There are several Rothenburgs in Germany so this one has the ‘above the Tauber River’ addition to it’s name.
We were up early to mist over the canal – a sure sign of a hot day ahead.
We breakfasted quickly before catching our 8:15 bus to Rothenburg.
Cheyrl and I visited this medieval gem about 10 years ago and fell in love with it. We were really looking forward to seeing it again and showing it to the Deegs.
We were docked in [Wurzburg] and drove thru town on our way to Rothenburg.
Wurzburg was the seat of a Prince Bishop so we started the day by seeing the former Residence from the bus and later seeing the newer Residence up close.
Because this was the seat of the bishop, and because the bishop was your prince, you tended to be rather religious. Thus there were many church steeples to be seen over the treetops.
Also along the way we caught a glimpse of the Old Main Bridge – modeled after the Charles Bridge in Prague.
Eventually we arrived in Rothenburg.
Our first view of the town was the wall surrounding it.
Inside we took a bio-break and then embarked on a walking tour.
The tour took just over an hour and gave us an overview of the town and enough of a feel for the place to not get totally lost.
Grain storage barn 
Lots of plants growing up houses 
Grapes were popular 
Complete with medieval street layout 
Church of St. James 
Spiral staircase 
Courtyard of city hall 
Buildings on main square 
Old town hall 
Shopping street 
Did I mention plants? 
Town’s signature ‘snowball’ pastries 
Prosperous merchant’s houst 
Medieval back lane 
Typical merchant-class house 
With a great front door! 
The oldest buildings in town
Then we were turned loose to wander, shop, get lost, get found, soak up the ambiance until lunch.
So here are a few of the things we saw.
THE shot I’ve been waiting 20 years to get! 
Palace gate 
Big and little doors 
Tauber valley and south side of town 
Tauber valley and bridge 
Guard tower 
Hotel where we stayed last time 
Covered Pathway by city hall 
Medieval shopping mall 
Rooftop view from wall 
Restaurant where we had lunch 
Wine barrel from the restaurant
Along the way we spotted several fountains and wells.
We also noted several interesting store signs.
We payed a visit to the church of St. James.
the church is on a pilgrim path 
It’s a simple gothic-style church 
Upstairs we viewed the new organ 
But most importantly we checked out the old alterpiece 
The alter of the holy blood from the early 16th C 
Note the intricate carving. 
The last supper scene is unique. Judas is front center. 
Jesus is looking at him. Compassion? Accusation? 
Christmas Boat from Tanzania 
View back to the organ 
Detail of the alter – 6 apostles 
Detail of the alter – the other 6 
First recorded image of glasses – 1466
While we were exploring sights, Tim and Diane were exploring shops.
They also dropped by the Medieval Torture Museum.
We met at the Wine Stupa for lunch.
After lunch it was back to the bus and on to our next adventure.
Back to Wurzburg
You remember the old residence?
The old residence 
The new residence 
with appropriate statuary 
and imposing facade 
an indoor place for carriages to disgorge 
Where guests ascend a grand staircase 
to be greeted by the Prince Bishop 
Surrounded by impressive statues 
and over-the-top frescoes – this is a tribute to the four continents 
Europe includes the prince, the artist, and the plasterer 
The Americas – represented by a woman in chief’s bonnet 
Guests are greeted 
and escorted into the reception room 
Where the plasterer really showed his stuff. 
The ‘cloth’ is actually paper mache 
Intricatly designed floor 
In the ball room one wall shows the crowning of the emperor 
The other wall shows the emperor raising the bishop to prince Note the dog lower right 
It’s actually painted 
Another great floor 
After the tour we were freed to explore 
The Mirror Cabinet was amazing 
Merry-go-round designed to teach the arts of war
We also found a display about the reconstruction of the building after WWII.
At the appointed hour we met our guides, and it was back to the ship and on to the next adventure.
So that was our day in Rothenburg.
I’m sorry this was so long, but it really was ‘a full and complete day’.
Tomorrow won’t be so full (Yah, Right).
Till then…
R
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