Eisenach to Erfurt

Sunday morning and a slow start. Drove into the centre of Eisenach to have a look around the town.

Eisenach Schloss and market square. 

The two heavy weights of Eisenach - Luther and Bach. 

Georgeankirche and square. 

A few people out and about exploring this town that boasts the childhood of both Martin Luther and Johann Sebastian Bach. The Luther connection is of great importance due to his challenge to the Roman Catholic Church's orthodoxy. He later returned to the Wartburg Castle to hide from the Church's thugs! Whilst in hiding he was the first to translate the bible into German - thus creating a standard form for the German language. Quite a feat! 

A very scenic tourist route led us to Gotha.  

After this we stopped off at Gotha, a very attractive and pleasant town - not at all touristy but by the looks of the developments going on it won't be long before this increases. A lovely Schloss and garden as well as an attractive square.

Gotha Schloss 

Looking towards Gotha's Market Square. 

Very pleasant Gotha Market Place. 

Gotha Schloss Orangerie (on right) and baroque garden. 

Later we drove onto Erfurt to complete a very busy Sunday. Erfurt is the state capital of Thuringia. It is a very peaceful university town with many cobbled alleyways and a number of elegant squares dotted around the town. Erfurt was founded back in the 700s - again by missionaries who wanted a base to convert and subdue the Saxons. In the Middle Ages it was a great trading centre connecting the Rhine area and Russia. It later joined the Hanseatic League.  

Domplatz at Erfurt

Dom

Very talented youth orchestra and choir rehearsing Wagner.

Domplatz from the Dom.

Classical pianist adding to the atmosphere to one of the many squares in Erfurt.

Some lovely modern townhouses next to the river.

Another square with half-timbered houses.

We settled for the night in East Erfurt.