Charming and Cozy Heidelberg

The view of Heidelberg from our friends’ balcony. Started this sketch on the first day and kept adding little sections every day in between cooking, laughing, eating, and spending the best moments together with these fantastic people. Finally it was time to run and catch the train, so ended up finishing it on the airplane to Estonia.

Thousands of people and one giant unicorn enjoying the Waidsee lake near Weinheim.

Seems like we are the only people in this bar facing away from TV screens. Everyone else is watching the Wold Cup match Russia against Spain. Town of Weinheim is yet another ridiculously charming German town with at least four castles and impossibly romantic hills and river valleys.

Old houses of Heidelberg lining the shores of the mighty Neckar river

Juicy characters distract me from the beautiful scenery aboard a river boat on the majestic Neckar river valley dotted with medieval castles and small towns. The recorded tour guide voice informs us that Mark Twain travel down this river in a raft and that the trip broke his writer's block allowing him to finish Huckleberry Finn. The four castles of Neckarsteinach. All built between 1170 and 1260. My favorite one is called Swallow’s Nest (top right)

The fantastic Heidelberg castle. 30 minute sketch from the Philosopher’s Walk.

Hotel zum Ritter St. Georg in Heidelburg. Spent a couple of hours sketching and spilling wine on the elaborate facade of the Ritter hotel on the main square in Heidelberg. The sketch even survived a minor thunder storm.

The view of the historic center of Heidelberg and castle from the North side of the Old Bridge.

Café Schafheutle, Heidelberg. On the terrace of the Schafheutle cafe proper ladies are having tea with fancy deserts. Just as we sit down a big thunder storm opens up the skies making the colors and the smells even more intense. I love watching and sketching the ladies as the combination of chocolate and good gossip never fails to please. I discovered this place thanks to the wife of my childhood friend who also turned out to be an urban sketcher.