Two lovely German towns in one day – Wertheim and Miltenberg. We had guided tours of both but not enough time to explore in depth.
Wertheim
Wertheim is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg with a population of around 23,400. It is located on the confluence of the rivers Tauber and Main. Wertheim is best known for its landmark castle and medieval town centre. The town was built in the 7th and 8th centuries We explored the old town center but just admired the castle from below.
Wertheim is also known for producing glassworks and Franconian wine. I tried some of both – bought a beautiful vintage glass bead necklace and tried the local red wine which I did not like.
In the town center there is a Reformed (formerly Catholic) church painted in bright yellow. The churche’s tower has two clocks and a sundial. The clock facing the wealthy castle neighborhood has no minute hand. But the one facing merchants and tradespeople does. Does that mean the rich people had more time on their hands or did the minutes not matter in their world – details that the servants worried about?
Lots of half timber framed homes where the upper parts of the house are built from timber filled with cement and the bottom floor is walled with stone or concrete. Most of these very old homes cannot be modified or updated because most of these towns are UNESCO world heritage protected sites with strict regulations. This photo is of a very narrow house in Wertheim.
Miltenberg
The cruise line provided a bus to take us to the town of Miltenberg, about 30 minutes away through pretty country. We met the boat there later in the afternoon.
This town was even more charming than the previous with a long winding cobblestoned main street lined with timber framed homes and plenty of shops with warm clothes and scarves for sale. Bill, Bonnie and I had lunch in a little Bavarian pub with hearty German food and cold beers. Miltenburg is on the Main River with much Gothic architecture and many half-timbered houses built in the 15th and 16th centuries.
Even though our tour guide was excellent, we decided to ditch the guided tour in Miltenberg and explore on our own. Plus I was getting hungry and wanted a meal other than the “free” lunch buffet on the ship. We enjoyed this little place on a side street near the medieval fountain. The food (sauebrauten and veal rolls) was hearty and warm. Fall is arriving in Germany as we move northward.
Bill was initially intrigued by this place from afar – maybe his kind of wild game restaurant. But upon closer examination it was quite bizarre. We aren’t sure what this place was, but not a restaurant. A painter’s workshop possibly?
The boat was docked right outside the old town and didn’t leave Miltenberg until 4:30pm so we had lots of time to wander the old town. Cynthia and I did a bit of shopping, of course.
In the afternoon Amir hosted a merengue dance class in the lounge. I chose to be an observer but Pat, Cynthia and Bill were right in the mix of it having lots of laughs. Later in the evening after dinner we had a disco night. Long days, too much fun.