Travelling Back In Time (Part 3): Medieval Towns in Germany

The Romantic Road is a marketing nomenclature for 350 km of medieval towns and countryside in Bavaria, southern Germany, and we spent 3 days exploring different towns in our journey from Frankfurt to Munich. For Hubby and me, these 3 days were the best and most enjoyable part of our holiday. We immersed deep into the small, unknown towns of medieval Germany, and revelled in the fact that we were lost in time.

I find the history of Germany fascinating. Do you know Germany only became a unified country back in the late 19th century? Before that, Germany was rarely united, and hundreds of independent states and rulers existed. I think this is part of the reason why the residents of Germany are full of pride and self-initiation in whatever they do – and it is very apparent in the excellent condition of their buildings, their processes, their work, etc – because they had never needed to rely on a central authoritative government or ruler in the past.

Solar-powered wind energy is very common in green Germany

Anyway, back to the trip. Here are some highlights of the Romantic Road trip!

Wurzburg

As we departed from urban Frankfurt, we were captivated by the gradual transition from a big, commercial city to the rolling meadows of the countryside, seeing charming villages set at the foot of little hills, and an expansive horizon of meadows and farms. 



We started off the Romantic Road trip with a brief stop in Wurzburg, a bustling town from the 4th to 5th century. The imposing Fortress Marienberg set on a hilltop, with views of a monumental bridge hailing from the Middle Ages across a broad, serene river, as well as myriad spires from the majestic architecture of the town, were most memorable for me.

Shortly after Wurzburg, we visited a historic manor house owned by a Count, with gardens resembling that of Versailles Palace's in France. It was liberating just to stroll in the gorgeous gardens, and the rich Baroque interiors of the dancing hall made a deep impression on us.

 

Rothenburg ob der Tauber

We spent a night in Rothenburg - and oh, what a fabulous 24 hours that was! Rotherburg is the epitome of German romance and chivalry, and the moment we entered the walled medieval town, I could immediately tell why.

Nestled in resplendent, exquisite, rolling countryside, with majestic guard towers, lordly gateways and magnificant historical city walls, the antiquated town is the most well preserved of all the small towns in southern Germany. The ubiquitous half-timbled fachwerk cottages and houses dot the entire cobblestoned, walled town which is redolent of gallant knights and regal ladies.

We wandered in the dreamy countryside with little vineyards, aqueducts and manor houses.

We explored country lanes in the surrounding woods, blowing gigantic dandelions, peering up at ancient trees that the girls claimed were Enid Blyton's Faraway Tree, peered into an empty but pretty bird's nest, daydreamed at miniature, growing grapes in the vineyard. What a heavenly afternoon!

 

We browsed in quaint, dark little shops that sell the most amazing merchandise, from a whole shop full of the most beautiful Christmas accessories to resplendent chess sets with fantastical pieces (which Hubby could not resist buying!).

 

 

One of the chess sets that we bought, and the Bees with their father had been busy playing with them since then!

 

A multitude of exquisite Christmas decor items!

 

 

Sausages and frankfurters galore!

Schneeballen, a Bavarian delicacy that is very sweet and crunchy!

We dined alfresco under the ambrosial sunlight and ambled along cobblestoned streets in the tangerine golden rays of a 8pm sun.

In the evening, we set out to join the historic Night Watchman's Tour, where a night watchman related tales of this medieval town from eons back.

Unfortunately, jetlagged Little Bee fell asleep in our arms midway through the tour, and we had to return to the hotel.

Our hotel was an absolute charmer - it was a lovely guesthouse run by a very friendly woman called Marian, whom we had many amiable conversations with.

The Bees love her big French sheepdog, and breakfast was spent playing incessantly with it.

We stayed in a spacious room with 2 queen-sized beds up on the highest floor (3rd floor!) of her guesthouse, and loved the quaintness of it all. We had to lug our heavy luggages up all 3 levels of her spiral staircase, and we slept without air-conditioning, with the windows opened to the fresh, beautiful air of the Rothenburg countryside - and we revelled in this country living! I remember waking up in the middle of the night to absolute silence...no sound of moving cars or late-night party-goers. This is truly the sound of the real planet earth - the sweet silence of nature in slumber.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early for breakfast. The breakfast was the best we had in this whole trip! It was a homely breakfast set in the cosy and heartwarming dining room of her beautiful guesthouse, and we loved all the personal touches of her country-styled breakfast! It was a truly memorable stay here.

 

What I love about German breakfasts - an abundance of fresh vegetables and fruits!

We then spent more time exploring the rest of Rothenburg - once again, we wandered into quiet historical courtyards, and eventually ambled to the ancient walls of the town, much to our delight. The scenery around us was so picturesque that everything was heartachingly beautiful - the charming outline of the town from outside the walls, alluring courtyards with little flowers blooming, an archaic dark brown bridge spanning the inner and outer city walls on which I could just visualise ancient knights galloping into town.

We even had the amazing opportunity to stroll on the grassy patch of the now-defunct moat and chanced upon a big, dark loft with a huge cannon room within the walls. It was somewhat creepy and the Bees were a little spooked, but Hubby and I were thrilled with our discovery!

We also spent some time wandering about the surrounding woods that resembled something straight out of the Lord of the Rings - damp forest grounds full of busy ants, emerald-green foliage and dim surroundings. We strolled for a while in the outer areas of the woods but did not venture deeper because the Bees felt pretty uneasy in the dark, lonely woods where not a soul was to be found!

After a sumptuous lunch set in the most picture-perfect restaurant where we had a bird's eye view of the surrounding countryside and the beautiful outline of the town's buildings, we set off finally from this gorgeous little town, much to our melancholy.

On that day alone, we stopped by several thousands-year-old medieval towns like Dinkelsbühl, Nördlingen and Ausburg, where each town has its own distinctive flavour and specialty.

Dinkelsbühl

Dinkelsbühl is somewhat similar to Rothenburg, but much quieter, with beautifully preserved buildings dating back from the Middle Ages. Their cobblestoned streets are broader, and thus a little more impersonal to me. Their houses are a lot wider and bigger, and there are blackletter labellings of every single house which really captivated me!

We stopped here for a little ice-cream set in an alfresco cafe beside a man playing a fiddle - how relaxing! But most of all, we were struck by the majestic cathedral of Dinkelsbühl, with magnificant interiors!

Nördlingen

I was most enthralled by the history of Nördlingen, a 1,115-year-old walled ancient town set in a crater of a meteorite impact, with its impressive tower built with the rock formed from that impact! Again, its plazas and market squares were a lot wider than of Rothenburg as well, and I did not quite grasp the small quaint town feel here.

Ausburg

Ausburg is the third oldest city in Germany (older than all the historic towns we visited), so it has this bustling large town feel with trams, modern shops, and rich, large patriarchal buildings which I did not really like. There were some beggars around, and we felt like lost kids in a big city!

In all, we felt like we were literally lost in another time, another age - and truly revelled being part of this historical journey of medieval Germany!