Germany: Birthday in Rothenburg
I looked out one last time through my windows out into the fast moving Rhine. After a few minutes, I grabbed my bags and met the group at the bus. As Ronnie pulled away from the parking lot, the group sang "Happy Birthday" to me. I was pleasantly surprised... but figured that Katy had all our bios.
The day started out with a long drive to Rothenburg. It was quiet on the bus ride over. I was listening to my Vonda Sheppard/Ally McBeal CD - another secret shame - and got a tad melancholy. We had one rest stop - our first where you were required to pay. We arrived shortly before lunch. The group was separated into two small hotels. I have a roomie! Molly - we got along really well. Our room was adorable - it was L-shaped and the in reminded me of Bed & Breakfasts back home. Lunch at the one of the hotel consisted on Bratwursts on Sauerkraut - it hit the spot!
After lunch I immediately headed out to the German post office. The streets were crowded with tons of tourists. It was a truly beautiful day complete with puffy clouds. What a change from yesterday.. I carried a medium sized box filled with souvenirs collected so far. When I got to the post office, I stood there dumb founded. They are usually open everyday until 5pm, but today of all days, they were closed! What the... Other than the normal work week, this particular station closed on Wednesday afternoons. I really wouldn't have minded, but with my throbbing knee and the rather heavy box, I became frustrated and grumpy.
I returned to our hotel in time to see the group gathering for our walking tour of Rothenburg. Great, I thought to myself; the affects of the pain killers were beginning to wear off. Our Rothenburg tour was a lady who led us through the cobblestone streets of this finely preserved medieval town. We slowly walking uphill, towards the Market Square, I found out why the post office was closed.
Wednesday afternoon was reserved for entertainers and performances in the town square. Today we were offered a treat to a hundred member orchestra that was playing - of all things - American music. Part of me secretly wished for and expected German oohmm-pa-pa music, instead we were treated to Broadway showtunes. I was stunned, actually. The music I heard was absolutely terrific!! I couldn't help but feel mesmerized and quieted by classics like "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and Disney-themed Medleys. (They even had an accordion player or two, which, in my book, is a very good thing.)
We continued on our tour, surveying Churches, visiting the old Castle gardens, etc. Rothenburg, with its three sets of concentric walls - some dating back a thousand years - is very picturesque. I admired the timber and plaster crisscross facades on the houses. These homes were in neutral and pastel colors - flowers, flowers everywhere!! Earlier we were warned about these German "sneeballs"... actually these.. snow ball looking dessert that didn't taste half bad. Basically, it's a deep fried flour noodles shaped into a ball topped off with a variety of goodies: powdered sugar, chocolate, sprinkles, cinnamon, caramel, etc. Jeff brought some for the group and we all digged in. It was messy, but fun.
There was a bit of free time after the tour. Though I was tired and my knee still hurt, I forced myself to go...shopping. Hey, it's my birthday, I shop if I want too! ;) So, off I went exploring the cobblestone alleys. YES!! I stumbled upon "Planet Internet" - an Internet cafe. I was so happy, I could have hugged the attendant. Wait, I think I did. I surfed my happy little heart out, checked emails, checked my stock portfolios, paid some bills and collected Birthday E-Cards from friends.
I went shopping afterwards and hit the jackpot - every touristy souvenirs I wanted from Germany- I got: A stein depicting the town of Rothenburg and our upcoming visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, a German porceline doll for my Mom, German Magic:The Gathering cards, A great Henkel knife for my kitchen and, lastly, a beautiful blue, wooden music box made in Rothenburg that plays "Edelweiss."
Jeff and Katy held a little cocktail party / happy hour prior to our dinner - it was in the garden in the back of the Golden Rose Hotel. We shared some of that wonderful German white wine and snacks. Dinner was pork roast and noodle dumplings. You could tell the group was having a great time - everyone was laughing and talking away. At the end of dinner, the lights dimmed, they brought out a dessert plate of sneeball with candles and sliced fruit for me and again, the room sang Happy Birthday to me. I love these guys!
It was still light outside, so a couple of us decided to do the Wall Walking Tour - as described in our ETBD tourbooks. At first I thought I couldn't make it - what with all the stairs going up and town. What an excellent self-tour with breathtaking views and we were able to see a beautiful German sunset! We continued our walk back to town. Molly felt like a shake from McDonalds. (Before I left the states, I made a solemn vow not to eat there in Europe - which I kept). She was a happy camper when she came out with her "Bani-yo Milkshake" Wouldn't you know it, not five minutes after she got it, she spilled the whole darn thing on the sidewalk. The devastated look on her face was priceless!! We all had a good laugh. Poor Molly!
When it finally did get dark we hit "Hell" - a German pub. We met up with Katy, Jeff and others. Katy did a bad thing: She tucked the glass steins in her jacket and made a run for it. The remaining group consisted of me, Connie, Vicki, Tina, Molly and Dave. We had a fun time. Again, and I believe, purely for my embarrassment, our group started singing Happy Birthday to me. I was a good sport, after they finished, I raised my stein loudly said, "OK, one more time, and THIS time, with feeling!!"
We were all laughing hard when the table next to us responded. I was shocked, sitting there with my mouth open as (we later found out) 30 choir members from a church in Pennsylvania started singing what was the most beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday I have ever heard in my life - complete with an "Amen" at the end. I was so touched. Darkness cloaked the tears brimming in my eyes. For the first time this year, I was so at peace. They obliged our now quiet and admiring little group with two more equally beautiful songs. My heart gave a small prayer of thanks. This was one of the best birthdays I have ever had.
The day started out with a long drive to Rothenburg. It was quiet on the bus ride over. I was listening to my Vonda Sheppard/Ally McBeal CD - another secret shame - and got a tad melancholy. We had one rest stop - our first where you were required to pay. We arrived shortly before lunch. The group was separated into two small hotels. I have a roomie! Molly - we got along really well. Our room was adorable - it was L-shaped and the in reminded me of Bed & Breakfasts back home. Lunch at the one of the hotel consisted on Bratwursts on Sauerkraut - it hit the spot!
After lunch I immediately headed out to the German post office. The streets were crowded with tons of tourists. It was a truly beautiful day complete with puffy clouds. What a change from yesterday.. I carried a medium sized box filled with souvenirs collected so far. When I got to the post office, I stood there dumb founded. They are usually open everyday until 5pm, but today of all days, they were closed! What the... Other than the normal work week, this particular station closed on Wednesday afternoons. I really wouldn't have minded, but with my throbbing knee and the rather heavy box, I became frustrated and grumpy.
I returned to our hotel in time to see the group gathering for our walking tour of Rothenburg. Great, I thought to myself; the affects of the pain killers were beginning to wear off. Our Rothenburg tour was a lady who led us through the cobblestone streets of this finely preserved medieval town. We slowly walking uphill, towards the Market Square, I found out why the post office was closed.
Wednesday afternoon was reserved for entertainers and performances in the town square. Today we were offered a treat to a hundred member orchestra that was playing - of all things - American music. Part of me secretly wished for and expected German oohmm-pa-pa music, instead we were treated to Broadway showtunes. I was stunned, actually. The music I heard was absolutely terrific!! I couldn't help but feel mesmerized and quieted by classics like "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" and Disney-themed Medleys. (They even had an accordion player or two, which, in my book, is a very good thing.)
We continued on our tour, surveying Churches, visiting the old Castle gardens, etc. Rothenburg, with its three sets of concentric walls - some dating back a thousand years - is very picturesque. I admired the timber and plaster crisscross facades on the houses. These homes were in neutral and pastel colors - flowers, flowers everywhere!! Earlier we were warned about these German "sneeballs"... actually these.. snow ball looking dessert that didn't taste half bad. Basically, it's a deep fried flour noodles shaped into a ball topped off with a variety of goodies: powdered sugar, chocolate, sprinkles, cinnamon, caramel, etc. Jeff brought some for the group and we all digged in. It was messy, but fun.
There was a bit of free time after the tour. Though I was tired and my knee still hurt, I forced myself to go...shopping. Hey, it's my birthday, I shop if I want too! ;) So, off I went exploring the cobblestone alleys. YES!! I stumbled upon "Planet Internet" - an Internet cafe. I was so happy, I could have hugged the attendant. Wait, I think I did. I surfed my happy little heart out, checked emails, checked my stock portfolios, paid some bills and collected Birthday E-Cards from friends.
I went shopping afterwards and hit the jackpot - every touristy souvenirs I wanted from Germany- I got: A stein depicting the town of Rothenburg and our upcoming visit to Neuschwanstein Castle, a German porceline doll for my Mom, German Magic:The Gathering cards, A great Henkel knife for my kitchen and, lastly, a beautiful blue, wooden music box made in Rothenburg that plays "Edelweiss."
Jeff and Katy held a little cocktail party / happy hour prior to our dinner - it was in the garden in the back of the Golden Rose Hotel. We shared some of that wonderful German white wine and snacks. Dinner was pork roast and noodle dumplings. You could tell the group was having a great time - everyone was laughing and talking away. At the end of dinner, the lights dimmed, they brought out a dessert plate of sneeball with candles and sliced fruit for me and again, the room sang Happy Birthday to me. I love these guys!
It was still light outside, so a couple of us decided to do the Wall Walking Tour - as described in our ETBD tourbooks. At first I thought I couldn't make it - what with all the stairs going up and town. What an excellent self-tour with breathtaking views and we were able to see a beautiful German sunset! We continued our walk back to town. Molly felt like a shake from McDonalds. (Before I left the states, I made a solemn vow not to eat there in Europe - which I kept). She was a happy camper when she came out with her "Bani-yo Milkshake" Wouldn't you know it, not five minutes after she got it, she spilled the whole darn thing on the sidewalk. The devastated look on her face was priceless!! We all had a good laugh. Poor Molly!
When it finally did get dark we hit "Hell" - a German pub. We met up with Katy, Jeff and others. Katy did a bad thing: She tucked the glass steins in her jacket and made a run for it. The remaining group consisted of me, Connie, Vicki, Tina, Molly and Dave. We had a fun time. Again, and I believe, purely for my embarrassment, our group started singing Happy Birthday to me. I was a good sport, after they finished, I raised my stein loudly said, "OK, one more time, and THIS time, with feeling!!"
We were all laughing hard when the table next to us responded. I was shocked, sitting there with my mouth open as (we later found out) 30 choir members from a church in Pennsylvania started singing what was the most beautiful rendition of Happy Birthday I have ever heard in my life - complete with an "Amen" at the end. I was so touched. Darkness cloaked the tears brimming in my eyes. For the first time this year, I was so at peace. They obliged our now quiet and admiring little group with two more equally beautiful songs. My heart gave a small prayer of thanks. This was one of the best birthdays I have ever had.
posted by Jenny Rose at 9:46 AM
1 Comments:
I have loved reading your blog and am now even more excited about my upcoming Rick Steves tour!
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