View from Heidelberg Castle

What a View !!

Click images to enlarge

Just as breath-taking as the castle is from the city, so too is the city from the castle. From either the Great Terrace or the gardens, one has an amazing view of Heidelberg, the Neckar River, and the Neckar valley far into the Rhine plain. On a clear day, Mannheim is even visible on the horizon.



Church of the Holy Spirit

The most prominent building in the image above is the Church of the Holy Spirit which served two congregations (Protestant and Catholic) for a time and was the reason why the court removed to Mannheim.


 
Did you know that the Catholic steeple had a cross while the Protestant one had a rooster?



Neckar River

The Neckar is a 367-kilometre-long (228 mi) river in Germany, mainly flowing through the southwestern state of Baden-Württemberg, with a short section through Hesse. The Neckar is a major right tributary of the River Rhine.

 
^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:}

Heidelberg - Castle Ruins

Heidelberg - Castle Courtyard

Heidelberg - Castle Barrel Building
Heidelberg - View from Castle

Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

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Heidelberg Castle & Courtyard

Heidelberg Castle (Schloss Heidelberg)

Each year, Heidelberg Palace attracts around a million visitors from all over the world. Since the early 19th century, these impressive ruins have been synonymous with Romanticism.

Our ship docked in Mannheim, Germany to allow passengers to disembark for excursions.

click images to enlarge

City Tour + Castle Ruins


Our morning excursion took us to Heidelberg, home to the oldest university in Germany, which was founded in 1386.   Here we visited the imposing ruins of HEIDELBERG CASTLE, towering magnificently over the city and among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps.


Elisabeth's Gate

The triumphal arch known as Elisabeth's Gate, is located near the entrance. Tradition says the gate was built in a single night by Prince Elector Friedrich V in 1615 as a birthday present for his English princess, Elisabeth Stuart.


The charming little gate was severely weather warn and was partly restored in 1949. The unique pillars are noteworthy with their leaf work and artistic flowered capitols.

Ottheinrich Building
  
The Ottheinrich Building in Heidelberg Palace counts as one of the most beautiful and earliest
palace buildings of the German Renaissance.

David, Hercules and Samson on the show façade of the Ottheinrich Building.

Ottheinrich Building

Figures on the Friedrich Building 

The ancestors of the palatine prince electors look down from the façade of Friedrichsbau. 

The façade of the Friedrich Building commands attention from the moment you enter the palace courtyard. It is richly decorated with figures. Commissioner of buildings Friedrich IV displays the perfect gallery of portraits from the royal line here and demonstrates his claim to power for all his contemporaries. Sculptor Sebastian Götz from Chur and master builder Johannes Schoch created the fantastic series of figures on the Friedrich Building in three to four years at the beginning of the 17th century.  More information about figures...

The Fassbau (Barrel Building)

We also saw the famed  Heidelberg Tun, the “World’s Largest Wine Barrel.” At nearly 23 feet high and 28 feet wide, the cask holds about 58,000 gallons of wine and has a dance floor built on top of it! 

After visiting the wine barrel, we next spent some time on the Great Terrace.   We didn't have time to visit the interiors of any buildings or the gardens, so that will have to remain for a future visit.

Just as breath-taking as the castle is from the city, so too is the city from the castle. From either the Great Terrace or the gardens, one has an amazing view of Heidelberg, the Neckar River, and the Neckar valley far into the Rhine plain. On a clear day, Mannheim is even visible on the horizon.

The view from there was spectacular, so we'll cover that in a separate post.

 
^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:}

Heidelberg - Castle Ruins

Heidelberg - Castle Courtyard

Heidelberg - Castle Barrel Building

 

 

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc
 

Save the Dates National Cruise Vacation Week

October is National Cruise Vacation Month, and October 6-13, 2014 is  National Cruise Vacation Week - the World’s Largest Cruise Sale (NCVW) – an event that focuses on the pleasures of cruising. This is an annual event which has grown from a one day virtual sale ten years ago to a week-long event the past few years.

Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) has organized this event with it's member cruise lines and member agencies. This is your opportunity to learn more about cruising and the individual cruise lines as well as take advantage of several special offers that are valid for either one day or the entire month.

Continue to watch this column for more information about my participation in this annual event. We will have a web page devoted to NCVW which will point you to video links and provide information about the various cruise line offers.  Some of the offers have yet to be announced.  We will update the page with information as we get it.  You can also give us a call for the latest information or just to talk about how to plan your cruise.

There is no need to get dressed up to go to a meeting hall. Simply turn on your computer and participate in a virtual cruise night. You can participate any time during the month of October, but the early bird will get the worm so to speak.

Are you new to cruising?   Start by reading our Cruise Rookies page.  We'll be posting several more articles this month, but if you can't wait, we suggest you next visit our NCVW mini-site.  You can also search our Blog for past articles.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc for more ideas.  Sign up for our eNewsletter to get updates.

October 2014 is National Cruise Vacation Month

October is National Cruise Vacation Month

Explore the World of Cruise Vacationing
October 1 - 31, 2014
 

If you've ever thought about going on your first cruise, October is the time to begin that journey.

We're joining with member travel agencies from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) across the US and Canada to host the Virtual National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW) which is an opportunity for travelers like you to learn more about one of the most popular vacations: cruising!

Cruising is all about you. You can find adventure, culture and education or, relax the day away. Dine on fine cuisine. Indulge at the spa. Reconnect with family. Share romantic moments. All this, in the destination of your choice, for a few days, a week or more, on a cruise that's right for you.


We have a special page with Cruise Line Videos for you to explore.   Just click the cruise line logo of your choice and watch their video.  We'll also be featuring articles about cruising all month long in addition to our normal blog posts, so be sure to come back often to explore.

There are special offers throughout the month. The highlight will be October 6-13, 2014 which is designated the National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW). We will have a special page which lists the offers and other information.  Sign up for our eNewsletter to get updates.

Simply click on the cruise line of your choice 

and see what special deals they have to offer! 

Checkout our Facebook Page 

for more Cruising Tips and Offers

National Cruise Vacation Week October 20-27, 2013

We're joining with member travel agencies from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) across the US and Canada to host the Virtual National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW) which is an opportunity for travelers like you to learn more about one of the most popular vacations: cruising!

Cruising is all about you. 

You can find adventure, culture and education or, relax the day away. Dine on fine cuisine. Indulge at the spa. Reconnect with family. Share romantic moments. All this, in the destination of your choice, for a few days, a week or more, on a cruise that's right for you.

 
CLIA member cruise lines have put together some special offers in honor of NCVW.  Here is a sampling from many of the major cruise lines.  Take advantage of these additional savings.

Cruise Line	Offer Details
AMA Waterways	Up to $500 OBC on select 2013 & 2014 Voyages
Avalon	Save up to $1300 Per Couple on Select 2014 sailings
Azamara Club Cruises	Up to $500 OBC on Select 2014 Europe Voyages
Carnival Cruise Lines	Up to $300 OBC on Select Sailings
Celebrity Cruises	Up to $200 OBC on Alaska, Bermuda, Caribbean or Europe Sailings
Costa Cruises	Rates from $50* per day/50% Reduced Deposit
Cunard	Up to $300 OBC Plus Complimentary Balcony Upgrade on Select Sailings
Holland America Lines	Up to $200 OBC combinable with Explore 4 on Select Sailings
MSC Cruises	Up to $200 OBC on Select Divina Sailings
Norwegian Cruise Lines	Up to $500 OBC Plus Reduced Deposit on Select Sailings
Oceania	Up to $850 OBC On Select Sailings
Paul Gaugin	Up to $200 OBC on 2014 Sailings
Regent Seven Seas Cruises	$200 OBC per suite for 2013 and 2014 New Bookings
Princess Cruises	Save up to $2000 per stateroom on select sailings
Royal Caribbean International	Up to $100 OBC per booking on Caribbean Sailings
Windstar Cruises	$100 OBC on Select Sailings

October 2013 is National Cruise Vacation Month

October is National Cruise Vacation Month

Explore the World of Cruise Vacationing
October 1 - 31, 2013
 

If you've ever thought about going on your first cruise, October is the time to begin that journey.

We're joining with member travel agencies from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) across the US and Canada to host the Virtual National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW) which is an opportunity for travelers like you to learn more about one of the most popular vacations: cruising!

Cruising is all about you. You can find adventure, culture and education or, relax the day away. Dine on fine cuisine. Indulge at the spa. Reconnect with family. Share romantic moments. All this, in the destination of your choice, for a few days, a week or more, on a cruise that's right for you.

We have a special page with Cruise Line Videos for you to explore.   Just click the cruise line logo of your choice and watch their video.  We'll also be featuring articles about cruising all month long in addition to our normal blog posts, so be sure to come back often to explore.

There are special offers throughout the month. The highlight will be October 20-27, 2013 which is designated the National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW). We have a special page which lists the offers and other information.

October 2012 - National Cruise Vacation Month

October is National Cruise Vacation Month

Explore the World of Cruise Vacationing
October 1 - 31, 2012 
 

If you've ever thought about going on your first cruise, October is the time to begin that journey.

We're joining with member travel agencies from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) across the US and Canada to host the Virtual National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW) which is an opportunity for travelers like you to learn more about one of the most popular vacations: cruising!

Cruising is all about you. You can find adventure, culture and education or, relax the day away. Dine on fine cuisine. Indulge at the spa. Reconnect with family. Share romantic moments. All this, in the destination of your choice, for a few days, a week or more, on a cruise that's right for you.

We have a special page with Cruise Line Videos for you to explore.   Just click the cruise line logo of your choice and watch their video.  Each day we will add another link to our Virtual National Cruise Vacation Week Calendar 2012 featuring articles of interest about cruising.

There are special offers throughout the month. The highlight will be October 21-27, 2012 which is designated the National Cruise Vacation Week (NCVW). We have a special page (click here) which lists the offers and other information.

Simply click on the cruise line of your choice 

and see what special deals they have to offer! 

Checkout our Facebook Page

for more Cruising Tips and Offers

World's Largest Cruise Night - TODAY

World's Largest Cruise Night 2009 Is Finally Here!

CLICK HERE TO VIEW VIDEOS / OFFERS

Be a part of this historic event ... View cruise line videos, learn about cruising, take advantage of special offers ... Some offers are only VALID TODAY.... Other offers are VALID for several days or ALL MONTH

Virtual Cruise Night Starts October 1st

October is National Cruise Vacation Month

Join our Virtual Cruise Night Starting October 1st. While October 14th is the annual Worlds Largest Cruise Night major event, as a reader of my blog you have the opportunity to participate at your leisure throughout the entire month of October.

Cruising is all about choice and we have assembled videos and special offers from 21 different CLIA member Cruise Lines. Throughout the month, I'll also feature several of the cruise lines in blog posts, so be sure to come back often to read my articles.

There is no need to get dressed up and go to some location for this cruise night. Simply sit back in your easy chair and check out the videos and featured offers.

CLICK HERE FOR VIRTUAL CRUISE NIGHT VIDEOS & OFFERS

Call or Email Me for Additional Details about the Cruise Line / Offers that interest You.

Mention that you read about the Virtual Cruise Night on my Blog for a special gift.

World's Largest Cruise Night - Save the Date

October is National Cruise Vacation Month

October is National Cruise Vacation Month, and October 14, 2009 is the fifth-annual World’s Largest Cruise Night (WLCN) – an event that focuses on the pleasures of cruising.

Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) has organized this event with it's member cruise lines and member agencies. This is your opportunity to learn more about cruising and the individual cruise lines as well as take advantage of several special offers that are valid for either one day or the entire month.

Continue to watch this column for more information about my participation in this annual event. We will have a web page devoted to WLCN which will point you to video links and provide information about the various cruise line offers.

There is no need to get dressed up to go to a meeting hall. Simply turn on your computer and participate in a virtual cruise night. You can participate any time during the month of October, but the early bird will get the worm so to speak.

Become a fan on Facebook and I'll provide you with the link September 30th or come back to this site on October 1st for all the details.