27-SEP-2007
More detail
You can see the incredibly ornate detail of the marble and statuary here.
27-SEP-2007
Heading Home
The Die Wies church was a beautiful finish to a day of exploring. We got in the car and started back to Tiefenbach, and Pferdehof Mayer.
28-SEP-2007
Day 5 - Germany
The trip to Schwangau and Neuschwanstein was a real highlight of our days in Germany. It definitely whetted our appetite for beuatiful old palaces and castles. Hopefully, France will provide more for us.
Staying in a village like Tiefenbach is great! The village is off the beaten track, and very peaceful. There is an exception, though.
Most Bavarian towns and villages are very Catholic, and the church forms the centre of the community. Tiefenbach is like that. In fact, the church there occupied a lot of my thoughts.
The Mayer home is right across the street from the church. The bells of the church ring on the hour, half-hour, and quarter-hour, 24 hours a day! There is absolutely no need for clocks in Tiefenbach!
Our bedroom faced the church, and we certainly heard it the first night. But...believe it or not, we stopped noticing it very soon.
28-SEP-2007
The church tower - an unanswered question
When I was walking around, I noticed that there was a huge nest on the peak of the church tower roof. I couldn't imagine what kind of bird would be able to make such a big nest. When I looked a little closer, it seemed like the nest was actually an artificial one, because there were wires holding it in place.
I never did ask Wendy or Uwe what it meant...maybe they'll post a comment explaining it to us.
28-SEP-2007
The Mayer cross
Like I said, most Bavarian communities and people are devout Catholics. The Mayer family even has a large cross in their front yard. I asked how long it had been there, and nobody knew. It's old, I guess....
28-SEP-2007
Rothenburg ob der Tauber
This will be our last day in Germany, since we're taking the train to France in the morning. Mona and I have mixed feelings, since we've had such a good time here. The Mayer's are great hosts, and our niece Wendy has been a wonderful tour guide..
Uwe arranged to have today off from the horse farm, and left everything on the shoulders of the hired man and his mother and sister. So....off we go to Rothenburg ob der Tauber!
Here's Wikipedia's comments on Rothenburg:
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany, well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. In the Middle Ages, it was an Imperial Free City. A significant fraction of Rothenburg is carfree.
The name "Rothenburg ob der Tauber" is actually a shortened version of "Rothenburg oberhalb der Tauber", which in German means "Rothenburg over the Tauber". This is so because the town is located on top of a mount overlooking the Tauber river. As to the name "Rothenburg", some say it comes from the German words Rot (Red) and Burg (burg, medieval fortified town), referring to the red colour of the roofs of the houses which overlook the river.
Since German does not have the th-sound (as in thin), the proper pronunciation of the first syllable of the name is more or less like English wrote, while -burg is similar to "buak." In IPA: [ro:tənbʊak ɔp dєr taʊba
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the cities on the Romantische Straße (Romantic Road) that has preserved vestiges of their medieval importance into the 21st century. A series of walls and towers defended the city over the ages, the most recent still stands and surrounds most of the older part of the city. The inner wall (built prior 13th century) also still remains. Stairwells ascend to the top of the wall at intervals, and the entire wall can be walked. In addition, the Roedertor tower at the east end of the city is opened daily to allow a climb up stairs to the vista atop it.
28-SEP-2007
A view from the wall..
When we got to Rothenburg, it was raining. Another reminder that we had somehow managed to coordinate our visit with a wet, cold front that was sitting over the area. It actually made visiting Rothenburg interesting, since we started our visit with a walk on the city walls. The previous picture gives a good sense of how extensive the city wall is...this one gives an idea how close the homes are to the wall. When this women looked out her window at the rain, she completely ignored me and my camera. Too bad...it would have looked good if she had posed for me. .
28-SEP-2007
Some posers...
I did manage to get some posed shots. Here's one of Mona, Uwe, and Wendy while we were on the wall walk. They do look a little cold, don't they...
28-SEP-2007
The Streets of Rothenburg
Rothenburg is a very-well preserved town, with cobbled streets and buildings that are definitely from another time, even though the inside is often modern and up-to-date.
28-SEP-2007
More detail
A lot of care and attention has to go toward keeping these amazing old buildings intact and true to the original style. House-painting in Rothenburg is an art! I wonder how my friend Terry would like this? Somehow, I think it would suit him perfectly to be doing something like this!
