We flew into Frankfurt airport, and drove an hour south to a small town called Speyer and checked into the Hotel Am Wartturm. It was late by the time we arrived, and we had a lot of driving to do the next day so we went to bed early and decided to explore the town the next day. The town of Speyer was fairly small and driving through it didn't take much time. We passed by several churches with tall spires reaching up into the sky, and headed to the Speyer Cathedral, one of the largest in the area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We went inside, taking in the beauty of the architecture, and also headed downstairs to see some tombs in the catacombs.
We strolled through the town a bit after that, but with lots to see and do that day, we decided to hit the road and head to our next destination, Bad Durkheim. Along the way, we traveled down the Deutsche Weinstrasse (German Wine Road). This small road took us through tons of towns and wineries and some beautiful German countryside. We eventually stopped in a small town called Frankweiler, where we found a restaurant/winery called Weinstube Brand with a beautiful quiet garden terrace that served some of the most delicious food we have had and wonderful wines to match.
With our bellies full and our palates tested, we continued our drive up the wine road towards Bad Durkheim, enjoying the fabulous views of vineyards and rolling hills, and the small towns we drove through with the stone architecture, narrow roads, and winery after winery.We stopped one more time for some additional wine tasting, then finally arrived in Bad Durkheim at the Hotel Sinneo Am Park, where we quickly checked into our hotel and then headed to the park next door for the world's largest wine festival, the Wurstmarkt!
We immediately bought two Rieslingschorle drinks, which is Riesling wine (which the region is known for) and carbonated water. It is the local thing to drink in this region to water down the sweet wines and add a bit of bubbliness to it. The festival was already very crowded, but we wove our way through the people, taking in the fun, the culture and the excitement. The festival had tons of carnival rides, tents to sit and have some drinks, and tons of restaurants for some good German food. We spent the rest of the evening there, drinking wine, eating sausages and potatoes, and meeting some fun people!
The next day, we left Bad Durkheim behind and headed East on the German Romantic Road to Heidelberg, where the Heidelberg castle sits atop the hill overlooking the town below. We parked the car in the center of town and after gazing at the castle above us, we strolled through town first, making our way through tons of tourists and headed to the main bridge in town that gave us some spectacular views of the river and the surrounding mountains.
We then made our way up the hill to the castle. The walk was nice and not too difficult and the views from up there were well worth the effort. We walked all around the castle grounds, making sure to see the Grossess Fass (Big Barrel), which is the largest wooden barrel ever to have been filled with wine. And we took in the wonderful architecture, the castle ruins in some areas, and the grassy grounds surrounding the castle.
After our walk around the castle, we headed back into town and had some more delicious German food at Vetter, a local brauhaus (beer hall) and some local beers before heading back to the car to continue our trip down the Romantic Road. We saw several more vineyards and castles, stopping at a few to briefly check them out. There were some spectacular views that we were able to capture, and we climbed one town's tower to get an even better view of the surrounding area.
Our final destination for the day was Rothenburg ob der Tauber, the most picturesque European town you could imagine. And we happened to be there during their annual Imperial city festival, where the entire town gets into character, and re-enacts life as it was in olden days. We were staying in the heart of town at the historic Hotel Goldener Hirsch Rothenburg. We settled into our room and got ready for the evening, then headed out to explore the town before the evening festivities began. The cobblestone streets were lined with shops and restaurants, and every so often we'd come across some LARPers (live action role players) going about their reenactment for the festival.
As the night went on, we saw the town come to life, with marching bands, folk singing, and lots of people enjoying the local beers and food all while staying in character for the Imperial festival. The night ended with a large fireworks display over the town.
The next morning we walked the city walls, giving us an even better perspective of the city, stopped by the Christmas store, which is one of the largest I've ever been to, and enjoyed more of the festival.
Leaving Rotheberg ob der Tauber, we continued our trip by heading further east to Nuremberg to get some history mixed into our trip. To Be Continued....
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