Afternoon in Rothenburg

An optional afternoon trip today was to the historic town of Rothenburg. It is completely surrounded by the old walls and turrets built back in 12th Century. You can walk along the ramparts and admire the views of the town from there. We also saw plaques on the walls of the ramparts where families and businesses "bought" sections to help raise money to restore and keep the wall intact.

It felt like you were transported back in time as there was no signs of modern life other than the odd cable TV antennae (and many had painted these to blend in). From the view on the ramparts into people's gardens with clothes hanging out etc it was obvious it was a normal residential area despite looking like a fairytale. Parts of the new movie version of Beauty and the Beast were filmed here.

Another couple of things it is known for is the large Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop and museum. It also houses the headquarters for Birkenstock sandals. I'm so glad I went as it was such a charming place to visit.Read more