Nuremberg fortress

“ABC” stands for “another beautiful church” or “another bloody castle”.   An earlier tour group substituted “D(amned)” for

Round towers stand up to cannon balls much better than square ones.

“B” after they’d hit “C” overload.  We’ve seen a good many Cs by now, but the fortress on the hill in Nuremberg was still a joy to behold.  I felt like I might look up and see archers on the tower or hear a flagged trumpet blaring forth a royal procession.  A sign on one of the inner doors set me back a step–Private Residence.  People live there.  I love the old stone walls, but homes need windows…and parking spaces.  What is it like to walk home in the dark to a dungeon in a castle? During World War II it actually would have been one of the safer places to live because bombers tried to preserve the turrets which stood out against the night sky and helped the flight crews spot the city. Nuremberg has so many fabulous old buildings that they even put fast food places in them.  That seems wrong, but I guess they can’t all be museums.

ABB–Another Beautiful Building

Our guide was great and lots of fun, but he worried me with his jokes about how rude and unfriendly the locals were.  This would be our first time eating on our own in town, and I dreaded asking whether menu items were gluten-free.  It turned out to be no problem.  I even got to taste the specialty sausage that locals claim is superior to those of surrounding cities.  It tasted like a breakfast link to me, but I was pleased to be able to try it.
The cemetery was interesting.  Grave sites are rented, not purchased, and loved ones are required to keep fresh flowers on the graves at all times.  They usually pay someone to keep the flowers coming after the initial mourning period.  I like to walk in cemeteries, and Nuremburg’s is the best I’ve seen by far–much prettier than the over-hyped rose garden we saw yesterday.  Also, it wasn’t a church or a castle.