One of the best evening hours north of the Alps is the Night Watchman’s Tour in Rothenburg, Germany. There’s a pub in town called Hell. Part of Georg Baumgartner’s tour is a predictable yet really funny joke ending with “Go to Hell.” With each visit to Rothenburg, I go to Hell with Georg for a drink and to catch up.
For about 20 years, Georg has given his tour in English, and then in German, every single night from Easter through October. The Cal Ripken Jr. of tour guides, he’s never missed a night. And, incredibly, his delivery is still as fresh as if he’s just coming up with it for the first time. On this particular evening, I was impressed with a cute little American schoolgirl and how enthralled she was with the stories Georg was weaving. Watching her watching Georg, I was seeing the impact of travel on each of us when we embrace experiences, open our childlike eyes really wide, and take it all in.
If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.
We just loved him and I cannot believe he is still doing it. We saw him in 2005. It is a bit cheesy but was great fun for my kids!
‘The Watchman’ was one of the highlights of our stop in Rothenburg. I’d go again, just because he’s so good at what he does!
This acts as one final step of performance assurance on a larger scale. It must have proven a valuable trick over a few hundred thousand years. Their ideal is to fall desperately in love with their best friend.