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This satellite view really shows how most of the German countryside is just fields with the population contained within the small towns.
Most of the smaller German towns in this area have comparatively narrow streets that wind though the towns. Here, the street is very wide and runs straight through the center of the town.
Old water fountain.
Plenty of parking on either side gives a much more open feel.
Of course there are plenty of the painted half timbered houses and buildings.
Town Hall. It had a glockenspeil, just like the one in Munich.
These are large pillows (shams) that Germans use on their beds. They are much larger than what is used in the USA or Australia.
What a colour.
Old office building "Lichtenberg" from the18th Century. The postman has just delivered the mail.
Half timbered buildings everywhere.
We noticed the tower up the hill and so we wandered up.
This was the tower we saw down the hill but it was not the highest building in the town.
Further up is a castle / church and according to this article, it is the largest in Germany.
The church part, St Michaels.
Entrance to the castle / church.
Door at the entrance.
Storage sheds on the left that line the walls that surround the church.
Smaller entrance to the church.
You never know what to expect when you enter European churches. This one was certainly different.
It had a barrel roof which was painted.
There appeared to be two extra floors on one side of the nave. Unfortunately there was a rope barring the way to the stairs leading up there so we couldn't go up there to take a look.
The pews. I bet after an hour or so they would be getting to be uncomfortable. Of course, that is the idea.
Ceiling on the other side of the nave.
It really was an unusual church.
Main entrance.
Another smaller entrance.
We continued to walk around the walls of the castle that surrounded the church.
The back of the church is on the right. To the left are more of the storage sheds and bunkers.
Tiled roofs.
This would have been a tower. Note the holes for shooting your arrows through.
This would have been the moat at one time. How they would have got water up here is beyond me.
This is actually a gutter made out of wood that has mostly rotted away.
Notice the cat in the center of the photo.
Inside its lair.
More of the moat.
The northern gate.
Just outside the wall was the local cemetery.
It looked like there was to be a wedding and guests were turning up in their finery.
Just look a that red.
By now we were just wandering around in the back streets. There is also a famous museum devoted to organs but we have found that knowledge of English is not common in this area so we decided to give it a miss.
We then got back to the main street and crossed over to walk down to the local stream It is the same creek that flows through Mellrichstadt.
It all looks very peaceful and beautiful but it tends to flood every few years and judging by the photos on a sign, the main shopping street in inundated.
Still, it is all very pleasant.
Most of the houses that line the southern bank of the stream have extensive garden beds.
I was intrigued by the grey sports car. Does anybody know what it is?
As we were leaving the castle, we heard a whistle from a steam engine and could smell a bit of smoke. We did find the station, but not the engine. The station has been turned into a private residence. We suspect that many of the old unused stations have been turned into apartment buildings or residences.
Now isn't that spiffy.
It looked like a place that sold all sorts of antique stuff.
So back to the main street where the sun had come out. To be honest, we enjoyed our walk around this small town much more than we had enjoyed Munich. There is even more to see than what we discovered and there are no crowds. We really liked this place.
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