Whenever I think of a classic German village, I always think of half-timbered houses. On another weekend adventure, we headed to one of the few villages in Nordrhein-Westfalen that still has its medieval walls intact.
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| Orchheimer Straße, with houses from the mid-1600s |
Most other towns in this region tore down their city walls, often in the late 1800s and early 1900s when the cities expanded. Gates were usually left intact, but the walls were demolished.
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Johannistor: cars drive through it to get in the city,
but it used to have a draw bridge and portcullis! |
Furthermore, due to modernization and/or WWII bombing, many of the towns in this region are a mish-mash of pretty buildings from early 1900s, 50s-era brutalist/modernist architecture, new uber-modern architecture, and scattering very old buildings from the 12th-18th centuries. Cologne is a prime example of this. Bad Munstereifel's old town, however, is mostly comprised of buildings from the 14th-18th centuries and it still has it's defensive wall, so it's a very pretty place to visit.
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| the Romanisches Haus, built in 1167 |
We didn't check out the spa (
any German town with 'Bad' in its name has a spa) mostly because in Germany spa = totally naked with strangers (eek!), but we did have a lovely time exploring, climbing the old walls, and enjoying a beer in the sun before heading home.
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| the cutest hat shop |
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| climbing the ramparts |
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| Werther Tor |
We also bought some of
the best mustard I have ever tasted! The mustard plants are grown in the area and then the mustard is locally produced. It comes in cute ceramic pots, and it is so good that I could eat it with a spoon.
I'll be back in a few days with stories from our trip to Switzerland.
Tschüss!
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