Back at the bottom of the hill we discovered why there were so many young BMW dealers everywhere. A Bimmer convention, and they had parked all these white and black 7 series in the lot like an expensive chess game or something. I tried to get Terri to create a diversion while I made off with one, but she wouldn't play........

 
On the road from Salzburg back to Munich, we took this picture of  Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany. Onion dome church spires, like the one shown here, were a common sight.

 

Our next stop was Dinkelsburg. I debated buying a new camera, but decided that would ruin the challenge. Besides, it was fun to hand it to someone, ask them to take our picture, and explain to them that they had to just point it in our general direction. 

 
Dinkelsburg had lots of open-air markets with fresh holiday greenery and flowers.

 

Our last stop was Rothenburg, which was a free imperial city from the late 13th century until 1803, when it passed to Bavaria. Although they are part of Bavaria, the townspeople call themselves Franconians, not Bavarians. Here is Terri in front of the famous Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas Village.

 
In the Middle Ages, when Frankfurt and Munich were just wide spots in the road, Rothenburg was Germany's second-largest city, with a whopping population of 6,000.

 

Here is Rothenburg's Market Square.

 
More Market Square - if you like Bratwurst and sauerkraut you are in the right place.

 

Here is a view of an adjoining valley from the Castle Garden.

 
A new friend.

 

Here is one of the guard towers, as seen from the Garden.

 
Here is the view of the Garden (behind Terri) from inside the interior wall.

 

A good way to see the town is to walk the 2-mile fortifying wall around its perimeter.

 
It was fun to eat outside in the evening - here is a typical street.

 

This guy, Hans-Georg Baumgartner, has been doing the Night Watchman's Tour for 16 years. This tour is a must if you go to Rothenburg. For us it was a great close to a great trip.

 

 

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