Well, it seems like it has been ages since I last shared about my Viking River Cruise here on the blog. Not that I haven’t wanted to finish telling the story and sharing the fantastic journey I took with my friends down the Rhine in Europe, but life happens and things don’t always work the way you want. I hope you will pardon the long pause as we pick up where I left off, visiting Heidelberger Schloss in the lovely city of Heidelberg in Germany.
After viewing the Dicker Turm we headed back to see the Elisabeth Gate, a baroque triumphal arch presented to Elisabeth Stuart from her German Prince Frederick V in 1615. It is such a romantic piece of architecture and lovely way to enter the grounds.
And since we had already been to part of the castle, we actually had to exit through the gate to enter it properly. Now this side is pretty unimpressive. Just sandstone.
But the red sandstone from the Neckar Valley is really quite lovely up close. And I love those wrought iron pieces of hardware!
It’s when you come to the other side that you see how lovely it really is.
There are so many things for your eyes to see! The Queen and her King, the lions, the flowers, the columns and the carving on top which roughly translates to:
Frederick V (the gate) of his much beloved consort Elisabeth was established in the year 1615.
And it is said that this gate, designed by Salomon de Caus was actually erected in one night as a surprise gift for Elisabeth!
The gate leads to the English Building, which you can see through the arch. That wing of the castle was built for the arrival of the English Princess.
Just look at that view. Can you imagine what Elisabeth must have thought when she first laid eyes on this gate? Oh, and those columns are actually carved to look like tree trunks, covered in ivy vines with little woodland animals hidden throughout. What a love story!
And I didn’t even think that this post about a loving gift was presented close to Valentine’s Day. It just happens to be fate I guess. Sigh! Well, I do commit to finishing this series for you. I have received many questions about my trip and I hope these posts are helpful as you plan your Viking River Cruise! Until the next post….
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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