Rothenburg ob der Tauber

This past weekend, we packed ourselves and the furry members of our family into the car and spent a couple of days in ridiculously charming Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rothenburg was one of the largest, most important cities in Europe during the middle ages, and it is still impecably preserved today.  Unfortunately, following the 30 Years War (1618-1648), the city was ruined financially, and they spent the next 200 years in a state of perpetual poverty.  It is such an excellent example of a walled medieval city today, only because it was preserved by poverty.  Around the middle of the 19th century, Rothenburg was rediscovered by tourists, and eventually, their economy was booming once more.

Then came World War II.  Parts of Rothenburg were bombed by America, and sections of the city were destroyed.  Fortunately, the US Assistant Secretary of War had grown up hearing about how beautiful and wonderful Rothenburg was from his mother, who had been there as a tourist, and he eventually intervened and insisted that Rothenburg be taken without the use of artillery.  Fortunately, the German military commander, holed up in Rothenburg, decided to ignore good old Adolf's command to defend Rothenburg to the end, and surrendered the town.  After the war was over, Rothenburg was financially strapped once again, the walls and buildings were repaired largely due to donations that poured in from around the world.

Ever since we moved here, what I've heard from people over and over again is how Rothenburg is the best city in Germany to visit, and I was determined to squeeze it in before I turned in my traveling shoes for a while.  Perhaps this wasn't the GREATEST decision, as admittedly, it was a very difficult weekend physically, but I'm really glad I got to see it, and I defintely want to go back again before we leave so that I can enjoy it more.
We stayed at the adorable Hotel Klosterstüble, right in the heart of Rothenburg, and spent most of our time just wandering up and down the streets and exploring the adorable shops.  If you're in search of awesome German souveniers, Rothenburg is the place to go!  We were foiled in our attempt to buy a gorgeous Nutcracker that we saw in a window when the shop seemingly disappeared from where we thought it was, but did come away with a Christmas tree ornament and two adorable teddy bears for our adorable baby girls.

We also spent plenty of time eating--we had our first German sushi at Japan Restaurant Louvre--and hitting the touristy highlights.  We walked part of the wall, although my sciatica wouldn't allow me to make it all the way around.  We checked out the Medieval Crime & Punishment museum--fortunately they had lots of benches!  And we went on the obligatory Night Watchman's tour.

And now, for really, real, that was our last little vacay before the girls make their arrival.  I'm hoping that I'll be up for a few more day trips over the next few weeks, but the weekend taught me a very important lesson about how, for the time being, I really need to sleep in my own bed at night!

Comments

[Elle sees]

I love your trip recap! And of course your weekly updates

[Solange]

That is such a beautiful place! I will have to put it on my travel wishlist. Thanks for such a great recap-I feel like I was there with you. Looking forward to more fun updates.

[katelin]

I love these little vacations, seriously this place looks so cute!

[Elizabeth]

What an adorable town! I love that you're getting a bunch of travel in before the babies come!