GERMANY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 585

mayor had this valley-floor escape built to get people to relax about leaving the fortified
town...or to hide a mistress.
To extend your stroll, walk back to the bridge and follow the river downstream (passing
the recommended Unter den Linden beer garden) to the peaceful village of Detwang. One
of the oldest villages in Franconia (one of Germany's medieval dukedoms), Detwang dates
from 968. Like Rothenburg, it has a Riemenschneider altarpiece in its church.
Franconian Bike Ride
To get a fun, breezy look at the countryside around Rothenburg, rent a bike (see “Helpful
Hints” on here ) . For a pleasant half-day pedal, escape the old town through the Rödertor,
bike along Topplerweg to the Spitaltor, and follow the curvy road down into the river valley.
Turn right at the yellow Leutzenbronn sign to cross the double-arcaded bridge. From here
a peaceful road follows the river downstream to Detwang, passing the cute Toppler Castle
(described earlier). From Detwang, follow the main road to the old mill, and turn left to fol-
low the Liebliches Taubertal bike path signs as far up the Tauber River (direction: Bettwar)
as you like. After 2.5 miles, you'll arrive in the sleepy farming town of Bettwar, where you
can claim a spot among the chickens and the apple trees for a picnic or have a drink at one
of the two restaurants in town.
Franconian Open-Air Museum (Fränkisches Freilandmuseum)
A 20-minute drive from Rothenburg—in the undiscovered “Rothenburgy” town of Bad
Windsheim—is an open-air folk museum that, compared with others in Europe, is a bit
humble. But it tries very hard and gives you the best look around at traditional rural
Franconia.
Cost and Hours: €6, daily mid-March-Sept 9:00-18:00, Oct-mid-Dec 10:00-16:00,
closed mid-Dec-mid-March, last entry one hour before closing, tel. [phone],
www.freilandmuseum.de .
Shopping in Rothenburg
Be warned...Rothenburg is one of Germany's best shopping towns. Do it here and be done
with it. Lovely prints, carvings, wine glasses, Christmas-tree ornaments, and beer steins are
popular.Rödergasseistheoldtown'severydayshoppingstreet.There'salsoamodernshop-
ping center across the street from the train station.
Christmas Souvenirs
Rothenburg is the headquarters of the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas trinkets empire, which
is spreading across the half-timbered reaches of Europe. In Rothenburg, tourists flock to