Idstein

We visited Idstein in the mid-August. The size of the old town was pretty small but the density of the half-timbered houses was so high. According to the Hessen's official tourism agency, about 200 half-timbered houses were packed in the old town.

The central square of the town, König-Adolf-Platz, was very colorful. For example, the orange-colored, late 17th century building was the town hall.

The purple-blue one is called Crooked House and was built in the early 18th century.

The turquoise and gold-colored, elaborately carved details of Killinger House was definitely an eye-catcher. The early 17th century house is now an information center.

Behind the town hall, there were the 15th century Count's chancellery, the 16th century castle building complex, and the witch tower. The construction of the tower began in the 12th century. It's now the oldest surviving building in the town. It really looked like a tower that a witch used to live in the top. Or, where a princess was hidden. According to the town official information, the name got popular in the 19th century and the tower has nothing to do with the actual 17th century witch hunts in the area. 

Behind the tower, there was the residential palace of the Counts and Princes of Nassau-Idstein, built in the early 17th century. Since the 18th century, when the family line was extinct, the place has been used as a central archive, military hospital, a postgraduate school, and currently a grammar school of the Rheingau-Taunus district (5th to 13th school year).

There was also the old castle garden near the witch tower. It would be a nice place to have a seat and relax for a while, but it was a sunny and very hot day. We just read some information about the garden and walked through.

Half-timbered houses everywhere. How adorable!

Grapevines on the wall of the houses were cute too! 

Lunch time! We had a lovely lunch at a restaurant called Two for You just outside of the old town. Until we arrived there after a nice walk, we didn't know it was in a tennis club. What a surprise! We were seated at the terrace in the shade and started with sparkling water for me and beer for J. 

I had my first German potato pancakes (Reibekuchen)! Unlike Rösti (Swiss potato cakes made with shredded potatoes), they were made with mashed or creamed potato. The outside was crispy but the inside was almost melting. There was no shape of potato. Interesting. 

J had schnitzel with pepper cream sauce, I think. It looked fine. 

After the lunch, we walked back to the old town and enjoyed a cup of gelato for desserts. I had strawberry and walnut. It was a proper dessert for the toasty summer day!

It was a tiny cute medieval town indeed. I wished there was a fancy bakery, though.