Aug 2 Dettigheim to Weikersheim

After leaving Dettigheim we passed thru Konigshofen and got a pic of a beautiful fachwerk house.

Many of the bridges in town have flowers on the railings.  Flowers and gardens are rampant in Germany. 

Family crest at the Deutschechordenschloss in Bad Mergentheim

Maarketplatz in Weikersheim.  It was a warm day and we sat and had some COOL water on the platz.  Then we went to the castle and had a tour of the inside.  No pics were allowed on the tour.  We were on the tour with 2  women and then a family with 4 screaming kids caught up with us.  After that we couldn't hear what the docent was saying.  At one point the guy set one the kids on a table and the docent told him that was a 300 yr. old table and get the kid off of it. 

This is the castle from the garden.  The original castle was built in the 12th century as a moated and fortified castle.  In the late 1500s  it was rebuilt and was the traditional home of the princely family of Hohenlohe.  It is now owned by the state of Baden-wurttemburg and is the home to the Jeunesses Musicales.  For more go to www.Schloss-weikersheim.de/en/.  One of the highlights of the tour thru the castle was the Rittersal(knights hall) dating from 1600.  It has a vast paneled ceiling w/idealized hunting scenes and  animal trophies on the wall including an elephant.  There is a panorama at the website www.deutschland-panorama.de/burgen/spug_weikersheim_schloss/ps/5_040_04.php   I hope

One of the many statutes in the garden.  Bachus the god of wine

Johanna taking a break

Hercules fighting a dragon.

The original castle had a moat.  The moat was turned in a nice walkway and vineyard.

Goat statute in the castle yard. 

We went to info to see about a room but most everything was filled except for a rental in a private house.  We took that and rode to the house.  The lady was on the street to guide us to the home.  The room turned out to be an apt complete with kitchen, balcony, bath and bedroom.  She picked a bowl of currents from her beautiful garden and brought them to our room.  And the charge was only 23 euros/person.  The music school at the castle was putting on the opera "Don Giovani" and J wanted to see it.  We managed to get tickets in the cheap seats and spent the evening at the opera.