Next stop Nuremberg

We left the apartment at 7am for the train to Nuremberg  (changing trains at Frankfurt) and arrived at our new accommodation at 1pm. The Nuremberg apartment is in a terrific location, just two stops on the Underground from the Central Station and a short walk from the Old Town. Our building is in the shadow of the old city wall, beside a park. The apartment is very spacious and so well provisioned that it feels like a 'home away from home'. The owner, Christina, welcomed us and gave us a very helpful tour which included how to operate the washing machine!

The city walls opposite our apartment buiding

We spent the afternoon following a Rick Steve's walking tour of the Old Town, stopping first at the Lorenzkirche (Church of St Lawrence). This church began as a Catholic church but, just after its furnishing had been completed, the Reformation occurred and it became Lutheran, while still retaining all its Catholic decoration. It is full of the most beautiful art works, all of which survived the heavy bombing Nuremberg received in World War II because they were hidden away in bunkers, including the magnificent stained glass windows.

Next stop was the Spielzeugmuseum (Toy Museum) where we enjoyed working our way through several floors of toys from the 19th and 20th centuries. They brought back many childhood memories and Ian was especially interested to see the section on tin toys where there were some from the famous Schuco company. He still has a Schuco toy motorbike which Gran and Grandpa brought back for him from Germany in the 1950s.

From there we made our way up the hill to just below the Kaiserburg (Imperial Castle) where we visited the house of Albrecht Durer, the famous Renaissance artist, who lived there between 1508 and his death in 1528. The audio-guide was 'narrated' by his wife, Agnes, and gave an entertaining account of their life in Nuremberg.

We climbed up the ramp through the Kaiserburg, stopping to enjoy the view over the city, and then followed the city walls as we walked back to our apartment. A quick trip to the supermarket across the road resulted in our first home cooked meal in a long time and then an earlier night than most lately.