Hameln / Hamelin, GERMANY

Hameln is the original German spelling, but Hamelin can also be seen on the traffic signs, maybe to help the tourists.  
Indeed, it's the town where the Pied Piper piped his tunes!

Extra 1 -- rat tiles can be found all over the city
Extra 2 -- the complete story according to Grimm, shot in the local museum

Yet another late breakfast.  Actually, not quite unlike our lazy breakfasts at home.  In short, we're spoiling ourselves at the moment.  We did not wait too long afterwards.  Hamelin is about 50 km. away from Hannover, including city driving, but we'd never been there before and I needed to fill up Teqla's tank.  The weather was very cold and somewhat windy, and there were patches of rain on the way.  AW said that whatever falls here and now will not fall there later.  Sure enough, by the time we got there, not a drop anywhere, and, most wonderfully, the sun was actually out.

The full commercial potential of the Pied Piper can be seen all over the place -- figurines in the Xmas market, advertising in shop windows, the tiles on the street, and, of course, the local museum, where one can also see some prehistoric tools, mammoth bones, and 19th century furniture.  There is even a 'Rattenfängerhaus', or House of the Rat Catcher, an authentic structure that survived the wars of all centuries past but is now, mercy of mercies, an Indian restaurant called 'Namasté'.  Oh well, why not, but I felt rather funny about it, nonetheless.

It didn't take long to explore the old city, which is the main shot.  The new city is really new in the architectural sense of the word.  We did not think it would be worth our time to walk through it.  Had a sunny drive back to Hannover, and in the evening we ate at a hamburger joint which was many, many times better than McD, and I think it has the same owner as yesterday evening's Block House.  We did try the Block House first, but the line of people waiting for a table was too long.  It is a fabulous restaurant, if you like that sort of thing.

Went to bed at 19.30.  Yes, we were both that tired.