Hometown Vists and Bad Wimpfen

Saturday was another free day for folks to go out and visit hometowns. After all our chicks had flown the coop Matthias and I took the train to a town we wanted to visit for a possible stop on a Christmas Market tour. It is called Bad Wimpfen and is home to something called the Blue Tower. Of course it is another little walled city and has remnants of its walls and gates. It was another favorite of mine, it passes the “cute” test. We walked up from the train station and explored all the alleyways and side streets taking pictures and findng little shops a and bakeries etc. So many people miss the heartbeat of these towns because they don’t take the time to really explore the village by walking it. I know it is hard for some people but Europe is a place that requires a lot of walking, so it is best to prepare months in advance by waling a little each day and building up the stamina. It is so worth it. On our walk we came across a wedding party assembled in the town square, the couple was in the Rathaus which was across the plaza from the church. Marriages in Germany are required to be preformed first in the Rathaus (city hall) and then if you want a church wedding you go there. As we were standing there waiting for them to come out the church bells started chiming and we heard the clip clop of a horse and carriage making its way down a narrow, cobblestoned alleyway. Sounded like we were back a couple hundred years. The carriage made its way to the front of the Rathaus to pick up the newly married couple. I was hoping to see the bride and groom in the carriage but all it contained was 2 pesky little boys (little brothers or nephews perhaps). We waited but they didn’t come out so we went on with our exploring. We did consider being wedding crashers, think they would have noticed? But on our walk we walked up the hill to a beautiful park overlooking the river. Bad Wimpfen is built high on a bluff over the Neckar river it was a glorious day with beautiful blue skies, white puffy clouds and a great view. It was still a little chilly though so after sitting for awhile we started walking again. Besides getting hungry. So because of our exploring we came across a great restaurant high on the hill which had a wonderful terrace looking out of the river and valley, you could see for miles and miles and even though it was a little cool this view and place was too good to pass up. Lunch with a view. Took lots of pictures. After lunch we of course visited several churches in town, found some shops and deemed it a great place for a day trip and a possible stop on a Christmas market tour. Anyone interested?

Back home to hear how things went with the group. Sounds like another successful day! Meeting cousins, visiting churches, getting pictures of ancestral homes from the time the emigrant left, learning new information and eating, eating, eating. Good day for all!