Friday, October 07, 2005

Romantic Road - Wurtzburg

DAY 18 of “Chancellor Watch” – Germans still waiting for a new -- or old -- chancellor were left hanging once again when party leaders announced that any deal as to whome will lead Germany would not be completed before the weekend.

Well, I know the Romantic Road trip report is a long time coming but work has been crazy this week. Yea, was that trip just 3-4 days ago?

First, let me say that the reputation of Bavaria definitely lives up to its billing. As Buddy and I headed south last Friday evening, we made our first stop on the Romantic Road in Wurzburg. Technically, this city is the first and most northern stop on this famous tourist travel route. After a four hour drive to Wurzburg on Friday PM (a one hour traffic jam on the autobahn extended our journey just a bit), Buddy and I had dinner in a restaurant that opened its doors in 1415 and bunked at a local inn. While the inn was certainly no frills, it was clean and a convenient first night stop.

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The Marienberg Fortress.

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A view of Wurzburg from the Marienberg Fortress.

Saturday morning included a tour of the Residenz (famous palace), the Marienberg Fortress, Alte Brucke, and Markt Platz. It was a very rainy day, and extremely foggy as you will see from the pictures…something out of a German fairy tale. Supposedly, the creme de al crème of the city is the Residenz, an expansive barogue palace known for its super-sized Tiepolo mural painted on its staircase ceiling. Yes, the palace is amazing, but true to form, our streak of touring major sites that are undergoing significant renovation is intact. The mural was almost entirely covered with scaffolding and obscured most of the famous view.

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The Residenz.

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The Chapel in the Residenz.

Tomorrow...Rothenberg recap (for more pictures, check out the photo link on the right hand side of the website).

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