Photos and Words, Rothenburg ob der Tauber

Here's my version of a pithy travel article based on my time in Rothenburg ob der Tauber....

Rothenburg ob der Tauber has a fascinating history for sure, and if you are a fan of Rick Steve's as-seen-on-PBS travels, you know that he is a fan of this completely walled medieval city located on Germany's so-called Romantic Road in the Franconia region of German Bavaria. However, you won't find it on many of the "best-most-whatever-walled city" lists populating the web.

Why?

I have no idea, but maybe because its history is checkered with one really glaring modern sin: it expelled all its Jewish citizens in 1938 and became used as a propaganda tool for the Nazis as a kind of "perfect German town."

It was also famously saved because of the intervention of U.S. Assistant Secretary of War John J. McCloy, whose mother had visited as a tourist and had a depiction of the town hanging in their home during his childhood (according to the Night Watchman, Hans Georg Baumgartner, on his entertaining tour).

He personally called US Army General Jacob L. Devers and halted further bombing. An offer to spare the town in return for a peaceful exit by the Nazi soldiers was accepted and the significant damage was repaired in part because of the international donations that flowed in to this well-established tourist destination.

Indeed, that is the only reason I can imagine it being excluded from any "best-of" lists, as it is lovely. The cobbled streets, tiny alleys, shops, buildings and museums are as charming as one could hope for, and Rothenburg hosts many tourists and visitors each day. Every turn takes you onto a quaint street filled with shops and restaurants, private homes, and a museum or two.

Fantastic views can be had from above.

The wall can be walked via a rampart on the inside for nearly the entire circumference, and the layers of rooftops, mostly terracotta red, lead your eyes to the towers and steeples of Rothenburg's historic buildings.

The inside of the wall is home to many personalized bricks that commemorate the donations from all over the world that financed the post-war repairs, and the walkway is, while in great condition, not designed for people with mobility issues. If you can manage the stairs up to it, you will be rewarded with some truly marvelous views.

Outside the walls is a typical German town as well, but a modern rather than medieval one. if you turn you camera outside the walls, you may see a factory or a swingset, or just the wooded surroundings of the Tauber River.

All photos are mine ©DavidPaulThomas

Bucket List

So, I should be working. (actually, that would be a great title for another blog or website).

I watched Casey Neistat stuff, not even sure how I ended up doing that. Then, there's yesterday's post about VW Things.

I've pointed out this young lady's tumblr before. Lots of cool images about stuff I like right there.

Huckberry always gets me motivated.

So, the list. The bucket list. It's also on Pinterest, sorta. *reminder to link to that later*

I am 48 year 7 months 9 days old, 17,756 days to be exact, and I've done a lot of things. Let's see, a brief list includes travels to Haiti, East (and West Germany), Canada, Ireland England and Scotland, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Wall SD, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, LA, San Diego, NYC, Baltimore, Virginia Beach, Washington DC, McKinney Texas, all over Florida, Gatlinburg and the Smokys, BWCAW, Madison WI, Grand Traverse bay, Mackinac Island, Disney World and Disneyland, ok?

I've skied a bunch (not enough), played guitar a bunch, I was an Irish step-dancer, been the lead in a musical, choired all over the place, taught horseback riding, canoed, rock climbed, hiked and camped. I even did a triathlon

Never been to the Pacific Northwest or the Atlantic Northeast. Mexico. Asia. Greece. Paris. North Dakota. Plenty of places yet to visit.

Here's where I really want to go: South Pacific, including New Zealand and Australia. Greece. Rural France. the Black Sea. Siberia (really, it intrigues me). The Canadian Maritimes. Seattle and Maine.

I kinda learned how to surf in Ireland in 1988, I'd like to do that more seriously. So, Hawaii would be nice.
I want to learn scuba.
Get my motorcycle endorsement.
Concealed carry, just to be legal, I don't even really want to own a gun, however.
Skydive/hang glide
Become a functional piano player
Learn a new string instrument, mandolin, or ukelele maybe. Get better at the ones I already know.
Do stand-up once.
Be in a band.
Sing in front of a large audience, again.
Write and publish a novel, or a collection of short work.
Lose a few pounds. Not exactly a 'bucket list' item for most, but it is for me.
Own and regularly drive a VW Thing. (duh)

I'll keep adding.

Friday: Things (VW), Wanderlust, Tumblr, the usual.

Let's see, I've been back "at work" for a day and a half, and I have to tell you, coming home from a vacation on a Wednesday sucks. Gotta remember that.

I've spent a ridiculous amount of time on Tumblr (be careful, though, there's a lot of nsfw there! it's still the interwebby, after all), and the usual time on the Samba and searchtempest looking, wishing, wanting. Not, clearly, working.

After the cruise, I am reminded of this quote used in EPCOT's Impressions de France film (during the hot air balloon scene) from Baudelaire:

Mais les vrais voyageurs sont ceux-là seuls qui partent
Pour partir; coeurs légers, semblables aux ballons,
De leur fatalité jamais ils ne s'écartent,
Et, sans savoir pourquoi, disent toujours: Allons!

I like the movie narrator's translation of the last lines best: "they leave for the sake of leaving, and without knowing why, they always say, 'we must go'"

Even though, I just got home, I am ready to go. I want to travel more, but reality (3 kids, a mortgage, etc.) makes it difficult. Check my Pinterest page for the bucket list. A few other things make me want to travel more, by the way. Like, for example certain cars. The Land Rover Defender will cease production in 2 years. That sucks.

Then, when looking on Tumblr for any peeps in Cincy that have tumblrs, I find this one filled with images that make me want to just go. Anywhere.

So, lets go somewhere and buy a Thing. Oh wait, I don't have any money. Oh well. $1500? Please. Dangit! This guy has no idea what it's worth and I am broke, as usual.

Here's another one that I think is underpriced at $5000. Dude, spend $100 to get it going and ask $7000.

That being said, here is what I would call a fairly priced Thing, just up in northern Ohio, $4700.

I thought I'd posted this one before, it's in Texas and is down to $2500 OBO, and if it runs, it's definitely a steal. I like to toggle between the first 2 pics and make the doors open and shut. :)

of course, if this showed up on my doorstep, I'd be fine.... talk about going anywhere, this (or this) would do that:

Time to plan some trips and sell some stuff to make some money, maybe, eh?