A few weeks ago my coworker sent me a link to an event, Nacht der Vampire, Feb 8, Heidelberg Schloss. Not only was it a vampire party in a castle, but there was the option for a horror themed buffet at the castle restaurant as well. I bought my ticket, and spent the next bit planning: bought a dress, but it didn’t look quite right, so I bought a corset too; makeup; jewelry; train tickets for the S-Bahn to Heidelberg-Altstadt; hotel room for one night, walking distance from the castle.

Finally the day came. I overcame my curmudgeonly urges to stay home and go hiking instead, and walked to the train station. I was nearly 20 minutes early for a train that arrived 5 minutes late, so I got to watch other trains slide by and stir up the cold wind. ‘I really should buy an actual scarf.’ (I have had this thought probably 20 times since I got here. still haven’t bought an actual scarf). My train arrived and I boarded and found a seat, facing south and looking forward.

The train ride was smooth and uneventful. I watched the people that boarded and then left, and the landscapes roll by. Crossing the Rhine is always super impressive, it reminded me of crossing the Mississippi back when we drove to Michigan. The views from the train are quite different than from the highways, I had no idea there were a bunch of tiny-house communities near the railroad tracks. they looked pretty well put together but only a step or two away from being shanty towns; The ramshackle tiny homes had the occasional solar panel and all of them had little gardens.

I arrived to Heidelberg and walked to my hotel. It was hard to find how to get into the hotel because it is at the top of a parking structure and apparently the only way to access it is via the parking structure elevator, and I didn’t see any signs that said that. I eventually found it and checked in, and the view from my room directly to the castle was breathtaking. This was going to be a super cool night.

I got ready and headed out to the castle after dark. The structure was lit up and the pathways to the castle are open to the public 24/7, even if the castle itself is closed. The hike up was rather steep, and my wool cape was actually a little warmer than I needed as I huffed and puffed in my corset and boots up the hill. I got sat at a table “for the people who came alone” where 3 other people were sitting, 2 American gentlemen working in Munich to open a new office for CCG, a company responsible for Pokémon trading cards, and a German lady. We all immediately made friends. The buffet was excellent, and included a wine buffet along with whatever cocktails and drinks one could want.

I was pretty toasty by the time my coworker arrived to the party, and after checking my cape, joined the party in earnest. There were two dance floors, one in the ground floor of the main castle, where Germany’s biggest cask has been since it was built in the 1700s. It can hold 68,000 liters of wine, mirroring the crowd dancing to the DJ sets.

Upstairs was a different, fancier dance floor with a different, more pop-music focused DJ. I linked up with my coworker friends and bopped around a bit with them, then lost them after we went out for some fresh air. My new German friend from the restaurant found me on the stairs on the way back up to the dance floor, so I linked up with my new friends, and was herded up to the stage to dance. I am so happy I remembered to purchase, bring, and wear earplugs to the party!

After dancing at the front I lost both my drink and my new friends, found my old friends, and acquired another drink (water this time, cause I’m smart.) We people-watched for a while, as there were some really intricate costumes circulating, and I watched several ballroom and swing dancers find small spaces to dance. At some point the dance floor got far too warm, and I started getting rather tired, so I took my leave of both sets of friends (found the new ones on the stairs again, taking photos in the deep castle window), and weaved my way back to the hotel. Thankfully my corset has a side zipper so I took it off while I hiked back to the hotel, proud of myself for both remembering how to get back and not tripping or stumbling.

The headache I woke up with was not as bad as I was expecting, and I did not wake up as late as I expected. The hotel breakfast was perfect post party food, consisting of breads, lunch meats, some weird egg salad sort of things, fruit, and coffee. I packed up my party clothes and headed out to walk around the castle in the daylight before I caught the train home.

The hotel receptionist had mentioned some stairs to reach the castle and had recommended the footpath for getting to the party, rather than going up the stairs. I was curious so I went up the stairs to the castle. It felt like approximately 68,000 steps, but it’s actually more like 315. It was like time travel walking up, the old style houses with their little terraced gardens, their only access from these very steps.

When I got to the top and reached the castle battlements, the view was stupendous. A crow landed a couple meters from me, hopeful I might have food for him. I told him in German that I had no food for him, but thanked him for joining me, so he politely posed for a couple photos before flying off.

The vast expanse of the castle was lovely to explore, with a bunch of really neat statuary, various carvings, and views for days. I heard what sounded like parrot screeches, and ended up seeing a flock of wild ringed parakeets flying around being adorable. They have apparently naturalized in the area since the ’70s.

Finally, I hiked back down the hill on a different path and walked over to the train station, 10 minutes early to catch my train, which came on time. When I got home, Sensi wasn’t even mad, so all in all this small trip was a huge success. The S-Bahn was easy to navigate since I found a direct line with no transfers, and Heidelberg is a truly beautiful historical city. I am very excited to go back and explore more of the old medieval streets and go to some of the museums there.