Rothenburg ob der Tauber

An interesting little city that was once a kingdom overseeing the 180 square miles around it, becoming wealthy from the textile industry - translation - sheep. Conquered during the Thirty Years War, too poor to rebuild afterwards, Rothenburg is a medieval time capsule.

Views of the town.






The nighwatchman who conducts a tour each evening.


I love the butcher shops. They sell cooked sausage - a marvelous lunch.




There are climbing roses everywhere.


One of the reasons the town survived sieges until the Thirty Years War - they had water fountains within the town walls.


Walkway on the city wall.


St. Jakob church and the Holy Blood altarpiece carved around 1500.






There's plenty of touristy shops but if that's not your inclination, they're easy to ignore. (Although one of the most fun shops is a reasonably priced toy store near St. Jakob church.) If you're staying overnight, this is a town best appreciated after the day-tourists leave.

Berlin

Berlin was one of the more sobering stops on our tour not only because over 60 percent of the city was destroyed in WWII, but because of the legacy of the Berlin Wall. It's not too difficult to notice when you are in the former East Berlin - just look at all the 1960's - 1970's Soviet era architecture (namely, if it can be made uglier and with concrete - all the better).

We had only 2 nights and 1 full day in Berlin. Again, with the folks' mobility issues, DH and I took them on a hop-on, hop off bus tour, then on a river cruise while my brother and his family explored the city on foot. Berlin has great public transportation and is easy to navigate if you've read any good travel book on the city.

The Berliner Dom.



Fernseturm (TV tower)



Brandenburger Tor





and how it looked after WWII. See all the marks from the bullets - although now patched, you can still see them on the gate.



The Reichstag.



A bridge with beautiful scrollwork.



DH and I made it back to Checkpoint Charlie later in the evening. The two blocks surrounding Checkpoint Charlie have this fence of panels that tells the story of the Berlin Wall. We really needed a couple of hours to read it all and take in all the photos and the stories of escapes and attempted escapes.




Mstislav Rostropovich, who spoke out in favour of regime critics and was stripped of his citizenship and expelled from the Soviet Union, celebrates the fall of the wall by playing Bach at the Friedrichstraße border crossing. 11 November 1989.





I'm torn at to what societal/historical/economical statement it makes that there is McDonald's right by Checkpoint Charlie.

The Luther Towns

As Dad is a retired Lutheran minister, any trip in Germany had to include some stops at the Luther towns.

The first on the itinerary was Eisenach and Wartburg Castle.

This is the room in which Luther hid as Knight George after he was declared an outlaw.


It amazes me that within 2 years of Luther's death, people were making pilgrimages to Wartburg Castle.

Wartburg Castle's history includes a Catholic saint - St. Elizabeth. This is a mosaic of her spinning.



Part of the town gate in Eisenach near our hotel.



On our way to Wittenberg, we stopped in Eisleben where Luther was born and also where he died.

The house where he was born doesn't exist, but there is an interesting museum along with a home built in the style of the time.



We also went through the house where he died. Historically, it's a more interesting house as it is the original building.


This is one of the only 2 death masks that exist. I found it interesting that most paintings of Luther are pretty accurate when compared to the death mask.



We went on to Wittenberg.

The Castle Church where Luther is buried.



Castle door where the 95 Theses were nailed.



The City Church where Luther often preached.





An early printing of Luther's hymns.



I was finding fiber all over. There was a yarn shop in Eisenach not far from our hotel. As it was closed, I could only peer through the windows and see that the shop carried a large amount of Rowan and Lang yarns.

On the town square in Wittenberg - but unfortunately closed while we were in town.

Father's Day in London

My parents and DH met me in London. This is truly my parents' trip of a lifetime. In preparation, they applied (and received) their first passports. They also obtained their first ATM card. I don't think my Dad will use it again once he's back in the states.

My parents like history and enjoy British comedy. They've never been out of the US (except for Canada and when you live a few hours from the border that doesn't count) so London seemed like the perfect introduction.

This was a bit of a different vacation for us. If my parents were not along, we would have covered more ground, more sights, and used the trains as our main means of transportation. But accompanying people who are not as mobile forced DH and I to slow down and savor the trip.

The first full day in London we took the hop on-hop off bus tour.

Caught part of the changing of the guard.


Trafalgar Square set up for World Cup viewing.


More Trafalgar Square.


St. Paul's Cathedral.


Royal Courts of Justice.


Tower of London.


Westminster Abbey.


Big Ben.


Scenes from the river cruise.




This was a highlight for DH who loves cannons. We were in London for the Trooping of the Colour. When we were about to enter the Tower, military vehicles pulled up with 3 cannons, and we watched as they set of a 62 gun salute for the Queen's birthday.


The Tower after the Ceremony of the Keys. They don't allow photos to be taken during the ceremony. As the guards are armed with machine guns, I thought it wise to comply with the policy.




We had a wonderful weekend. I left a day before DH and my parents to head back to Germany. On the way to the station, I stopped and shopped here. You can view Persephone's catalog here and they do ship to the US.


St. Pancras Station.


In retrospect, I think the most moving part of the weekend was attending Evensong services at St. Paul's and Westminster with my Dad. Each Christmas, he watches the broadcasts of the Festival of Nine Lesson and Carols. To be able to sit with him, in the magnificence of these buildings, listening to the organ and the choir...it's humbling and awe-inspiring. I never thought I'd have the opportunity to show them the city I've come to love.

Farewell, London.

I'll be back.

I Love I Knit London

After my 2nd week of working in Germany, I headed to London to meet up with DH and my parents for a long weekend of sightseeing before returning to Germany.

Knowing the family would be extremely jetlagged, I made arrangements with Yvonne to meet up at I Knit London on a Thursday evening. I'd been to IKL back in '07, but they had moved to a new location.

I made it to the shop just before closing. But, as we all know, it's hard to get knitters out of a LYS, and the local knitters here are no exception. So we were able to chat, have a drink, and exchange gifts before leaving close to 10 p.m. and walking to the station. It was SO lovely to see Yvonne in person again and meet the knitters at IKL.

(I'll have pictures of the swag from Yvonne when I get back to the states as I shipped a couple of boxes home a week ago.)







Yvonne may have been a bit too enthusiastic about showing me the local fiber. I think a skein fell into my bag.

Thanks, Yvonne and I Knit! I hope to be back again soon!