Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Rothenburg ob der Tauber - A Medieval Christmas


Rothenburg ob der Tauber in the Bavarian region of
Germany was the jewel of our trip.  

The highlight of the stay here was a walking tour through
the old town with The Night Watchman.  As we walked
we were entertained with his humor and knowledge as
he shared with us the history of Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

This medieval city was wealthy and industrious until
it was defeated during the 30 year war which went from 
1618 to 1648.  An army of 40,000 under Count Tilly 
was marching through the region and wanted to quarter
his troops there for the winter.  They refused and ended
up being defeated, being left poor and destitute.  Thus
poverty preserved this city as the people left it for
more prosperous areas.  


You can find the tour nightly at 8:00 pm in front of
the beautiful Town Hall.  Of course, as I have said, we
had lovely weather for an evening stroll.



We started our stay here with checking in at the
Mietermeier Hotel - a boutique hotel just outside
of the city wall, so it was only a 5 minute stroll to
get to where we wanted to be.



Each of the rooms were decorated differently, and they
were HUGE, even for American standards.  This was our 
lovely room.


This modern free standing tub was part of our 
open concept bathroom.  It also had a huge 6 foot shower
done in glass tiles.  


Here is a shot of our friends', the Harkness's, room with an additional
day bed in theirs for their daughter Hannah to sleep in.
It likewise was huge.  Their room had a closed off bathroom.
We all said we would have loved to have been able to take
a peek into every room.



Every part of the boutique hotel was wonderful.  This
was the breakfast spread.  There was a room right off this
with couch and fireplace where you could gather,
and there were several other gathering places.  We
all agreed that a full week here would have been
marvelous.  It was right around $200 a night.


The main street leading to the center of town is lined
with charmingly preserved homes, all unique and beautiful.


As you get further into the town center, the houses become
taller and more eleborate.




In all of the towns we went to, they decorated the inside
and outside of buildings with fresh trees, usually
with red bowls and lights.  The town squares and churches
had giant fresh trees placed in them.






These unique little tree holders up on the second floor
for short fresh trees were quite common here.



Windows were decorated with such charm and style.




While some were just charming unadorned.





This was definitely my favorite town, and although the
Christmas Marts were not as plentiful, the stores in themselves
were Christmas wonderlands.


The best store was the huge Kathe Wolfarht store, but alas,
they did not allow pictures inside.  This store had at least a 30 
foot tree that twirled, and a 20 foot wooden pyramid - the
famous German kind that spins by the light set off by candles.

It was amazing and you could spend a fortune in there.
(I got my cute German hat in Nuremberg.)


In Rothenburg we ate at the same restaurant both
nights (after we ate our way through
the Christmas Marts for lunch). 
 We loved it so much.  Again, it felt like we were
in someone's home for Christmas.


Not only can I not pronounce it, but I can't read it,
but it was up towards the castle on the hill.


We tried a tortellini soup - the tortellini was huge
and enough to share.


Sausages and potatoes are always on the menu, and
it was fun trying the different varieties.  I loved the
presentation in this restaurant.


This was our favorite, pork on spatzle in a cream mushroom sauce.
It was one of those sauces that make you swoon.


I highly recommend this place.  We asked a
shop lady for a recommendation, and we were
thrilled with it.

Each city is so different.  This was truly
a Christmas wonderland.  I would have
to say that Rothenburg ob der Tauber was
my favorite.  It charmed my heart!






Jacqueline
Jacqueline

Chocolat - French for Chocolate. I adored chocolate from a young age when I had to sneak in the cupboard to find where my mother had hidden the Nestle's Chocolate Chips. Having read about the famous chocolat shoppes in Paris, when I finally got there I was determined to try a chocolate from every Paris shoppe. I invite you to share my adventures in creating, in travel, and in life.

7 comments:

  1. What a magical trip. I know you savored every minute.
    Enjoy your time on the beach. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow amazing pictures how do you do it do you have a full time staff? What a magical place for Christmas are you going to make it a annual tradition?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jacqueline, I think I could be very happy in one of those hotel rooms! What a beautiful place to add to my "travel dreams" list.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Wow! What an amazing trip and now for the holidays just perfect to enjoy with your family dear Jacqueline!
    A gorgeous medivel building outside, but quite luxurious inside.
    Here to wish you and your lovely family a very happy and blessed new year.
    FABBY

    ReplyDelete
  5. What an incredible place! Your photos take us on a journey there. Blessings, Edie Marie

    ReplyDelete

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