Bavaria: Where Rothenburg and Romania Meet

ROTHENBURG OB DER TAUBER, GERMANY -- May 28, 2006
(rough notes)

Long day-trip to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, including three train switches and tight connections (one was only 3 minutes long!). Last train, energetic little American boy in the seat behind me, his father patiently bearing the 1,001 comments he made. I chuckled to myself as I eavesdropped on the conversation I couldn't help but hear, thinking of my years as a primary school teacher in Taiwan and Northern Virginia. Yes, they sure do have tons of energy! But this little guy was bordering an acute case of ADHD. Feeling the need to rescue his father -- for a few minutes, at least -- I struck up a conversation with the little guy, whose name, it turned out, was Stefan. His father, Tanase, was Romanian born and raised, and now lived in the states where he taught his school math. The pair were traveling through part of Western Europe en route to Constanta, Romania, the seaside town where Tanase grew up, where he planned to spend the rest of his summer vacation with his son, father-son time.

We spent a few hours wandering around Rothenberg together, climbing the Rathaus tower for unparalleled panoramic views -- and a heavy dose of claustrophobia! -- from the highest point in town. We sampled Rothenburg's famous "schneeballs," which I personally think my guidebook wayyyyy under-rated. What is a scheeball, I can already hear you asking. They are pastry-like fried-dough balls, usually rolled in a thick layer of powdered sugar, to resemble snowballs... and that's literally what "schneeball" means. We downed some Radler, beer mixed with lemonade -- quite tasty! -- and wandering the pleasant streets of this quaint little town.

After Tanase and Stefan caught their train on to Fussen, I spent a few more hours exploring the town before returning to Munich. I stumbled across an amazing store filled with swords, armor, shields, and sterling silver chess sets. Chatting with a Rothenburgian who worked at the shop, I learned it was the largest of its kind in all of Germany. I found a restaurant with a sunny outdoor table and enjoyd a delicious mid-day Austrian feast -- wienerschnitzel (breaded pork cutlet) with mushroom sauce, potato croquettes, mixed salad, and a warmed apfelstrudel with whipped cream for dessert.

I spent an hour ambling around the outskirts of Rothenburg, along the stone fortress wall which offered impressive views of the surrounding area. I watched a probably inebriated German woman lower a small bucket from her second story window to the ground level, where cafe tables were clustered together, to deliver some candy to her youngest patron. His parents were smiling, but I couldn't help but wonder what they thought of the whole scene. A man dressed in a crimson shirt and apron offered apple chips to passersby, samples from his food shop. Smiling daytrippers snapped photos of each other and chomped on ice cream cones and schneeballs. And for not even one minute today, after arriving in Rothenburg, did a raindrop fall!

~Melanie