Tour Day 5

Today was a travel day. We were off to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. We made one "comfort stop" on our way. By law, Peter needs to stop for a set amount of time every two hours. There are also laws about how many days in a row he is allowed to drive. We all ended up looking forward to these stops because it afforded us the opportunity to use the rest room, stretch our legs, get some snacks, and experience a European rest stop. 

Pro tip: make sure you have some euro coins for the bathroom. In most countries on this trip, you'll have to pay to use the toilet (but you'll get a coupon for the store upstairs in exchange!)

Once we arrived, we had some time to get settled into our room. Shortly after, we met Paul outside the hotel for our orientation walk. Part of each orientation walk included tips and tricks to help us find our hotel. This was a lifesaver! Paul made things around our hotel memorable enough that it stuck even hours after. 

We walked up the hill to the center of Rothenburg where we were set free for the afternoon and most of the evening. Ashley, Chris, Ava, and Kelsey, and I popped into another lovely biergarten for some lunch. We were doing great until it started to rain. We punted and huddled closer together under our table's umbrella. By the time our lunch came the rain had subsided. I ordered a wild boar sausage with potatoes and red sauerkraut. Yum!

Still dodging the rain, the five of us popped into St. Jakob's Church. This church is famous for housing the Altar of the Holy Blood. The altarpiece was carved between 1501 and 1505 to house a what is believed to be a drop of Christ's blood. Even as a not-so-practicing Catholic, it was very moving to see this carving and the relic it holds inside. 

This is where our small group parted ways - I was off to Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas store. Small raindrops fell as I found my way to the biggest Christmas store I had ever seen in my entire life. I skipped the upstairs Christmas museum, and enjoyed both window shopping and actual shopping in the store. If Christmas is your thing, I would HIGHLY recommend a stop in here. If you can think of a Christmas scene or have a specific color scheme in mind, you can find it here. The staff were super friendly and helpful and even set me up with my Value Added Tax (VAT) paperwork for my purchases. 

I was feeling adventurous but still looking for an activity that would keep me mostly dry. I found the entrance to the ramparts that were closest to our hotel and climbed up for a stroll. It afforded me great views of Rothenburg and kept me dry. A win win!

 After wandering a section of the wall, I turned back and headed for the hotel. It was time for some refreshment. I popped into the hotel cafe for a quick aperol spritz. I couldn't quite tell if they were closing, so I quickly finished my drink and promptly bumped into Kelsey. We decided to go chase a bite to eat. 

Apparently, when in Rothenburg, the thing to do is make reservations. This we did not know. Kelsey had seen Zur Holl on a list of the best places for dessert in Rothenburg. Without thinking, we made our way over. The place was PACKED. The hostess was very nice and was able to squeeze us into a table because we promised we'd be out before their reservation arrived. Sometimes it pays to ask! I needed a more substantial meal than Kelsey's dessert so I ordered the pfifferlinge in rahmsauce, or chanterelles in white gravy, with a dumpling. It was so good! 

At that point, it was time to catch up with the rest of our group and join the Night Watchman on his route through Rothenburg. The Night Watchman was a great guide. We got a more in-depth look of Rothenburg's history with a side of humor. We wandered all through town and then out to the gardens, which I had missed on my earlier walk. The rain had finally cleared and left an eerie mist lingering over Rothenburg. Somehow it fit the atmosphere quite nicely. At the conclusion of the tour, I called home and made my way to bed. Tomorrow was another travel day!