Frankfurt, Germany (May 15-16, 2012)

After spending the day at Rothenberg, Mike and Corri Palmer dropped us off at our hotel in Frankfurt so that we could catch our plane home the following day.  When we booked our flights it was more economical to reserve hotels at each end, but I was told that we could later cancel the reservation.  We had not intended to use the Frankfurt hotel so I just took Expedia's recommendation, which I thought they said was near the airport.  It was actually a 20 minute taxi ride to the airport.

When the airline moved our flight up an hour we decided that it would be best to use the Frankfurt hotel, but I didn't check it out.  As we neared the hotel Diane was ready to shoot me as the neighborhood didn't look too desirable - just little things like the strip club next door!  Actually, the whole thing was serendipity as the following pictures will show.  We ended up about a ten minute walk from a very desirable part of Frankfurt to visit!

The room colors were very interesting, but this was the largest bathroom we had in all of our European hotels.

The hotel stairwell.  The inside was actually quite nice.

The hotel bordered this river and was a popular place for joggers and cyclists, as shown in the semaphore above.

The Cathedral was a landmark in the area.

A couple other views of the Cathedral.

Various photos as we walked through the area.  Some like on the right looked like a shopping area in any city, but there were also many buildings that display typical German architecture, like those shown below.

These two photos are from a square that had many outdoor food stands.  It was fairly cold, but that didn't seem to stop the people from gathering in the square.  We had dinner at one of the fish stands, paella and some white fish that was very good.  We didn't purchase popcorn below, but this stand was very colorful!

From this area you could see tall, modern skyscrapers like those to the left, and also more traditional buildings like those below.

A modern electric train ran on this road.

The square where this picture was taken was my favorite.  The statue below is also in this square.

The picture above contrasts the old with the new skyscrapers in the background.  The picture below shows a boat crew working out on the river.  We found that this was a popular area for athletic workouts.

The following morning we were up early so that we would have plenty of time to clear security at the airport.  It ended up being very simple, so we had a lot of time to relax.  Luckily, the airport had these very comfortable chairs!  (The date on the picture says 5/15/12, but that was based on Salt Lake City time, it was about 7:30 am on May 16 in Frankfurt.)

This ends 16 delightful days in Europe.  One could easily spend months touring the areas we have seen in just over two weeks, but it's time to get back to normal life.  We leave with a greater appreciation of the world around us, and for the various cultures which we have enjoyed.  We've enjoyed the food everywhere we've visited, and we've found the people to be very friendly and helpful.

Rothenberg ob der Tauer, Germany (May 15, 2012)

Tuesday morning we were up and off to Rothenberg (I'll skip the other three names that are part of the official name), a medieval city that has been well preserved.

We knew we were close when we spotted this tower through the trees.  The ancient wall still stands - you can walk along the top of it - see the pictures at the end of this blog.  Mike, Diane and Hal are ready to enter.

 Here a some pictures to give you a feel for the atmosphere of this city.  It is very well maintained and continues to function as a thriving city today.

 Notice the name on the building -   the Rosen Pavilion!

An interesting gargoyle on a building

These ladies are selling a local specialty.  Pie crust is cut up into strips, rolled into a ball and deep fried.  It is then covered with different toppings, such as chocolate, frosting, and cinnamon sugar.  They looked delicious, but we thought that they looked better than they tasted.

We spent a lot of time in this store - it's a year-round Christmas store.  Diane was in paradise!

This is one of the most famous views in the city, with a gate in the back ground on the left, another down the street to the right and the very interesting house in the middle.  It's hard to see form this picture, but the right side of the middle house is very crooked.  When I returned home my friend Jon Burgener, who served a LDS mission in this area in the early 1970's said that the only LDS member in the city lived in this house.

Notice the crooked door to the left.  Above is a close-up of the plaque over the door - it dates back to the year 1450!

This is the entrance to the city from where the royal palace once stood.  The palace no longer exists and is now just a garden.

From outside looking into the city.

                                                                                                                                                                                     

This home is located in the valley outside the city walls.  It was pretty interesting as it was built on top of a concrete room about 15 feet tall.                                                                  

From outside the city wall.

 

Views of the city from outside the wall where the palace once stood.

Above, Hal and Mike climb the stairs to the walkway that runs the entire length of the wall - about 3 1/2 miles.  At the left is another look at the covered walkway.

Above is a view of the Cathedral from the walkway.  To the left is another view from the walkway itself.  You couldn't walk very fast on this as the floor is not very flat - its built on stones that are many centuries old.

This picture of the four of us was taken at lunch, and we've saved it until last because after traveling with Mike and Corri Palmer for the last week, this is our last meal together.  We've had a magnificent time touring together.  Diane commented that she's usually ready to go home after a week, but after two weeks in Europe neither of us was ready to go home.

For almost three years I've read Corri's blog of their travels while living in Germany.  Each time it's made we wish we were living there, so it's been fantastic to spend a week traveling through France and Germany with them.  From here they will drop us off in Frankfurt, the site of our final blog for this trip.