The day started off with breakfast at our hotel (Hotel Hornburg). This was encounter with German breakfast for all the kids, which seemed to be hit or miss, but everyone got enough to eat in some way. Judging from the amount of meat and cheeses left at the kids end of the table, I would say that was a miss. However, the delicious rolls, cream cheeses of all kinds, the little waffle squares and coffee cake bits seem fill them up. The yogurt and hard-boiled eggs were only enjoyed by a few of them.
After fueling up, it was off to the Rotherberg wall. We ascended to the wall at the tower nearest our hotel, and walk all the way around the city (1.5 miles), even though some sections we had to come down because the wall was closed. It was a great way to see the city and take in the beauty of both the city and the surrounding countryside.
Of course, we took several stops along the way to break up the walking and work in some fun activities. First was a great playground on the west side of the city, right below the wall. There were a lot of cool play equipment and all of us had a blast burning off some energy.
Next stop was the Reichsstadtmuseum, which is the museum of the city's history. We found some interested things inside, including a open kitchen from the 1300's monestary, weapons and tools from various ages, some impressionist art from a local artist and an apothicary from the 1700's. Some good education nuggets without tipping the "boring meter" too high.
A quick jaunt into the city brought us to St. James Church, the largest church in the city. The kids were in awe of this place, being the biggest and oldest church they have ever been in. I couldn't help but chuckle a little, as they probably have no idea what lies ahead of us when we see Domo, the Vatican and Notre Dome :). None-the-less, St. James was a pretty neat church. One of the alters has a particularly cool sculpted artwork holding a crystal cross from 1200's. The stained glass was also very beautiful, even though there was some restoration work that was detracting from the experience.
On the way to get back on the wall, we stopped outside the criminal museum (torture museum) for some quick fun :). We decided not to go in as Noah and Katy didn't seem up for it.
Further down the wall we ran across a small amphitheater... and what is one to do when crossing such but take a few minutes to ham it up :).
Finally, we finished up the wall march...err.. tour and took a break from some Italian food. Pretty good food and everyone found something they like.
After lunch we stopped in the 2 Christmas stores off the main square. Well, the girls did. Noah and I hung out in the street and people watched. Well, I people watched and Noah played on his iPod. Fortunately this phase of the trip didn't last too long.
As if walking the entire wall length wasn't enough, we decided to climb to the top of the Rathaus (town hall). The top of the town did offer a great view of the city, but we all grumbled a little at the 235 stairs (the kids counted) to get there.
After that bit of exercise, it was time for some Noah and Katy down time, so the Brownings headed back to the hotel, and let the teens have some freedom to explore the city some more. From what I was told, they wandered around some other stores, including an armor shop, and found a power converter that would work with Becca's camera (one of the technical problems we encountered on the trip thus far).
We all regrouped at the hotel, relaxed some, and then headed to a nearby playground for some MORE play time. After about 30 minutes of yelling, cheering and running around like fools, we noticed the sign that said the playground was for kids under 12 :).
The day ended with another leisurely stroll through the city looking for a dinner spot. We settled on some more German food at Zum Swann. Most everyone got some form of schnitzel and all turned out to be pretty good. Noah got paid a visit by a local cat, which decided to circle the area after Sara and he gave it some food.
We lumbered back with full bellies and settled in for the night. For a little fare well excitement, a thunderstorm blew in and offered a little lighting and heavy rain. Fortunately most were asleep by that time.
-- CsB
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