Destination...Europe 12-05-2017

Travel with Harry and Amanda Kearley along with Linda and myself as we travel independently to Europe to experience the Christmas market in Europe. Our journey will take us through southern Germany, the Austrian Alps and the Alsace Lorraine region of France.

This trip was in the planning stage for well over a year. Departure time had finally arrived. Rather than driving straight to Atlanta and catching a flight to Frankfurt, Germany, we left a day early to attend the Auburn game in its attempt to win the SEC Football Championship. We met Jerry and Mary Ann Hankins and went to the Mercedes Benz stadium to watch the game. To our regret, we were unsuccessful in this endeavor. We left Atlanta on Sunday for Europe, determined to put the football game behind us. We will reflect on it while we are in the Alps.

We had an uneventful 8 hour flight to Frankfurt and went from shorts weather and landed in a winter wonderland. Snow, sleet, and the Christmas season going full bore. We picked up a Volvo at the Frankfurt airport and headed for Rothenburg. In all this planning, I left my European road maps at home. The Volvo is very nice, however, everything was in German. Audible instructions from the GPS in German language provided us with us with useless information. Fortunately, I did bring a GPS that spoke in English. These trips present challenges. It makes you appreciate the small successes. By the time we got to Rothenburg we were able to change the language to English, figured out the GPS, and operate the climate system. Harry is driving. He is in his element and does a masterful job.

We checked into our apartments in Rothenburg. We had two apartments located in the city center. We were able to park our car and walk everywhere. Our apartments are very nice. The building, dating back to the 17th century, was orignally a barn. If the animals enjoyed it as much as we have, I am sure they lived a good life. After we settled in, we began our European Christmas adventure and what better place to start it than right here. Rothenburg is one of the most famous medieval cities in Europe and they have transformed their city in to a Christmas wonderland.

Rothenburg ob der Tauber (short also Rothenburg od T. ) is a Middle Franconian town in the district of Ansbach in Bavaria , which is located on the border with Baden-Württemberg .

With its largely preserved medieval old town Rothenburg is a world-famous sight with many monuments and cultural assets.Outstanding in the old town is that it looks very original, since it has virtually no modernist breaks, surrounded by a walkable city fortifications and embedded in the largely unspoilt, pristine landscape of the Tauber river valley.

Rothenburg was already considered a major destination for tourism in Germany before the Second World War . After destruction in the Second World War, most buildings were rebuilt true to the original.

We had lunch at the Reichskuechenmeiste restaurant. It was a very old German restaurant, in a 1400's building and a great place to have our first German meal.

After lunch, I returned to our apartment to freshen up while Harry escorted Amanda and Linda as they toured the Christmas market. Later, I met up with them and we took a break at the Gasthof Goldener Griefen for hot chocolate and beer. We returned to our apartments and had dinner at the restaurant next door before we turned in.

When I was walking back to the apartment, I was stopped by a couple that appeared to be lost. They asked me if I spoke English and could I help them. I said I do speak southern English, but probably could not help them. They were a nice couple from Houston, Texas. I wished them well.