Nuremberg

I had a new experienced yesterday. I rode in a car that was going, for periods of time, 180 k/120 miles per hour. (How's that, Phyllis?) Mark was driving. Even so, there were a number of cars that passed us. No highway patrol in sight. (The posted speed limit was 120k/75mph). We won't be trying that at home.

We were driving from Fussen to Nuremberg to return our rental car and stay the night before boarding our river boat cruise this afternoon. For the next week, we will be sailing the Main River across southern Germany, then the Rhein back up to Amsterdam, from where we fly home a week from tomorrow.

It was another beautiful sunny day with clear, blue skies. The fall foliage was beautiful, and became more so as we traveled north.

After dumping our stuff at our hotel within the old walled city, we took a stroll, taking pictures, looking for a liquor store to replenish our supply of gin (refusing to pay high prices for drinks on the cruise ship), and having an early supper of pizza (me) and carbonara (Mark). Then off to see more of the city.

Delicious German pancetta, grated cheese and arugula on a typically thin crust.

View out our hotel room window

Frauenkirche

Strauch, "Der Markt zu Nürnberg 1594." Note the Frauenkirche

This morning, we went out for another stroll. It was cloudy at first, but then the skies cleared, and it turned into another beautiful day. We discovered only this morning that today is Unity Day in Germany. Twenty-five years ago on this date, East and West Germany were formally unified. Interestingly, we didn't see any banners or flags in Nuremberg. I read somewhere that Germans frown on that sort of display now. Instead, they just have a huge party.

Two views of St. Sebaldus Kirche, near our hotel

I like this picture.