Germany - Pt 5

We had two nights in the little non-touristy town of Esslingen, set among vineyards on the Neckar River (near Stuttgart). The town's historic buildings were fortunate to survive WW II intact. The Old Town Hall is a half-timbered building with a Renaissance front.

Esslingen has a 14th century bridge called the Innere Brucke which has picturesque houses and a tiny chapel on it.

Walking through the winding streets and narrow alleys, we came across a Starbucks in a half-timbered building, so we had to patronise it of course.

In the market square is the Stadtkirche St Dionysius, built in the 13th century, the oldest church in town.

We climbed to the Burg on top of the hill behind the town. It has a tower, walls and other fortifications. From up there you get a great view over the town and vineyards.

Esslingen is famous for its sparkling wines. We sampled the local Kessler wine at dinner one night. We found a picturesque little wine bar in one of the narrow streets in the town.

After leaving Esslingen, we headed back to Nuremberg. On the way we stopped at Ludwigsburg and did a guided tour of the 18th century palace. It is known as the "Versailles of Swabia". The following pics show one wing of the palace, the Queen's Bedroom and the beautiful baroque gardens.

Next stop (for lunch) was Schwabisch Hall on the River Kocher, another picturesque village with many half-timbered 15th and 16th century houses.

Schwabisch Hall has many historic buildings. The 15th century Church of St Michael sits high above the Marktplatz (main market square). Operas are occasionally performed on the steps in front of the church.

Back in Nurember, we spent our last day in Germany wandering around the Old Town. Gail finally got to visit the Kathe Wohlfahrt shop (which she has visited in many other German cities). Don was sorry he left her there alone. We took Debbie out to dinnner, stopping on the way at the Tugendbrunnen. This fountain has representations of the six virtues, crowned by the figure of Justice.

We had dinner at the Heilig-Geist-Spital (former Holy Spirit Hospital). It stands over the river in the centre of town and was one of the largest hospitals built in the Middle Ages. It now houses an old peoples home and a restaurant.

For dinner, Gail and Debbie chose dishes containing asparagus, in season at present, and the Germans make a big fuss over it. Don had Schweinhaxe (a large baked pork knuckle) which he was not able to finish.

We left Nuremberg by train to go to Frankfurt, ready for our overnight flight to Dubai.

Next update will cover Dubai.