Rothenburg - gettin' mediaeval with it

Trip Start Apr 15, 2012
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Trip End May 20, 2012


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Flag of Germany  , Bavaria,
Tuesday, May 1, 2012

This marks the start of our adventures in German driving! We picked up a hire car (exciting development, in Germany 'budget compact' means 'you get an Audi') and Ash braved right-hand drive and the Autobahn with considerable aplomb. Two short hours later, we were in Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a picturesque walled town perfectly preserved since mediaeval times.

We checked into our lovely family run hotel (there's something about running into a middle aged German gent in a floral apron that can't fail to charm) before heading into town to wander around. Rothenburg is very touristy, but still worth seeing - it's popular for a reason. All the same, we were glad to be there before the extreme height of the tourist season. We were blessed with a perfect sunny day to explore the narrow lanes and cobbled courtyards.
Entry to the main town through the wall
Entry to the main town through the wall

First stop (you can probably guess which of us was more excited about this) was the Weinachtsmuseum - a Christmas museum! It was actually a little dull in and of itself, but we managed to get the most out of the experience by seeking out the most gruesome and terrifying examples of vintage Christmas decorations on display. Seriously, the 1800s must have been a miserable time to celebrate Christmas. Some of the crap dangling from their tannenbaums was truly terrifying. We felt it so important to share the horror that we surreptitiously defied the museum's photography ban, please do enjoy our gallery of grimness.

Next we found a pretty garden to sit in and listen to a traditionally costumed busker play German folk songs on acoustic guitar. Upon donating a euro, I was handed an information sheet about him and was a little disappointed to learn he was actually an Irish expat by the name of Mick (what else?). There was a great view of surrounding villages from the town walls.

Our next stop was going to be the Kriminalmuseum, apparently Germany's 'most important collection of the history of rights' (which is to say, a gory assortment of mediaeval torture implements). Sadly, we got there too late to enter. We were disappointed but philosophical - really, nothing they had could have been any scarier than what we saw in the Christmas museum anyway.

The rest of our time was basically taken up with eating again, so... there's that.
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Comments

Helen and Ray on

What great presents for rugrats that you can't stand!! Love it!!

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