A Day in Rothenburg ob der Tauber

I had a day off today so I drove to Rothenburg, a medieval town about an hour away on the autobahn. It is on the Romantic Road which is Bavaria's medieval heartland - many old villages that are very charming. Today was a beautiful crisp, clear day. Again I can't think of a better time to travel. I have been to this walled town before - it was hot and crowded. Today I strolled around with a small number of tourists, sat at the outdoor cafe in the town square and had lunch. This would have been nearly impossible in the summer.

I walked around the entire town, shopped and had a great time. I went to the Medieval Crime and Punishment Museum. It held delightful torture equipment from the 12th to the 19th century. I saw enough thumb screws and shackles to last a lifetime. The real "Iron Maiden" was there. This iron mummy like thing that women were incased in. Lots of torture and shame items for women were in the museum. Not as much specific things for men. Wouldn't you know it. Also, lots of stuff from the Inquisition. Leave it to the church for some of the best torture stuff. Pictures of how different martyrs and saints were tortured. Quite a few torture techniques for witches. They all would admit to being witches after being tortured, so the torture really worked there!!