We arrived early in Mainz and were so pleased to be greeted by such a bright and sunny day.  Our day started with a walk to the Gutenberg Museum to learn about the invention of the printing press.  We were all amazed to see so many books on display that were printed in the 1400’s and 1500’s, including the first book printed; the bible, printed between 1452 – 1455.  It was Gutenberg’s first bound book and took three years to complete, because of the ornate embellishments made to each page.  Printing was done on the front and back of each page, so if a mistake was made at the bottom of the back side of the page, for example, the page had to be discarded if the mistake could not be fixed.  Starting over again was an exercise in patience, I’m sure!

The town square of Mainz was quite picturesque and quaint, so I was able to take a few pictures before we boarded our bus for the one hour ride to Heidelberg.

My first impression of Heidelberg was that it was a place I would like to spend more time. The market square was beautiful and the castle atop the hill overlooking the city was quite a sight!

Our lunch was at Hotel Ritter, a beautiful old hotel in a building dating back to 1592. Following our delicious lunch, we took a rid up to the funicular to the tour castle, and returned for a walking tour of the old part of the city.  As you can see by the photos below, we were so fortunate to have such a beautiful day; blue skies and temperatures in the mid-70s.  What an amazing day!