Heidelberg: A Perfect, Laidback City Break

Located on the banks of the river Neckar, Heidelberg is one of the most beautiful cities in Germany with its rolling hills, charming Old Town and imposing castle ruin. We spent four days in Heidelberg and are quite certain that we'll return to this lovely city one day.

Our reason for visiting Heidelberg was a roundabout one. Stephen visited in 2021 on a business trip and had such a great meal at Heid's Heidelberg that we began planning our trip the minute he returned home. He also mentioned, as a complete afterthought, that I'd probably love the fairytale surroundings too. He was absolutely right!

We flew from London to Frankfurt on the Thursday night, staying at an airport hotel before catching a train to Heidelberg on the Friday morning. We checked into the grand old Heidelberg Marriott Hotel and whiled away the afternoon in the spa, enjoying views of the Neckar river. We headed straight to Heid's Heidelberg that evening and enjoyed a spectacular steak dinner before taking a long twilight walk back to the hotel.

We woke up late on the Saturday morning and took a long walk along the Neckar river and into the Altstadt.

We grabbed pretzels, kardamom knopf and coffee at the bakery on the Hauptstrasse. Stephen loves pretzels.

We strolled into the Kornmarkt where we found the Kornmarkt-Madonna fountain sculpture. The ruins of Heidelberg Castle lie up the hill in the background.

We then began the long, steep, winding path up to Heidelberg Castle. I couldn't work out why our journey was taking so much longer than Google Maps had suggested. It was only once we got down to street level again that we realised there was a funicular. I'm sure you can guess how disappointed I was not to have ridden on that funicular given my love of funiculars!

Still, we enjoyed every minute of our walk. The castle ruins and grounds were fascinating; it's free to walk around but you can pay extra to go inside. The views of Heidelberg city and the river from the castle grounds also made it all worthwhile.

We met my old high school friend Julie and her husband for lunch at Das Bootshaus on the afternoon of our third day. I had an excellent chicken schnitzel, Julie had a gigantic plate of prawns, and the men had burgers. That evening we returned to the spa for a sunset swim and superb Thai massage.

On our final morning, we walked into Altstadt again. We were several hours early for our lunch booking and stopped for sausages at MyCurrywurst on Hauptstrasse. It was very good!

We then strolled through the university and down the winding streets.

Stephen is right, Heidelberg is like a fairytale. There was something quaint and charming to see at every turn.

We found our way to Alte Brücke, the old bridge that connects the Old City with the Neuenheim district. This arch bridge was built in 1788 and is named after its patron, Karl Theodor.

The bridge offers 360° degrees of beautiful scenes from the river nymphs at the base of the sculpture of Karl Theodor (above) to a stunning glimpse of the ruins of the Heidelberg castle peeking out over the rooftops of the old town.

Below is the statue of Karl Theodor featuring the four river nymphs representing the Rhine and Moselle, Danube and Isar rivers.

Looking in the other direction you can see the Bridge Gate protecting the bridge. In front of that stands the statue of Minerva, goddess of wisdom, erected as a homage to Theodore's love of art and science.

Our final stop in Heidelberg was to enjoy eisbein at Vetter's Alt Heidelberger Brauhaus. This was another treat for Stephen! Our trip was over too soon but we know that we'll be back one day as Heidelberg offers the perfect, laidback city break experience.

The Final Sunset from Worthing Pier

My mum passed away on 3 September. Mum, my brother Chris and I had spent a wonderful weekend in Worthing, and this was the sunset from Worthing Pier that we enjoyed on the last evening.

We drove home on the Monday and Mum passed away that night. Her big, beautiful heart finally stopped working. We are all devastated.

Hold those you love close to you, tell them you love them, cherish them. Live each day to the full and don't take a minute for granted. Rebuild those bridges you've burned. Life is too short and too fragile.

I had some posts prepared but beyond that, I don't know when I'll return. I'm busy for the next several weeks clearing out Mum's house. I would like to post about that final weekend in Worthing, if only to keep the good memories alive.

Twilight Dining at the Westwell Wines, Kent

Nestled in the heart of Kent's picturesque countryside, Westwell Wines is a hidden gem that beautifully marries tradition with innovation. Their range of wines, crafted with passion and an unwavering commitment to sustainability, offers a true taste of the English terroir*. The vineyards are a lush green at this time of year, offering views of the North Downs while you savour the unique flavours of Kent.

* The French word terroir was new to me! It's defined by the Oxford dictionary as "the characteristic taste and flavour imparted to a wine by the environment in which it is produced".

Back in March when I walked the Augustine Camino through vineyards and orchards, I made a promise to explore more vineyards in Kent. I was delighted when my friend Amanda suggested the outdoor pizza night at Westwell Wines, complete with pizza, wine and a DJ.

The event was on a Friday which meant I had to arrive nice and early in order to mitigate the regular traffic nightmares in Dartford and Kent. As it was, I only arrived with 20 minutes to spare after planning to be there much earlier. I pottered about in the vineyard, took a cheeky selfie and found our table. The pizza evenings are very popular, so it's essential to book ahead.

When Amanda and Kieran arrived (on time, because they travelled from Amanda's home in the next village) we went up to order our pizzas from the very friendly staff.

We went into the gift shop to order our drinks. I ordered a delicious sparkling grape juice as I had a long drive ahead of me that evening. Amanda ordered a Pinot Meunier, which had a rose gold colour, and Kieran ordered a Chardonnay.

Westwell is very dog friendly and there were free treats and water bowls for dogs. There was also water available for humans to help ourselves, colouring materials for kids, and shawls to assist with the evening chill.

The Alkham Valley pizza was delicious; I had salami, olives, buffalo mozzarella and basil on mine.

We enjoyed Simply Ice Cream for dessert. The ice creams are handmade and free from additives or preservatives. I had Divine Chocolate, which was indeed divine, but I was also quite envious of Amanda's Heavenly Honeycomb. There was also a range of Simply Pawfection frozen treats for dogs on offer. I need to borrow a doggy!

Once we'd finished our food and drink, we couldn't resist the allure of the vineyard and went for a walk. How peaceful and quintessentially Kentish does that look?

The grapes are looking very healthy - in my completely uninformed opinion - and will be ready for harvest in late September to mid-October. I'm quite determined to return with Stephen one day so that I can enjoy a glass of wine.

Westwell Wines
The Vyneyarde
Westwell Lane
Charing TN27 0BW

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Happy 26th dating anniversary to Stephen and I! We met on the evening of one of my best friend's wedding which means they also celebrate tonight. And next year their oldest daughter, my goddaughter, is hopefully coming to the UK to volunteer for 9 months. Fingers crossed that goes ahead!

Wandering around the Italian Town of Brivio

I spent five days in Italy at the end of June and it was absolutely glorious. I was visiting my friend Sue, with whom I worked in South Africa twenty years go. Sue holds a very special place in my heart (for many reasons); she saved my trip to New York City in 2009 when she arranged for me to stay with her sister when my accommodation fell through at the last minute.

We decided to explore the nearby town of Brivio on my first morning there. Our first stop was Tofè Cafè where we enjoyed coffee and pastries under the trees, while looking over the Adda River. I learned that you need to order caffè latte or latte macchiato because if you just ask for latte (milk), they will bring you steamed milk. Funny that.

It felt so good to be in Italy again and to breathe the mountain air deep into my lungs. I wasn’t even too bothered by the cloudy skies although I was hoping for some sunshine during my trip. It’s heading into autumn here in England and we’ve only had a few days of summer weather.

After finishing our pastries, we wandered up to the Ponte di Brivio and circled back into the town. Brivio is nestled in the heart of the Lecco province in the Lombardy region, and benefitted historically from its strategic position on the river Adda between Milan and Bergamo.

With its cobbled streets, charming buildings and picturesque riverside views, Brivio was just the tonic for my weary urban soul.

I learned all about Nerone, Brivio’s beloved mascot who finally passed away last year. Despite being feral, he was cared for by the town’s residents and news of his death was published in local newspapers (see Prima Merate and La Stampa). he is missed and has a bench dedicated to him now.

It will surprise absolutely nobody that I was already considering moving to this little town by that morning. Italy and the Balkans always have that effect on me.

We walked past this closed down ristorante and I began to dream further. What would it take to take over the property and do it up again? Alas, more than I have. I learned many years ago that I’m good at working for people but not so good at motivating myself to take care of my own business.

After our short exploration, it was time for lunch. We headed into Serendipity Cocktails & Food for a traditional worker’s lunch. The workers lunch is a heavily subsidised meal that usually costs €12 - €15 and includes a set menu, with very little choice, plus sides, water, coffee, wine or beer. I ordered the Venus rice risotto with prawns, cherry tomatoes and vegetables to start and liked it so much that I ordered it several more times during my short trip. Venus rice is naturally black. Sue had the Sardinian gnocchi to start. For main course, I had the strips of beef with balsamic vinegar and Sue enjoyed the Milanese plaice with tomato sauce.

This was only the first in a series of excellent meals and I finally feel like this trip broke the curse of our Italian road trip in 2014 where we made very poor culinary choices.

The Views from Calton Hill, Edinburgh

We weren't sure what to do on our first afternoon in Edinburgh. I hadn't done my usual travel reconnaissance because this trip was about my friends Nic and Sarah, who had travelled from South Africa. It turns out that my rudimentary tour guiding skills were very much in demand. "I'm sure you'll think of something", Sarah remarked, reminding me that I'd been to Edinburgh before.

Not wanting to disappoint, I frantically looked at a map of the area surrounding our hotel and was relieved to spot an enticing-looking green space to the east. That would do nicely.

The moment we passed Greenside Parish Church and joined the Greenside Path up to Calton Hill, we felt that we could breathe more deeply. We were in a green space and surrounded by an abundance of flora.

We followed the signs for the North Viewpoint and were greeted with the incredible views above. The large body of water to the north is Firth of Forth, an estuary made up of the River Forth and other rivers. In the mid ground lies New Town, which was built in three phases in the 18th and 19th century.

There was just something about the view that made people stop and quietly drink in the sights. It was lovely to find a moment of calm in this busy city.

We finally decided it was time to explore further. Behind us stood the National Monument of Scotland, its unfinished columns rising like a skeletal Parthenon against the cloudy sky. Construction on the neoclassical structure, a tribute to the fallen Scottish soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars, began in 1826 but was ultimately abandoned in 1829.

Next to the National Monument stands the Nelson Monument which looks like a tiny leaning tower of Pisa.

To the west, we looked past the Dugald Stewart Monument to see Edinburgh Castle in the distance. The clock tower in the mid-distance is the Balmoral.

Our final stop on Calton Hill was the dome of the City Observatory. The official observatory moved to Blackford in 1896 due to light pollution and these days the observatory buildings house the Collective art gallery.

We began to make our way down the hill, this time passing round the back of the Greenside Parish Church.

We headed towards an eating area we'd seen from the hill and found ourselves at Edinburgh Street Food in Leith Street. It was a serendipitous find because ESF was the one place Sarah had wanted to see in Edinburgh.

After eating our body weight in street food, it was time to check into our hotel and get ready for the evening's festivities.

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A Little Life Update

I have indeed been missing for six weeks, again. I travelled to both Edinburgh and Italy in June, which was marvellous, and had been planning a quiet July. Well, you know what happens when you make plans. Stephen had laser eye surgery (and really suffered with it), followed by a severe allergic reaction to insect bites, and then he caught Covid. It was his third time and while it wasn't life-threatening, he was still very sick. After three weeks of valiant nurse duty, I caught Covid too. Added to our burden, Stephen had a major audit at work and I was working weekends to try make up for lost time. I really need a holiday!

I'm slowly catching up on blogs and comments. I have also made a plan to blog about all my adventures in Scotland and Italy over the next months, as well as catching up on posts from South Africa, Germany and other trips. Hopefully it won't be too confusing as I jump around - the thought of catching up chronologically on trips from the last year is just too daunting to bear!

How are you all doing?

Out & About in Edinburgh: A Whirlwind Visit

I recently took a whirlwind, thirty-six hour visit to Edinburgh to see my university friends Nic and Sarah who were visiting from South Africa. I flew up on the Tuesday morning from London City Airport and returned, thirty-six thousand steps later, on Wednesday evening.

There were so many interesting things to see as we pottered about. These were some of my favourites sights.

There are two things you'll see if you drive around the Scottish lowlands - heather and grouse. Naturally, I thought these little statuettes were grouse but I was wrong! Located on Leith Walk, they are pigeons and were sculpted by Shona Kinloch.

Don't you love the clock in the background? I love the standing clocks seen in towns and cities around the world.

We popped into Vinyl Villains for a look around. This tiny store was a collector's treasure trove, full of both vintage and current vinyl, CDs and even VHS tapes.

We walked up Windsor Street and stopped to admire these pretty houses.

I was very amused to see Greenside Parish Church because I went to Greenside High School in Johannesburg. Many suburb names in Jo'burg come from Scotland including Blairgowrie, where I lived, and Craighall, where I went to primary school.

We walked up Calton Hill, which I'll tell you all about in my next post, and enjoyed views for miles.

On our second day, we visited the National Museum of Scotland where I saw a cast of the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots. The original lies in Westminster Abbey.

This was my second visit to Edinburgh and the first time I managed to get a decent photo of the Scott Memorial. I blame it on the unpredictable weather and the fact that monuments and buildings aren't whitewashed in Edinburgh like they are in London. It was established in 1994 that cleaning the Scott Monument would do more harm than good.

Did you know that the Scott Monument is dedicated to Sir Walter Scott, author of Waverley and Ivanhoe? I didn't until this trip. I thought it was the 'Scot monument' and a dedication to the people of Scotland.

Another sight I'd previously failed to capture - and I've been to Edinburgh airport three times - was the Edinburgh sign. Last time there were tons of people in front of it and none of them were my loved ones!

In the next posts, I'll tell you all about our trip up Calton Hill, a ghost tour, a very pretty street, and a visit to the Scottish National Gallery. In the meantime, you can read all about my previous visits to Scotland and the lovely towns we visited.