Rothenberg ob der Tauber

we were at Rothenberg ob der Tauber for less that 24 hours, I reckon, and completely regret not spending more time there. granted it’s full of tourists year round, this little town takes you by the heart with its charm. after a couple of suspenseful train rides to get here from Nuremberg, we arrived so wide-eyed and excited. I know that for the people that grew up and still live there, they don’t see it in the way we do, as expressed by the youngun who served us our gluhwein at the Christmas Market. he said he didn’t really realize how awesome it could be for people like Gordon and I because it is what he grew up with, saw it everyday, and felt like it was just a tiny little town. when we see medieval towns like this, we are amazed. America is not that old, so there aren’t such things like it here. I can’t contain my excitement every time and at this age, I really don’t care if people see me getting giddy over stepping foot into places like Rothenberg.

Rothenberg has a wall surrounding it which you can walk the perimeter of. the view of the vibrantly colored houses are something else. reds, greens, oranges, blues… it’s feast for the eyes of a designer.

see you next time, Rothenberg!

Riquewihr

are you sick of looking at half-timbered houses yet? well, hold on to your butts because it doesn’t end here.

Riquewihr was our last visit in Alsace. another charming medieval town that we loved. we walked around the village wall, as we did in Eguisheim, and it brings you back to how life was like back in the day. it was starting to get really cold and had been sprinkling off and on and the sun had disappeared so we tried to take advantage of the time we had left. we enjoyed the lack of tourists here, but it did feel a bit melancholy.

this time last year...

we went back to Europe to partake in the Christmas Markets, mostly in Germany, but with a stop in Prague. we also crossed the border into Alsace and walked around a few medieval towns. the one we loved the most was Eguisheim, the inspiration for the village setting in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. Gordon and I woke up really early, around 4am, and made the spur of the moment decision to drive out to the Alsace region. I have become obsessed with small medieval towns now. all I want to do is visit all of them and read the history of how they all came to be.

here is Eguisheim. photos don’t give the real thing any justice.