Thursday 21 January Stuttgart – Bad Mergentheim – Rothenberg ob der Tauber

Early morning start today, so we all got up early with our hosts and made our various ways to the Stuttgart University Central Campus where our busses were waiting for us. Stuttgart is a very hilly city, completely surrounded by steep hills and wineyards, which means that many houses are set atop steep climbs of stairs, so many of us got our morning excercise before we had even got on the bus!
Travelling along the Romantic Road, we made our way to the spa city of Bad Mergentheim. The former town of the Residence of the Grand and German Masters of the Order of the Teutonic nights, the town is now famous for its Castle of the Teutonic Order, and the Solymar Bathing and Wellness Park.
It was here that we presented a concert in the Wandelhalle of the Spa Bad Mergentheim, a bright, glass enclosed concert hall for around five hundred people, with modern stage and striking glass chandeliers. Here we presented an afternoon one hour program, accompanied by piano as opposed to organ. Any concerns about getting an audience were soon dismissed, as we began singing to a full house... mainly wealthy German Seniors Citizens who were taking the waters of the famous health retreat. The crowd loved the concert and gave a generous ovation both before and after the program, ensuring thatevery single person received applause as they entered and left the stage. They were generous in other ways too... we received EURO $700 for program donations alone! This was a great relief, given the $1000 charges to get the programs to Europe in te first place!!!

After the concert we were treated to a private visit to the drinking room, where marble fountains of various thermal waters poured at different temperatures. These ranged from a tepid, flat mineral water, to a hot extremely salty potion which is apparently very good for one’s digestive system but so good that we were advised not to drink too much given we had a long trip on the bus ahead of us!!! Given the revolting taste, there was little chance of that happening, but nevertheless we were all keen to try a taste for ourselves.

We then continued along the Romantic Road, travelling through the towns of Weikersheim, Röttingen, and Creglingen, before reaching our destination of Rothenberg ob der Tauber. En route, we enjoyed a few hours in the City of Würtzburg, traditionally the firsat major town on the Romantic Road Route, and considered to be one of Germany’s lovliest baroque cities. With a population of some 50,000 students, this „ town of the Madonnas“ because of the more than 100 statues of its Patron Saint that adorn the houise fronts there.

It was amazing to think that on March 16, 1945 the city was devestated by a massive allied bombing air raid which killed some 50,000 people in a few hours. In a miraculoyus rebuilding program, nearly every major structure was salvaged and restored, retaining the original look and layout of the city.
Watched over by its great landmark, the Marienburg Fortress, the university and the congress city on the River Main is also surrounded by vineyards and is considered to be the capital of the Franconian Wine district.
We disembarked from the coaches right opposite the impressive former Prince Bishop’s Residence (a UNIESCO World Heritage Building). The last and finest in a great line of baroque castles built in Bavaria in the 17th century, this beautiful horseshoe shaped palace was begun in 1720 and is certainly one of the most beautiful palaces we have so far experienced. It provided a lavish backdrop for a group photo in front of the huge bronze statue at the front of the structure.
Exploring the town on foot, we had the chance to see buildings such as the Cathedral of St Kilian (begun in 1045 and the fourth largest romanesque cathedral in Germany), the New Minster, St Mary’s Chapel, the bustling Market Place and the beautiful old bridge over the River Main, adorned with many larger than life sandstone statues of German Saints.
By the time we got back on the busses, it was getting gloomy and the temperature was falling fast, so we enjoyed the warmth of our vehicles on the last leg of our journey, to the ancient medieval city of Rothenberg ob der (above the) Tauber. We checked in to the Rothenberger Hof, a rambling, family owned hotel right in the middle of the new part of the City, directly opposite the Bahnhof, and a few short minutes walk from the famous city walls that enclose the perfectly-preserved Altstadt of this famous former Free Imperial City, which dates from around the year 804.

Andrew Wailes