Heidelberg in Lights & Winzerfest Parade

Beautiful Heidelberg at Night

Last evening we visited Heidelberg for a lovely dinner and firework show. Only about 25 minutes away from our house, Heidelberg is famous for it's beautiful castle and international crowds. Set on the bank of the Neckar River, Heidelberg is the idealistic German town that we love to visit over and over again. With what is said to be the longest pedestrian shopping street in Germany, and maybe Europe, Heidelberg has so much to offer. And last night, after enjoying a lovely dinner of maultaschen with mushroom sauce (it was delicious!) at Perkeo on the pedestrian strip, we ventured across the river to stake a spot for the "Castle Illumination" and firework show. Three times each summer, the Heidelberg Castle is "lit on fire" to commemorate the burning of the castle by the French in 1693. We waited about 1.5 hours for the show to start, and enjoyed watching the boats glide down the river and park with their hundreds of spectators aboard. At 10:15 after all street lights went dark, the show started. The castle really did look like it was on fire, and it was beautiful in an eerie way. After the "fake fire" died away, a firework show began. It was a lovely and well-spent evening in one of our favorite towns.

The moon rising over the hills of Heidelberg

Derek with the rising moon over the Neckar River

Heidelberg at Night

The tourist boats lined up in the river. They were packed with people!

The Heidelberg Castle "on fire"

Firework Show

Firework Show

Firework Show

Today we rode our bikes a few kilometers south to Bensheim, the larger town close to Zwingenberg. This weekend marked the beginning of the Bensheim Winzerfest, a week-long wine fest, and we had a front row view of the kick-off parade. In Germany, it is very common to be involved in clubs outside of school. In fact, many high schools do not even offer sports and clubs within the school. People of all ages join community clubs, whether it be handball, fencing, band, etc. At today's parade, all of the clubs plus many regional wine makers were represented, along with a variety of Tracht (traditional dress). Derek and I watched the parade for about two hours and then made our way to the market center for a glass of wine and a snack. The town center was transformed into a vine village, complete with castle walls at each entrance. Winemakers even used the fountains as service bars. Here's just a few photos I snapped today.

Every town seems to have a wine queen. Here, she adorns the back of a barrel.

Float at the parade

One of the many marching bands

So creative with the Maypole!

A multi-use fountain!

At the entrance to the wine fest

Wine and pommes!