Ep 12. Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg

In Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg, the second season's twelfth episode of the Rick Steves' Europe show, Rick Steves takes the audience on a journey along the Rhine River, which is where a significant portion of the country's greatest castles were built. He shows viewers how to see the Cologne Cathedral apart from the crowds and while respecting the start of a solemn Christian holiday.

Steves begins by traveling from his home base in Heidelberg to the Rhine, where he visits the medieval city of Bacharach and takes a ferry trip to St. Goar. Steves and his group enjoy a festive Rhine wine tasting in the picturesque wine-producing town of Rudesheim, and then move to the Lorelei Rock, the highest rock on the river, with an image of an enchantress who according to legend lured sailors to their demise.

The episode then moves on to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a masterfully preserved medieval walled city. Initially unnoticed by the Renaissance of Eighteenth-century urban development, Rothenburg retained its Gothic architecture and was outdated when the railroad bypassed it. The resulting economic despair contributed to Rothenburg's preservation, as the devastated town was economically unable to repair its buildings, and was eventually conquered by the Nazis for its "spirit of the past."

Some of Rick's favorite memories in Rothenburg include taking in the Peasant's War Museum, observing the intricate craftsmanship of the Night Watchman's rounds, and enjoying the aroma of Christmas in the air among other travel treasures. Throughout this trip, he showed himself to be a top-notch tour guide, imparting the fascinating history and inevitable tales of each site while still allowing enough time for tourists to investigate the beauty on their own. The Romantic Road, which runs between Rothenburg and other fairy-tale villages best viewed by car, was revealed by Steves as one of Germany's most authentic experiences. Visitors are brought closer to Germany's history and culture in the well-preserved Rhine and Rothenburg region.

Overall, Germany's Romantic Rhine and Rothenburg is a captivating and interesting episode that provides viewers with a deeper understanding of Germany's exquisite history. Viewers will be in for a treat as they are taken on a scenic journey along the Rhine's banks, where they will be treated to picturesque, towering castles and the enchanting beauty of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Rick Steves' Europe continues to provide viewers with well-thought-out episodes that are both educational and entertaining, and this episode is no exception.