Five hour train trip to Nürnberg.  Arrived in the heat of the day and checked in to Hotel Avenue, right in the heart of the Altstadt.

I enjoyed a quiet walk around the city, although again it was very hot.  The most interesting place I found was St Sebald's Church, near the old Rathaus.  As I walked in I was thinking "this is most austere", and then I realised that I was walking through a building that had been all but obliterated at the end of the second world war. 

It reminded me of Coventry Cathedral which I had visited in the UK 1980s.  Within a few seconds of this thought, I happened on a poignant memorial linking the two places in their unfortunate shared heritage:  centuries of culture obliterated in an hour of bombing.  I am not sure that any country ever won a war by destroying the other's civilian monuments, but can only imagine that it must have satisfied the communal bloodlust in challenging times.  The people of Coventry and Nürnberg understand this better than most through their respective bitter experience.

Beautiful view of the old town from the castle walls.

After previous night's meat pig-out (literally!), I opted for a vegeterian meal from Mondo Cafe: an excellent falafel salad.