Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Today we ventured east to the town of Rothenburg. I had visited here before and from my memories as well as some recommendations from work friends, it seemed like a good place to go for a day trip.

Upon arriving in the town, we were hoping to find an obvious good parking garage near to the downtown area but driving into the city proved to be very confusing. We ended up driving in places where we were sure no cars should have been allowed (through cobblestone courtyards and narrow streets) but eventually we found a spot to park right near the main square. Throughout the day, tour buses and other cars also were driving on these streets so I guess we were OK.

After looking at a few shops, we went into the main square when on the hour at certain times throughout the day, the main clock will have a display where there is a "re-enactment" of an ancient event when the town mayor drank a huge mug of wine to save Rothenburg which was under seige at the time. Well, it was not worth the 5 minutes we stood around waiting for it. In fact, the cuckoo clocks for sale in the town stores were more impressive. A window opened, a dark figure drank from a glass...and that was it.

However, the day got better after this. A brief stop for lunch then a couple of hours spent walking around the town looking in shops. while making our way away from the main square towards the town walls. Rothenburg is famous for being completely enclosed by stone walls as a defence from medieval times. Mindy was not as keen to climb up there and walk around...apparently she does not share my desire to get on top of high things and look at the view...as would become clear later. The kids had a good time sticking their heads through the holes in the wall and waving to Mindy down below.

Next was a horse drawn carriage ride through the town. The highlight of the ride for Naomi was watching the driver catch the horse poop in a bucket. The carriage dropped us back in the main square and so we (I) decided that it would be a good idea for us to climb up to the tower of the town hall, the highest point in the town. I did not expect to find a lift to the top but must admit to expecting to find a better staircase. As we neared the top, the steps became steeper, narrower and more dangerous. Eventually we got to climb what amounted to a 12 foot ladder to get out on the tower. The view was great and worth the effort but Mindy was too worried about the kids to really enjoy it. She was (understandably) concerned with how we were going to get back down with two small kids, a stroller and video camera bag. The descent was made more difficult by a group of tourists who seemed to want to push past us.

After this, souvenirs for the kids - a princess bag for Naomi and a wooden toy on a spring (that is now stretched out) for Fiona then back to Heidelburg. All in all, a good day and the town was certainly worth spending a day to see.

A little something David left out that I thought was interesting - the toilets. In the women's bathrooms there were no seats, there were only black squares on the rim of the toilet???? I assumed the black squares were where your feet should go, as if you were going to squat on the toilet. I saw a woman doing this in Penn Station once. I don't know? The girls gave it a try and got pee all over the floor. David said the men's room had a seat! What a sexist town - giving the men seats and expecting the women to squat!!