Rothenburg ob der Tauber

This beautiful walled city dates back to the 7th century.  Rothenburg will be one of those towns that we will come back to again and again. We can't wait to have family and friends come visit so we can show them around.

We stayed in a nice little hotel with a view of the wall that surrounds most of the city.

The "double beds" are typical of what you will find with separate duvets and the top sheet is missing.

We had all we needed with the tiny closet and a sparse bathroom.

Dave is always drawn into a nice toy store. Here he found a Niffler made by Steiff.  It looks a little too similar to his design that he made for Universal, HMMM?  In the toy business they always say copying is a sincere form of flattery. 

Some odd looking Harry Potter Plush, not up to PlayVisions standards!!

In all fairness Joanne, didn't eat all of that burger and fries.  We all "helped" her.

Each night, starting at the town square a Night Watchman gives people a tour of the old town and the history of the city.  He did a great job and it was a lot of fun.

I might have a Haribo problem...

We enjoy traveling with the Koeglers.

Lots of beautiful scenery from the wall of the city as we walked around it.

We have seen so many different Schwibbogen or arches in our travels and at the many Christmas Markets. But this one spoke to us when we saw it in Rothenburg. It is simple but so beautiful.

Here it is displayed in the apartment. We love this new addition to our Christmas décor.

When we travel, my phone and random benches often become my office. Mission presidents and missionaries keep me quite busy. It's all good though, it's nice to have a portable office.

As we walked the wall around the city, we noticed these cutouts at various points. They were holes for the archers to have a good shot at the enemy and at the same time stay protected.

 

The town square.

Joanne and I enjoying the cobblestone street at night.

Miltenberg

While cruising the Rhine River, all the Medieval towns began to look alike. The Market Square in Miltenberg, however, stood out due to the lovely colorful half-timbered houses and shops along the High Street.

 Lots of small shops with fairly priced goods made for a fun stroll - 

 Dave even purchased a hat and Joanne found a few things too.

I think Dave looks pretty handsome in his new hat!

Dave couldn't resist getting a picture of this statue outside the Water Closet.

Joanne is especially fascinated with the beautiful doors and their unique hardware.

We'll need to devote a full post on just doors ....

Cobblestone streets and half timbered houses, and lots of fun shops to stroll in and out of 

made this a most enjoyable trip. Not to mention the great company of Carol and Brent Snow

St Jakobus Catholic Church was adorned with lots of cute little cherubs. But we noticed the lack of reverence to the Savior.

These pictures are from the Toni Sauer website ... no snow when we visited.

On our way home we stopped at the Toni Sauer store in Johannesberg. Several carvers from around the area are commissioned to have their work sold under this roof. The craftsmanship was top notch and we ended up purchasing the ornaments for our grandkids here. 

Brent Snow was telling Dave he had some carvings of Moroni but he thought he was kidding.

Next thing he knew he was upstairs admiring his work and picking out one for his collection.

He has a very prominent place of Dave's desk.

Bacharach, Rhine River Valley

After seeing this little town from our river cruise, we knew we wanted to come back for a visit.

Joanne was disappointed that more shops weren't open.

Dave and Chris Koegler were our tour guides as they have come a time or two previously. 

Mussels were a MUST according Dave K. and they did not disappoint.

The hillsides, no matter how steep were covered with grape vines.

Trains, barges, campers ... it's a happening place to be.

Another view of the Rhine River as it shows off its value to commerce and agriculture.

Chris and Dave Koegler have become good friends in the short time we've been here in Frankfurt.

A "work around" as Dave calls it. 

Is that a buffalo coming for Dave? Good thing he's wearing his camo hat!

So many antlers. Really? They didn't waste an opportunity to mount whatever "game" they came home with. 

A look inside day-to-day family life. Look around the room ... oh, the stories to be told.

These cast-iron doors were so fascinating. They were so ornate and really caught our attention.

This hearty sunflower found her spot to beautify this little corner of the world.

As we drove up the hill away from Bacharach, we wound our way up into some beautiful scenery.

This little shroom caught our attention and we both thought it was blog worthy.