Rothenburg is just as delightful a city in the spring/summer as it is at Christmastime!! I admit, that in many ways it almost doesn't seem real because of how well it's preserved and it does have a heavy tourist presence, but it is still a city that we enjoy a lot and plan to continue to visit. One thing I love about living close to amazing places like this is that even though we've been before, we see new things each time we go (ok I guess this was only our second time so ask me again in a few years!). It's fun to show family what you love about a place but also discover new lovely things with them.
My brother Jeff is spending a month in Europe and decided to meet us in Rothenburg and spend a few days with all of us. We were supposed to meet him in the main square around 11. While we were waiting, my mom and I decided to go up to the top of the Rathaus tower. We climbed and climbed narrow, steep stairs that were almost ladder like and then climbed a real ladder onto the bell tower platform. It was quite the experience but the views were absolutely tremendous!
Of course my dad didn't come up. He hates heights! Then we waited some more in the square and were serenaded by a live orchestra playing wonderful music, including a Beauty and the Beast compilation that was just lovely. Music is enhanced by medieval surroundings!! Or is it that your surroundings enhance the music? At any rate, things are just more beautiful when music is involved!
The white tower on the left -- that's what we were at the top of!
Jeff was just not showing up and not responding to any of my texts or phone calls so we left the market square and started wandering a little bit. We had lunch, wandered through a Kathe Wohlfahrt store (the queen store of the German Christmas and there are five I think in Rothenburg alone that are beautifully decorated and you want to buy everything there!) and then went down to the postcard house.
That's the one. Great looking girls there too!
Dad went back to the market square to check again and FINALLY Jeff showed up. Turns out he read his train ticket wrong and waited for a train that never showed up while missing the one he was supposed to be on. And since he didn't pay for an international phone plan, he could only use his phone on WiFi which he didn't have and couldn't tell us about the delay!! Oh the joys!! We were just glad he was safe (mom was starting to imagine things and as a mother now, I totally get it) and wandered off some more.
Rothenburg is surrounded completely by it's medieval wall and you can walk along about 3/4 of it so we did that for a bit for more great views.
William trying out the peace sign and forgetting his second finger so it looks like he's flipping us off -- fortunately it's the wrong finger!
I had raved about this before so everyone voted to go the the torture museum (really the Crime and Punishment museum but it's about torture). I did not object!!! It was harder keeping William entertained this time because he's been there before but they do have some great dioramas that he was absorbed in for a while. And of course we had to take pictures in the stocks again. Oh and my parents and brother all enjoyed the museum so that means that we're not just weirdos! Unless we're all weirdos . . .
Back into the town we went into the main church that is famous for their altar piece and it was quite the work of art.
This was a second altar piece upstairs that had some very interesting depictions on it that were beautifully done.
After the church we wandered down to a portion of the city that I hadn't been to before. It had a fantastic park area and fabulous views. It's one place I want to remember when we get back again as a great place to relax a bit with the kids.
We returned home late and tired but he girls were so excited to see Uncle Jeff!! They like all of their uncles but Jeff and James have the most energy to play (probably because they don't have kids of their own) and so are particularly loved. Chopper took off the next few days from work so that we could have a super long weekend and do some trips with a night away and again, it was a combination of old (to us) and new!
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