Germany-Austria-Switzerland - (Days 1 and 2) September 2012

Day #1 - Charlotte to Frankfurt was totally uneventful and we arrived 7:00a local.  A breeze through immigration & customs, a cup of espresso/cappucino and a rental car all done with ease.  Unfortunately, not so lucky with iPhone SIM card - Verizon strikes again.  So, we'll do without phone service as wi-fi is so readily available everywhere.  Another challenge met and overcome - getting the on-board GPS to speak English and then to get it out of demo mode to really help us navigate!  Captain Bill to the rescue!

We arrived Rothenburg ob der Tauber just as the clock on the Town Hall struck noon - what a beautiful sound and great memories from when Sister Sue and I were here with Mom in 1975!  Our little guesthouse is perfect, just up the street from Plonlein Tower (above) with secure off-street parking right at our door.

We spent the afternoon walking the old town and having wurst & brot (bread) with sauerkraut for lunch with some fine German dry wine.

 

 

The weather is absolutely gorgeous - cool enough to be extremely comfortable walking and bright sunshine.  The flower boxes on every building are breathtaking!

 

The Town Hall in the MarketPlatz is a combination of Gothic architecture in the rear (1250-1400) and Renaissance at the front (1572-1578).

 

It truly is a walled city with narrow cobblestone streets.  We're very glad we got a small car!

 

This facade was amazing!

 

This is looking over the wall into the Tauber River valley at the Toppler Castle.  Originally part of the fortification, it is a moted castle once belonging to the powerful Lord Mayour Heinrich Toppler.

 

 

Tonight we are having dinner at the Glocke - we found the restaurant right away and, sure enough, they still have Liver & Onions and claim it is the same recipe as 37 years ago!  So, Bill says we're having dinner with Mom!

 

Don't think anyone will need to sing us a lullaby tonight!  Bill, unfortunately, didn't get any sleep on the flight over.  Guess I have just spent too much time on airplanes - I got several hours' sleep!

 

Off to Munich in the morning!

 

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Day #2 - Rothenburg to Munich

 

We had a world-class dinner last night at the Glocke - Bill said the Liver was everything Mom used to talk about!  I can attest to the quality of the weiner schnitzel and the atmosphere! 

 

 

A bottle of Glocke Wein & two dinners for $70 with exceptional service, atmosphere & memories has set the bar for the entire trip!

After dinner, we walked above the city on the wall that surrounds Rothenburg - and then returned after breakfast for pictures in the daylight! 

 





 Here is our hotel and car parked ready for the day's journey.

 

Here we are looking into the city from the wall -- flowers abound everywhere!

 

 

We took our leave of the friendly innkeeper and his lovely KoffeeHouse and headed "across the hills" to Munich.  We chose to go through the countryside rather than the AutoBahn and it was a delightful morning.  

 

Arriving in Munich at 1p, we checked into the Hotel Jedermann that we had booked the prior night via Internet.  Bill chose it from our guide book and it is a PERFECT location.  We are a quick train (~8-10 minutes) ride into the Center City and is a typical city hotel with clean, quiet rooms and friendly people.

 

It's time for lunch -- and what better place than the Hofbrauhaus!  The city is teeming with people -- in anticipation of Oktoberfest which will commence in about 10 days (last half of September).

 

 

 

The Captain and His Admiral are having a wonderful time!

 

The MarienPlatz and the Old City are beautiful, even if it seems every block has reconstruction under way.   We toured St. Michael's Church and the Treasury.  We'll return tomorrow for the Renaissanz, having 60+ rooms to explore.

 

Meet Maximillian Bavarie - from hence the region of Bavaria is named!

 

 

We returned to the hotel for a respite and then jumped the train again for a quick ride up the hill for dinner.  A typical BrauStuben (Bier House) where seating is based on number of chairs at the table rather than number of people in your party!  Had a delightful experience with laughter and good bier!

 

It was an easy and gentle walk back to the hotel, where we are ensconed for the evening.  Looking forward to a full day of exploring Munich tomorrow!

 

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