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A beautiful medieval town that has been preserved well through the years. Apparently they have the strictest preservation orders in all of Germany and I can understand why. You would hate to lose this type of history (plus all the tourists that come with it). As we didn't arrive to about 5pm it was already dark and the lights were all lit up and it is just beautiful. Gorgeous window displays, decorations and light fittings all work together. We headed towards the Marktplatz where the Christmas markets were but they were only small compared to the ones we have previously seen. I decided to tackle the 220 steps and climb up to the Rathaustrum where there was viewing platform. Mum chose to stay on the ground which was a wise choice because the steps soon bacame wooden ladders and narrower and narrower until the one to the get to get to the platform. It was a tiny entrance and out you popped. They said a maximum of 20 people out here at a time. I would hate to see 20 people out there at once but the views were good.
Mum and I decided to do the Night Watchman tour which is famous here and we can highly recommended it. Went for about an hour and the guide told us a little history of the job of the night watchman and history of the town too in a very entertaining way. He told us that near the end of the war, Rothenburg was air bombed but luckily it was a foggy night and most of the bombs hit outside of the walled city. There was then going to be a ground attack but the general to give the orders knew the history of the town (his mum had visited years ago and had a painting of the town at her home) and gave the SS who were occupying the town a chance to surrender. Word is that the SS General normally in charge would never have surrendered but he was out of town at the time so the next in charge accepted the proposal and the Americans took over the town the next day and Rothenburg was saved.
We wandered past the towns oldest original building dating back to 900, now housing a wine tavern called Zur Holl (Hell). As the night watchman said, if someone tells you to "go to hell" now you have a alternative place to go.
After the tour finished up, it was 9pm and most of the tourists had disappeared off the streets as the shops and markets close at 8pm. Took the time to get the tripod out and take some photos and play around with the camera.
No rush this morning to get going and after breakfast I re-paked mum's suitcase and introduced her to the idea of rolling instead of packing clothes flat. I know it won't make the bag lighter but it won't be so bulky. I then walked back to the train station to try and buy our train ticket for Monday. I didn't want to have to worry on Monday morning plus I knew there was only one ticket machine and though it could be busy. I got talking to some people at the station who were also doing the same thing as me and it turns out they are also joining the same river cruise we are. They asked if I had received the email about the change and I said no. They told me that apparently one of the locks near Passau is broken so the boat can't get to Nuremburg. We have to go to a hotel instead and will receive further info once there. Wasn't the news I wanted to hear that is for sure.
Got back and told mum and we checked our emails and nothing. Used skype to ring the boat and they gave us the details of where to go on Monday. Will just have to wait and see what happens.
We spent about an hour walking along the old town walls, overlooking the city and rooftops. Next stop, Jakobskirche, a Lutheran church began in 14th century. Beautiful stained glass windows but what people pay to see (yep, they charged a 2eruo entrance fee) is Heilig Blut Altar (Sacred Blood Altar), a beautifully carved alter with the Last Supper and a gilded cross with a capsule made of rock crystal which is said to contain three drops of Christ's blood.
We then visited the Christmas Museum which is within a Kathe Wohlfahrt store. This store is famous for it's Christmas decorations, some of which we did purchase in Bamburg. The museum had old decorations on display and told the history of celebrating Christmas, trees, ornaments, etc. Once out of the museum, you enter their winter wonderland. We probably spent about an hour in here and I will admit, towards the end I was done. If you are not a big fan of Christmas commercialism or crowds, this would not be the place for you!!!
We escaped with a few purchases and then decided to head back to Hell for dinner. It was only about 5.30pm but because it gets dark so early, you think it is much later than what it really is. Inside the tavern it was very cozy. Lucky we did go early because otherwise they were booked out later. Mum finally found somewhere that had a sweet wine she could drink so she had a couple and for dinner we both had pumpkin soup followed by our mains. Mum tried the Roast Beef which was served with pasta and a side salad while I had Venison with potato dumplings and brussell sprouts (although when she told us the special she did say cauliflower). Both came with lots of gravy and we though of grandpa who loves his gravy. He wouldn't have had to ask for more. Talking of gramps, he sent us an email saying it looks like we may need to go on a diet because of all the food we have put on the blog. All I can say is "Gramps, we actually haven't eaten that much". We tend to have a good breakfast and then most days we really haven't had lunch and then just dinner, and even some of those nights, it hasn't been anything big. Plus, with all the walking we have been doing, no diet required!!
After dinner it was time for some more photos in a different part of town. It seemed a little colder tonight, my hands were getting frozen taking the photos and carrying the tripod...metal gets very cold, but again it was worth it. For desert, we did try Schneeballen, which is basically fried dough covered with different glazes or had a filling. We bought 2 but couldn't even eat half of one. Not sure how they are so popular.
So tomorrow is the day we find out what is happening with the cruise. Was already to unpack our bags for 7 nights but for now, it doesn't look like that is going to happen. Hopefully they are well organised to deal with this type of change.
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