Altstadt – Travels With Tricia

A Guide to “Losing Your Heart” in Heidelberg, Germany

What to see, do, and eat in Heidelberg, an enchanting university town in southwestern Germany.

Love in the Air at the Heidelberg Castle

The Heidelberg Castle grounds are one of my favorite spots to stroll. When I was just a young babe in a Kinderwagen, my mother posed for a now-iconic family photograph at the castle’s main overlook spot (Scheffelterrasse), with me in tow. Twenty years after that shot was snapped, I moved from the United States —Continue reading “Love in the Air at the Heidelberg Castle”

Frohe Ostern – Easter Greetings From Germany

Every spring, Osterbrunnen — or Easter fountains — herald spring’s return to Germany’s Franconia (Franken) region. Wells and fountains in town centers are dressed with boxwood cuttings, ribbons, and delicately-painted pastel eggs. This custom celebrates water’s life-giving properties. The decorations typically spring up one week before Easter Sunday and then grace the fountains for aContinue reading “Frohe Ostern – Easter Greetings From Germany”

Greeting Autumn at the Heidelberger Herbstfest

People walk the Hauptstrasse, Heidelberg's pedestrianized street, at the annual Herbstfest (Autumn Fest).

What a splendid day for an autumn fest on Heidelberg’s Hauptstrasse! With our bellies full with Neuer Wein (new wine), Zwiebelkuchen (onion pie), Bier, Bratwurst, and Thai fare, we’re now at home resting, watching all the Herbstfest revelry from our fifth-floor apartment.

Photo du Jour: Under the Rainbow – Heidelberg, Germany

Our visiting friends and family are both horrified and sympathetic when they learn that our circa 1762 apartment has 87 stairs, and dare I say, no elevator. I argue that the views of the Heidelberg Castle, church steeples and Königstuhl and Heiligenberg hills make the long ascent worthwhile.

Why I Adore Heidelberg, Germany: Celebrating Ten Years in the Loveliest of Cities

Ich hab’ mein Herz in Heidelberg verloren, (I Lost My Heart in Heidelberg). So goes a line from a German musical of the same name. For the past ten years, I have called Heidelberg, Germany home. Along the way, I’ve also fallen for this extraordinary place’s charms. What do I most adore about this graceful cityContinue reading “Why I Adore Heidelberg, Germany: Celebrating Ten Years in the Loveliest of Cities”