The City Inside the Walls
Posted on September 3, 2008
Filed Under Call us tourists | 3 Comments
Posted by Sierra
Red gabled roofs, walls guarding the town, and schneeballen. Where can these things be found? The first two are found, well … lots of places. But the latter is a Rothenburgian specialty; I’ll let Mom reveal the “nature” of them later. Rothenburg is a small town in Bavaria, Germany. It is picturesque and quaint, or at least the fortified part is. We stayed in a hostel. The windows on it are very unique, because the shingles arch over them, looking like waves. A lot of Rothenburg buildings have these wavy roofs, as well as steep triangular shingled roofs.
Overlooking the Tauber Valley, the fortifications are a major highlight of the town. From the Klingen Bastion to the Kobolzeller Gate(if you think those names are funny, you should hear the names of other places), there is a 2.5-kilometer (about 1.6-mile) walk on the wall. This requires the Art of Single File but is a good way to avoid the cars and much of the crowd.(Writer’s Pick for Coolest Thing to Do in Rothenburg!)
The cobblestone streets aren’t too dominated by cars, and some of the buildings date back to the Middle Ages. The curbs are low and almost go unnoticed, and it’s interesting to see the cars half-parked on them. Quite a few building have sundial-like clocks, which look ancient. Multiple churches, a three-part Town Hall, gates, towers, medieval museums, gardens, and “olden days” streets make up Rothenburg.
The town seems made for tourists, though not “tour bus” tourists. More common are the “slowtravelers” tourists, people who read about a town and head there ASAP. The signs seem very different, with interesting designs and coats of arm. There are many types of shops, such as Christmas shops, toy shops, antique shops, and overall assorted shops that sell items like Swiss army knives. If you’re in the mood for a cookie or some bratwurst, there are plenty of places that sell both.
An important thing to remember is that Rothenburg is not Epcot, and that’s why Dad is smiling.
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The picture of the shoppes is just beautiful. I want to be there, right now. I love Christmas stores, And Andrew would give up his xbox 360 for an army knife. Sierra the write about everything makes me want to hop on a plane. Unfortunately thats not possible, so I guess I’ll just have to keep reading your blogs and looking at your Dads wonderful pictures. Enjoy and Be Safe !!! Love Aunt Barb
My favorite city in Germany! Absolutely loved i and am glad you found it right away. It’s wonderful at Christmas time too. I would say it’s a “must-see” then.
The Belgium, Swiss, and German chocolate is to die for. Make sure you bring back a couple dozen Kinder Eggs for us big kids!
How’s the Autobahn? I loved it except when a Porsche was coming up behind me at 200 kph and my Geo Metro was screaming at 110 kph trying to get around a truck.
How long in Germany/Europe?
Beth
Hey, Beth, Sierra loves Kinder eggs. Did you know you can get them in Albuquerque, at Fremont’s Finer Foods? The autobahn hasn’t been too bad, but there are a lot of trucks. We’re in the Netherlands now but will be back in Germany at the end of the month, and again for a few weeks in December during the Christmas markets.