Even I'm tempted to adopt that complaining hyperbolic rant about a long flight, but the reality is Changi is in the top ten airports for a reason, it's superb! We head for Europe at midnight, sleep all the way to other end of the middle east, watch some mind numbing dribble and it's Guten Tag before you know it. Not that we aren't all touchy after 30+ hours of travel - but really we're grimy more than shattered.
We pick up the car and within minutes my weary mind is playing frogger at 170km/h on das autobahn. Poor Fid is stable but busted so we stop at an Axxe for Bavarian breakfast -Alkoholfrei Franziskaner. The Pretzel isn't enough to resurrect Fid so we decide to drag him on a tour of Residence Wurzburg, our first stop on the Romantic Road.
There are Bishop Princes everywhere, this is some 17th-18th century UNESCO listed plaything. Apparently whoever built it only stayed here one night, just like Ludwig and Neuschwanstein (or did he never stay there?). But like so much of Germany, the history was lost in the early 40s and all you can see today is an enthusiasts reconstruction. That said the enthusiasts have worked incredibly hard to restore an apparently faithful representation of everything. Every palace in Europe seems to compete with Versailles or have a stamp of approval from Napoleon, this has both, though even they named their Hall of Mirrors equivalent the Cabinet of Mirrors.
We left the residence and headed for the Altstadt - lunch in the Ratskeller made for a great position to watch the people of Wurzburg go about their Saturday afternoon. Fid found some Pokemon inspired shield colours while Boo continued her hunt for Orangina in a country that prefers Fanta.
Soon enough we pack up and head for Rothenburg ob der Tauber - our second stop on the romantic road and one we'll make for the night. We could have been in Sydney for the care factor, all anyone wanted to know about was the bathing and sleep arrangements. We all cleaned up and the two fidgety ones (Boo & I) headed into the old town whilst Gab and Max recover. I'm thankful Gab stayed away, these Christmas shops would have cost me us a bomb had she made it in. It was hard enough convincing Emerson we didn't need one of everything. Such a beautiful little town to get lost in, Emerson and I stroll around for a few hours until Gab & Max join us for dinner and then, the Nightwatchman tour.
Congrats to this guy he's done such a great job working on his pitch that all over town people ask if you'll go to see him talk. Like the pied piper he led us and another 200 eager followers around the town for the evening. Making funny cracks and keeping us all captivated. He had everyone cloaked in brotherly love by the end when he told the story of the American general who was awarded the keys to the city in the late 40s after the townsfolk found out he called off an air strike at the last minute only because he grew up hearing stories from him Mother about how beautiful the town was and he was right, beautiful postcard stuff.