Friday, December 28, 2007

Day 6: Rheingau and Rudesheim

Driving back to Dusseldorf, the four Texans did a brief driving tour of the Rheingau, Germany’s wine country (famous for its German Reisling). In addition to the many castles and beautiful countryside, the final Christmas market in Rudesheim was visited.

It was an equally important stop because Dee needed to round out a service for 12 of Christmas market mugs and she was two short of the complete set. Ah…mission accomplished.

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Dee, Buddy, and Bob say “howdy”to Santa at Rudesheim's Christmas Market. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to say “Guten Tag”.

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Day 5: Rothenberg ob de Tauber

The final days of Bob and Dee’s visit were spent visiting with one another as well as taking in two remaining Christmas markets. After three years of living in Germany, you would think that we would tire of seeing them, but we enjoy every market we visit, regardless of whether we have been there before or whether we buy anything or not.

Rothenberg ob de Tauber was the next to last stop in the Christmas market circuit with the Budman's parents. Besides the seasonal activities of the market, the village is chocked full of history, medieval structures, and really good food.

The sights and sounds of the Rothenberg Christmas market itself.

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The quintessential Christmas decoration – prune men.

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The history of Rothenberg…its churches, architecture, and city wall.

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Bob walks the city wall, checks out the churches, and explores Rothenberg.

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The skyline of Rothenberg.

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Evening in Rothenberg.

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Schneeballen purchases - always a must!

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