Medieval Roamings in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Last night Jordan and I started to idly chat about where we might like to take our friends and family when they visit later this year and next. At the risk of ruining the surprise for all our potential house guests (sorry, I’m not sorry), one of the places that we absolutely plan to take everyone is Rothenburg ob der Tauber. If you need convincing that this little medieval city is worth the trek then stay tuned as I try earnestly to persuade everyone.

These were the sights that greeted us upon arriving at Rothenburg. The city dates back until around 950, and was officially founded in 1170, so we’re talking about a very old part of the world. Not to veer too far into history nerdom, but the city became a Free Imperial City in the 1200s, which meant this place was happening.

We were there in early March, and despite the lingering cold from winter, the town was buzzing and signs of spring were starting to pop up. I desperately want to go back in late spring, when everything is in full bloom, and then during the Christmas market season because something tells me Rothenburg knows how to do a proper Christmas market….

Gives new life to the term sausage-fest, no?

In case you’re still not sold, a veritable host of filmmakers have found the city so beautiful and picturesque that it has been used for scenes in Pinnocchio, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Wonderful World of the Brother’s Grimm, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 1. 

In another bout of history nerdom, Rothenburg was declared the ‘most ideal German city’ by the Nazis in the years leading up to, and during, World War II. Once the United States entered the war though, and started bombing German cities, U.S. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy urged U.S. Generals not to use heavy artillery to take the city because of its historical significance, and its beauty. The Germans defending Rothenburg surrendered the city peacefully in order to preserve it, an act that went against the wishes of Adolf Hitler for what it’s worth. Tourism has since flourished and it seems those Germans made a wise decision, because Rothenburg makes for quite a visit.

Jordan and I spent an entire day wandering, with no particular itinerary, which was an exceedingly nice change of pace. I was especially giddy during our trip, but more on that in a few days… Of course, no trip to any German city is complete without sampling the local beer and food.  Which includes Sauerbraten. Which is delicious.

After lunch we decided to venture into one of the city’s museums, the Kriminalmuseum or…Criminal Museum. I was studying law, punishment, and witchcraft in early modern Europe at the time, and this museum had a noteworthy collection of documents and artifacts on the subject. I won’t spoil the fun inside though–even if you’re not studying the subject matter, it was an entertaining, slightly gruesome, and worthwhile visit!

Another important feature of any Rothenburg trip are the Schneeballen, or snowballs. They’re the authentic dessert of Rothenburg: egg dough fried and then covered in sugar and/or chocolate.

Finally, make sure you take some time to walk along the city walls. They’re the hallmark of a medieval city after all!

So for everyone coming to visit, I hope you’re okay with one of our day trips, and for everyone else, I hope you have the chance to explore Rothenburg ob der Tauber too!

Picture Perfect in Zurich

Before the long weekend I gave everyone a peek into my luggage, so it seems only fair that I offer a much prettier picture–or twenty–of Zurich. We did plenty of walking, saw the major sites and ate our fair share of delicious food. I’ll try to keep the commentary to a bare minimum and let the pictures do most of the talking.

Here’s our first glimpse of Zurich, with the Grossmünster to the left, and the Alps hanging out prettily in the background. We ended up indulging in some fantastic Valentine’s day eats after this early evening stroll. In my opinion, my dinner choice was by far the best:

that (not so little) little beauty is a generous tub of cheesy goodness. Specifically, a mixture of four different cheeses and prosecco. It came with all the usual fixings, as well as pears, to submerge in a cheese bath. So my night pretty much consisted of spear, dunk, eat, and repeat. I don’t hate it one bite…I mean bit.

On day two we got down to business and explored Zurich properly. 

Views from atop the Grossmünster, definitely worth the climb.

Another guy with the right idea–look at that view!

Who doesn’t love a few old, gorgeous, churches?

However, after plenty of exploring we once again found ourselves with grumbling stomachs and found a farmers market just in the nick of time. After carefully scoping out the vendors, we went with bread and cheese as the perfect midday snack. 

We followed that up with some more exploring around and on Lake Zurich…

 By which point, it was definitely time for dessert.

Normally I don’t get as excited about cake as other people (most normal, rational, human beings). However, some places are just too damn cute. Case in point? Cupcake Affair. They have the most beautiful cupcakes and cupcake towers on display…

Naturally, we got some of the miniatures to sample their wares. I have to admit that even I was very impressed. I had the mango passionfruit and Jordan indulged in the chocolate raspberry. There was much mmmmmming to go around.

After cupcakes though, we embraced another petite dessert that is near and dear to my heart.

French macarons really do take first place for me. Our box had something for everyone in it…chocolate, fleur de sel caramel, vanilla bean,  and chocolate banana for him. Meanwhile I went right for the lumiscent, gold colored champagne morsel pictured above. It was incredible. Then, since the box does instruct you to eat these particular macarons immediately, I happily devoured the raspberry, lemon, pistachio, and so on. You can find these bad boys, along with countless other desserts, at Sprüngli Zurich on Bahnhofstrasse.

I hope that virtual ‘taste’ of Zurich was almost as enjoyable for you as it was for me, and after a few days at the gym I’m feeling a little less guilty about all those tastes myself. If you do ever have the chance to visit, find a few hours to stroll about and take a boat ride on Lake Zurich. Then grab a few treats, bread, and some cheese and you’ll feel very good about life–guaranteed!

Getting on track

With a week of Germany under my belt, I’m beginning to fall back into our Deutsch routine and thankfully, the time-zone. It’s been a productive week, despite the fact that this blog has nothing to show for it, and I hope the pictures below do it justice.

Nothing says welcome home like a giant, three-layer, chocolate cake. That was my thinking when Jordan and I hosted a dinner party for our friends and decided that dessert would make up for the fact that our furniture had yet to arrive. Thus, squeezed into one armchair, one loveseat, a few chairs and one and a half tables, nine of us tucked into dinner, wine and cake. I am proud to announce though, that a few days later our furniture made an appearance and the house is finally full of chairs, pictures, books, pots and pans! Let the real  fun commence immediately.

Jordan and I decided that since the sun made a rare and brief appearance on Saturday, Prague would be a worthwhile venture given that it is a mere two hour drive from our home. So we bundled up, grabbed my camera and went exploring.

I could eat this for days. The clever czechs made the wise choice of taking dough, wrapping it around a spit and baking it over an open flame until cooked golden brown, only to dust it in cinnamon, sugar and chopped almonds. The results are ridiculously delicious and sinfully comforting when it starts to get too cold to feel your fingers and toes.

This coming Saturday we have plans to venture into the Czech Republic again for a spa day, and ample amounts of the famous Czech beer.  Pictures, details and thoughts forthcoming and until next time, sbohem and Auf Wiedersehen!