Day 4, Friday, September 14, 2018

Itinerary: Lucerne to Hohenzollern to Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Time awake: 6:55 AM (awoke about 6:00 AM and tried to get back to sleep but couldn’t)

Odometer (in kilometers/miles) at start 9/14: 9891

Weather: Lovely all day

Steps: 15214

Asleep:

Map Link(s):

Video Link(s): Dinner in Rothenbug

I slept very well but woke up at 6 AM and couldn't get back to sleep. Sharon got up then too. We again enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at the B&B nearly identical the one the day before and checked out a little before 9 AM.

I took the wheel to start, and we had no trouble getting on the highway and leaving Lucerne behind. Our route north via A4 and A81 took us around Zurich in traffic that was heavily congested yet quickly moving. Once past Zurich the traffic thinned. Our first destination of the day was Hohenzollern Castle in Germany about 130 miles from Lucerne. We stopped near the castle to fill up the gas tank, our first time doing so. There was no pay-at-the-pump option as at most U.S. gas stations, and the instructions were of course in German. I went inside, and the attendant managed to make it known (through means other than the English language) that I should fill the tank and then pay. Again, not as it’s done in the U.S. These two differences were constants throughout the trip.

With the tank filled, we drove the rest of the way to the castle through the lovely German countryside. Admission to the castle including an English tour cost 12 euros apiece plus 2 euros to park. It was a bargain. Hohenzollern Castle sits atop a small mountain or high hill (take your pick) and has a commanding view of the area around for as far as the eye can see. Unfortunately, when we arrived that wasn’t very far due to fog; however, during our three-hour stay, the fog lifted and we were treated to the expansive view. The castle and its grounds are the ancestral seat of the Prussian Royal House and of the Hohenzollern Princes, and it remains privately owned by the current prince and princess—Georg Friedrich and Sophia of Prussia. One interesting tidbit we learned on the guided tour was that this was the residence of the kings of Prussia, whose namesake graces the Pennsylvania town with the big mall that’s 5 miles from our house.

The guided tour took us through the living quarters of the castle, which were ornate as one might expect. And it was done while traipsing around in large, ugly gray slippers so as not to mar the beautiful wooden floors. The young lady who served as our guide was informative and droll in a manner often encountered among tour guides. Photos were not allowed during the tour, as is usual in such places, so none were taken until it was over. After the tour, we were ready for lunch. And since it would have been hard to beat the view, we had it there in a remote corner of the outside dining area. First, however, we had to get some cash since they didn’t take credit cards. We split a plate of bratwursts and a couple of local beers. As I said, the view was incredible, and until a few other diners invaded our secluded niche, we had it all to ourselves.

After lunch, we checked out the gift shop, where we purchased a few small souvenirs—a couple of postcards of the royal family and the castle, a sticker, and a bottle opener (which would come in very handy very soon). Afterward, we walked around the grounds some more and then returned to the car to resume our journey. Hohenzollern proved to be a nice little stop, indeed. Long live the King of Prussia.

The fastest route from Hohenzollern to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, our destination today, covers about 136 miles, so it shouldn’t have taken much longer than two hours to traverse. It took us about 3 hours and 45 minutes due to heavy traffic, particularly in and around Stuttgart. Sharon was at the wheel the entire journey and handled the challenges exceptionally well, although by the end what with the GPS going haywire and our course through Rothenberg down extremely narrow cobblestone streets, she’d had her fill. We finally located the parking lot in front of our hotel, the Akzent Hotel Schranne, and she pulled to the side and I took the wheel. There were a few spots in the lot that might have been wide enough to fit the Jeep, but I wasn’t chancing it. Fortunately, we found a spot next to the nearby wall that partly encircles the town. I knew that one of the disadvantages of driving in Europe was going to be finding a place to park. So far it had been a challenge, as it would continue to be, but we always managed to find something.

We checked into the Akzent. Our corner room was very large, particularly by European standards, and nicely furnished with a TV and fridge. We didn’t, however, hang in it for long. Daylight was waning, and we wanted to explore. And that’s what we did. In deciding how to travel from Lucerne to Berlin, several routes were considered. The initial itinerary routed us through Baden Baden and Heidelberg, both of which were highly recommended on many of the travel sites I consulted. But that route involved about two more hours of driving and thus less time sightseeing. Hohenzollern and Rothenberg were along a much more direct route, and they seemed like ideal places to visit. And they certainly were.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber, not to be confused with the German town Rothenberg Oberzent, is a seemingly enchanted medieval town that on the surface at least hasn’t changed in centuries. It’s a real town in the sense that people live and work here (no doubt mostly catering to tourist), yet to walk down its narrow, winding cobblestone alleys is like walking through a fairy tale. I have to believe it’s as close as one can come to doing just that. The town square and streets were alive with musicians and tourists, the shops were full of lovely things (although we only bought four local beers to go), and the cafes and restaurants were all so tempting as to make it nearly impossible to pick one. We meandered this way and that, which disoriented both us and the GPS on our phones. In fact, the GPS didn’t record our course at all, which included a lengthy stretch through the medieval city wall and its intermittent watchtowers. That was romantic, cool, and a little bit unnerving since we were the only ones in those dark passageways.

After we got our bearings reset, we began our search in earnest for a place to dine. Specifically, we went looking for a lovely restaurant with outdoor seating that we’d passed early in our travels around the town. We neglected to get its name but eventually stumbled upon it again. It was called Gasthof Butz and it was charming, and so we decided it was the place. We ordered sauerbraten and soup and of course a couple of drafts. Everything was delicious and the atmosphere was like being in an enclosed garden in the middle of town, a magical town. And the tab came to only €21.20 ($24.73).

After dinner we stopped at the tavern next door called Gasthof Am weissen Turm. It was a very handsome place with an excellent beer selection. And our waitress was an attractive young woman; however, she didn’t seem to be interested in serving us. Perhaps this was because she didn’t speak English, but still I would have thought out of civility or because it was her job, she could have been a bit more attentive. We did manage to get her to serve us a round of beers, but could not get her attention to bring us another, so I went up to the bar and got them. All transactions in the place were in cash. It would have been much more enjoyable at the place had we felt welcome. Fortunately, it would be one of the very few places, if not the only one, where we would feel that way during our travels.

By this point the town had closed up, so we returned to the Hotel Schranne, where we stayed up a bit drinking a couple of the beers purchased earlier in the evening and watching German television.