Canoeing Down Germany's Neckar River
I got the opportunity to return to Germany to teach another class (this time south of Frankfurt) and I flew out early enough to enjoy the weekend with some sightseeing. I was talking about Canoes & Kayaks with a friend who asked if I take paddling trips when I'm traveling; especially overseas. I had to admit that I had not yet done that and it inspired me to do some searching for a tour guide that would be willing to take me out on a local river. I ended up locating Henry who just so had a Neckar River canoe tour advertised just outside of Heidelberg. Henry had a great sounding adventure which was priced well for a group, but a bit too expensive for me individually.
I took a chance and reached out to Henry (see profile link above or contact me directly for his email address) to let him know how interesting the trip sounded, but that it was a bit out of my budget. I was thrilled when he gave me some more information and dropped the age old adage, "where there is a will there's a way". After a few back and forth messages, and I assured him I could "go the distance", we locked in a plan of attack. Knowing the trip would be just the two of us, Henry organized a longer 12 km (7.5 miles) trip further upstream on the Neckar River from Hirschorn to Neckargemünd.
Hirschorn
Neither of us were deterred by the less than perfect weather (high in the 60's with 50+% chance of rain) and Henry picked me up at the train station in Heidelberg. He pointed out the highlights of what he calls the most beautiful city in Germany on the way to the put-it spot up in Hirschorn. He was kind of enough to take a quick picture of me all geared up and ready to get on the water.
Thankfully, I was able to get a much better picture of Hirschorn once we got on the water.
Henry let me know I was one of the rare few that actually have gone past the more tourist-oriented cities like Heidelberg and have seen "real" Germany towns like this one and the others we saw along this journey. He was definitely right that these were the quintessential Germany towns I have always imagined. Another quaint sight was the Neckarhäuser Fähre that ferries cars & people across the Neckar at the little town of Neckarhausen.
Then we stumbled upon this pretty swan giving itself a bath!
That said, the thing you see most on this stretch of the Neckar is beautiful unspoiled forest for as far as the eye can see. Truly a treat!!
The Neckar River means "wild water" and due to a history of flooding over the centuries (yes, in Europe they measure things by centuries unlike we do back home the the US) 20+ locks were created in the 1900's to control the river which gives us the peaceful looking water you see in these photos. We only had one of these along our journey today. There was a small boat launch on river left of the spillway where I also got a nice look at the paved path that runs along the river for walkers and bicyclists.
While I was a bit bummed that we would not actually be going through the lock (on river right), I was somewhat compensated by finding this cool cart on a mini railway. And yes, there is Henry being our Sherpa! Thanks Henry!!
Neckarsteinach
While still on dry ground, I snapped a few photos of this pretty town as well as a river cruise ship that past us just before the lock.
In hindsight, I should have taken Henry's offer of visiting a cafe he was recommending while we were taking this short break. I guess my mantra of "just keep paddling" got in the way. Not the first time one of my silly mind games got the best of me.
As the Wikipedia article indicates, Neckarsteinach is know as the four-castle town. The first is the Vorderburg.
It is followed by the Mittelburg.
The one in the worst condition is the Hinterburg.
The last one is the coolest of the bunch; Schadeck (also called the Schwalbennest, or “Swallows’ Nest”).
We were greeted by a whole family of swans after seeing the castles. What a nice treat.
Neckargemünd
The end of our trip was upon us when we stumbled into Neckargemünd; another quintessential German town.
Just past the the riverwalk is the bridge that marked the end of our journey.
After we pulled the canoe out of the water, Henry left me for a bit to ride the train back down to Hirschorn to fetch his car. I took the opportunity to relax from our 3.5 hour trip and to take some more photos of the riverwalk area we just passed.
A pretty sight across the bridge and the rest of the town on the other side of the river.
Wouldn't you know it, I had my third swan sighting of the day.
I even had the chance to film this very pretty bird do a very awkward looking cleaning/fluffing process. 
All in all, a very nice adventure on the river with a gracious and friendly host. Cheers, Henry!