How many people have heard about Baden-Württemberg? Probably a small number. However, the name Heidelberg, a city of this region, has been come up many times as the fairy-tale-like city with the dreamy vibe in the old town. It is certainly a beauty of the region that gets all the attention and the spark of the whole area. The question is – Is it really like what people have said about it?
I arrived in Heidelberg on a late Sunday afternoon when there is less likely to have a lot of tourists (or not). Arriving in Heidelberg, all the eyes were on those cute houses layered on the hill on the other side of the Neckar river. I wondered, living in those must be great because you have the river in front and a view to the old castle. Talking about the old castle, most probably, you can never miss it when you are in Heidelberg. That big brick building has been standing strongly on the top of the hill after the demolition in few centuries back. It is quite a hike to get to the castle but you can take the Bergbahn to bring you there within a second. Either way, what you are about to see would make it worth the trip to be up there. It seems like the power is in your hand to rule the town because you are at the highest point looking over everyone down on the street. And there those houses layered on hill again, how picturesque is that view!
Heidelberg is beautiful from top to toe and is just like a pretty painting. Take a walk along the river on the other side of the Alte Brücke and you will know what I mean. That is a big canvas illustrating the fairy-tale-like town in reality – that perfect picture of a castle on the hill where the princess is waiting for her prince to come. Just a few steps cross the street from the bridge, there are stairways leading you to the famous route Philosophenseweg from where you see Heidelberg in a different dimension. To me, that view was dreamy and priceless.
It is obvious that Heidelberg old town is flawless. However, as a traveller, it might be better to see a city as a whole. In that case, Heidelberg turns out to be not a very dreamy city in the end. All the sparkles have been taken to the city centre and there is no left for the outsider. Okay, it is not as bad as it sounds because Weststadt, just few minutes walk away from the city centre, brings a totally different vibe. The colour and the atmosphere are definitely a change from the old town. There is not much going on around the are but it is worth a visit to see a different side of Heidelberg
In the end, Heidelberg deserves its medal. Even though the city is so small and you are probably able to explore the town within a day, it still somehow manage to hold your feet back for a bit longer.
Angela Koblitz 