Saturday 27th June – Thursday 2nd July, Heidelberg, Germany

We know that today we will be driving further north to Heidelberg to spend the week with our friends Linda, Plamen and Daphne, but we estimate that the drive should take about three and a half hours. We agree that we should make the most of being in Switzerland by exploring the nearby mountains and going on a small hike.
$70 later we are on a cable car (the Swiss know how to charge!) and we are passing magnificent blue glaciers, climbing higher and higher towards the top of the mountain range. When we get to the top we choose to do a 3 hr hike. The trail we choose turns out to be covered by snow in parts and a slight drizzle slows us down and it eventually takes us 4.5 hours! The magnificent views, beavers, mountain goats and home-made apricot pie at the finish makes up for it all. When we finally get to Heidelberg it’s 11pm but we enjoy a night cap with Linda and Plamen before trudging off to bed.

The next few days are very relaxing and we really enjoy our time in Germany. Every night we spend time preparing meals, gasbagging, and enjoying our food with local vino on their deck in the backyard. Plamen endeavours to change my view of Rose and by the end of the week I am a convert!
Despite there being 3 children under the age of three in the same house, the girls manage to enjoy some retail therapy in Heidelberg. We also have a wonderful time over lunch in nearby Strausberg which is very pretty and the church in the centre of town reminds me a little of the Duomo which we saw in Milan – albeit on a much smaller scale.
After our hectic time in Italy it’s really great to be able to spend time with good friends we haven’t seen for a long time and relax...