The Romantic Road

One of D's coworkers had suggested going down to southern Germany and visit Berchtesgaden, and specifically, Hitler's mountain hideaway in that area. He said that it was a "must do" and since we were already predisposed to see it, we decided to go. The only problem was that we had only one available weekend left and not enough time to book a flight or train ticket that could be defined in any way as "reasonably priced." Therefore, not wanting to give up the prize, it became road-trip time. In order to break up the 9+ hours of driving (at least on the way down) we decided to find a half-point location to stay overnight. Würzburg fit the bill because it was 5 hours from BE and was described as "the pearl of the Romantic Road."


The Romantic Road (RR) is a stretch of highway between Würzburg and Füssen, Germany. The term was coined by travel agents sometime in the 1950's because it was thought by many international travelers to possess "quintessentially" German scenery and culture - meaning fabulous castles, medieval architecture, as well as traditional clothes, food, and fests. I had known about the RR but had never had the chance to visit it, so I was excited to check out the town.


We only had a short time in town so I picked a hotel in the center of the sites (well worth the extra money - big time and stress saver!) The Backoefele was the restaurant that we had dinner in - a fantastic, traditional meal, thankfully served late (traffic was a bit brutal, getting us there 1-2 hours later than anticipated.) [Side note: We are convinced that the entire country of The Netherlands empties out in July and everyone heads south. Although I am clearly exaggerating, the truth is that many Dutch companies close their doors in the month of July for holiday. Vacations are serious business here and people don't do weekenders - they pack-out their cars, attach a camper on the back and travel for a month.] The restaurant was highly rated in my guidebook and by the hotel, and it didn't disappoint. German food is not light, but it is delicious for those that like slowly cooked meat with dark gravies and lots of starch side dishes for which to clean your plate.

This poem was on the tile next to our table and I was excited because I understood it and thought that it helped convey the homey feeling of the restaurant. It says (roughly), "A cake with new wine you will find here fresh and fine."


We walked around after dinner and given that it was July 3rd, we were surprised and thrilled to stumble across a fireworks display. We watched on the bridge overlooking the castle (last pic) and river and felt like we were getting our own special Independence Day display. It was nice. We then headed home and fell into bed, exhausted.


The next morning, knowing that we only had a short time to enjoy the town before we had to hit the road, we mapped out a 1 hour walking tour to see the highlights of the town. This is the "Residence" which was the palace that the prince-bishops lived in until secularization abolished the episcopal principality of Würzburg in early 1800's. (Napolean had called this building the "nicest parsonage in Europe." Funny!) No fear, though, it didn't go uninhabited - the prince of Bavaria took up residence. It suffered tremendous damage in WWII but has been lovingly restore and was UNESCO World Heritage listed in 1981. We had no time to check out the inner beauty, we just reveled at her sexy exterior and moved on.


Nothing like a castle on a hill to give a town majestic beauty. The Marienberg Fortress had been built in the 13th century, but recent excavations suggest that there was a settlement here in the Iron Age, 3,000 years ago. Although we are almost always up for a good climb (and getting to the top to explore this castle counts as a solid one) we had no time so instead, we basked in the glow of the early sun on her walls and bid adieu, it was time to hit the road.