Rothenburg ob der Tauber

If I had to pick a favorite place we visited on our trip Rothenburg might be it.  It has to be one of the coolest towns I've ever been to.  There is a reason it's such a big tourist attraction in Germany.  Walking around town is like taking a step back in time to medieval days.  Stone walls and towers surround the town and the charming German houses with red tiled roofs and and cobblestone streets are so fun to wander through.  You should have seen Andrew's face light up as we climbed the first tower and walked the ramparts.  Any boy would be ecstatic to explore this place.  I could just see him imagining himself as a knight in medieval times shooting arrows or dropping tar on approaching armies.  The afternoon we arrived there was one of the few beautiful days we had on our trip when it was actually warm enough to go out without a jacket and the sun was shining.  The pictures really don't do this town justice but here they are.

One of the gates to the city.  This one was just down the street from our hotel.

The massive door to the gate with a smaller door just big enough for one person to crawl through.

Andrew thought the face that they poured tar on approaching armies was really cool.

The gorgeous German countryside outside the walls of Rothenburg.

Our hotel room in Rothenburg

Skyler didn't like the knight in the foyer.  It was just Andrew's size!

A view of the walls from one of the towers.

The inside of the walls with the towers and ramparts.

Another gate to the city.

A typical German meal outside our hotel.

The next morning we woke up to a drizzly overcast day.  I guess that's why there is all the lush green countryside there!  We debated about skipping our run that morning but in the end we pulled out the rain guard for Skyler's stroller and went out anyway.  I was so glad we did!  We had a blast exploring the city this way!  The streets were deserted due to the early hour and the rain so we had the place to ourselves.  We discovered even more fun gates and towers.  We didn't get the greatest workout in since we kept having to stop to take pictures and explore towers but it made for a great morning of sight seeing!  This is one place I definitely wish we had more time to stay.

I had to include this one not because it's a great picture but because of the story.  We climbed all the way up these rickety old steps to get to the top of the bell tower.  The wind was whipping and I was terrified to be up there (notice the death grip on the rail.)  When we got down from the tower Jason said, "Where's the umbrella?"  Oops!  I had to climb up again!

This was just too cute not to include!  So glad this happy boy came with us!