Playing tour guide for friends and some autumn colours

As if there wasn't anything else on the menu all our visitors have only one request: Let's go see Heidelberg. The weather played along nicely, and we complied... it is a lovely city after all.

We noticed lots of folks celebrating German Unity Day... or maybe they were here for the wine fest? Anyway, the pedestrian zone had been packed with people.

        

     

It's about time to consider mulled wine the billboard is suggesting.

After crossing the restored old bridge with the old towers over the river Neckar we had to visit the main attraction Heidelberg castle, which is almost fully restored now. We noticed a single scaffolding left around one of the towers. Great work!

An evening walk led to hunting for some fall foliage. We do not get the spectacular colours you might see in the US or Canada but our trees are doing a pretty good job this year. 

Four days in the Nordlinger Ries - A Cornucopia of history

Camping at freezing temperatures, and thankful for the auxiliary heating system.

Once upon a time, 15.000.000 years ago...

Eye in the sky

Back in the 60's of the last century an American geologist named Eugene Shoemaker confirmed that a (depression) part of the Bavarian landscape was formed by a meteor impact. The asteroid was about 1.5 km (1 mi) in diameter, it hit Earth at a speed of 50.000+ km (31,000 mi) roughly 15 million years ago and caused a crater with diameter of 24 km (15 mi). It was also found that the specific formation of the impact is called rampart crater and is very unique, with others only found on Mars. The silhouette of the impact crater can be seen from space but there are also some specific spots where a trained eye will discover certain surface patterns resembling the crater rim.

A trip to the middle ages: 

The village of Nördlingen, founded 898, surrounded by still intact city walls.

Meeting modern history in Wemding

Back to the middle ages: Castle Harburg

A pilgrimage to Öttingen

Maihingen

Rims and walls: Witnesses of the impact

Riegelberg: Roman estate and stone age caves

Ipf, the holy mountain of the Celts

Again rolling forward to medieval times: Castle Katzenstein