Back on the autobahn to Wurzberg lots of Monday morning traffic around Frankfurt. Saw a prototype Opel, got a picture of it.
The Romantic Road starts from Wurzberg, probaby an hour into our trip this was our first stop.
The first castle was Weikersheim; amazing ball room and gardens, the tour was too quick!
Next went to the Lords Chapel (herrgottskirche) very elaborate carvings dating back to the 1300's but we all decided it gave us the creeps, then it was across the road to the Finger Hut (thimble shop), I passed on this one.
Lots of little towns dotted along the way and some very narrow streets, many houses have vegie gardens and quite a few wind farms, lots of agriculture.
Petrol is 1.39 to 1.53 euro per litre.
Food is cheap and fresh fruit abundant.
Into Rothenberg about 12.45, the city is surrounded by a high stone wall and once the bus squeezes through the entrance under the tower it has to negotiate the narrowest of cobble stone streets. A taxi (Mercedes van) takes us to our hotel.
It is 500 years old and full of antiques and the owners personal collection.
Time for a walk around town and something to eat, the girls are wanting to stop and look in every little shop that is packed with all sorts of Knicks knacks, embroidery, pottery. Lots of cafes and restaurants too. The drivers are so patient with people walking along the roads. Found a spot where you can climb to the top of the wall and walk along it. Tony and I leave the girls to an afternoon of shopping.
Our host recommended a hotel for us to go to that was a bit off the normal tourist route and it was a beauty! We could hardly recognize it from all the ivy covering the front of the building and once inside and your eyes had accustomed to the darkness was the most ecilictic collection of dried flowers, pottery and stuffed animals. We ended up staying for tea and it was the best meal we've had so far.
At 8 o'clock we gathered with about 100 other people in the main square for the night watchmen's tour. He was a real character and mixed the towns history with a bit of humour, the tour went for an hour and we were very lucky with the night, dead still and a cloudless sky, giving a beautiful sunset. |
