The Day-trip Diaries - Part 6: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
September 11:
I wanted to do a bit more exploring before the fall turned cold and so I followed the weather forecast closely and waited for a good-looking day to go to my next destination.
September 11th seemed to have a sunny outlook, and so on that Saturday I made the journey. It was nearly three hours in three different trains
View Rothenburg in a larger map
I had a good book and good music and so the train ride went by fast. I started to get worried, however, when more and more clouds filled the sky and it looked like I would have a rather gloomy day.
I arrived in Rothenburg to overcast skies and walked to the old part of town.
Rothenburg has the best-preserved medieval old town in Germany and perhaps the best in Europe. It suffered only minor damage during World War II, and much of the old town is traffic-free. It is a bit of a mecca for American and Japanese tourists in particular. I was a bit skeptical of its coolness as I arrived. I was intrigued, however, as I approached one of the many gates into the town and saw the ancient architecture...
I passed through the old gate and saw the great city wall that encompasses the medieval town. I climbed the narrow steps and decided that a tour along the wall would be a good introduction to the city.
I was impressed by how big the old town was and how many towers, steeples, funny little houses, and interesting landmarks I could see. This made me all the more disappointed with the lack of sunny skies. Here I was in a photographer's dream town and I had bad light. I had never before regretted making one of my day-trips, but I was wondering if this would be the first one.
At least there was a nun....
And an interesting little church right outside the city walls...
I decided to make the best of it and I walked up the streets photographing the quaint houses and towers...
Nearly all of the houses were unique in some way. Some of the nicer ones had a variety of interesting artwork...
Here was a funny little car that went zooming by...
As I walked closer towards the center of town I noticed, to my great delight, that the clouds were starting to break up and sunlight began to trickle through to the ground below. Perhaps I would get some good shots after all.
I found myself at St. Jakob's Church...
I took a peek inside...
I passed many a shop window with German baked goodies inside...
I came to the main square and found a small auto show going on...
Including that mini mini I saw earlier in the streets...
The sun was really starting to come out now and the clouds were getting more interesting, it would be a great photo day after all!
Sausage...
Exploring the streets, I heard honking behind me and saw a line of cars coming from a wedding...
I suddenly popped out of another of the city's many gates...
I climbed the wall again and found a nice view of the church and city hall...
Another old gate...
Ancient inner courtyard... you could just picture the medieval wagons, travelers, and traders coming through here declaring their customs and hawking their wares...
With the sun out, I followed the city wall around again. I'll let the photos do the talking...
Spot the horses...
I came around to a park overlooking the Tauber river. In the valley I could see the small "castle" which served as the mayor's retreat in former times...
The Castle Gardens was a nice park with a great view of the city...
It was also a good place for wedding photos...
As I was leaving, I saw another bride and groom getting their photos done along the wall...
I smelled something yummy coming from somewhere below the walls. I looked down and saw a large pig on the spit....
Passing through another city gate from the Castle Gardens...
From the holes in the face they would pour hot oil when attackers came through these gates...
I followed another avenue, passing a church with another wedding party. The bride and groom were just coming out of the church...
The avenue led back towards the main square...
When I got there I found yet another wedding photo shoot in progress...
One of them was presumably Scottish...
cheeeeeese
The old marketplace...
Old woodwork on the fountains...
I tucked into a bowl of goulasch at a nice little restaurant with tables outside, and then I went back to the main square to make the hike to the top of the city hall tower...
From on top I had a great view of the city in every direction...
South:
West:
East:
North:
The market square below me...
And green villages in the distance...
Back down in the market square, threatening clouds formed overhead...
But that just made things all the more interesting. Everywhere you looked there was some little thing to marvel at...
I went by the Medieval Crime & Torture Museum, but I decided I would go in another time...
I followed a small path down to the old bridge just outside the city...
And came back in through one of the gates...
Old slaughterhouse...
Rothenburg's most famous pastry is the Schneeball (Snowball). I had one and they're disgusting. They taste almost like a bunch of fried Chinese wontons packed together in a ball and covered with powdered sugar. If you ever come here, stick with the strudel...
As late afternoon approached I went down the quaintest, most photogenic little lane in the whole city and I waited until the light and the traffic were just right to get my favorite shot of the day...
With plenty of photos, tired feet, and another satisfying day-trip in the bag, it was time to head back to the train station. I said goodbye to the city...
Took one last little jaunt up on the walls...
And then I was on my train heading back towards Munich at the sunset...
I still have yet to regret any of my day-trips...
Go ahead and check out more photos of Rothenburg at my Picasa album...
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