Rothenburg ob der Tauber is well-known to tourists as a great example of a medieval village. With the town wall completely intact, it’s easy to imagine yourself transported back to the Middle Ages.
Arriving via train from Bamberg, Vonia took her group to the center of town where she met up with Martin Kamphans. We’ve used Martin for our tours here for many years – I have also just learned that Rick Steves mentions Martin in his guidebook. To see Martin’s new website click here. We met Martin through a neighbor of a friend’s friend. His mastery of English is amazing and his jokes are always funny – well, almost always
We have several favorites in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Lots of tourists like the Kathe Wolfahrt Christmas Store and the Medieval Crime Museum. My favorites things to do are to walk the wall, visit the Tillman Riemenscheider Holy Blood Altar in the Jakobskirche, and to stop by the wine shop of Hotel Glocke.
Hotel Glocke makes some wonderful food and sells some interesting wines. Wine in this region is called “Frankenwein” or Franconian Wine. It comes in the famously distinctive Bocksbeutel The soft-spoken proprietor, Herr Thuerauf, is an expert in the region’s wines and makes his own. These wines are a huge deal – Vonia bought a bottle today for just 5 Euros! And, here’s another tip: He told us that the 2009 harvest in Franconia will be a magnificent year for wines. If you are wise, you’ll contact your local wine shop and reserve a case now of Franconian wine. While you likely won’t find Glocke’s wines in North America, you should be able to find the amazing wines of Hans Wirsching. We have also visited this vineyard a few times – even Elizabeth II and John-Paul II enjoy their wines.
After a long day of sightseeing in Rothenburg, Vonia got her group back to Bamberg where they enjoyed dinner at Schlenkerla. Reviews of the Smoke Beer were mixed, but the Bamberg Stuffed Onion was a huge hit. Also a bit hit was the addition of Wolfgang and Rosi to the group with two of their friends who live in Bamberg. Wolfgang told a lot of stories and hit if off with our California guests in particular.
Tomorrow the group meets Christian for a tour of Bamberg, has lunch at Fässla and rides to the famous Nuremberg Christmas Market. In the evening, they’ll find get to meet up with Michael F. and, hopefully, visit the Mahr’s Brewery if there’s time.
For more facts: Rothenburg information