BMW European Delivery - Day Four

This Place Looks Promising

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We were attracted to this place just outside the castle's wall because of the delicious smells coming from inside and because of all the fresh firewood piled high along the entrance. Later we climbed back uphill to get our lunch.

Built Right into the Rock

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In the top right you can see how part of the castle wall uses the mountain's rock as part of its foundation. The soft sandstone below the castle has been carved into caves over many centuries of use. There are literally miles of underground tunnels.

Scouting Dinner Locales

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At first I thought this was the actual home of the famous painter, Albrecht Durer. It wasn't. Then I thought about checking out the inside to see if it might be a cool place to eat. I didn't. I put in the back of my mind as a place we should return to later. We didn't.

You Constantly Need to Look All Around

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In Nuremberg many of the interesting sites are not obvious. You need to look up, behind and underneath to find little gems like this.

Nuremberg - Home of Depressing Fairytales

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I don't want fable this gigantic dead rabbit represents, but it was pretty creepy. http://www.travelandleisure.com/slideshows/worlds-ugliest-public-art/13

Nuremberg's #1 Tourist Attraction

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For cultural snobs the home of painter Albrecht Durer is the prime reason to visit Nuremberg. I am culturally moribund so I skipped a walk through this old house and instead, we went into the gift shop across the street. I bought a book about the Nuremberg Nazi Rally Area just south of the city and a little Playmobil figure of Durer. I then looked through a book of his paintings in the shop. That was enough fine arts for me.

Now Which Way Do We Go?

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Even though a tourist map was on display in this square it was still very confusing trying to find the ticket office for the underground tours. 6 different streets flowed into this plaza. We ended up finding it to the extreme right and almost behind us.

Another Interesting Old Building

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This wasn't listed as any kind of historic building but that's what makes Germany so cool - everywhere you look you can find something unique. This was much more fun than shopping. It reminds me of one of the kids' old Playmobil toy houses.

More Pseudo-Old, Cool Stuff

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I assume that in nicer weather this is some kind of concession stand. The chains left the top part of the door up and away and the bottom part becomes a counter.

Fasching Specials

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I had almost forgotten about the old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition of consuming mass quantities of donuts on the day before Ash Wednesday. I guess some Germans still follow that custom. The donuts looked delicious but we knew better than to buy any of those Schneeballen to the right. We tried them once and they were nothing but bland blobs of overcooked dough with powdered sugar on top. Even Cassie hated them.

Killing Time Before the Tours

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After finding the ticket office and signing up for two different tours we continued a short way downhill to yet another town square. Here stood the statue of the city's number one claim to fame. Interestingly, behind us were a pair of rather exclusive auction houses who seemed to specialize in expensive antique furniture. They posted pictures of "famous" celebrities who had come to visit. I assume they were well-known German stars. The only one we knew was Nicole Richie.

Inside Sankt Sebaldus Church

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This isn't the only big old church in Nuremberg but it was the closest to the castle and was the site of many important events in the city's history. It was built in the mid 13th Century. It is famous for the great organ inside that is nearly 600 years old. The church was almost completely flattened during WWII.

Church Artwork

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Mots of the most beautiful and important art objects in the church was hidden underground when the War began to turn against the Nazis.

Notice the Stained Glass

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Everything had to be rebuilt after the War. Gail pointed out that the stain glass only covers half or less of the huge windows. I don't know whether it was some sort of statement or that these are the pieces that remained after the War. Or maybe they just ran out of money and never finished.

The Church after One of the Earliest Bombing Raids

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By the end of the War very little of the building still stood.

Obviously a Protestant Church

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The lack of ornamentation was proof enough that this wan't a Catholic church. There were no candles burning either. Sebaldus was a Danish monk purported to have used icicles instead of firewood to save freezing peasants in the area. It is now a Lutheran church.

The Baptismal Chapel

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Instead of a separate building for baptisms like Italian cathedrals we've seen, this German church offered full service religion all in one location.