Our prime destination was to the town of Würzburg to see the famed Würzburg Palace but Vantage offered an optional trip to the well preserved medieval town of Rothenburg, which is famous for its architecture and the world famous Christmas shops. I was not that interested in Christmas tree ornaments but the lure of a true medieval village intrigued me. Not only that but Rick Steves praised its virtues. Also by reading the fine print on the trip itinerary it said we would still have an opportunity to visit the Würzburg Palace and participate in a local wine tasting. That sealed the deal. We took the 75 minute bus trip on part of the famed 300 km German “Romance Road” to the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. As there are other Rothenburgs in the country, all have the add-on tag indicating where they are, in this case overlooking the Tauber River. Rothenburg is in the Franconian region of Bavaria and locals often make that distinction. Trivia of the day: Henry Kissinger was a Franconian.

Rothenburg is 1300 years old and was ruled by bishops. Therefore there were 50 Catholic Churches there versus 5 Lutheran churches, and 500 bars and restaurants. The population is 11,243, but only about 2,000 people live within the walls of the city. In the Middle Ages it was the 2nd largest city in Germany with a population of 60,000. It is one of the most popular tourist sites and also a popular movie filming site. Films like Pinocchio, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Willy Wonka were filmed here. Yes, after visiting it, we agreed it is a wonderful town to visit!

After a tour with a local guide we were given free time to wander and have lunch before returning to Würzburg. We were warned that a visit to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop (of which there are several) can be like going through IKEA. Once you start you cannot get out until you traipse through the entire store!  We did go and we did get out-without buying a thing!  Amazing…

After seeing and photographing the highlights we opted for a simple sandwich at the local bakery as we had been eyeing them for quite awhile.

We had some spare time and decided to view the torture chamber museum in town. It was surprisingly well done with many instruments of torture used in medieval times on display.  There was also a lot of Information regarding the justice system in place back then. Soon it was time to rejoin the group and head back to Würzburg for part two of the tour.

Wurzburg is a big city compared to Rothenburg, with a population of 129,000, of which 30,000 are college students. The University of Würzburg opened in 1402 and has produced 14 Nobel Prize winners. Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays here in 1895. However, the prime attraction in Wurzburg is the “modest” structure called the Wurzburg Residence, and what a residence it is! It was built by the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn and his brother Friedrich Carl von Schönborn in 1720, and completed in 1744. Not only was he a bishop but he ruled as the prince.  This was another example of “it is good to be king”.  The massive 400 room baroque structure and gardens were patterned after Versailles, probably as a bit of “one upsmanship”.  The entrance staircase of the Würzburg Residence spans its vault, an area of 18 × 32 meters, without pillars. Beneath an unsupported vault is a masterpiece of construction with a maximum height of 23 meters. The ceiling has the world’s largest fresco mural depicting the 4 Continents known at that time. Luckily this part of the residence was not destroyed during the war.

Certainly when we toured inside the residence it was more garish and over the top than anything else I have seen!  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside (and they policed it) so you will have to seek out some photos on the internet to see what we saw.

Lastly we were taken to the wine cellars below the castle, which were immense, for a tasting of some of the wine wines the region is noted for, mostly made from the Silvaner grape.

Back on the ship we had an excellent lecture at 5:30 by a Dr. Markus Urban, a history professor at a local university, on “Germany in the 21st Century”.  Normally one would think this would be boring subject but he made it interesting and understandable.

The entertainment after dinner was labeled as a “Music & Dancing Quiz”, which was touted as a bit of music trivia. I was a bit under the weather and did not go but the rest of our group participated.  It was basically a music trivia contest but with a twist. As an example they played a Beatles song but did not ask the year or the title of the song. The question was in what city was an airport named after a Beatle?  The answer: Lennon Liverpool Airport.  I would have missed that one. Additional points would be earned if you got up and danced. Our group( minus me) made a good showing, missing first place by only one point. Might it have been different had I been there??