Finding the tourist office was a bit of a challenge. Usually they put them near the train station so you don't have to look too far. This one was in the center of the old town. Good thing I did some map research online before coming! It's always easier to move around these towns (even the small ones) with a map. I started my explorations at the Catholic Dom just up the hill from the old part of town. But first I must tell you about the best thing I've bought since I've been here. On my way down the street I ran across a E1 shop which had a rack of socks displayed outside. They happened to be short sport socks and looked to be about my size. Since S France it's been rather warm here--often in the mid to upper 60sF. The socks looked just right. I opted for 2 pairs and continued down the street. When I reached the Dom plaza I stopped to eat lunch. I thought I'd try out my new socks to see if they fit since my knee high wool ones were making me rather toasty. Oh my gosh! It was like starting the day all over again. A new pair of fresh socks can turn your entire day around. To this I can attest.
Now back to the church... Like most massive cathedrals it has all sorts of side chapels and stained glass. My favorite part about this one was a small quiet space half a floor down in what I assume was (still is?) probably the crypt. It's always a treat to find these quiet spaces when you stay in busy, noisy cities.
From here I headed to the Fuggerei which is a series of housing units built in the 1700s or 1800s for poor Catholics by philanthropist Jacob Fuggerei. Rent was either the equivalent of E.80 for a month or a year. Either way, still a deal. During WWII the units were badly damaged when Augsburg was bombed, but rebuilding went underway as soon as it was safe from war threats. In the old bomb shelter they have a display about how the war affected the local people and specifically the housing unit. I got some good background on the war which put a few more historical puzzle pieces together in my mind. The other cool part of this place was the model units they had on display. One is furnished to today's standards and one like it would have looked when first built. The units are equivalent to the space of a nice two bedroom apartment in the US. I wish I could afford a place that nice. Not that I want to become a poor German Catholic. Some of the original trademarks are still in use such as the unique door bell ringers for each place.
By feeling each of the distinct handles you could find your way back to your house after dark. Now, of course, they have modern lighting. The most impressive fact about these housing units is that they are still being used today. What a gift for people in need of help to have the opportunity to stay in a decent place for an affordable rate to give you a chance to work toward a better living situation.St. Anna Church was next on the list. The building was rather empty and unclear about where you could visit. Apparently it's common for Germans to keep doors closed and while it's perfectly fine for you to check them out, you must take the initiative to explore said rooms by trying the door handle to see if it's locked or not.
I found a few locked doors and a few open ones. Like most European places there's scaffolding all over the towns. St. Anna had it inside where their famous chapel was being restored. I was more interested in the Luther display upstairs so I breezed through the main sanctuary and headed up a long flight of old wooden stairs. All of the information was in German, but I know the Luther story right? Hopefully there was no new info. The best part was the original bibles and books Luther and his cohort used. I think I even saw an authentic copy of the Augsburg Confessions. 
Some of them are enormous--like 10" high when closed. I have to say I was a bit disappointed that they didn't have a bit more to look at. Maybe if I could read German I'd have been satisfied by their posted boards. While walking around trying to decide what else to do in town, I spotted an ice cream cafe. Being so sunny I couldn't pass up a yummy, cool treat. I sampled coco-choconut and something fruity I can't remember now. I know it all tasted delicious and hit the spot. It even came with a gummy bear on top!
My map suggested St. Ulrich and Afra would also be an interesting place to visit. A short 500km down the road was a small Protestant church "glued" to a large Catholic church. A sign out front seemed to indicate both were closed and the Catholic one was under significant reconstruction. Since it was around 4pm I thought I would wander the shops a bit and scout out a good place for dinner before taking the train back to Munchen. Like many of the smaller towns I've visited so far, amidst the old part of town is a large pedestrian shopping area. Thanks to Italy the pedestrian sign is branded in my brain as Zona Pedonale no matter what language is on the sign.
I walked through a few clothing stores (yes, I got my H&M fix just like almost every other town I've been in) and cased the main streets before deciding to head toward the area where one of the restaurants was from my guidebook. I expected it to be on more of a side street, but there were quite a few nice non-commercialized shops down there as well. The menu for the restaurant seemed to promise food I would like so I grabbed a seat outside. The waitresses wore more traditional style German clothing with the flowing skirted dresses and aprons. I felt bad for the younger girl who had on this blue gingham get up. It gave the "I feel like I'm wearing a clown costume" vibe, but she wore it happily and had enough spunk to pull off the outfit. It's hard to remember the exact name of the meal, but I think it was something like Rauschauerbraten. Visually translated this meant perfectly tender beef roast slices in brown gravy with a bread ball dumpling and red spiced sauerkraut. 
I sampled a brown lager which was quite good and complimented the beef nicely. The sauerkraut was by far the newest item. It literally was red cabbage sauerkraut with a hint of what I'll take a stab at saying was perhaps cloves and cinnamon. It gave a lightly sweet spiced cider flavor to the sauerkraut. I was sad to leave the lovely town of Augsburg.
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