Day 49 Donauwörth to Ulm

We left our Via Romea Germanica this morning and have made an overnight side trip to Ulm. 

Before leaving Donauwörth though we had a quick walk in the town centre as we were too
tired to see it yesterday after our long day.

The Rathaus. 

The main street of Donauwörth was lovely with it's beautiful pastel coloured buildings. 

Prominent at the top of the street is the Katholische Liebfrauenmünster - the Cathedral of Our Lady - with it's beautiful stained glass windows. 

Then we were off to the Bahnhof, off on our side adventure. 

Walking to the train station:

The Bahnhof, Donauwörth. 

Yesterday we asked at the Tourist Information Centre about buying our train tickets to Ulm and we were told that there was a manned ticket office which we were very relieved to hear as buying tickets from the automated ticket machines at the stations are a nightmare for us. It turns out that it's a nightmare for the locals too. 

We arrived at the station only to find that the ticket office was closed even though the times on the door indicated that it should be open. So we had to use the automated machines, only we couldn't make any sense of it - nor could a couple who tried to help. A third person came to help and, after a lengthy discussion among the three of them, we had our tickets. 

We found the platform, boarded train and breathed a sigh of relief only to realise that the train didn't go all the way to Ulm. Thanks to a very helpful young woman and two older women who were also going to Ulm, we managed to make the changes needed which involved two train rides with a very lengthy bus trip in between. We've always said that it's much easier to walk than use public transport. 

It was with a sense of great relief, as well as excitement, when we finally arrived at the Ulm Hauptbahnhof. 

And it is very exciting to finally see where you lived and worked Nathan, and see the places you went to Bridie and Clare & Mike when you spent time here with Nathan. It's fun to know that all four of you have been here before us, and to see the places you went to. 

Altstadt Ulm is gorgeous. After dropping our packs off at our accommodation we went exploring, following the route you made us Nathan and it was such fun. 

We started at the house where Albert Einstein was born, 

then walked down to the Große Blau.

went past the restaurant that is now called QMUH. As it's had a name change since you were here it's interior and meals offered may be changed as well.

We wandered on to the Fisherman's Quarter to Zur Zill - and we went back later in the afternoon and had an alcohol-free beer. 

Still following your route on we went to Zur Forelle

and we found the cannon ball in the wall.

and as it was lunch time we decided that it would be a perfect place to eat.

A quote on their menu: "Das Leben ist zur kurz für schlechtes Essen." They certainly produced beautiful food, our meals were fantastic. We both started with a mixed salad. 

and I chose lemon risotto with asparagus - it was so very good. It tasted as good as it looked.

Dad had braised beef with Spätzle - which looked more like pasta than Spätzle. He said his meal was very good too.

We ate inside as we wanted to experience the age of the restaurant but the dining area outside looked good too.

After our fantastic meal we continued on with your route, walking on top of the old town wall, which ran alongside the Danube River, and admired the old houses and the gardens at the bottom of the wall.

Coming down from the wall we walked through the Metzgerturm, the Butcher's Tower.

and continued up to the Rathaus. What an amazing building with all the images on it.

Then lastly we walked to Münsterplatz and the Münster itself - which isn't looking at it's best as it has scaffolding covering much of it. We had our pilgrim passports stamped in the Münster. What we didn't do was climb up the spire!

Some information about the Münster:

The Münster of Our Lady of Ulm , or Ulm Münster for short , is a Gothic religious building in the Baden-Württemberg city of Ulm and the parish church of the local Protestant congregation. The 161.53 meter high tower, completed in 1890, is the tallest church tower in the world . The foundation stone of the minster was laid in 1377, when Ulm was an imperial city and still Roman Catholic before the Reformation . The sermons of the Ulm reformer Konrad Sam (from 1524) accompanied the gradual introduction of the Reformation in Ulm. In 1530, a referendum voted in favor of the Protestant faith with a majority of seven-eighths. [ 1 ] Thus, the Ulm Minster became a place of worship of the Protestant Church . It was owned by the city of Ulm until 1894 and then came into the possession of the Protestant congregation of Ulm. The cathedral survived the air raids on Ulm in 1944/1945 in the last months of the Second World War largely undamaged , apart from the impact of an unexploded bomb in the choir area. 

Source: Wikipedia 

The Ulm Sparrow in the Münster. 

The Legend of the Ulm Sparrow: 

According to legend, the inhabitants of Ulm needed a particularly large beam for the construction of Ulm Minster, but could not get it through the city gate. As they were about to tear the gate down, they noticed a sparrow carrying a straw for its nest; which turned it from crosswise to lengthwise in its beak. A realization descended on the people of Ulm. Since that epiphany, they have placed long loads along rather than across their carts and were able to enter the city without rebuilding their gate.

Source: Wikipedia 

When walking later in the afternoon we came across Schiefes Haus, which is also known as The Crooked House for obvious reasons. It was built in the early 1400s and due to the ground conditions it settled unevenly. 

Some other random photos of Ulm:

It's been a wonderful day, we're so thrilled we've now been to Ulm. We will be able to visualise Ulm when any of you mention it. 

Ulm is the sixth-largest city of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, and with around 129,000 inhabitants, it is Germany's 60th-largest city.

Source: Wikipedia 

Wikipedia has just reminded me that we have now dipped our toes in Baden-Württemberg!