Nuremberg - The Residence of Kings

After an easy 3-hour drive from southern Bavaria, we arrive in the Nuremberg suburb of Furth.  We are greeted at our sweet flat by our host, Peter, and his wife, Carola.  This is our first rental from the European site, 9flats.com, and we are delighted.  Peter built this flat for his Mom and on her passing converted it to a rental.  As a result, it has lots of things we don't usually find in our travels, including a washing machine and a dryer!!  After two weeks of travel, everything we own goes into the washer.  The flat has a lovely, large deck . . .

One of the big draws of Nuremberg is its old city, dating back to the Middle Ages.  Despite the tangle of streets, our trusty Garmin GPS gets us right to the center of town!!  We even find a parking place within a half block of the main square, the Hauptmarkt.  It's a gorgeous day, great for a walking tour.  First stop, the Frauenkirche cathedral.   Interesting history - it started life as a Jewish synagogue.  In the 14th or 15th century (??), the Emperor Charles IV decided he wanted to appropriate much of the holdings of the Jews so he not only ousted them from the synagogue, he assassinated them.   The Lutheran Church took over the cathedral for several centuries but the Catholic church ultimately took control of it and still claims it today.

The facade . . . 

This square is not just for tourists; it has a thriving market and all the booths appear to be permanently installed and sell everything from Ronco-type kitchen gadgets to handmade soap and wooden spoons.

Following our trusty LP walking tour we wander around the narrow, cobblestone streets, nearly empty of cars.  The old city is bisected by the Pegnitz River and until Charles II was actually two distinct cities.  Its most famous citizen is Albrecht Durer . . . 

Right opposite this statue is an underground brewery and beer cellar, the Felsengange.  During WWII it also served as a bomb shelter.  And like Dresden to the northwest, much of Nuremberg was reduced to rubble in the bombing raids of early 1945; it has been painstakingly rebuilt.

The entire old city is ringed with a massive stone wall, complete with ramparts.

Now they make an ideal spot for street musicians . . . fabulous acoustics!

Looks like Germany also has a liberal weed policy.

Typical view of the streets in the old city.

And these jaw-droppingly beautiful views from the bridges.

Back at the market, we see a London double-decker bus (the Piccadilly Queen), adorned with German bier signs!

All this walking and gawping, time for a latte and apfelkuchen!  The pastries are absolutely wonderful and very cheap.

Lovely, relaxed day in Nuremberg!