Thursday July 25, Interlaken Switzerland to Heidelberg, Germany

We will be heading to Heidelburg, Germany today.

Before leaving Interlaken, Switzerland we went to check out some waterfalls that the clerk at our hotel told us about. They are called Trummelbach Waterfalls which are a series of 10 glacial waterfalls, actually inside a mountain. When we arrived there,we took a "lift" to the higher falls and we walked or "hiked".

I wish you could hear the loud gushing sound and feel the cool spray on your face as the falls tumbled down.

             There were many stairs to climb to go to each viewing area, but the trek was worth it.

          We were walking through huge caves to see the falls. And lights shone on some of the falls.

          One falls was called a corkscrew because it twisted around the rocks below. Fantastic to see.

                            I love unplanned adventures especially when they're as beautiful as this.

Near the entrance of the falls there was a flower garden and I just had to take a picture of these flowers. See the ones hat look like thistles? They were the prettiest delicate mauve colour. Gotta stop and smell the flowers as the saying goes!

 
We made a stop at Grindelwald, Switz. to take pictures of Jungfrau Mountain which is the 3rd highest mountain of the Bernese Alps. 4,158 m     Is this gorgeous or what?

   This is some of the scenery as Michael drove ........ little rapids in a flowing river, mountains in a peaceful  setting, and church steeples in every community. Ahhhh

                                                         City of Bern ... so picturesque.
We took a side trip to Bern, which is the capital of Switzerland, to see the Bern Bear Pit which Alicia had gone to see while she was here. There were 3 brown bears that we saw roaming around in a protected area.Neat to see.

Our views changed gradually as we left the mountains and headed into Germany. Goodbye Switzerland, goodbye Swiss Alps. And it's interesting to note that when we crossed over into Germany, there was no customs, no stopping, just sailed right through.

We were driving on the Autobahn which is a highway like the 401. However there is no speed limit unless posted in certain areas. Sometimes if there is a traffic problem speed signs will light up to control the traffic until it is moving smoothly again. Otherwise you drive along at speeds from 120 km to whatever ..... 150,160 or faster. And it goes so smoothly.

Stopped at a service center along our way. Would you believe in the ladies' washroom there were spinning toilet seats? When it was flushed, the seat would spin and get sanitized. Aren't you glad I shared that with you?

Also in the parking lot outside there was a really unique tree. It looked like a "pinecone" tree. Always new things to see.

We arrived in Heidelberg at 6:45 pm and booked into the Villa Marstall Hotel. Tom & I had a balcony room with windows which overlooked the river. Very nice. The pillow cases were monogrammed and we had a bear skin rug! Very beautiful hotel.

Heidelberg is very pretty and touristy with some very narrow streets that cars drive on. It's quite something to see with outdoor cafes and shops lining the streets and cars passing through.

We went for dinner at a German outdoor cafe facing the Neckar River and Car Theodor Old Bridge. Very picturesque. As we sat, I just looked around me, breathing in the beauty of the moment, and being able to share all this with Sandy & Michael. Looking forward to experiencing a German meal, and relaxing as we toasted each other in one more country.

                                                          Entrance of the "Old Bridge"

Picture of Heidelberg Castle taken from the Old Bridge. Beautifully lighted to show it's ancient splendor.

Afterwards we took pictures on the bridge and strolled the streets. At one point w had to hug a building so we wouldn't get our toes run over as a car drove down the street.
It was such a nice walk and so pretty at night with the cobblestone streets, outdoor cafes with people sitting at tables with white tablecloths, flowers, candles, sipping on tall glasses of beer or smaller glasses of wine........somewhat like Venice and Rome but different.  I still can't get over how long people take for their meals ......... sitting for a couple of hours after eating just sipping on wine and talking. I think I LIKE it!