the philosopher's walk (Philosophenweg)

so i went on the philosopher's walk, so named because back in day heidelberg's thinkers and lecturers used to walk along it to, well, philosophise. i can say it is beautiful and i can definitely see why they used to do it. we started from the less-steep side and made our way up the road towards where the walk starts. from the beginning i knew i'd love it (not the walk, but the view. i'm not much of a hiker or walker, so you can imagine how my legs felt at the end of the day. lol.), because even the houses are amazing, let alone the view. now the road is just your basic german road that's tiny and littered with some of the most brilliant houses i have ever seen, and makes you feel like if a truck comes along you're done for. i've been told you have to be rich rich rich to afford a place along here, and it definitely shows in the architecture and gardens. most of the houses are the kind that make grandparents cry with jealousy and young people long for the days they can afford such extravagance. on the way up the hill we also passed a university building, which isn't so uncommon here, as heidelberg is a university town (one of the oldest in europe) and there are university buildings scattered all over the place. i can't remember what building it was, but it sure as hell matched the houses in terms of character and style. just a little past this and up the hillside is the philosopher's walk.

the walk itself is just a path that cuts through the hillside (by hillside i mean just short of being a mountain - this thing is huge) and follows it around to give a perfect view of heidelberg, it's castle and the old town. at the start i was like, this better be worth it, but as soon as i saw the view i was mesmerised, but more on that later. on one side of the path there are small areas where you can sit and enjoy the serenity on one of the park benches. now for the australians reading this, no bbqs allowed, this is purely a sit and reflect kind of deal. on the other side you have these little gardens that are individually owned by the german residents of heidelberg. these are basically little patches of hillside surrounded by fences that are almost filled to the brim with plants, shrubs and flowers. i can only imagine what this place looks like in spring. the residents, with their houses and no backyards buy an area on the side of the hill and tend to it as if it was their own garden in their backyard. it seems a little odd, but when you consider the high density living that most of europe has, i guess it's a way to escape the daily pressures and, what i deem as dangerous, streets. (not because of crime or anything, but more the tiny nature of the laneways, and the way people seem to zoom along, but more on this in another post.) the most amusing part of all this is the barbwire that adorns the top of all the fenced in areas. it looks as if they're terrified of another allied attack, or just trying to keep their garden gnomes from escaping. apart from the little parks and the individually owned gardens, there are wild berry trees all along this stretch, which if no one is looking you can eat. we tried some and just like the store bought fruit here, it's fantastic.

at the end of these areas is a lookout where, as i pointed out earlier in this post, heidelberg, the castle, the river neckar and the old town are in plain sight. the view is amazing. the castle on a clear day is superb and overlooks the surrounding area as if still keeping a watch on the town folk. at this area there is also a map that lets you see heidelberg as it used to be and shows various points of interest, such as the castle being erected somewhere before 1300 BC and where the fence used to be to protect the township. at the time there used to be only one entrance over the river and a small keep that allowed those keeping watch to see who was advancing and whether or not to let them pass. during the second world war i've been told that the germans destroyed this bridge to stop the americans from gaining entrance to heidelberg. don't know if it worked or not, but heidelberg was one of only a few towns that wasn't bombed half to death. this definitely shows in the architecture of the town and when compared to somewhere like frankfurt, is beautiful and still holds its old world charm.

on the walk down from here we took the alternative and much steeper route. i have to say that i am very pleased that this is the way down and not up, because i, as unfit as i am, would not have made it. and anyone considering to do this walk, bring sensible shoes as the way down is all cobble stones covered in moss and leaves. i nearly fell on my arse a couple of times. (damn non-stick converse soles!) i wasn't the only one though, one of my companions took her time too for fear of going A over T. i found myself wondering for the second time in germany about health and safety regulations. if it were in australia there would be rails everywhere for grip, fences at every lookout point to stop jumpers and probably some sort of mechanical stairway to help the elderly. although i am glad none of that is here, as it would distract completely from the wonder of the place. the one thing i didn't like was the name goethe being brought up once again. seriously guys, get over it. apparently he kissed someone here, and not really caring to hear anymore about a dead guy whos books i've never read (like anyone's finished faust!), i tuned out and focused on the beauty.

well that's my trek along the philosopher's walk. hope you enjoyed my first semi-serious blog entry that doesn't include drinking and includes some 'dubious' tourist information. if you ever come to heidelberg, do as i did and take the walk first before going into the hauptstrasse (main street) or visiting the schloss (the castle). it's a brilliant introduction to the town and besides that, the walk leads you directly to the old bridge over the neckar river and into the old town through the keep. it's well worth it, even for someone like me who's not into walking. for those that aren't, there's plenty of german hospitality at the pub at the end of the walk (ie local made beer - beir ist gesund!), which is where my next semi-serious entry will begin. hehehe...