24 Comments

  1. Jemma @ Philippine Travel
    August 5, 2012 @ 12:54 pm

    It doesn’t look like you had a frustrating vacation because the photos look really great! I love the castles and I’m interested to know what’s inside them. I hope you’ll have a more fun vacation next time.

    • Andrew
      August 12, 2012 @ 12:05 pm

      I don’t take photos of the frustrating things, thankfully. Helps me forget in the long run.

      It was not actually even a bad weekend, just a perfect storm of annoyances at the beginning.

  2. Heidelberg Castle - Ctrl Alt Travel
    August 2, 2012 @ 6:08 am

    […] main attraction is the castle. Though this section has fallen to ruin, much of the castle is actually still in tact. You can see […]

  3. 14 Signs of Germany - Grounded Traveler
    July 28, 2012 @ 9:38 am

    […] list of safety signs on the funicular car in Heidelberg was pretty long, even for […]

  4. Local Adventure: Heidelberg Castle Illumination « Little Sightseers
    July 25, 2012 @ 11:19 pm

    […] The drive is mostly autobahn and is quick and easy to get to the city.  This was a last minute trip, and I didn’t have much pre-planning time.  I’m a planner, so I can’t manage to just go.  I read thru the tourism website, and also found a free app by arrivalguides.com, and read some information from a fellow blogger at Grounded Traveler about his Ups and Downs of Heidelberg. […]

  5. Turtle
    July 23, 2012 @ 11:25 pm

    Despite all the little annoyances, I think the Bunsen statue is pretty cool too. I was a bit of a science geek at school but never knew that it was actually named after somebody!!

    • Andrew
      July 31, 2012 @ 10:28 pm

      Yes, that was an awesome geeky moment. As Ali was taking my picture all happy near the statue, one of the slightly drunk guys was telling us that this guy invented those little burning things for chemistry. Apparently a cultured drunk, though it was a Saturday so maybe just relaxing.

  6. Lesley Peterson
    July 10, 2012 @ 7:33 pm

    A frustrating trip? Can’t tell from your photos! Useful tips, great stuff.

    • Andrew
      July 13, 2012 @ 8:22 am

      Thanks. It was a really frustrating day actually, glad the pictures did not pick up my annoyance.

  7. Crystal Lewis
    July 9, 2012 @ 9:22 am

    Thanks for the tip about getting tickets at the window! That totally sounds like something that would happen to us. We are considering heading up to Heidelberg this weekend for the big fire works display. I hear the fireworks are beautiful, and only happen a few times a year. BUT can I handle the crowd, and the late night with our 2 small kiddos? We shall see!

  8. Erik
    July 9, 2012 @ 2:02 am

    I feel like I just read another talented blogger writing about Heidelberg… must be a popular place! 🙂

    • Andrew
      July 13, 2012 @ 8:36 pm

      Indeed. Tons of people there.. 🙂

  9. The Time-Crunched Traveler (Ellen)
    July 3, 2012 @ 2:25 am

    Sorry your trip was a bit frustrating. I absolutely loved Heidelberg when i visited there in my teens, and hope to make it back as an adult. It’s one of my favorite travel experiences to date. I guess it was my first real taste of Europe!

    • Andrew
      July 5, 2012 @ 8:55 am

      Cool. Those firsts always stick in your mind. And time dulls any sort of problems that were encountered then. We saw a big group of American teenagers walking around. Ali talked about being on a trip with the same company as was written on their bags when she was that age. Neat to see “first European experiences” being formed for others.

  10. Laurence
    July 1, 2012 @ 11:00 am

    Love the picture of you as a quest character 😉 And that ticket thing sounds like the sort of ridiculousness that would really get me too. How can you pay more to get less!?

    • Andrew
      July 1, 2012 @ 7:01 pm

      Ha thanks. I was having a fun geeky morning.
      Seriously. We were mumbling that for hours after it happened. And really no one fought us and everyone seemed to understand how it happens, so we were not the first ones to fall ill of it. That just make it feel even more like a scam.

  11. Bret @ Green Global Travel
    July 1, 2012 @ 7:00 am

    I love castles, but every time I see one I think of two movies– The Princess Bride and Monty Python & the Holy Grail. So then I get distracted thinking about the old “Booo!!” lately and the “Fart in your general direction” Frenchman. I realize this has nothing to do with your post, but I just thought you might be interested in the way my pop culture-warped mind works…

    • Andrew
      July 1, 2012 @ 7:00 pm

      I love it. See the last picture of me playing video game character at Tiefburg. I have a pop-warped mind too. I haven’t seen Princess Bride ina while, but we watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail twice very recently. My parents went to the castles in Scotland and wanted to see the movie. Even less to do with the post, but still awesome. BTW the flavor “elderberry” is quite popular in Germany. I have a hard time hearing it without thinking “your father was a hamster.”

  12. Alison
    June 30, 2012 @ 5:49 pm

    Thank goodness for the cheap cocktails ha ha! Glad, despite the lows, you enjoyed the trip overall.

    • Andrew
      July 1, 2012 @ 6:58 pm

      Yup, cocktails and beer fix a lot of ailments.

  13. Masha (2away)
    June 30, 2012 @ 11:16 am

    We are always trying to avoid paying entrance fees for things as much as possible and very often find that the bests views of sights are anyway from outside. If I remember correctly, it’s possible to walk up “Philosophenweg” up the hill on the opposite river bank in Heidelberg for the best view of the castle and old town. Maybe something for next time, if you finally decide to come back 🙂

    It’s great that despite of all those annoyance you still managed to have a good time! Heidelberg is touristic, but still has one of the best settings in Germany.

    • Andrew
      July 1, 2012 @ 6:57 pm

      We will make it back at some point. Yeah, we had heard about the Philosphenweg, but it was supposed to be a relaxing weekend, so we decided no hiking. I would like to see the walled monastery up over the hill from the Weg at some point though.

  14. Jeremy Branham
    June 30, 2012 @ 9:35 am

    Like you, I would have been really annoyed as well. All the little things that happened may have ruined my day. From the photos Heidelberg looks beautiful. With the train ride, castle fiasco, and all the other stuff, wasn’t an ideal trip. Glad it was redeemed with some of the things you were able to do. Maybe a trip there the second time around will be a lot better.

    I love that you are getting into the Euro tournament. Bet the German fans are bummed about losing to Italy (one of the PIIGS too!)

    • Andrew
      July 1, 2012 @ 6:56 pm

      We have both been to Heidelberg before, just years ago. And thankfully a week later, we are able to laugh about most of the annoying bits. It just didn’t feel like it at the time.

      Yeah, that game sucked.