Lorch
Wurzburg
We stayed at the Hotel Zum Lamm (the Lamb) in Hochberg, a comfortable hotel in a small community outside of Wurzburg, for three nights. For a change, we used the local bus service to get to town. The highlight of Wurzburg was a visit to The Residenz, the palace of the Wurzburg bishops, a magnificent building, the most precious parts of which survived the allied bombing of WW2. Most of the rest has been restored.
The world's largest fresco, representing the four great continents, dominates the enormous vaulted ceiling over the grand staircase. Other rooms are richly decorated with stucco and gold ceilings, tapestries on the walls, and one room is paneled with gilded and painted mirrored glass -- a jewel box. After exploring the palace with an excellent guide we were allowed to wander freely and the tour included the gardens and a stunning baroque chapel.
In addition we visited an exhibition illustrating the devastation suffered by towns in Germany, like Wurzburg, and the immense post-war recovery of Germany. It was a marvelous exhibition, showing how Wurzburg was almost annihilated and the innovation and fashion of Germany during the late 40s and 50s.
While in Wurzberg we visited the Wilhelm Rontgen Museum, honouring the discoverer of the X-ray. It was part of the university, and the actual house in which the man had been born. Jan and John had a particular interest in the exhibits: Jan because of her work in mammography, and John because of his interest in collecting scientific instruments. (He has a number of early X-ray devices.) Here is the very first:
We enjoyed hearty dark, slightly sweet, beers overlooking the river and had an equally hearty dinner of goulash, pork steaks and rosti potatoes.
Bamberg
The next day we went to Bamberg, a town we had been hoping to visit, but wondered if we could include in our itinerary. We were very pleased we did, and enjoyed it immensely despite having to shelter from time to time from heavy rain. In addition, although cafes and restaurants were open, town seemed surprisingly quiet as no shops were open.
Typical German lunch: Trout, and sausages and sauerkraut.We were later to learn that today is the religious festival of Corpus Christi which is celebrated in this part of the world with street parades and decorative designs with a religious theme created in flowers in churches.
We were later to see some of these designs, but unfortunately today's planned parade was cancelled because of the weather.
As with all these cities, Bamberg has a magnificent cathedral, filled with art treasures. In Bamberg's case their greatest treasure is a medieval figure of a nobleman on horseback. It is not known who this figure represents, but it has been used for various political ideas over the years, including that of ideal Aryan manhood during the Nazi era.
We also visited a superb exhibition of Meissen porcelain in the town hall. Too much to describe. Probably the biggest collection in the world.
We had an excellent lunch, where for the second time this holiday I had a whole trout -- absolutely delicious and excellent value, cheaper than sausages and sauerkraut. We were sitting out of doors, under shelter, but in addition, for our comfort, soft rugs were provided for warmth. Some patrons sat on them and others placed them over their knees or around their shoulders. We have noticed the provision of rugs at various outdoor restaurants.
Food in Germany has been rather better than we expected, but the range of foods on offer is rather limited. Pork is the most commonly available meat, with veal, lamb and turkey also featuring. A simple salad is often included as a first course. Soups and pasta are usually available. Desserts vary from excellent strudels to rather heavy pastries and pancakes. Hot chocolate is usually very good; coffee very variable. Cappuccinos are popular everywhere. Strawberries are currently in season and luscious. We also had a delicious dessert of hot raspberries and icecream.
Bad Mergentheim
On our way to Rothenburg we stopped at the town of Bad Mergentheim for a coffee. Right next to where were we were sitting we witnessed a wedding. A vintage motorcycle club was also in town.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
Our next day was spent in the most enchanting place of all: Rothenburg ob der Tauber. This intact medieval city is a perfect specimen, set in an imposing site above the River Tauber, surrounded by its massive walls and multiple gateways. John ignored the repeated instructions to 'make a U-turn as soon as possible' ( the voice of the lady on the GPS) and instead drove through the city's largely pedestrian streets, right into the middle of the town square. No-one seemed to mind, so we left the car and went in search of the hotel we had booked via the internet.
Our booking had never been fixed, and we had emailed the owner a few days earlier to say we would only be requiring rooms for tonight, but he was a bit abrupt when we turned up and claimed he had not received our amended booking. John mollified him somewhat by acknowledging a fellow enthusiast by admiring the man's collection of old cameras which decorated the lobby.
The hotel is an ancient half-timbered building with lopsided walls, heavy beams and lots of charm. Our rooms, under the rafters were very prettily furnished and decorated and all was spotlessly clean.
Inside the walls, every building is many hundreds of years old. The shops are full of pretty items to interest tourists. One immense shop is full of every imaginable Christmas tree and decoration.
A highlight for us was a guided walk in the evening with the 'night watchman', who told us stories of the town from the Middle Ages until WW2. He was very entertaining and a large crowd followed him through the cobbled streets in the lovely evening light. (John reckons he's onto a good little earner. Judging by the numbers on each of the city walks each day, he would pull in about A$20,000 per week during the summer season.)
We finished the evening with hot chocolate drinks in the main square.
No comments:
Post a Comment