Heidelberg

The month of January has been spent on small trips, to cities that are close to me in Germany. One Sunday, my friend Alita (another au pair mädchen here in M'gladbach, who originates from Spain), another friend, Bea, from Spain that is here studying piano, and I set out to visit Aachen: the town built by Charlemagne. It's located (as of now) in Germany about an hour train ride from our residence. It lies very near to the borders of both Belgium and the Netherlands, which is why it has been fought over for centuries, and explains why the citizens of Aachen speak four languages (french, dutch, german, and english). Apart from being one of Charlemagne's favorite residences, it is famous for the hot springs located throughout the city. The city itself is not very large, but it has a lot of history and character. The cathedral, called the Dom, is worth seeing a lot in part because it supposedly holds Charlemagne's ashes in a large, gold, trunk-looking contraption (which I think is very neat). It also has very ornate, beautiful, sparkly, gold-leaf tiling throughout the inside. Pictures just can't do it justice. Apart from the Dom, we visited the Rathaus (Government seat), the hot springs, the Theatre, and the beautiful streets that surround the altstadt (old part of the city).

In front of the Dom in Aachen

The next trip of January was to Heidelberg in celebration Alita's birthday. Orlane, one of our other au-pair friends (this time from France) accompanied us this time. This city holds a special place in my heart because I am a graphics major. And anyone that majored in graphics or printing should know about Heidelberg because of the fact that they are the home to the largest manufacturer of offset printing presses worldwide (holding 47% of the market share). Basically, I learned A LOT about Heidelberg (the printing presses, not the town) when I was in college. After the name Heidelberg is ingrained in your head for four straight years, and then you live in Germany for a year not far from the actual town, well, you have to visit, right? And I'm glad I did. Now I will remember Heidelberg for the gorgeous, historic town that it is as well as for their printing presses.


Heidelberg is occupied by the oldest University in Germany, and has a lot of international students. We went to the University Bibliothek (library) and were stunned by how beautiful it was on the outside. The inside, for the most part, did not retain it's historic charm, but the outside was gorgeous. We saw the famous churches, visited the castle, went to an apothecary museum (very cool) and walked around the altstadt (Sounds familiar, right? This is basically what we do in every european town). Alita and I decided that we want to live in Heidelberg: perfect size, university town, charming...a lot like the town where I grew up.

On our way to Heidelberg. (Orlane in middle, Alita on right).

The Alte Brücke (old bridge) and part of the city.

The courtyard of the castle (Schloss).

View from the castle's patio.

Summary: I would definitely recommend visiting Heidelberg. Aachen is nice for a day visit if you are passing through the area, but doesn't have a lot to do for an entire weekend.


We're planning on making some more 2-day trips in the next couple of months to Frankfurt and Stuttgart, which are also in der Nähe (not far) from us.


bis gleich.