Heidelberg, Germany...

As Chris and I crossed France briefly into Bavaria again, we knew we had to have the proper equipment to hold our own. Luckily he was able to find us each a sweet new grill to let the Bavarian people know we meant business!

Ah, Heidelberg. So far it is my favorite European city. It is situated on either side of the Neckar River and is set up for so much outdoor recreation. People were constantly walking, running, biking and even paragliding. People were happy, healthy and friendly!

(coal barge)

Look at the eye of the "sitting duck", he's peeking at me!

Now I know about pink lady apples (they are my fav when honeycrisps aren't in season), but Diva apples...

Old Bridge...

Chris and I very much like these trees, but never did figure out what they were...

I sat here for a couple hours one day, just soaking up the sun and enjoying the view!

The castle. I sure got my workout that day walking up the steep, steep hill and many stairs...

The castle itself was fine enough...nothing new, but it included access to the Apothecary Museum, which I found fascinating!

I was trying to get just the right angle so the light would be good for the picture. As I leaned over the railing to get this shot, I heard the siren go off and continue going off for the next five minutes. Luckily, no one else was around when I did it, so no one knew who tripped the sensor! I guess they do now!

yes, that is a little alligator hanging from the ceiling in the sunlight!

Proof that chocolate and coconuts have been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years!

Called the cutting room, it's where they have all the equipment for chopping herbs and pulverizing plants for their oils in the biggest mortar and pestals I've ever seen.

The tiniest little medicine cabinet I've ever seen! Complete with Belladonna!

And now for a trip down memory lane to the HS chemistry lab...

View from the castle...not too shabby!

I ate at this restaurant one afternoon, then took Chris there for dinner, having no idea it was the most fabulous and perfect hole-in-wall German bar (I ate outside for lunch) ever created. We had some truly wonderful traditional Bavarian dishes and were served by very friendly staff who wanted us to experience everything Bavaria that we could in one evening. They had a piano player playing and we clapped after each song...then he proceeded to talk to us, very fast, in German. He only made statements, to which we responded with a raised stein, until the last song before our departure when he asked a question. That was when my stock phrase came out that I don't actually speak German. He laughed and got embarrassed that he had been speaking German to us all night when he speaks perfectly fine English. He played Casablanca for our final farewell song. It was quite the perfect evening!