This morning we were on the coaches by 8.30am to go into Wurzburg to visit the Wurzburg Palace Residence. What an amazing place. Based on the Palace of Versaille the building is so impressive from the outside, but once you get inside it is breath taking. Built in the baroque style you enter through the massive doors where the carriages would enter and turn around and then you proceed up the massive and magnificent staircase with an amazing fresco painted on the ceiling by a notable Italian artist, I can’t remember his name. We proceeded into the reception room that was all in white and light grey so that it didn’t take away from the other rooms, but it was decorated all over in white plaster sculptures, once again amazing and beautiful. It is said the artist completed it in 9 months and especially for the visit of a notable and important lady. On her visit she passed through the reception room without a single glance or comment and he was so upset he went mad and spent the rest of his days in an Asylum.
The other rooms were equally remarkable with fresco paintings on ceilings and walls, with crystal chandeliers etc, each room better than the previous until you finally came to the mirror room. The mirror room was decorated entirely with mirrors and gold guilt. Just beautiful! We bought a post card book as you could not take photos.
Then it was back to the boat for another 4 course lunch. You don’t have to eat all four courses, of course, and you have a number of dishes to choose from for each course as well as beer, wine and soft drink that just flows as long as you will drink it. Murphy is enjoying the wine!
After lunch we went on an extra tour that took us to the little town of Rothenburg by bus, which took about one hour. Rothenburg is a medieval town that is surrounded by a castle wall and the gates are too small for buses to enter. We walked into the town and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful old buildings, cobbled streets and many shops and cafes. We walked out through the draw bridge to look over the picture postcard view of the valley and small village.
We then walked along the castle wall and up the main shopping street. By now we were thirsty so I ordered an apple juice and Gerard a beer. Now, he thought it would be a small glass, but it was half a litre and in a big glass stein. I took a photo and he just couldn’t drink it all. We left the beer unfinished on the table and walked back to the bus. On the trip back we were encouraged to participate in the German custom of drinking on bus trips, I thought it was just an Australian thing! Florian, our guide, had a supply of schnapps, beer and wine to sustain us on our way back. We shared a small bottle of wine that is traditional in Germany as it is a green glass bottle with flat sides like the Mateus Rose bottles. Apparently that shape is unique to Germany and came from monks hiding liquor in their robes. The flat shaped bottles were easier to hide.
