Frankfurt – Würzburg – Rothenburg ob der Tauber
This morning we had one last chance to look out over the city skyline of Frankfurt before heading down to breakfast (thankfully there were no arguments about it this time as we were now officially part of the tour group). Our coach arrived just before breakfast, so after grabbing a quick bite, we were back to the room to sort out the last of our luggage before making it down to where it was waiting outside the hotel. Aside from a brief delay sorting out the fact that the hotel staff had brought down all of the suitcases bar two (mine and Vanessa’s), once that was rectified we were on our way.
It didn’t take long for us to reach the motorway and we were soon heading south, across the River Main, and off on our way towards the first destination for the day, the city of Würzburg, where we would have some time for lunch and a visit to the Christmas markets.
The Autobahns in Germany are fantastic, with a top speed limit around most of the urbanised areas of 120kph, although once you reach the more rural areas, there is no speed limit as such, and pretty soon we were watching a steady stream of Porsches, AMG Mercedes, Audis and BMWs fly past us at speeds we could only dream of travelling at in Australia. The coach itself was limited to 120kph, and the ride was extremely comfortable. After an hour we were pulling into a rest stop for a quick coffee and toilet break, in a wooded area where the trees were all white with frost, as the outside temperature hovered at around 0°C
After downing a surprisingly good coffee, and handing over €1 per person to use the toilets, we were once again on our way. There were a surprising number of what our tour guide described as Buzzards sitting on various fence posts and flying over the paddocks, and at one stage we even saw a roadkill wild boar beside the road. Given my track record with kangaroos lately, I’d hate to have hit that thing in anything smaller than a prime mover, especially in an area where there were no speed limits.
In what seemed no time at all though, the Fortress Marienberg was coming into view, as we made our way along the southern bank of the Main. A short distance past that we saw the Alte Mainbrücke (Old Main Bridge) heading across the river, and within a few moments we were collecting our things, rugging up, and walking across it into the old town.
We made our way through the town, past the Würzburger Dom (Würzburg Cathedral), and up the hill to the Würzburg Residence, a stunning 18th Century Baroque Palace that was the former home of the prince-bishops of the Bavarian city of Würzburg.
After checking out the impressive exterior and gardens, it was then a short stroll down the hill back to the cathedral for a quick look at the religious iconography inside and out, before we headed to the main town square and the start of a very extensive stretch of Christmas markets.
The market stalls here were not quite as ornate as those in Frankfurt, but they were still quite impressive. We hunted up some Glühwein to warm our bellies (and to add another Christmas market mug to our growing collection), and we also had our first taste of the1/2 metre Bratwurst that was on offer throughout the markets, which turned out to be delicious. Later we managed to find a stall selling Kartoffelpuffers, but although these ones were still quite tasty, they were nowhere near as thick, crispy, creamy or delicious as those we’d had in Frankfurt.
With the crowds starting to build, we eventually left the Christmas markets behind, and made our way to a little wine shop at the foot of the old bridge. Here we sampled some local Franconian wines including Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, Pinot Noir and Cabernet, and while the reds were pleasant and refreshing, they were far lighter than anything we were used to, and we far preferred the whites. We purchased a bottle of each, the Riesling coming in a special bottle called a Bocksbeutel, similar to that seen with Portuguese wines such as Mateus, and commonly used for wines of the Franconian region.
A short time later we were back on the coach and heading towards our final destination for the night, the mediaeval town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Arriving shortly before 3:00 pm, we parked up briefly in a bus park outside of the town walls while we waited for a local “pilot” to board the coach and guide the driver through the only gate in the town capable of allowing safe passage for buses, and through the tiny, cobblestoned streets to our hotel for the next two nights, The Altes Brauhaus (The Old Brewery).
With a quick check-in, we were soon able to dump our bags in our rooms and head outside to explore Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a town we have visited twice before and one we were very much looking forward to spending some extra time in. In fact, part of the reason why we chose this particular tour was that it gave us the opportunity to experience Rothenburg after the crowds of tourists had all left for the afternoon, however what we hadn’t accounted for was the fact that this is Christmas time, and with this being a weekend and the markets being open until 8:00 pm, most of the tourists didn’t actually leave, and if anything the crowds grew as the afternoon wore on.
Nonetheless we were still interested in having a look around at the market stalls, and I managed to convince Vanessa to try the hot apple cider, which has now become the market beverage of choice for the two of us. Of course, as a bonus, it also gave us the opportunity to add to our mug collection.
One thing we noticed with these markets was that there seemed to be a lot more stalls selling unique things rather than the same run-of-the-mill items we’d seen at some of the other markets. In fact, one of the most impressive stalls specialised in all sorts of coloured wools and yarns – we couldn’t help thinking there were a few people back home we knew would love to be there with us right at that moment!
After a quick trip back to the hotel to freshen up, we once again headed to the main square where we were to join the group for dinner. Arriving early, we stepped inside the store next to the restaurant, one of a number of different stores attached to the Käthe Wohlfahrt chain, where we were delighted to find a new addition to our travelling entourage – a stuffed GSP toy that we’ve named Rowdy, in honour of our recently departed boy Reinhardt.
After a dinner that was best described as adequate, we made our way back out onto the chilly streets of Rothenburg for a private guided tour with one of the famous “Nightwatchmen” of the town. The tour was both informative and enjoyable, and despite the cold it was well worth our time. I’d thoroughly recommend that if you’re ever in this part of the world, you make it along to one of these fabulous walks. Public tours with the Nightwatchmen begin in the town square at 8:00 pm each night and last about an hour.
Amazingly, as soon as the clock in the town square struck 8:00pm, the stalls in the market shuttered their windows, and just like that the crowds disappeared, many into the numerous hotels and B&Bs within the city walls, but many more back to their cars and off to other places. With our tour winding up around 9:00pm, we ourselves headed back through the now deserted streets and back to our hotel for some well-deserved sleep.
