We left Bacharach, with the skies drizzling, and headed
to Rothenburg. Rothenburg is a very old, very Germanic town that is
surrounded by a wall that you can walk on.
We arrived to sunny skies and just in time for lunch, so we quickly checked into the Hotel Gerberhaus and headed off to find some sausage and kraut. I find it interesting that you can purchase a huge stein of beer for less than it costs to get an average-sized soft drink!! The restaurant we chose was a little place called Altfrankische Weinstube am Klosterhof where Paul went for the true German meal and I played it safe with a Chicken Caesar salad. The restaurant was very busy with locals and tourists and quite a few from our group ended up there - you can tell we are all whipping out our tour books when it comes time to find our own restaurant!!
Our day was a free day to spend however we wished. The town is very small so it is impossible to get lost. Our first goal was St. Jakob's church to see the Altar of the Holy Blood wood carving by Tilman Riemenschneider.
Rothenburg has quite a few shops so our next mission was to pick up some souvenirs. One type of shop that you see throughout Rothenburg are Schneeballen stores. This is a fried pastry covered in various sugary coatings that they sometimes sell in four packs. We had heard that they were hard and somewhat greasy so we decided to "Look, not EAT!" They were pretty and very enticing and from the number of people hauling around their boxes of Schneeballen, very popular!!
Our hotel had laundry facilities available to their guests so we decided to take advantage of it since we have basically done all our laundry so far in the bathroom sinks. With that task completed, we decided to walk the wall that surrounds the town for some panoramic views!!
That evening we all gathered for the Night Watchman's Tour which starts in the market square and is led by a gentleman dressed in period garb carrying a large weapon and a lantern. He walked us through town telling the history of Rothenburg in a very humorous fashion. We all enjoyed the tour very much. Afterwards, we returned to the same restaurant where we had lunch, had some dinner and then turned in for a good nights sleep after a very busy day.
