River Cruising Water Cooler

[notamermaid]

@travelingman Thanks for all that info. It sounds great. Alas, this year it is not taking place, as was to be expected: https://www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/veranstaltungen/imperial-city-festival-rothenburg/

I expect it will be very busy next year.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

A day trip to Rothenburg part 2

 

Last week I gave you some background info on my day in Rothenburg as part of my trip to Würzburg in the area. Today I want to include some details on planning and getting there. We, after a leisurely breakfast, took a fast road, meaning partly the autobahn (motorway), which turned out not to be so fast as there is a detour right now and road works, that slowed us down. When you come from your river cruise it will be from Würzburg usually and they may take you on the fast road (marked with a B) which right now makes more sense and is nicer. We got through the motorway roadworks very slowly and it was almost lunchtime when we arrived. We parked right at the town wall in Betzoldweg (P5) which is for cars and motorbikes only. Coaches park elsewhere. So we saw the Pulverturm near us and the Klingentorturm in the distance. What a sight! It makes you forget instantly that you have just spent half an hour on a German motorway going at the amazing speed of 60km an hour due to roadworks .

 

There appears to be a technical issue with uploading photos, so a bit of patience is needed at this point. ((woarrrraagghhhgrrrr, what is patience?!))

 

Deep breath - instead, here is the tower trail info from the Rothenburg website:

https://www.rothenburg-tourismus.de/en/discover/time-travel/experiencing-tower-trail/

 

notamermaid

 

 

[rcaruso]

 Several years ago, we were able to stay two nights in Rothenburg.  Best thing as all the day tourists go home and night is very different.  We went on the Nightwatchman tour and had a great time.  We stayed in a place that we called the Hobbit House.  Rick Steve's recommended and it was very nice.  Went to the Crime and Punishment museum. Lovely town.

 

[jpalbny]

It sure is a nice town to visit. We were also lucky to visit when we did, in June of 2013, on our own. Parking at the city walls was very easy. 

 

Because many river cruises had been canceled due to the floods, it wasn't completely overcrowded and we were able to have lunch, climb the Rathaus tower and visit the torture museum pretty easily.

 

I'd definitely like to stay overnight there.

[hihandycap]

On 8/26/2021 at 8:36 AM, rcaruso said:

We went on the Nightwatchman tour and had a great time. 

We took his tour well over a decade ago. Hilarious and Informative.  For us, he was probably the best couple of hours we spent while travelling internationally--he had a diction cadence that was a cross between Johnny Carson and Seinfeld (watching those shows  is how he said he honed his English.)

[notamermaid]

The nightwatchman tour does sound great. I have done one somewhere else in Germany and enjoyed it. It is so nice when history comes alive with a good guide telling you stories.

 

A day trip to Rothenburg part 3

 

As you get to Rothenburg by coach from your river cruise this will not apply to you but you could also get there by train if you went on a land trip. The town lies in the Tauber valley but you need to note that the train from Würzburg to Rothenburg does not follow that river. It is another line in the Tauber valley and does not go to Rothenburg.

 

When you are in the old town it is great to wander around and take in the old architecture. Here is an obviously altered (in whichever century) part of the town wall:

 

But if you are not quite so mobile for long walks, you can get around in a horse drawn carriage. A road sign as you will not find it in many places, all traffic needs to be regulated:

 

 

You can also book a small electrical vintage rebuilt car with tourist guide driver. There is a little road train, too.

 

We walked just from one tower to the next on the wall but that took already quite a few minutes as we enjoyed looking at all the shapes and sizes of the buildings and rooftops:

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

On 8/26/2021 at 9:36 AM, rcaruso said:

 Several years ago, we were able to stay two nights in Rothenburg.  Best thing as all the day tourists go home and night is very different.  We went on the Nightwatchman tour and had a great time.  We stayed in a place that we called the Hobbit House.  Rick Steve's recommended and it was very nice.  Went to the Crime and Punishment museum. Lovely town.

 

 

I agree, if you can spend the night, it's pretty magical after all the day trippers have gone (like Bruges).  And the Nightwatchman tour is pretty great.  Not my video, but you get the idea:

 

 

 

Notamermaid-  Thanks again for the pics of our old home.  The main square, early in the morning, we'd go into town with friends and their infant daughter.  I take her in her stroller and we'd chase after the pigeons.  My buddy's German wife would shake her head and pretend she had nothing to do with us, as my behavior just was 'appropriate' maybe?

 

Her daughter and I were having a blast though, and I never did it on market day.  Christina (the infant), later did a 10km volksmarch with us, it was so cold she stayed snuggled against my chest, under the jacket, chilling and sleeping.  Dad was working, so I got the job.  Great times.

[sharkster77]

You can get a taste of the Nightwatchman Tour from the Rick Steves episode that visits Rothenburg.  I think his clips are available for free on his website (?)

[notamermaid]

Ah, yes. Rick Steves has one on Rothenburg on YouTube. I think there is also one where Rothenburg is part of a longer travel video.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

All of Rick Steves shows as well as his videos are available on his site.

[travelingman]

We also did the Nightwatchman Tour on our 2 day stay in Rothenburg.  We enjoyed it greatly.  He was very informative and entertaining.  We also had a very good dinner at a place name the Wine Bar (I believe)  At first I thought it was just a wine place.  But the young lady at the front desk at our hotel recommended it so we went and were glad we did.  It is very small and the table was the smallest I have ever ate it.  However, the food was good.  Our hotel was inside the wall and provided parking in the back of it.  I believe it was the Hotel Spitzweg .  Nice hotel and not far from the town hall.

 

Stan

[hihandycap]

8 hours ago, ural guy said:

the Nightwatchman tour is pretty great.

It's been longer than we membered--back then he was thin and probably hadn't been shaving all  that long.  He has apparently updated his spiel, but the costume and props (staff/lantern) are timeless.

 

Rick Steves has been an invaluable resource for us on many enjoyable European trips.  We just cancelled our DIY extension to Istanbul after an October 2021 Danube cruise with Emerald from  Budapest to Bucharest because of the COVID variants, but were using his "co-authored" guidebook  to plan that portion of our trip. 

 

Having travelled around  South America, OZ/NZ, and southeast Asia without Steves' researched recommendations, it would be nice if he could expand his scope to find knowledgeable co-authors of guidebooks for those destinations.

[notamermaid]

On 8/28/2021 at 12:14 PM, ural guy said:

Notamermaid-  Thanks again for the pics of our old home.  The main square, early in the morning, we'd go into town with friends and their infant daughter.  I take her in her stroller and we'd chase after the pigeons.  My buddy's German wife would shake her head and pretend she had nothing to do with us, as my behavior just was 'appropriate' maybe?

You lived in Rothenburg? I remember you telling us of a place near Würzburg, but I do not recall the name.

 

It is kind of okay if small children chase pigeons, if it is not for too long, but adults joining in or even initiating - no, no, not done, not appropriate... (fun, though).

 

notamermaid

 

[ural guy]

3 hours ago, notamermaid said:

You lived in Rothenburg? I remember you telling us of a place near Würzburg, but I do not recall the name.

 

It is kind of okay if small children chase pigeons, if it is not for too long, but adults joining in or even initiating - no, no, not done, not appropriate... (fun, though).

 

notamermaid

 

Sorry, we lived in Lindflur, 10 km's or so outside of Wurzburg.  I was referring to the picture of the main square in Wurzburg were we'd chase the pigeons.  I think I was typing before my coffee kicked in.

 

I'm sure your correct about German pigeon chasing etiquette, as I said, Christina's German mom wasn't always happy with me.  But could you have told little Christina no?  Such a sweetheart.

 

 

And here is a view of the Main at high water, looking down from the Fortress.

 

[ural guy]

Crikey, were = where, you = you're.

 

I think I'm proving my lack of typing ability/clarity.  Folks who have English/American as a second language are doing better than me. 

[jpalbny]

Don't worry @ural guy.

 

Most of us who read and post here are fluent in typographical errors and malapropisms. I make them on a regular basis too. It adds to the entertainment value!

[notamermaid]

So easy to make these mistakes and not a big deal at all, we get some really funny ones sometimes, don't we? ☺️ Problem for me is, I want to be so correct, English not being my native language. Then I reread my posts hours or days later and get annoyed when I find mistakes. I often do not know what to blame then - my brain or that cheeky little smartphone cobold called autocorrect. It wants to particularly annoy me with its and it's. Now I really do not want to put the blame on the little fellow solely, we share the blame fifty-fifty, but I am willing to negotiate on the percentage.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, notamermaid said:

So easy to make these mistakes and not a big deal at all, we get some really funny ones sometimes, don't we? ☺️ Problem for me is, I want to be so correct, English not being my native language. Then I reread my posts hours or days later and get annoyed when I find mistakes. I often do not know what to blame then - my brain or that cheeky little smartphone cobold called autocorrect. It wants to particularly annoy me with its and it's. Now I really do not want to put the blame on the little fellow solely, we share the blame fifty-fifty, but I am willing to negotiate on the percentage.

 

notamermaid

 

I have turned autocorrect off on my iPhone. Now it shows me suggestions but doesn't make them automatically. So, unfortunately, any errors remaining are mine.

[Canal archive]

Predictive text - great it takes extra time just to check and correct the predictive text. The interesting one is when you get new tech and forget to ensure that it’s English - English or US English. 
One of my daughters friends father was a Professor in ancient French and I thought that was weird.

[notamermaid]

12 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I have turned autocorrect off on my iPhone. Now it shows me suggestions but doesn't make them automatically. So, unfortunately, any errors remaining are mine.

I was toiling with the idea, especially as the smartphone struggles with the many German words I write. But in the end I decided to stick with it. I have made it realize I mean Maxau (on the Rhine) not Macau and it has memorized my boss's name, I am working at it learning even more words, I am sure it could do it faster, but I usually forget to use the "add to dictionary function".

 

@Canal archive British and US - that is important to remember with these devices, true. I learnt British and need to stick to it, as the only thing I would do is mix both arbitrarily if I tried US.

 

Talking of old French: I wonder if there is a translation program for that? Seriously, I would find it fascinating.

 

notamermaid

 

[Canal archive]

I always found it strange as the French have a whole department to keep their language pure. I like looking for the root of different English words it can be quite fascinating.

[jpalbny]

@notamermaid, my Samsung phone has the ability to download different keyboards for different languages, and you can switch between them easily. 

 

So right now I'm typing on the English (US) keyboard and the predictive text is fairly good.

 

If I want to type more than a word or two of French or German, I switch keyboards and the predictive text is now good for the language that I'm typing, not English. It also does not autocorrect the foreign words, like it would if I were in English mode.

 

Ich wechsle die Tastatur, wenn ich auf Deutsch tippen möchte! Einfach! C'est un morceau de gâteau...

[notamermaid]

21 minutes ago, Canal archive said:

I always found it strange as the French have a whole department to keep their language pure. I like looking for the root of different English words it can be quite fascinating.

An English teacher once told me that 50 percent of any standard English text is made up of Old English words, i.e. before the Old French came. Apparently you can compose a text purely of Anglo-Saxon/Germanic/Old Norse combined words but not of Norman words.

 

One more post on Rothenburg to come by the way. Will try posting a video.

 

notamermaid

 

[notamermaid]

4 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

my Samsung phone has the ability to download different keyboards for different languages, and you can switch between them easily. 

A dear person has mentioned this to me. Thank you for the reminder, I must try that for my next German e-mail.

 

Piece of cake. LOL! Getting hungry. I think I will have something to eat now, have not had proper cake today, will see if there are some biscuits lying around that I fancy.

 

notamermaid

 

[gnome12]

22 minutes ago, jpalbny said:

my Samsung phone has the ability to download different keyboards for different languages, and you can switch between them easily. 

My iPhone does that too. I currently have English (Canada), Hebrew, English (US), and Français (Canada) available to me.