Rothenburg ob der Tauber: A Fairy Tale Town and Rest Stop Outrage

On Sunday morning, we discussed how sore our bodies were from the distance walked the day before and groveled about the impending drive home.  The two topics seemed polar opposites, a joyful day of sight seeing and exploration compared to a long and arduous ride back to Germany.  However, there was a silver lining; the monotony of travel can be mollified by visiting points of interest along the way.  Conveniently, about halfway through the seven-plus hour trip - lies the city of Rothenburg ob der Tauber; a quaint town many have (probably) seen in pictures, but are unfamiliar with the name.

Outside the city walls

Quiet Sunday in Germany...aren't they all...

We departed Prague sometime in the late morning because getting seven people on the same schedule is about as conceivable as seven dwarfs living harmoniously in a small cottage.  The first three hours passed with little to no trouble, although, the system of the European rest stop irked some of our star-spangled visitors.  There was an obstinate outrage about the pay-per-use bathroom; the principle of paying €0.50 to use the facilities was incredulous.  In turn, a €0.25 redeemable coupon to use at the rest stop was of little consolation.  I digress.  

Every street seems to look like this

Making our way to the Marktplatz

When we reached Rotheburg ob der Tauber, we parked outside the city walls and briefly stretched our legs in preparation for more walking.  As we passed through the streets, it felt like a typical Sunday in Germany, quiet, and the majority of businesses were closed.  Our time here would be brief, but long enough to explore the medieval town center.  The cobble stoned streets and half-timbered homes of the picturesque village made it feel like you were walking through the setting of a fairy tale.  

Fleisch- und Tanzhaus (Meat and Dance House)

There are a lot of cobble stones in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

One of many fountains

While it would have been great to stay for longer, three hours of driving remained; reality settled in, and we had to window-shop the attractions.  Also, due to the strong opposition of using another European rest stop, we decided to stay and eat before returning to the road.   On the final leg of our drive, we miraculously avoided the omnipresent stau of Stuttgart.  We were relieved to be home, but sad that our visitors too would be returning home.  

Ratstrinkstube (Councillor's Tavern)

Plönlein (Little Square)

Cheesing it up at dinner

Praha: A Walking Tour, an Escape Game, and Absinthe

Our second group of our visitors arrived safely and the weekend of festivities in Praha (Prague) awaited; the only trouble, the seven-plus hour car ride. Our group now totaled seven people, or (hypothetically) an hour of driving per person; or (more realistically), seven hours for two different people.  On Friday morning we split up, four would travel in our CR-V while the remaining three would follow behind in a rental car.  Within the first twenty minutes of our departure, I noticed that all the passengers in the trailing car had fallen asleep, therefore, we exchanged passengers throughout the trip so neither driver had to endure the ride in silence.

Prague Astronomical Clock

Buildings in Old Town Square

Church of Our Lady before Tyn

Eventually, we arrived in Prague sometime in the early evening; we checked into our hotel and everybody earned a temporary reprieve after the long hours on the road.  The motivation to explore the city at night was quickly nixed, thus, we decided to have a traditional Czech dinner at a local restaurant.  In anticipation of a busy day ahead we kept our evening low key; we shared many beverages and stories at the hotel.

Streets of Praha

Time to play tourists

Powder Tower

The following morning we woke relatively early and made our way down to the Old Town Square where we would convene for our Free Walking Tour (we used the same outfit in Budapest).  To start the  tour, we walked a few hundred meters west to the Prague Astronomical Clock.  There, we learned the clock maker had his eyes burned out by the city Councillors so he could not repeat his masterwork.  Later, in retaliation, the maker would commit suicide in the clock tower, damaging the gears for centuries.  While the story is likely based in lore, the fictional account is far more entertaining than what may have transpired in historical context.  The rest of the morning, we continued to explore and learn about the attractions in Old Town and the Jewish Quarter.

More pretty buildings

Jan Hus Memorial in Old Town Square

Oh geez, another pretty building picture

When the tour ended in the early afternoon, we still had much of the city to see.  We found ourselves back in the Old Town Square where we briefly played tourists; took pictures and observed the various street acts.  With the help of our legs and some public transportation, we made our way west across the River Vitava.   We spent the bulk of the afternoon exploring the Castle District and enjoyed the beautiful panoramic views of the city from the hillside.  Then, for some crazed reason, we decided to walk all the way back to Old Town.  By the time we returned to the hotel we had covered somewhere between 24 and 27 kilometers (15-17 miles, range due to GPS discrepancies).

South side of St. Vitus Cathedral

Walking through Castle District

Fountain and St. Vitus spire

The group's hunger level had reached critical levels and a dinner consensus could not be reached.  Due to our indecision and the proximity to our hotel, we ended up at the same restaurant from a night ago.  Plus, we needed to get some brain food and beer in preparation for our reservations at "The Room," an escape game near Wenceslas Square.  We were tasked with escaping from the Occultica Room(s) and would have 77 minutes to complete the puzzles.  While I generally have a pessimistic predisposition, "The Room," was nothing short of amazing.  We started by descending down a spiral staircase where we had to figure out the combination to a lock on a gate leading to another room.  The rooms were poorly lit and our only source of light came from self-wound flashlights.  Each puzzle increased in difficulty and the ubiquitous countdown compounded the stress to succeed (if a group is stuck, a clue is provided to help advance the game).

Series of Gothic architecture pictures

Facade of St. Vitus

More Gothic stuff

Last one

When the clock showed fifteen minutes remaining, victory was palpable, however, the puzzles escalated to near impossible.  At one point, we unlocked a laser grid to gain access to the final room.  To open the door, we had to push the grid itself and the door unlocked.  Once we were within ten minutes, Julie could be heard across all rooms yelling, "CLUE!!! CLUE!!! CLUE!!!," at thirty-second intervals.  With less then two minutes remaining, we had everything we needed to obtain the combination to unlock the final lockbox.  The game came down to the final seconds, however, due to the sheer excitement and adrenaline, Julie opened the lockbox (about) three seconds after time had expired.  While our success didn't get placed in the official record book, the seven of us felt like we won.  After all, we got the congratulatory certificate and commemorative pins.

View of the city from the Castle District

Charles Bridge from a scenic point

To celebrate our victory, we proceeded to Hemingway Bar, a few blocks south of the Charles Bridge.  Unfortunately, the bar was at capacity and we ended up going to their sister location, Cash Only, a literal take on their business structure.  Following some libations, we joined the masses by the Charles Bridge.  We only stayed a short while due to the claustrophobic nature of the popular tourist attraction.  To end the evening, we returned to a watering hole near the hotel where we cheersed to our successes and "enjoyed" some shots of absinthe.  I use quotes for enjoyed because absinthe is among the least palatable liquors.  The last time I had absinthe was from a bottle Julie and I bought from a French street vendor, the day we learned not to drink and festival.  Overall. Prague is an incredible city and we were elated to have shared the memories with our friends.

Charles Bridge at night

Castle District at night

The Room

Picture form "The Room" website, Laser grid to unlock door

Success!!!

Time for a drink

The real drinks, Absinthe, not pictured

Blautopf, A Cave, Two Castles, and I Tarnish My Driving Record

After some time off from our usual travels, our long awaited group of visitors from the States ventured to Deutschland.  Five of our friends would come in two separate waves, the first of which arrived and the second would touchdown on German soil later in two days.  We graciously welcomed our new visitors, however, we would be pushing the maximum occupancy of our home.  With weekend plans set to travel to the Czech Republic, we needed to find some activities to do in the meantime.

Arriving to Blaubeuren

Walking around

Blautopf

The triumvirate of girls that landed had traveled to Iceland and Spain - so combating jet lag was not necessary.  However, inasmuch excitement that our hometown offers, Julie and I thought we should go see some of the quaint German countryside and throw in a few castles.  Our day's plan called for an overzealous road trip through Baden-Württemberg, starting with Blautopf.

View of town from the other side

Didn't think I'd bring Rayleigh scattering into this

I did...knowledge is power!!!

The vibrant blue spring found in Blaubeuren is a unique body of water that gets its distinct color as a result of the sun's interaction with the water.  Due to a high quantity of limestone particles, the light reflects off the limestone and scatters the short wavelengths of the visible spectrum, or blue light (also why the sky is blue, Rayleigh scattering).  We continued to walk explore the town and Blautopf itself, but it we were ready to move on to the next destination, Tiefenhöhle.

Descending into the earth

At the depths

Looking up at a stalactite

We soon learned the area had as many attractions below the surface of the earth as it does above.  A vast array of caves had been discovered over the years and we were fortunate to have the opportunity to explore one.  The Tiefenhöhle, or Vertical Cave is a system that descends 55 meters (180 feet).  The cave entrance resides in a small building, a park sits to the right of the main entrance, and open fields surround the rest; an underwhelming sight from the surface to say the least.  Once we paid the admission, we walked down a small staircase to a room where we read information placards about the cave system.  Conveniently, we arrived just in time to escape the summer's heat, plus, our descent 18-stories below - landed us in a more temperate climate.  The stairs and well lit path made our visit easy and enjoyable.  When we returned to the surface, it was time to get back in the car and continue westward.

More cave features

The surface is up there somewhere

On the way to our next stop, we got distracted by an alpine slide we could see from the roadway.  An immediate request was made to stop and I obliged.  While the slide caters to the amusement of children, the five of us adults were undeterred and joined the line for the ride.  Our short detour was a success.  And it should be said that the alpine cars can fly down the hill; Julie could be heard screaming her head off for kilometers in every direction.  Once we were back on track, we swung by for a quick visit to Schloss Lichtenstein.  A larger castle awaited us, thus, we briefly walked around the grounds before returning to the road.

Circumventing the grounds

Schloss Lichtenstein

As we made our way to Burg Hohenzollern, somewhere along the L230, the road offers stunning views of the picturesque castle - high on the hilltop.  Wanting to get a picture from a distance, I heard a request to pull over; I spotted a park bench and decided that was a perfect spot.  However, as the car veered off the road, a ditch swallowed our car immediately once it got hold of our passenger-side tire.   Sadly, we would not be making it up to Burg Hohenzollern, rather, we needed help.  At first, we tried to call AAA, then ADAC (the German AAA), anyone who would listen.

Bummed we aren't going to visit the castle

The earth swallowing the ADAC guy

Sadly, the majority of people who drove by, snickered with snarky smirks or a starred with non-empathetic stone-faces.  Although, a few cars stopped to ask if we were okay.  Julie and I have had car troubles abroad once before when our rental car key in Costa Rica magically bent 90-degrees. Once again, we found ourselves having to make the most of a difficult situation.  Eventually, an ADAC serviceman showed up with a tow truck an hour later.  We were set free, but too much time had elapsed to visit the castle and we had to make our way back to Homburg.

The view, and why we ended up in a ditch.

When life gives you lemons, build a human pyramid

My pristine driving record has now been tarnished.  For the record, I claim little to no responsibility for our car being engulfed by the earth, and it will always remain a mystery as to how we ended up in that ditch (queue the Unsolved Mysteries theme).