On Saturday, June 10, we awoke at 6am to the loud squawking/squeaking
sound of the boat being lowered in a lock.
Until now we have been entering locks to raise our level, from now on we
will be going down. We were on deck for
our lowering of over 81 feet in one lock! Everything on the upper deck had been
folded down, and even the wheelhouse was lowered to make sure we would get
under the gate.
Later in the morning we crossed through an aqueduct where
the water (and our boat) were actually traveling over a highway.
Taken over the side of our boat...we are crossing over the highway!
Amazing
things to see! We have now left the Danube
and we are traveling on the Main (pronounced "mine")-Danube Canal.
Today a brunch was served so when we arrived in Nuremberg (Nürnberg) we would
be ready to disembark and begin our tours.
Today we had a choice to visit the World War II-themed tour
of Nuremberg including the Nazi Parade Grounds and the Courthouse and
Documentation Center or to tour the castle and medieval town and home of artist
Albrecht Dürer. We chose the latter.
When we returned to the ship we were entertained by a
quartet of young men who were formerly members of the Boys' Choir of the
Regensburg Cathedral. (The most recent choirmaster is the brother of former Pope
Benedict XVI). No longer "boys" these young men still have wonderful
voices.
We are traveling through locks at a rapid pace now. These are mostly much smaller and more
frequent. The entire trip will entail
some 72 locks!
On Sunday, June 11, we arrived in Bamberg, Germany. Being
Sunday, most of the shops were closed and we weren't allowed inside the
churches for "touring" so we just had a nice walking tour of the town
(which dates to the early 12th century) with a very amusing and interesting
tour guide, Stephanie. Our tour included a stop at Scheiners Gaststube, a
traditional Franconian tavern for sampling their local "rauchbier" or
smoke beer. It was pretty good, and they also gave us some giant soft pretzels
and sausages with the beer. All of these
towns along the river have multiple bridges and lovely old buildings and
shopping areas. We really don't shop
much, but we enjoy walking around and seeing the old buildings. One of the
things we enjoy most about traveling in Europe is the old, old towns and
buildings. In the western US there isn't
much that is more than a couple of hundred years old, and it's always amazing
to see homes and shops--not just castles and cathedrals--that are 1000 years
old (or more!) and still in use today!
For dessert tonight, we had Cherries Jubilee. We haven't said much about the food, but it
has been very good. Breakfast and lunch
are primarily buffets with some cooked to order items for breakfast like eggs,
omelettes, waffles and pancakes, and a carving station at lunch with roast pork
or beef, or lamb. Always lovely fresh-fruit and cheese options at breakfast and
lunch, and cold, crisp salad options, sandwiches and fish dishes and veggies at
lunch. At lunch time they serve soup and
dessert at the table. Dinners are more formal sit-down meals with all items
being table-served from a menu with 5 or 6 choices including a meat, a fish,
and at least one vegetarian option.
Wine, beer, and any alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages are always
available with meals in the dining room or just about any time in the
lounge--all included. No swiping of key
cards like on the ocean cruises we've been on.
Late in the day we left the Main-Danube-Rhine Canal and
continued on the Main River.
Monday, June 12, found us in Würzburg, Germany, another
lovely medieval town. Again, we had options:
We could tour Rothenburg which involved a 1 hour bus ride each way and where
there would be a lot of shopping available, or we could stay in Würzburg, more
of a "locals" town and tour the Würzburg Residenz. Again we opted for
the shorter bus ride and fewer shopping opportunities! The residenz, built in
the mid-1700's was one of the more
interesting grand buildings we have toured.
The frescoes were very well done--to the extent that many of them were
not just painted, but had figures (or maybe just an arm or a leg of a
character) literally coming out of the wall/ceiling with it being almost
impossible to tell where the 2D painting became a 3D sculpture! It was also one of the buildings bombed at
the very end of WWII, and much of the artwork was saved by American soldiers
(remember the movie, "The Monuments Men").
After touring the residenz we walked through the town and
had lunch at a lovely restaurant in a former millhouse on the old stone
bridge. (One of the "first
class" aspects of this tour is that Tauck actually gave us lunch
money--$20 Euros each--if we chose to stay in town for lunch instead of
returning to the ship. Another luxury we
enjoy with Tauck is that they pay for the restrooms! Really, most places in Europe public
restrooms are a private business and it costs 50 Euro cents or so to use
them. Rather than having their guests
worry about proper change, or correct currency, the Tauck tour directors pay
the restroom fees for anyone on a Tauck walking tour. )
Later in the afternoon we returned to the Residenz with the
other tour group for a wine tasting in the huge candlelit cellars beneath the building.
We ended the afternoon with entertainment from a traditional
Bavarian band (oompah!) onboard, and after dinner there was a silly disco dance
complete with a DJ from one of the towns along the river. Various entertainers board the ship either at
towns where we are docked for touring, or when we are stopped in locks, and
then get off the ship a few locks later where their rides are waiting for them.
An interesting travel option!
Now it is Tuesday, June 13, and we will be on the river all
day--no stops. It has given me a chance
to catch up on the blog (after catching up on some sleep). Mid-morning we had a
demonstration by a master glass blower, Karl Ittig, and made our first (and
very few) souvenir purchases from him! We have enjoyed watching the countryside
go by and seeing the various towns and vineyards along the river. A very quiet and restful day. Tonight we had a nice Italian dinner in
the Bistro with our "Fantastic 14" group and we were joined by the captain and his wife. Onboard entertainment
was provided by the crew in the form of a dancing contest on which the passengers voted. We were also entertained by our captain singing--you haven't lived until you have heard a 70+ Dutch man singing John Denver songs with a Dutch accent!
Tomorrow we are on to Rudesheim, Germany and another busy day!
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