Our day started at 9:00 and we had a restful sleep, probably worn out. We were anxious to get on our tour but didn't know exactly what we would be seeing so we walked all over Nurnberg. Bad Idea. We were worn out before the tour even started. but we hung in there and were excited to have been able to. There were at least 6 churchs near to one another but we were told the St. Seabalds Kirche was the best so we went in and took some pictures. The one I like are the two sculptures, one of the 5 wise Virgins and one of the 5 foolish virgins. Look really close, you will see what the 5 foolish are doing. 
At 1:00 we ran to the Haptmarkt for a walking tour of Nurnberg, little did I know that I would be standing and walking for three hours. I can't say it wasn't interesting but I sure was a tired missionary. We went to the Kaiserburg Castle which was built in 11th century by King Henry III. In the Medieval period Nurnberg was a favorite imperial destination. Most emperors stayed here on their journey's. Louis of Bavaria came to stay here over 60 times. The Castle lost its notoriety but gained it back when Ludwig I of Bavaria, a connoisseur of art and an interest in History, came into possession of the Castle and started its renovation in 1833.
We went on a tour of the Lochgefangnisse (dungeons) beneath the old Gothic City Hall. This was not a prison (the city towers no longer in use were available for this purpose) but prisoners were kept here awaiting their trial. In the Middle ages, conviction was only possible following a confession, therefore torture was considered to be a legitimate means to obtain a confession. We went down several steps and reached the torture chamber. I was getting a little woozy at this point and very claustrophobic. The following tools were used, for those of you not faint of heart. Thumb screws and leg screws, the hoist, the rack, and not least the burning of flesh. Well enough of that stuff up into the nice fresh air. By the way this place was not even used by Hitler, but it was used up into the 1800's.
Here you can see we had a great lunch. Gene tried the famous Nurnberg sausage and luke warm German potato salad and I had the beef with a yummy sauce and a huge dumpling. All very tasty. Also did a little window shopping. I thought of Kim when I saw this shop that sold the old replicas of German buildings. They would look cute on her display at Christmas time. Love you Kim.
WE saw some excitement in the plaza and these girls dressed in white and black were running around trying to get people to buy little junk candy. With them was a girl all decked out like a clown. Come to find out she was getting married and it was a bridal shower and they were raising money for the wedding. It was cute and Gene gave them a 2 piece. We also saw one of the local available men walking around. HaHa.
We caught the tail end of a wedding that was taking place in one of the old Cathedrals in town. Lucky dogs, look at the 1938 Mercedes Benz with the big bouquet of white roses on the top.
I wasn't able to get a real good shot of the bride but it all looked pretty rich to me.
While looking around town we spotted the schoner brunnen(beautiful fountain) On each side is a brass ring that is said to have magical posers. If you make a wish and turn the ring three times your wish will come true. Also they were having a celebration of the firemen in their town. They had men dressed in uniforms of the 1800's. They put on a demonstration. Thought Pete would love seeing these old trucks. 1940 and 1978.
This is Alricht Durer's. I'm sure Bill knows all about this famous painter. His house was constructed about 1450 . Outside the house is a sculpture called "Hommage a Durer" which pays homage to his sense of nature that he loved to paint. He loved sketching animals (Hare). Albrecht Durer was born 1471 and died 1528. He worked in this house until his death. The inside is very quaint and the tour was delightful. It was guided by the voice of his wife (finctional) who told us about everyday living within the house. Also featured were a few of his famous paintings. The one sketch being a portrait of his mother. I have other paintings of his on this blog so look for them. He is one of the more famous German artists.
These are all places that we saw in downtown Nurnberg. Every building is wonderfully designed. There is the Rathouse(the government building), the Haptbahnhof (Main train station), the Hauptmarkt(main market place), The waiting window where the servants keep a look out for any approaching guests. The Pilatushaus(House of pilate) It is distinguished by the statue of St George (you know the one who slew the dragon?) St James church, The oldest house in Nurnberg. and two beautiful doors that I spotted. I just couldn't stop taking pictures.
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