A church spire stands over the city upon exiting the Speyer train station, but it isn't part of the Speyer Cathedral. Instead, one has to walk just under one kilometer south down Bahnhofstrasse to Maximilianstrasse in order to see the Romanesque cathedral anchoring the east end of the street. The cathedral was begun almost 1,000 years ago, and is quite remarkable both near and far away. Sadly, I visited at the end of March this year, so the towers were not yet open for tours. Additionally, minor work was under way at the front entrance, which required an entrance from the side of the church. I had the cathedral almost all to myself (with just the cleaning crew) since I arrived just after it opened at 0900. Even though I'd already seen many churches in Germany in March, I really appreciated the sparse beauty of the nave. On the day of my visit, I was also the first to visit the vaults underneath the cathedral, where I had time to contemplate in silence the history of this cathedral, where eight German emperors and kings, as well as some of their wives, were laid to rest. Speyer Cathedral was one of Germany's first inscribed World Heritage Sites, and it is an absolutely beautiful and impressive sight to see.

Logistics: Speyer Cathedral is within walking distance from the train station, which has regular connections to Heidelberg via the S3 rail line.