will be Libra.
|
 the castle
Guard in front of the Guinness Book worthy 240.000 liter tun. Could also be an extra from the 'Pirates of the Caribbean'. It takes all kind of wooden Indians.
|  the castle
Not sure about submarine graffiti. Possibly some anti barnacle magic.
|  Ebert House, birthplace cum museum
In memoriam Friedrich Ebert
Bebel designated Ebert as his chosen successor by handing him his walking stick. Some corresponding Lincoln - Frederick Douglass lore. (In the latter case actually posthumously bequeathed).
From a presidential speech: Remember your town very well. You never forget a place where you had once to sweep the streets. Reference to his 'Grand Tour' as journeyman upholsterer. Quote is vouchsafed although it may have been an off stage remark.
Suetonius detail: Ebert was thickset but unlike most chancellors only of average height.
Biographical highlights
Ebert was born in Heidelberg in 1871, the fifth of six children. He parents were self employed tailors. Ebert's formal education was limited to 8 years in elementary school. He was only a slightly above average student. He then served an apprenticeship as upholsterer and harness maker. Some subsequent on the road education may be assumed. He settled down in Bremen a...
|  Ebert birthplace
Home coming of sorts. The rickety staircase, still in existence, holds 10. The bell shaped object is a 'flapper' hat rather than a helmet.
|  Ebert birthplace
The family living room served as tailor workshop. The tools and accessories are from contemporary workshops. The pictures on the walls are also 3rd party. They do not show Ebert himself or his family. [The scissors are clamped to the table. Anti museum lifting measure.]
|
 Ebert birthplace
unmade bed
|  Ebert birthplace
Hot water bottle, brass cap, copper body, some tin soldering. The canteen you can balance on your head. Just a suggestion.
|  Ebert birthplace
Don't worry, be happy. This tutelary wall hanging comes with a winged genie.
|  Ebert birthplace
combined kitchen sink and wash stand
|  Ebert birthplace
Backyard view. And some things never change.
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