On August 8 2016, I firstly set my feet on the land of Europe. Everything was brand new to me. Even after 10 hours long flight, I could still feel a surge of adrenaline kicked in, leaving my heart pounding even faster. “Finally here I am, Germany.”

Herz Car Rental was at the underground of the airport, so it was quite convenient for us to pick up our rental car. One thing needs to mention here is about Child Seat. For our Chinese, Child Seat is only for babies. There are two kids in our group, one is 9 year old, and the other is 10. It had never crossed our minds that we needed to reserve Child Seats for them. However, Herz receptionist told us that in Germany, all children under 12 years old are required to have Child Seat in Car.  “That’s the law, you know. Reserve or not, it’s of course up to you, but if the police check…” The receptionist said with a smile. What choose did we have? In Rome, do as the Romans do. After we paid 50 Euro extra, we headed to the hotel.

In Germany, everyone drove like Michael Schumacher. Our speed was already nearly 140 miles/hour, still there were cars continuously cut in and most of them didn’t turn on the signal light.  Perhaps the mild temperature here was so soothing, perhaps the traffic here was so good, not heavy at all, we didn’t feel a thing related to road rage. Just relaxed and enjoyed the sunset on the way.

One hour later, here we were, our first stop: Heidelberg.

There is a reason for Heidelberg to be called as “Heart Stolen City”.  I always love university town, and as one of the most famous ones, Heidelberg didn’t fail me in any sense.  As soon as I stepped into its old town, I felt like being enveloped in its profound history and culture. Not like university in China, Heidelberg was not surrounded in wall or hidden behind a high gate. Instead, the university’s buildings scattered here and there in the old town, blending naturally into the city.

Everything has been imprinted with a long history. Old castle, old bridge, old university. Walking there was like taking a time travelling. No wonder Goethe “lost his heart in Heidelberg”, no wonder even World War II hadn’t touch this place. This city certainly has its own magic.

 At the same pathway where Heidelberg philosophers and professors have been talking and walking during a period of hundreds of years, we walked and enjoyed amazing scenic views of old castle and town.

Heidelberg Castle

It took 400 years to build this grand castle, can you believe that? So basic it is a mix of styles from Gothic to Renaissance. We could easily find the traces left by Thirty Years War. Here, a cute little girl tried to exchange her bottle water and snacks with my camera bag. I almost surrendered to her sweat smiles and angel like eyes.  It’s really not easy to stand my ground. 

To Be Continued....