Tuesday morning we picked up the castle-dwellers from Wartburg, made a quick stop at the Bach house in Eisenach, and hit the Romantic Road for Rothenburg.
Once in Rothenburg, Lee (our amazing driver) parked the bus safely outside the narrow streets of the old town and we commenced the long haul with our luggage up cobble-stoned hills to the Meistertrunk Hotel. (Incidentally, the charm of cobblestone streets had worn off during our first hour in London.)
Rothenburg, famous for being the best-preserved medieval town in Germany, brims with history, tourists, good shopping, tourists, beautiful views, tourists, charming architecture, tourists, and a kind of straight-out-of-a-storybook panache (effective for attracting tourists).
But this isn't what struck us as we entered the city. Or what we remarked on as we slowly mounted the cobblestone streets. Or why we couldn't remember if the city name was spelled "Rothenburg" or "Rottenburg."
To air the truth, Rothenburg smelled.
Bad.
Ooph.
Those of us who were still hanging on to the stuffy nose from the cold that went around the first week found renewed reason to give thanks.
That said, it was great to have a relaxing afternoon and evening with some free time to poke around and check out the shopping scene.
And the view from the city walls at twilight was one of those can't-be-captured-with-words (or cameras) things.
Rothenburg
a mask of shame from the
Medieval Crime Museum
one of my favorite dinners on the trip
::happy sigh::
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