Beyond the flowers of Heidelberg
Rizal attended medical lectures at the University of Heidelberg. This is where he likewise met his professor and mentor Otto Becker, as the Illustrado underwent ophthalmology training so that he could operate on his mother’s failing eyesight.
Heidelberg Castle Complex.
Perched by the east bank of the Neckar River in Germany – a vital travel route as the district developed – the city of Heidelberg is one most Filipinos may be familiar with, owing to the iconic poem of our national hero Jose Rizal, A Las Flores De Heidelberg.
Rizal attended medical lectures at the University of Heidelberg. This is where he likewise met his professor and mentor Otto Becker, as the Illustrado underwent ophthalmology training, so that he could operate on his mother's failing eyesight.
He then crossed paths with Reverend Karl Ullmer who invited him to stay at their home. Today, this abode has been converted to a bookstore – aptly prophetic, for this is where the polymath finished his first novel, Noli Me Tangere.
And this is not to mention the street and nearby park where he lived have been named after him, complete with a statue which stands guard through the decades.
A trivia – we learned he was popular even among the Germans because he was an excellent chess player!
The bustling daily lives at the University of Heidelberg, Germany's oldest university and a leading research-focused institution, is something to write home about too – undergraduates and postgraduates carrying on with their days, with knapsacks on the backs, either rushing to next class or enjoying a laid-back stress-free afternoon.
But aside from its hard-earned academic reputation, the oft-mentioned gardens, and the ties with our nationalist, Heidelberg carries historical, architectural and even romantic significance.
This port-of-call is best relished through a river cruise, such as that of AmaWaterways, which took us through several medieval cities and modern towns along the Moselle and Rhine – and then some – where we enjoyed leisurely sails through choice picturesque countryside.
Best of all — we were immediately taken aback once we spotted the Heidelberg Castle, the old guard on top of a hill. We decided to explore the fort's premises to immerse in the ancient offerings of this complex.
Here are five spots you should not miss.
