Rothenburg ob der Tauber (on the Tauber river) is a charming and romantic city that time forgot. Never destroyed by war, the beautiful buildings inside the fairy tale walls and towers exude German quaintness to the max. That it was beautifully decorated for the Christmas, all the better.

It was obvious the city markets were ready for the crowds. There was live outdoor music of various kinds with regularity. We meandered the outdoor streets and admired the wondrous creativity that captured the architecture of the city. Every street was picture perfect. We stopped to eat in a wonderful restaurant overlooking the St. Jacob Church. It was classy and the food excellent. I had veal in cream sauce and root vegetables.

Our long lunch concluded, we stopped into the St. Jacob Lutheran Church with its two grand towers which houses amongst its precious art, the famous Riemanschneider Altar, which contains a vile of blood, traditionally considered from Christ at the Crucifixion. Because of this, the church has always been one of the most important on the pilgrimage route. Once we entered, we noticed that the church was packed. An Advent service was in progress. We were allowed entrance and marveled at the adult choir, the children’s choir, the orchestra, the pipe organ and recorder choir. We were blessed!

Once outside it was cold and we were glad we had dressed warmly. We went to more Christmas Market and then to the flagship Kathe Wolfarte Christmas store. Housed in classic Rothenburg style, it was overwhelming. Christmas items, artfully displayed on end! Randy and Melisa tried valiantly to buy a hand crafted/carved wooden Christmas tree; unfortunately, in the end, it was unavailable until next year. Oh, did I forget to say, Randy was wearing a Christmas stocking hat that had lights!

As evening fell, so did the temperatures and we headed back to our apartment in Nuremberg. We had one hitch in that a train was delayed. Randy and Kathy had time for a break and went to the station food and facilities area. Randy, unfortunately, forgot to bring me the coke light he was supposed to buy. He acted like he didn’t remember as the Christmas lights on his head blinked. We are having a grand time. WEG