June 22 - Biking from Bad Mergentheim to Rothenburg, Germany

Sunday
We found the biking trail on our walk last night, so it was easy to find our way out of town through the beautiful park. The riding was lovely along the Tauber river. We still had to go up through villages like on the Rhine Trail, but it was enjoyable until we got closer to Rothenburg. Here we had to ride far up above the villages, down again and up again. I say "ride" when I should say "walk" our bikes.


It was getting hotter and hotter, and the walks got tougher and tougher. To top it off, we were supposed to ride (we walked) our bikes up the last mile along the highway into Rothenburg. This proved to be the "straw that broke the camel's back," and we were ready to take the first lodging place that we found when we arrived in Rothenburg at about 2 p.m. Fortunately it is a typically German clean and lovely place and is reasonably priced. We showered and napped until the weather cooled some.
Our hotel was just outside the city walls, so we walked most of the wall (the west part along the river is the sides of buildings).


Rothenburg is as interesting and lovely as they say.


About 40% of the old city was destroyed by allied bombing in World War 2. The city advertised in all the tourist magazines for donations to rebuild, and those who responded have their names on plates on the walkway around the walls. We enjoyed walking through the city and then took the 8 p.m. walk with the Night Watchman. He was such a good story teller, and we learned a lot about the history of the city -- what fun!


He told how the old city was saved from total destruction by the allied forces when a U.S. General intervened because he knew the value of the old medieval city since he had grown up with a painting of the city in his grandmother's home. She had procured it on a visit to Rothenburg before the war. The major German general was out of Rothenburg at the time of the negotiations, and the under-general was willing to evacuate his troops from the city in order to save it. Five weeks later, the war was over. After the hour walk, we were ready to sleep -- again!