Day 13: Tamriel. I mean, Rothenburg.

Still visiting my grandparents today, and you can tell we’re related because we've all retired to our separate laptops to internet at the table together. Breakfast looked much the same, but with fruit filled pastries and coffee.

Today we had a lazy morning, sleeping in and puttering about the apartment before heading out to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, another walled medieval city. My tour book has very little to say about this town. Actually, my tour book kind of sucks in general. Fortunately, someone is putting together visit info for this city for students at Carolyn's school, and we are testing it out.

This is not one of the main entrances, but it is close to parking. Legal parking, even.

The main street into the square.

Rothenburg looks like what every fantasy RPG ever is trying to look like, but with cars.

The town hall.

We visited one of the Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shops. Well, okay, I visited two of them. Across the street from each other.

A Christmas store.

Across the street from . . . another Christmas store.

Is there something behind me? I DON"T WANT TO KNOW.

Ornaments may have been purchased.

While I was headed to the second store, Bill and grandpa headed out for lunch at a café on the square. I caught up, and was pleased to find white asparagus soup on the menu. White asparagus has a short season, and this is it. The soup was good, but the cabbage stuffed with pork was even better. Also, Campari and orange juice? Good idea.

Our next stop was a museum next to the town hall with a collection of artefacts and scenes from life in the town during the 30 years war.

These are not the pistols Bill will buy later today.

An alchemists lab, as seen in every Elder Scrolls game.

Double Eagle crest.

An illustration made of text.

In addition to the collection upstairs, there is a small dungeon full of cells and torture devices.

Oh, good. Stairs.

Dungeon display with too many pliers to contemplate.

There is a separate dungeon tour and a medieval justice museum, but I think this is enough for the day. Surely most of those pliers are for show, right? Surely, you only need 2 or 3 to get the job done.

We then make our way to stairs leading up to the wall for a short walk. This wall is narrower than Carcassonne’s, and covered – a good thing because it starts raining while we’re walking there.

View from the wall.

A good place to be during this brief shower.

Next we stop for coffee and cake at an adorable café. Then, it’s off to see the spring in the main square and some of the fortifications. 

Bill playing along with my desire to photograph through arches.

In one of the walkways above the main gate.

Oh, good. Stairs.

A little courtyard inside the main gate.

We spend a little time souvenier shopping. I got a nice scarf of a warmer variety than the one I had packed from a shop that sells local crafts. Bill got a pair of ornate costume pistols which I'm sure will cause no problems with airport security. We also picked up a few of the region’s pastries for breakfast tomorrow.

Back at the apartment, Bill and I step out to spend some time on the riverside path.

Bill makes a friend by the river.

Dinner is at a restaurant in Fahr (the next town over) which my grandparents have been to a few times. Tonight, none of the English speaking wait staff are on, but we still manage to order more asparagus soup, and an excellent Schnitzel. Bill also got the last glass of a local wine that is really good.

Bill in his natural environment.

After dinner, we walk through some construction to take a quick peak at the square.

Apparently, I didn't actually take any pictures of the square.

 Then it’s back for an early evening in. We’re leaving in the morning, not ridiculously early, but I’d like to be on the road by 9:30 so we can fight one more stop in before Nuremburg. We shall see. Sleeping in sure was nice today.