Berlin may have restaurants to rival New York or London, but in Bavaria the food remains as stodgy as ever. Most of Rothenburg's restaurants offer a limited array of German specialties, which mostly means various kinds of pork: roast pork shoulder with potato dumplings and cabbage, roast pork knuckle with sauerkraut and dumplings, roast pork chops and spaetzle.
Yes, this trip was about Christmas ornaments. But all our trips are about food. And this was not my kind of food. Since we'd arrived, I'd been living on (admittedly delicious) spicy sausages and schneeballen, fried dough balls filled with nougat, chocolate or liqueur. I needed a real meal.
The German town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber's holiday cheer includes Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas Village.
(Photos Matt Writtle)
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After circling the town twice, we settled on a restaurant with colorful plaid banquettes and a roaring fire inside the half-timbered Hotel Reichs- Kuechenmeister. Our waiter, an Italian who spoke flawless English, brought us two pints of nutty brown ale while we perused the menu. I went as light as Bavarian would allow, choosing an enormous plate of smoked salmon and German potato cakes smothered in chives and sour cream. It was a perfect end to a productive weekend.
Back at home, we laid out our ornaments and admired them. The Santa chef and Christmas cow looked even cuter at home. The assortment of red and green painted stars and angels sure beat the mirror balls at the mall.
In the end, Christmas Day was not how we'd imagined it. We had venison, not turkey. I forgot to serve the cranberry sauce. And I never did make the Christmas pudding. But as the credits rolled on "It's a Wonderful Life," our first tree glowed warmly in the corner.
Jane Black, a freelance writer in London, last wrote for Travel about Michelin-starred dining in Ludlow, England.
Details: Rothenburg ob der Tauber
GETTING THERE: Rothenburg is about equidistant from the Munich and Frankfurt airports. Lufthansa flies nonstop from Dulles to Munch from about $500 round trip, as does United. Flights to Frankfurt are in the same price range. Rothenburg is a two- to three-hour drive on the Autobahn or the more scenic "Romantic Road," a two-lane highway that takes you through some of Bavaria's most picturesque villages.
WHERE TO STAY: Hotels fill up early for the weekends of the Christmas market, so book early. A series of 15th- and 16th-century buildings, Hotel Eisenhut (3-5/7 Herrngasse, 011-49-9861-7050, www.eisenhut.com) is Rothenburg's most luxurious hotel. Stone archways frame reception rooms filled with cozy armchairs and roaring fires. Double rooms with breakfast start at $200. Just outside one of the most picturesque gates of town is the lovely Romatik Hotel Markustrurm (1 Rodergasse, 011-49-9861-94-280, www.markusturm.de), where doubles start at $162. But perhaps the most charming is the Burg-Hotel (1-3 Klostergasse, 011-49-9861-94-890, www.burghotel.rothenburg.de), a Tudor-style building alongside the town's medieval walls. Most rooms have spectacular views of the valley and River Tauber or the garden full of cabbage roses and heather. Double rooms, with breakfast, start at $130.
The Spaetzle-Schwob (6 Milchmarkt 6, 011-49-9861-6068, www.spaetzle-schwob.de) is a more contemporary -- and cheaper -- option. Its 1980s decor won't charm you, but its location and prices will. The hotel-restaurant is a three-minute walk from the main square and its huge doubles, with breakfast, start at $65.
WHERE TO EAT: At first glance, it appears that every restaurant has the same limited menu: tough roast pork shoulder with potato dumplings and cabbage, sauerbraten (braised beef marinated in vinegar) and pan-fried trout. But there are several fine restaurants in Rothenburg, many at the central hotels. Try the Hotel Reichs-Kuchenmeister (Kirchplatz 8-10), where entrees ($12-$18) include veal cordon bleu and smoked salmon on German potato cakes.
In the afternoon, stop by the cozy tearoom at Baumeisterhaus (Schmeidgasse 3) for traditional German plum tart, rich black forest cake and coffee. And you can always graze through the market stalls, which offer everything from foot-long grillwurst with mustard to fresh waffles and crepes -- and, of course, a hot mug of gluhwein.
CHRISTMAS MARKET: This year the market runs through Dec. 22, from 12:30 to 7 p.m. weekdays, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekends. Puppet shows, brass band concerts and Santa Claus photo ops occur daily. The tourism office offers a nighttime hiking tour with torchlights along the Tauber Valley and a nightly guided tour with the town's night watchman that's a humorous look at Rothenburg and its history.
INFORMATION: Rothenburg Tourist Office, 011-49-9861-404- 800, www.rothenburg.de. -- Jane Black
