Blogs from Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, Germany, Europe - page 2

Having seen much of Rothenburg we set off this morning in the car for a drive down the romantic road to Dinkelsbühl and Nördlingen, two more walled towns around 100km from Rothenburg. On the way we diverted to Schillingsfirst to have a look at the large Baroque Schloss overlooking the valley, we arrived at 9.00 only to find it wasn’t open until 10.00, so we continued on our way south as planned and intended on visiting later in the day on the way home. We first arrived at Dinkelsbühl and visited the large 16th century Gothic church, as churches go it was quite impressive, the adjacent town hall dates back likewise to the 1600’s and is still a functioning town hall today, as such it is the longest known seat of local government in Germany. We ... read more

The little girl is about 7 years old or so. She looks bored waiting for her train. Her mid 20’s mum is busy with her smartphone, so her daughter was trying to entertain herself. She was curious on the mechanics of a luggage, how come such a big bag can roll easily? So she moved it back and forth. “What’s wrong with you?!?”, yelled the mum while grabbing the little girl arm roughly – as if she just robbed a bank or something. The little girl stunned, and started to chuckle in tears. “Stop it! Shut up!”, her mum yelled again. This time the little girl try to sit down quietly, her head face down and I can see tears running down the corner of her eyes. Somehow my heart cries with her. The ... read more

ROMANTICHE STRASSE Thurs 5th Sept Rothenburg to Fussen 168 miles Up at 7.30am as another long driving day down the “Romantic Road” of Germany! They call it the ‘real’ Germany and was a brilliant invention of post-War tourism loosely based on an old Roman trade route from Wurzburg to Fussen. It promised us stretches of pillowy hillsides, cobblestoned villages, medieval walled towns, arched gateways, gothic cathedrals, baroque palaces and whimsical castles! Definitely the highlight of the route was our first stop at Rothenburg ob der Tauber and a definite wow factor! Entered at the north gate ( I think!) and then walked on the wooden covered walkway to the south gate! Fine views of the red rooftops, pretty medieval houses and the old church towers. Amazing fortification of the city with three gates on the south ... read more

We left the Nurburg Ring this morning and headed to Stuttgart "the home of the Porsche" and visited the Porsche Museum. We saw an interesting exhibit about the 50 year history of the 911 series sports car. From there we took the Autobahn to Rothenburg. This was not a part of our original plan to stop here but we are sure glad we did. The medieval city is beautifully preserved and exactly what we were hoping to experience in Germany. The city center was protected during WWII and most of the original buildings from the early 1300's still stand. Some of the buildings are currently under renovation but we still we able to see most of what Rothenburg had to offer. The town is surrounded by a towering wall that you are able to walk around, ... read more

Rothenburg was our second stop in Bavaria from Sunday to Tuesday. Since there are several towns called simply Rothenburg, I specified the formal name for those that are looking online for more detail about the places I am visiting. In the Middle Ages, Rothenburg was a "free imperial city" and one of Germany's largest cities. Today, it is the country's best preserved medievial walled town. (a very cool sight -make sure you check out the pictures). We found a gorgeous room at Eisenhut which was right on the Market Square, a spot filled with history and shopping! It was a fancy medievial home with historic furnishings and our suite consisted of a sitting room, huge sleeping room complete with chandelier, and a luxury bathroom where I experienced my first bidet, kind of ironic after way too ... read more