Nuremberg

When we left Koln, we did so a little later than planned, and consequently made an unplanned stop in Nuremberg. It was getting dark, we were getting tired, and we chanced a little hotel we saw, based on Herr Hummel's recommendation that if it looks clean in the lobby, it is usually a good sign for the rest. It was good advice, as the inn we picked was cheap (77 euros for a bed with a shower and parking and breakfast!). It wasn't too exciting, and I was glad that I had a bit of shampoo that I like (Dave...that gift pack you gave me for my birthday still comes into use because the bottles are the perfect size!).

In the morning, we explored the old city, and it was a very pleasant surprise. We didn't realize what a great medieval find this was until we were walking the streets. Of course, being Sunday, there wasn't a thing open but it didn't matter because it was a great window-shopping town. There is a river that runs right through the town--and right through a hospital, through two arched tunnels. There are some great churches that couldn't decide if they would be Gothic or Roman or Romantic, and there was some great people watching. One of the most amusing things was the 12:00 noon bells at one of the churches, and about a hundred people came to watch. The tower has several figures, and it is a bit like a cuckoo clock, with all of them doing something when the bell rings (in fact, one of them does the ringing). Unfortunately, the age of the building means that they have to put chicken wire up to keep the pieces from falling, and this impeded the action a little bit. But, it was interesting nonetheless, and all those faces were looking skyward. I love watching people!

We also walked along the wall...built somewhere in the 1800s. Loved it all!