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it was pleasing. Right across the street from the church is the
"House zum Ritter", the only building from the Baroque period to survive
the many wars through the city since that time. It was good architecture,
but is now a touristy hotel-restaurant, which partly spoils the effect.
Generally there are many postcard and souvenir shops here which
(as in Italy almost everywhere) sort of mar the impact of the old city.

From the church we climbed up a steep hillside path to the Heidelberg
Schloss, undoubtedly the most famous in all of Europe. From here we
could first really appreciate the magnificent setting in which the city
lies. It is at the edge of the wide flat southern Rhein valley (though several
miles from the Rhein itself) in a deep gorge-like valley cut by the Neckar.
The city lies in the bottom of the canyon, the top of the hills are part
wineberg and mostly thick, lush dark green forests. The river winds
up to the east into the hills of the Odenwald (where we travel for the
next 2 or 3 days). One can see and drink in all this splendor at once
from the terrace of the Schloss - it's another breathtaking view - we seem to
have found so many on this trip each seems better than last.

The Schloss itself is very large, many times the size of the Marksburg
fortress-castle which we toured on the Rhein. It is a sort of combination
fortress-palace (all the words "Burg", "Schloss", "Festung" can be translated
"castle", but they are quite different, and the usual idea of castle does
not fit any very well, though perhaps "Burg" the best). Most of the building
is Baroque, very highly decorated with sculpture statutes and columns
in the building walls, but this palace-like part is built over and around
ruins of an earlier, simpler fortress type, so there are also towers
and turrets, passages and rooms with old arched ceilings. Behind the main
complex of large halls around a large central courtyard, there are some
beautiful gardens, with giant old trees just blooming for spring, and
evergreens with their year-round color. It was really a fascinating
and refreshing 2 hour wandering we had (the place was full of visitors),
probably the best spot in Heidelberg. From here we came down to look
around the old university (which is hard to find, being in several separate
buildings over a large area of the town. Then I sat on the shore of the
river to read Time (tired legs you know!) and Bridge wandered
around for an hour before dinner at the mensa. Then back here
to wash clothes and write letters. And now I'm too soon out of time
and paper; more tomorrow night, darling, and don't forget that I love
you very, very deeply and truly, Always and Forever,
Your George