We were up late on Day 3. (Perhaps it wasn't so late if you consider it was still only 4:30 am back home!) Angela had a wonderful spread for Frühstück, with good German breads, Schinken, Marmalade, Kuchen and Kaffe. After breakfast we drove to Nürnberg for a casual day touring the city. Angela has been a tour guide in Nürnberg for several years, so she knows all of the special places to go and the lovely little streets to take as you go from one place to the next.

Nürnberg is built around two hills that straddle the Pegnitz river . We started by climbing to the top of the hill where the Festung is located. Inside the fortress there are many interesting buildings and passages. One can imagine how noisey it must have been with knights in armor mounted on horses. The clanging and clopping across the cobblestone must have created quite a clatter as they echoed off the fortress walls. Inside the fortress, we passed by a recently renovated building - the king's granary, which now serves as a youth hostel. From there we climbed steep passageways past several lovely gardens and up to the top of the fortress walls. It was a beautiful and sunny day, so we had wonderful views of the city below.

Walking back down toward the river we passed through several charming neighborhoods with the old style timber and stucco houses that one sees across Franconia and Bavaria. We walked past Albrect Durer's house and studio, then wandered along the streets that cross back and forth over the many bridges that line the Pegnitz river . One good size island in the middle of the river houses several shops and cafes, even a home for the aged. As with any proper tour of a major European city, we stopped by two magnificent churches. One was atop the hill on the other side of the river. Our tour ended at the "wurst" restaurant in old Nürnberg, where we each had six sausages - the required minimum, along with Sauerkraut, Kartoffelsalat and horseradish. We sat outside on the lovely afternoon, enjoying our traditional Nürnburg meal and some good German beer (a Pils and a wheat).

Done with our tour, we stopped to see Angela and Peter's daughter, Anja. She is a pediatrician at the local hospital and has a lovely apartment next to the Old City wall in the heart of Nürnberg. Anja joined us for dinner back in Katzwang. We had wild caught trout, which Angela prepared wonderfully and Peter grilled to perfection. It all was beautiful and delicious! A great end to another wonderful day with our good friends the Hagens.