Today was our first organised tour of the holiday and if they all turn out this way we are in for some memorable moments.

Today we were taken by mini bus on a tour of the medieval gated town of Rothenburg on der Tauber.

From Wikipedia - "Rothenburg ob der Tauber (German pronunciation: [ˈʁoːtənbʊɐ̯k ɔp deːɐ̯ ˈtaʊbɐ]) is a town in the district of Ansbach of Mittelfranken (Middle Franconia), the Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. It is well known for its well-preserved medieval old town, a destination for tourists from around the world. It is part of the popular Romantic Road through southern Germany.
Rothenburg was a Free Imperial City from the late Middle Ages to 1803."

The city architecture was magnificent and very very old. As an Australian where anything over 150 years old is positively ancient, standing outside buildings built over 500 years ago is just so amazing. A photo gallery has been uploaded. There were many highlights including the two altars in the newer church, the Christmas decoration shop, the Teddy Bear shop and the Rothenburg snowball. This calorie filled gem of pastry, chocolate and marzipan was just heavenly, particularly after the lengthy diets we both have been on. A photo gallery showing some of the items for sale has been added.

Following a brief lunch stop consisting of a cheese and pickle sandwich (glad we had the snowball) we headed for Heidelberg to look at the renowned University Town and the incredible castle ruins.

From Wikipedia on the Castle -

"Schloss
Nestled in the hill 300 feet above the city of Heidelberg stands the breath-taking Heidelberg Schloss (castle). The castle is a combination of several buildings surrounding an inner courtyard, put together with a haphazard look. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture.

The castle has a history almost as old as the city itself. The first parts of the castle were constructed around 1300, but it wasn’t before Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398 – 1410) that the castle was used as a regal residence. Until it was destroyed by lightning in 1764 leaving it permanently uninhabitable, the castle was the residence for most of the Prince Electors. In 1800, Count Charles de Graimberg began the difficult task of conserving the castle ruins. Up until this time, the citizens of Heidelberg had used the castle stones to build new houses.

Just as breath-taking as the castle is from the city, so too is the city from the castle. From either the Great Terrace or the gardens, one has an amazing view of Heidelberg, the Neckar River, and the Neckar valley far into the Rhine plain. On a clear day, Mannheim is even visible on the horizon."

The castle ruins certainly live up to the description. An amazing vista and shows signs of how opulent living their would have been. We have added an album of photos showing the castle.