Rothenberg and Wursburg

We chose to do the optional excursion and take a bus ride to Rothenburg and travel along the Romantic Road.

We passed many beautiful villages and picturesque scenery arriving mid morning in Rothenburg.

Rothenburg is the best preserved medieval town in Germany.  It is one of the few places not bombed in WW2 and is therefore completely original.

There is a city wall encircling Rothenburg.  We didn’t have time to complete the entire wall but we managed to walk around some it.  The wall connects five medieval gages, complete with guard towers that date from the 13^th to 16^th centuries.

It was lovely to stroll the narrow cobblestoned streets and admire the half timbered houses.  The cruise had organised lunch in restaurant where we ate potato soup that was delicious and then sausage and mashed potato with sauerkraut.  This was followed by a very delicious desert of apple streudel.

We had some free time after lunch to continue walking around the town and then we had to meet our group again in town square.  When we arrived there, there was a band of young people playing music which was very good. 

 

We returned by coach to Wurzburg and we arrived at the gigantic Bishops Residenz. When you enter the hall as Napolean did, only he came in with 8 horses and a carriage and famously got stuck in the doorway.  Next time he came he only brought 4 horses.

The first thing that greets you is massive staircase and overhead ceiling with no apparent supporting structure and people laughed at the architect saying it would fall down.  Well, it is still standing and survived the bombing in WW2..  When you look up you see a massive fresco by venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo representing the Four Continents.  It is very impressive.  There are over 300 rooms in the palace and only a few are open to the public.  We went into a reception room lined with gold gilded mirrors that is extremely ornate.

We then walked from the palace into the town and had some free time to wander around the beautiful city and walk leisurely back to the ship when we were ready.