Rothenburg ob der Tauber

About an hour away from here is the famous city of Rothenburg. It is a medieval town whose citizens vowed to keep it just as it was in the Middle Ages. The walls around the city date back to the 13th century. It is a perfectly preserved medieval town. Very beautiful.

This is the outside of the Rothenburg city wall.

Once inside the city you can walk up the old, steep stone steps and walk on top of the wall (ramparts). They are remarkably unchanged since the 14th century. The passageways are very narrow, but the view of the city is nice and it is just great fun to walk on the wall!

This is a view of the Galgentor (Gallows Gate).

The imposing Rathaus (Town Hall) reflects the former wealth of this small town. Can you spot my kids?

This is a picture I took from a window in the rathaus of some buildings on the city square.

This was a picturesque spot on the city square with the half-timbered buildings. If you look close, you can see Katriana in front of the fountain and Josef off to the side of it.

A unique pastry you can only find in Rothenburg are schneeballen. They are a dough ball made in a special cooking iron. You can get them with things like sugar, chocolate and coconut on them and some have a filling inside. If one comes to Rothenburg you need to taste a shneeballen. Personally, I don't care for them as I find them quite bland. They do look pretty though.

This is a view of the city from the gardens. You can see the wall amongst the trees. It is a beautiful view of the Tauber valley from here.

It is just really neat to walk in an old medieval city and wonder what life was like here centuries ago and who walked where I was walking.