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June 15, 2010 - Germany - Pfaffendorf, Lahnstein, Rothenburg ob der Tauber
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Our hotel in Pfaffendorf had an outstanding breakfast. Buffet with a good assortment of meats, cheeses, bread, cereal and boiled eggs. Packed, got our bikes out of the garage and rode to Lahnstein where the bike rental guy thoroughly checked out our bikes and gear, refunded us our 100 euro deposit and then kindly printed out a train schedule for us to Rothenburd ob der Tauber. His father sat with us at a table under an umbrella during this time and we akwardly tried to make conversation. He spoke no English and our German isn't really there yet for easy conversation.
Rental bikes at Burg and Bike in Lahnstein.
Walked to the train station and debated going to Koblenz first or to stick to the plan and go to Frankfurt via Wiesbaden. We stuck to the plan and had an uneventful train ride. The German countryside is a sight to see. Vast wheat fields with tidy villages. Solar collectors everywhere on roofs. Wind turbines spinning on most horizons. Small efficient cars on well maintained and marked roads. A place for everything and everything in its place.
Arrived in Rothenburg and walked into the city to our hotel via a map in the guide book. Once you enter the city wall you're in medieval-land. Hard to describe how thoroughly medieval this place is. Just like the scene in Young Frankenstein where the policeman meets Gene Wilder carting the body through the streets (Good evening herr Doktor). Asked directions and found our very pleasant room above the grocery store at Pension Elke. Good store, well stocked. They even had a complete model train section!
Entering the walled section of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.
Our hotel. Pension Elke. The bottom floor of the building is their grocery store.
Our room in Pension Elke.
Max discovers the biggest Toblerone bar yet.
It was a good grocery store. Amazingly, they had a complete model train section with engines, scenery, etc.
After checking in we started the self guided tour from the book at the main square in town. Climbed the tower at the city hall building. Very crowded at the top, but cool views of the city. Then lots more walking and gawking at ancient buildings from the 15th century. The whole town is that.
The streets of Rothenburg.
The Rothenburg town hall.
More street scenes.
The town hall clock tower that we climbed.
Inside the town hall building.
Climbing the clock tower.
The stairs became more rustic as we went up.
Going up!
The last few steps were like a ladder.
Looking down to the town square from above.
And out over the roof tops.
More roof tops, and a cathedral.
The edge of town.
Jim on high.
The seven virtues and the seven vices. Which are which?
More street scenes.
More street scenes.
More street scenes.
A town gate. Note the face above.
The face was for pouring boiling oil out of, on their enemies.
Even though we were short on time, we toured the medieval crime museum. Scary place, but could have spent a lot more time there than we had. Interesting to read about medieval law. Bakers were punished in a special torture cage if they made bread loaves too small because equal food distribution was so important. They were also punished for making loaves too big! Wouldn't want to be a baker. Some devices were genuinely ghastly. Metal thingies stuck down your throat so you wouldn't cry out during torture.
A chair from The Medieval Crime Museum.
Reasons for using 'The Iron Cage'. Note the comment about the baker.
Bad baker! Bad Baker!
Shame masks. Horrifying if you really think about them.
Shame mask.
Shame mask.
Shame masks.
Escaped from there so to speak and Max tried a schnee ballen. Pie crusts formed into a ball with powdered sugar. A tourist snack that's really bland and unremarkable. We then walked much of the town wall on the elevated walkway. That's pretty fun, and provides good views of the city. Then to dinner where I got one of my favorite dishes, Malthausen mit ei. It's rolled spinach pastry, sliced and then fried with egg. After dinner, a quick peek at a tourist shop, beer steins, imagine.
Schneeballen. Don't buy these. They're awful.
Max ponders his schneeball.
Walking the wall around the city. This is fun.
Another shot of the wall walkway.
A view of the outside of the wall.
The wall.
A large turret structure in the wall.
Inside the turret structure.
Max on the wall walkway.
Another shot of the wall walkway.
An interesting building below.
Perhaps my favorite German dish, Maultaschen mit Ei. It's spinach pastry with egg.
Then to the town square at 8:00 for the "Night watchman's tour". He appears in black robes, with a halburn and lantern. Pay at the end (because more people join as the tour progresses). Very polished and funny delivery. Learned all about life in medieval times in this city, and how/why Rothenburg survived, and how it almost didn't. A great tour, then to bed.
The night watchman arrives.
The night watchman.
Posing with tourists. Max on the right.
Animated figures by a town clock. It's a bit hokey.
The night watchman again.
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