Rothenburg, Germany

From the moment I saw this horse carriage, I knew we were about to enter a very quaint and charming town.

 

And I was not wrong.  Rothenburg is a very well preserved city within a medieval wall.

 This is the place to buy cuckoo clocks. We were there in Nov. so the stores were selling lots of Christmas accessories and ornaments and were all decked out for the holiday.

 The tower clock (circa 1683) shows the day of the month, hour and minute.

 

 The Burgtor (Castle Gate, circa 1356) leads from the chapel and garden into Rothenburg Town. It features two round guard houses (16 century), a mask through which Rothenburg defenders would pour hot tar on enemies, and the eye-of-the-needle door within a door.

 Burg Gate and Garden

The Rothenburg Imperial Castle (circa 1142) was located in what is called the Castle Garden today. The Castle was destroyed in the earthquake of 1356, survived only by the prison which was rebuilt in 1400. 

  The outer path along the garden wall offers outstanding views of the pastoral valley surrounding Rothenburg as well as of the town itself. This is what we see looking down the wall.

 My traveling companions!

 I thought this tree was very interesting, growing flat against the wall.

 The Town Square was one of my favorite places to shop.

 Here is another interesting way on how they grew the plants and evergreens.

 John had to pose by, according to him is "his church", St. Johannis Church.

 Inside the church, of course, we had to say our 7 Our Father's, 7 Hail Mary's and 7 Glory Be's and make our 3 wishes.

 We went to this store where I bought my German souvenir. It is now hanging in our Florida home. We have German neighbors there and I thought they might get a big kick out of it. The artist was there. Do you see the personalized plaque he was creating for us on the bottom left photo of the mosaic?

I hope you enjoyed the tour of Rothenburg as we did. Thank you so much for stopping by, I am linking with

The Tablescaper's Oh The Places I've Been
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Mardi Gras and Fleur de Lis

After having temps in the 70's over the weekend, the cold front is here again, 25 degrees out there right now. So, why not just set a festive mardi gras table inside? After all, it is already Fat Tuesday.

 

I pulled out a gold and purple April Cornell tablecloth that I won from her tablescape contest a few years ago. I think it would be the perfect color. I added the masks that I bought from the Dollar store.

I bought the plates from TJ Maxx a long time ago and they are just marked "Artistic Accents" in the back. The fleur de lis plate chargers are from a store downtown that I bought several years ago also.

The clown napkin rings were from New Orleans from our last trip there and the Fleur de lis flatware were from Horchow or Neiman Marcus on line from a few years ago.

The clown that I placed inside a cloche was from the New Orleans French flea market from many years ago.

 

I cannot remember where I kept my beads. But there was an estate sale in our neighborhood last Saturday where John and I went. It was amazing how everything in the house including big furniture, sold out within 5 min. from the time they opened. Cars were parked an hour before they opened. John passed by them on his way to the hospital. Luckily these beads were still in the garage so I just bought them all for $5.

 

I told John we won't have any problem selling our household items and furniture if we ever decide to move.

I like these stemware. They are fun and I bought them from the other vendors in the antique mall where I used to rent a booth before.

The fleur de lis tea set is also from New Orleans. Although I bought the set from maybe 4 years ago, this is the first time I used it. It did not come with a sugar and creamer so I just used my pewter ones.

I hope you enjoyed my colorful table. Thank you so much for stopping by. I always appreciate your visits. I am linking with the following hostesses and I appreciate them hosting  these memes very much too. A BIG thank you to all!

 

Marty's Inspire Me Tuesday

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Sandi's Teatime Tues

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Lunch in the Gazebo

We had a really nice week, weather wise, but tomorrow and Thursday night, we will be having freezing temps again, So we thought we better take advantage of the nice weather while we still can. My friends and I planned to have lunch together but there was no time to prepare since I had a dental appointment this morning. Anyway, Brenda went to the Thai Restaurant to buy some take out food and we just decided to eat at home.

 

 The temperature outside was almost 60 degrees so I set up the table in the gazebo as soon as I got back from my dental appointment.

 

 

It was a very casual luncheon, kinda like a picnic. I just took some soda cans and a water bottle for our drinks but took out a moscato too, in case anybody was in the mood to drink.

 I borrowed my planter with blooming blue crocus from the fountain area and used it as a centerpiece. I took out some peacock plates and bamboo flatware to use also, along with the brass plate chargers.

We had Mexican sushi and Chicken basil noodle.

 I thought my bee napkin rings would be fun to use in this garden setting.

 

Both the sushi and chicken basil noodles were very tasty, sooooo good!

 Here are my lovely guests: Noemie and Brenda.

 

 And we could see a bunch of white iris blooming at the bottom of the hill.

Thanks for stopping by. I have been very busy cleaning the yard that is why I haven't been visiting. I would like to link with

 

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Heidelberg, Germany

 

Heidelberg is home to the country's oldest university established in 1386, it is considered the jewel of Germany. It lies in the steep valley where Odenwald mountains meet the Rhine and Neckar Rivers.

 

Below is the most defining feature of Heidelberg, the castle, which is considered the most magnificent castle ruin in Germany. It took 400 years to build. It suffered severe damage several times and was rebuilt several times but after it was struck by lightning in 1764, attempts of restoration ended. Many of the houses around were built with stones taken from the ruins until Count Charles de Graimberg put a stop to it in 1800.

 The view just below the castle.

 We toured with my 2 sisters and brother in law, cousin and her hubby, nephew and his wife and some friends we met during the river cruise. I love arches and gates and somehow, I always take pictures of them and with them.

 John is so sweet. He never minds carrying my feminine colorful shopping bag, no matter how my relatives tease him. They keep telling me to buy something that is not too feminine. Well, I finally did, so next time we travel together, you won't see this Caribbean looking bag anymore, lol.

 I really like to see all these ancient ruins.

 Heidelberg is also home to the biggest wine barrel. Built in 1751, it holds 220,000 liters (58,000 gallons). It is located within the castle. Nope, this is not the one although this is pretty big also.

 Here it is!!

 Have to look at the view one more time from up there before leaving the castle. Simply breathtaking!

 We were taken next to the main shopping area, which parallels the Neckar River. The whole view of the castle could be seen as we walked.

 A beautiful church by the shopping area. I believe it is a Protestant church.

 In 1778 to 1914, students were held in the Students' Prison called Kavaliersdelikte". Depending on the offense, imprisonment would last from 3 days to 4 weeks, but they were allowed to pause their sentence to attend lectures. While in prison, the students decorated the walls with graffiti and paintings that are still preserved today.

Heidelberg is a student town. One out of 5 residents is a student. The University of Heidelberg, established in 1386, is one of the most prestigious in the world.

 We had to pose in front of the store that carries and sells the "Student Kiss" chocolate candies. The legend says that students would ask a waiter to present this candy to a girl whom he is attracted to. If the girl accepts it, it will mean that she is interested and so the gentleman will not hesitate in getting closer.

 And who wouldn't love this man who does not mind carrying a colorful girly shopping bag for his wife? LOL! I don't hand it to him either, he takes it away from me.

 Mouth watering sweets and goodies, including their famous large snow balls.

 We enjoyed a yummy German lunch in a very charming restaurant within the shopping area.

 I thought this was interesting, a bench sitting right outside one of the stores.

 Time to go back to the bus and head for the ship. We passed by beautiful sceneries along the river.

I hope you enjoyed your virtual tour of Heidelberg, Germany. I love reliving our trip. It is just so beautiful there. Thank you for stopping by. I would like to link with

The Tablescaper's Oh The Places I've Been

 http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/