🇩🇪 Heidelberg ☁️ 𝑳𝒊𝒗𝒆：A Moment of Unforgettable Romance

Heidelberg — the ancient city where Goethe "left his heart" — shines brightly under the sun, bustling with visitors. Yet I arrived on a leaden, overcast day and unexpectedly witnessed its most profound beauty. Under grey skies, Heidelberg writes a romantic epic among ruins. 🚗 Self-Driving Tips ❶ The most convenient parking is at the Kornmarkt garage in the old town. Navigate to the garage (usually enter on P4), take the elevator to ground level, and you’ll step out right near the castle cable car ticket office. ❷ Right across from the ticket office, there’s a Japanese ramen shop 🍜 — pretty decent taste! 🎫 Tickets ＊ Buy on-site for flexibility with weather. A round-trip cable car ticket + castle entry (P18, €11/person) is sufficient for visiting the castle. ＊ Castle courtyard open: 8:00-18:00 (last entry 17:30) ＊ Cable car operation: 9:00-17:30 (extended until 20:00 in summer) ✨ Attractions 🌉 Alte Brücke (Old Bridge) Connecting both sides of the Neckar Valley, the bridge is guarded by statues of Athena and the Electors. The red sandstone stands out even more under cloudy skies, tracing the marks of history. 🏰 Heidelberg Castle Viewed from across the river, this massive red sandstone complex towers over the Königstuhl hill. Expanded over centuries and scarred by wars, it now stands as a majestic ruin — a symbol of German Romanticism. 🖼️ Friedrichsbau After crossing the moat and entering the castle gates, you’ll see an intricately decorated façade adorned with statues of 16 Holy Roman Emperors. The remaining arches and cloisters still whisper of past grandeur. 🍻 The World’s Largest Wine Barrel (Großes Fass) Held in the castle cellar, this cask held over 220,000 liters of wine — a relic of the Electors’ lavish banquets. 🪴 The castle also houses a Pharmacy Museum with alchemy tools and herbal recipes from the Middle Ages. The grassy garden outside 🍀 is a perfect spot to relax. Heidelberg is like an ancient book left open — every page brims with scholarly wisdom, youthful energy, and a poetry that flows like the river, never ending. #TravelGermany #Heidelberg #EuropeTravel #ClassicalArchitecture 🏛️🇩🇪📜