This morning we did our usual thing when overseas and purchased a day ticket on the public transport network. We usually like to hop on a bus or tram and explore some of the places outside of the main city's centre. This morning, the lady at the tourist information centre suggested a place called Schwetzingen, which is about thirty minutes from Heidelberg. Schwetzingen also has a palace, it turns out, which we had never heard of. The trip on the bus was great, but the palace, or more correctly the gardens, really blew us away. We have visited some of the world's great gardens in our travels, Versailles in France, Boboli in Italy, but the gardens at Schwetzingen Palace were the equal of any we've seen. As most Germans proudly told us, the gardens at Schwetzingen are rated Germany's number one, and second in the whole of Europe only behind Versailles.
The origins of Schwetzingen Palace date back to 1350, when a small moated castle occupied the site. The palace owes its current form to the Prince Elector Johann Wilhelm, who commissioned changes in 1697. But for us, it's the gardens which make this place so special, so I thought I'd leave you with some of the images we captured. Of course, none of them do real justice to the splendour, but they're the best we can do for you all back home. We hope you enjoy them.
Yesterday the weather turned to showers in the afternoon, but undaunted, we headed off to find another 'must see' in Heidelberg, the Philosopher's Trail. This started over the other side of the river from the old town and required a steep climb straight up, for about 15 minutes. It was definitely worth the huff and puffing required to reach the trail. We wandered along the trail in drizzle, but it was welcome relief from the previous days' intense heat.
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