To Harburg

September 7, 2021

The short stretch of the Romantic Road between Rothenburg and Nordlingen is remarkable for having three of the best preserved walled towns in Germany, if not in all of Europe. Any one of the three would be the highlight of a trip; seeing three of them so close together can feel almost like sensory overload.

It probably would have been smarter to budget an additional day here and spend tonight in Nordlingen, seeing it at the end of the day after a short twenty mile ride. We didn’t budget for it though and have commitments coming up that prevent us for opening up a day in the schedule here. After sleeping on it last night, we woke up and decided to take a pass at visiting Nordlingen today rather than giving it a rushed look in the middle of the ride. It sounds odd to not stop by but it felt like the right decision.

And after all, we did visit Nordlingen once before, only 25 years ago. That was a fantastic stop, walking the walls and climbing the 379 steps up its dizzying tower to enjoy stunning views down and across the countryside. It just didn’t feel right to stop in, find some place to stash our bikes for a few hours and rush through a visit.

So, no Nordlingen this year. It’s been around for 1100 years though, so it’s probably not going anywhere. There’s still the chance to see it again.

After our walking tour of Dinkelsbuhl this morning we checked out of our room around eleven and biked south toward the day’s destination, Harburg.

Leaving Dinkelsbuhl through the Nordlingen Gate, but not destined for Nordlingen.

A last look back at an exceptional town.

Most of our ride to Harburg traced the western rim of the Nordlingen Ries Crater, an impact crater formed by a meteor roughly 15 million years ago. It’s a large, open expanse yielding views of distant villages and towns rising above the depression. For a generally flattish ride we ended up with a fair amount of climbing for the day - mostly from climbing over the lip of the depression at several points. It was a hot ride, and it would have been a better one if we had started an hour or two earlier. More than once we reminded each other that it was worth experiencing the uncomfortable heat in exchange for our morning walk through Dinkelsbuhl.

Zipplingen, a small place off in the distance in the general direction of Nordlingen. As we approached and saw how near and small it was, I felt sheepish at first for thinking it was Nordlingen ten miles off.

A fairly empty, undramatic landscape. Beautiful.

Still Zipplingen, I think. I liked the plaid pattern on the slope in front.

Looking west at the hills beyond the impact crater. I think that’s Baldern Castle up there on top.

Oh, yes - that’s Nordlingen. It looks really hazy today. We probably wouldn’t have enjoyed stopping anyway.

We stopped for lunch at a small church in one of the villages along the way. Sitting on a bench in the shade, we contemplated the losses born by this tiny community and how many seemed likely to have been from the same family.

Video sound track: bright Moments, by Grover Washington Jr.

We arrived at Harburg around three and both set about our assigned tasks for the afternoon. Rachael went to the store and I went down to the Biergarten behind our hotel to catch up on the blog with the assistance of a refreshing Weißbier.

We were both quite surprised at what a delightful little place Harburg is. It has a tiny altstadt, tightly clustered across both banks of the Wornitz River, joined by a two sectioned bridge separated by an islet in the middle of the river. It’s a charming spot with a few attractive houses; canoes, ducks and swans on the water; and an impressive castle n the ridge above. A perfect, relaxed spot for a one night stand.

In Harburg. At several spots in the altstadt the streets are brightened up with these giant crocheted doilies strung above them.

In In Harburg. This is the view from the Biergarten behind our hotel.

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Ride stats today: 39 miles, 1,900’; for the tour: 909 miles, 81,100’

Today's ride: 39 miles (63 km)
Total: 909 miles (1,463 km)

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Rich FrasierI’m going to bookmark these pages for sure. It’s been 20 years since we’ve been in that neighborhood and it’s time too go back. Great writing!
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2 years ago

Scott AndersonTo Rich FrasierThanks, Rich. It’s definitely worth a trip up here. I’ll bet it’s amazing a bit later in the fall. The ivy is just starting to turn here.
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2 years ago