Romantic Rothenburg

I was prepared for the worst. I had read how Rothenburg is usually jam-packed with tourists and can have almost a circus-like atmosphere. But our experience there turned out to be lovely. 

As I mentioned in my last post, I have wanted to see Rothenburg ever since I first watched "Christmas in Germany" on PBS back in December 1988. It seemed to represent Germany at its most romantic - the "old" Germany that existed before the era of the Nazis. 

This picture of the Main River was taken early in the morning as we were heading toward Würzburg.

In late morning, the fortress at Würzburg came into view.

At Würzburg, 40 of us boarded a bus for Rothenburg while the rest of the passengers headed into town. The drive was beautiful, first through relatively flat farmland, then into rolling hills that became increasingly steep.

When we arrived in Rothenburg, the first harbinger of a nice visit was the small number of tour busses in the designated parking lot. As we entered the old city, it became apparent that there weren't that many tourists about; and the weather was beautiful. How lucky could we get?

This photo is of the Tauber River valley to the north of the castle. The one below is to the southeast.

This last picture was taken in the town square (for my kids: the place in "Christmas in Germany" where the night watchman sings his little thing). Mark was talking to Pamela, the woman with MS whom I referred to in Sunday's post. What a lovely person. And Pamela is a wonderful person as well.