Today we docked in Speyer at noon. We could have taken a walking tour of Speyer, but we chose the excursion to Heidelberg. This turned out to be a very long trip, since Heidelberg is 90 minutes each way by bus and there’s a lot to do there – but it was worth it. [This was probably helped by the beautiful weather: sunny, 70s] We started with a tour of the castle [very large and it gives you an idea of what was going on in all those other castles we passed yesterday], and then walked through the old town before setting off on our own to visit the Church of the Holy Ghost (Lutheran) and the Jesuit Church (Catholic). Both were impressive in different ways.
Then back on the bus to Speyer to leave our things on the ship before we walked across the park to see the Speyer Cathedral (Catholic). It is Romanesque in architecture and has beautiful murals up high instead of stained glass windows. Jazzbelle began to cry as we approached the sanctuary. She could feel the presence of God! And she thought of our dear departed pastor, Msgr. Maltese, who would have been impressed by the altar.
We were able to see all we wanted of Speyer in this bonus period, so we were glad we hadn’t opted for the all-Speyer excursion choice.
Jazzbeaux Rhine River Cruise 2013 