July 11 
After our relaxing day yesterday this morning we boarded the bus to head out to the fabled town of Heidelberg.  Heidelberg is the home of Germany’s oldest university and the ancient capital of the Palantine.  This charming city was a stronghold of the Protestants beginning as early as 1560.  Overlooking the Neckar River is one of the most impressive landmarks in all of Germany—the ruins of the Heidelberg Castle.  It is a combination of Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque German architecture and was built beginning in 1214 with clear evidence of the later additions.  We had a guided tour through this lovely town which included a visit to the Church of the Holy Spirit 

 After lunch break we went  to Worms.  During a walking tour we saw the biggest Luther monument marking the place where Martin Luther made his famous “Here I stand” declaration.  

 It was in 1521 that Luther challenged the entire Roman Catholic world when he declared that unless he could be proved to be in error from Scripture he could not and would not recant.  It was also in Worms that the English reformer, William Tyndale, completed the printing of the English version of the New Testament in 1525.   


We will returned to Rothenburg and saw the impressive Dom of Speyer on our way back.