Monday, December 22, 2008

Rothenberg ob der Tauber

This message has been sitting in my drafts for days (Because I couldn't get the photos to load - but that has been fixed)... Written on the 22nd, it was the day after we journeyed out to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a town which has been preserved (and reconstructed) so that when you enter, it is like entering a town in a different era.
Mom awoke rather late (severe jet lag), but we still headed to the station for return tickets to the medieval city of Rothenberg. About an hour and two train transfers later, we arrived... Mom says that she was not prepared... Half timbered houses, city walls, towers, cobblestones, turrets and oriel windows... massive 700 year old churches... and then the Christmas market in the center.
First stop was for a beer in Meistertrunk Pub and Restaurant where legend has it, a past mayor saved the city from certain destruction by downing a gallon of beer. Mom downed only 0.3 liters... and not in one gulp.
We then visited Käthe Wolfhart, a famous Christmas German Christmas shop... but with it's impressive headquarters in Rothenberg.
After this, we went on a little walking tour where we views the walls, towers, churches... and the city from the wall... and then we returned to town for a Bach trumpet concert in St. Jacob's Church. The building of this church started in 1300 and used to be a famous church for pilgrimages as there was a relic - a drop of Christ's blood preserved in a crystal. A suitable carved altar was commisioned to hold this precious item and it remains in this church.
Finally, we stopped in the Christmas market for a half meter sausage sustenance before catching the train back (no time for more as shops were closing). Below is a picture of Rothenbergs special sweet: Schneeballen!

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