Southern Germany by Automobile

Our trip took us to so many historical periods: ancient Rome, Middle Ages, Baroque, Romantic Era version of Medieval, and a 21st-century version of the Middle Ages. Just a few hours from Munich is Salzburg, Austria, a fun and convenient day trip for those tired of packing and unpacking. Music is everywhere in this pretty city. Trier, off the beaten tourist track near Luxembourg, is a taste of Italy and ancient Rome, in Western Germany. Rotenburg, the ultimate walled Medieval town, left behind in the modernizing of Germany, preserved fascinating architecture for modern-day enjoyment. No trip to Southern Germany would be complete without a visit to "Mad" King Ludwig's fantastic castles, Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein. Nearby was a fun trip from Austria to the top of the tallest mountain in Germany. Then we added our own time tripping with a visit to a popular weekend destination for Germans, their own version of our "Renaissance Fairs," with superb horsemanship and jousting.

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Whether you are looking to get somewhere fast, or have a senic drive, Germany is the place to take a car. Drivers take a difficult driving test to get a licence, and it shows. I was amazed by how intelligently everyone drove. The Autobahn is an example of superb engineering, with consistent signage and design. The back roads are beautiful and sometimes quite narrow, and were suprizingly uncrowded for July.

This is an excellent hotel for those with an automobile, as parking is included. It is a bit off the downtown beaten track for walking in the city, so be prepared for a 20 minute walk (or longer) into the downtown area.

The English speaking staff was helpful and friendly, the included breakfast buffet set the bar very high for selection and variety, it was a quiet residential neighborhood, and they have internet access.

The twin rooms (we stayed three days at the beginning of our trip and in a different room our last night) were just a little small and a bit stuffy in July, as the maid staff always closed the windows after we left, but comfortable. Considering the price, and all it included, this is a great place to stay if you need parking. It is extremely convenient to the Octoberfest fairgrounds, so expect higher prices and reserve early if you go then.

There were extremely limited dining selections (one ordinary restarant) in the evenings near the hotel, so eat in one of the many restaurants in the city center before returning to the hotel.

At Hotel Gerberhaus we had a cute and comfortable room, complete with animal rug on the gleaming wood floor.

They served a splendid buffet breakfast with huge selection of fresh fruit (watermelon, cherries, honeydew, etc.) and wonderful loose tea complete with rock candy stirers.

When we arrived, we walked into a lobby that was just a hall next to a bar, got the key from a barmaid, who directed us up the stairs in the back. We walked back into that bar late that evening and took advantage of yummy strudel with ice cream and whipped cream for a late dessert. The rooms that that they use to serve breakfast in the mornings contained a lively bunch of eaters and drinkers late into the evening.

However, the rooms were quiet and we even had that rare German luxury, a fan. The hotel gives a discount for cash.

For three weekends in July, this rural area of Bavaria turns into Medieval Germany, complete with jousting, parades, chain mail and hand crafted ancient crafts.

They put on an incredible show in the main staging area, but before and after the show there is plenty to keep you busy all day. Unfortunately, none of my pictures of the actual jousting made it to this picture gallery...some kind of computer glitch. The riders were beautifully costumed and armored, and their riding (and falling) were "movie stunt" quality. The web site has many pages in English, including directions, and the German language pages have even more incredible pictures. Don't expect anyone there to speak English, however. This show is strictly a German language show. Even with the language barrier, the show was a lot of fun.

After our longest drive (nearly 8 hours) due to at least three construction areas and pouring rain, we arrived in Trier. After a dinner in an Italian restarant, where the wait staff spoke only German and Russian, and the menu was in German and Italian, we walked along the pedestrian mall until we got to the Porta Nigra.(2nd century) It is the only remaining of four Roman gates that uses to connect the now destoyed walls of the city, and was built without mortar. It survived because it was made into a church and monastery. After eating Italian food and wine, walking to a Roman ruin, I was surprised to hear someone speak German! It is a very "Italian" city!

The next day we also saw the Kaiserthermen (Roman Imperial Baths) and the Roman Amphitheatre, which once seated 20,000, but became so damaged in the 18th century that vines grew on the terraces. We also went into the Basilika, or Ault Palatina which once was Constatine's Palace in 310 AD. It is now a Protestant church.

The Romantic Road runs north to south through the center of Bavaria. It is an ancient trade route, and one of it's primary medieval destinations was the city of Rothenburg. It was bustling city of over 6,000,the second-largest free city in Germany, in the Middle Ages, and its sphere of influence extended for miles around. The city was very safe, as it held an impenetrable wall, which closed every evening. Those arriving at the gate too late at night were admitted through a "man hole" (small, man-sized doorway) in only one of the gates, and they had to be personally known to the gate keeper.

Two events were responsible for Rothenburg's fall, and eventual preservation for 20th and 21st century tourists. The first event was the 30 years' war, a religious war of Protestants against Catholics. To this day, northern Germany is primarily Protestant, and southern Germany, Catholic. Rothenburg was on the losing side, and lost many people, and many of the remaining population was affected by the Plague. The town became poor, the surrounding lands were lost, and no new building was done for centuries.

The town was discovered as a tourist destination in the 1920's and an American woman who visited the town later gave birth to a boy who became a US general in WWII. An important Nazi general fled Munich and hid in Rothenburg, which the allies bombed one time, but the mother of this general influenced her son's mercy to the rest of the town, and there was no more bombing. The parts of the town bombed were painstakingly rebuilt, and the town now appears as it did 400 years ago.

We took an English language tour at 8 pm by an actor (a resident of Rothenburg) portraying a night watchman. This was an entertaining and is a highly recommended tour.

The town tends to fill up with day trippers in the midday, but at night and morning, the town is a pleasure to stroll, and of course, shop. An overnight is highly recommended.