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A quiet morning as we are now entering the Main-Danube Canal where we will be initially passing through 16 more locks as we ascend then descend the upcoming landscape on our way to the Danube River.

For entertainment this morning there was another lecture by Dr. Urban on the state of Bavaria, through which we are now traveling. Again he made it very interesting and we learned a lot about the region, its people, and customs (like wearing lederhosen).

Shortly thereafter was a informative lecture/ demonstration by a local 7th(?) generation glassblower, Karl Ittig. We all felt he missed his calling; he should have been a comedian as he sprinkled many jokes throughout his demonstration of flame glass blowing using Pyrex glass. I was really impressed when I learned he is friends with the famous Seattle glassblower, Dale Chihuly, and even teaches yearly at the Chihuly Pilchuck Glass School. He helped Chihuly make those marvelous glass flowers that form the ceiling at the Bellagio Casino in Las Vegas. This guy knows his stuff! Needless to say he brought along some product to sell after his demonstration and there were eager buyers, including us.

By early afternoon we had arrived at our destination, the city of Bamberg (pronounced ”Bomb-bearg”) where we were scheduled for a walking tour of the city. Bamberg is a moderate sized city with a population of 77,592. It sits on the shores of the Regnitz River, close to its confluence with the Main River. Probably its most famous sight is the old town hall which actually sits on an island in the river, sited there for political reasons. The other noted importance in the city is its reputation for “Smokey” beer, which is how beer smelled in medieval times because of the process of roasting Malted barley over an open flame. It is also commonly called “bacon beer” as its aroma leads one to think there is bacon in it.

Unfortunately our luck had run out weather-wise as it was raining and raincoats and umbrellas were the order of the day. Not to be deterred we ventured forth to see some of the local sites.

Thankfully it was a fairly short tour and we were free to seek out and try smokey beer as we had to kill some time before meeting the bus to return to the ship.  The ladies wanted pastry but joined us in a local tavern where Bruce and I downed a pint. Yes, it does smell smokey and yes, several of us thought they could pick up the bacon aspect. It does make make my top 10 list.

It was then onwards in search of the pastry for the ladies. We found a pastry shop near the old town hall. The three of them picked out tarts they liked. I was full and was going to simply sneak a bite or two from others. Jan also wanted a coffee and looking at the German menu saw something called Bailey’s Cup which she thought meant it was coffee with Baileys in it. Well….what arrived at the table was this humongous ice cream sundae that obviously had Baileys in it. We all had a good laugh and I got to eat most of it!! Moral of the story: if you can’t read German, better ask what it says before ordering it!

Luckily by now the rains stopped and we returned to the ship for hot showers and a change of clothes before dinner.

There was supposed to be a guest talent show tonight but no one had volunteered so it was cancelled and we had a free evening to read and get to bed early, as there was more touring to be done tomorrow.

 

 

 

Our prime destination was to the town of Würzburg to see the famed Würzburg Palace but Vantage offered an optional trip to the well preserved medieval town of Rothenburg, which is famous for its architecture and the world famous Christmas shops. I was not that interested in Christmas tree ornaments but the lure of a true medieval village intrigued me. Not only that but Rick Steves praised its virtues. Also by reading the fine print on the trip itinerary it said we would still have an opportunity to visit the Würzburg Palace and participate in a local wine tasting. That sealed the deal. We took the 75 minute bus trip on part of the famed 300 km German “Romance Road” to the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. As there are other Rothenburgs in the country, all have the add-on tag indicating where they are, in this case overlooking the Tauber River. Rothenburg is in the Franconian region of Bavaria and locals often make that distinction. Trivia of the day: Henry Kissinger was a Franconian.

Rothenburg is 1300 years old and was ruled by bishops. Therefore there were 50 Catholic Churches there versus 5 Lutheran churches, and 500 bars and restaurants. The population is 11,243, but only about 2,000 people live within the walls of the city. In the Middle Ages it was the 2nd largest city in Germany with a population of 60,000. It is one of the most popular tourist sites and also a popular movie filming site. Films like Pinocchio, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Willy Wonka were filmed here. Yes, after visiting it, we agreed it is a wonderful town to visit!

After a tour with a local guide we were given free time to wander and have lunch before returning to Würzburg. We were warned that a visit to the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop (of which there are several) can be like going through IKEA. Once you start you cannot get out until you traipse through the entire store!  We did go and we did get out-without buying a thing!  Amazing…

After seeing and photographing the highlights we opted for a simple sandwich at the local bakery as we had been eyeing them for quite awhile.

We had some spare time and decided to view the torture chamber museum in town. It was surprisingly well done with many instruments of torture used in medieval times on display.  There was also a lot of Information regarding the justice system in place back then. Soon it was time to rejoin the group and head back to Würzburg for part two of the tour.

Wurzburg is a big city compared to Rothenburg, with a population of 129,000, of which 30,000 are college students. The University of Würzburg opened in 1402 and has produced 14 Nobel Prize winners. Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays here in 1895. However, the prime attraction in Wurzburg is the “modest” structure called the Wurzburg Residence, and what a residence it is! It was built by the Prince-Bishop of Würzburg Johann Philipp Franz von Schönborn and his brother Friedrich Carl von Schönborn in 1720, and completed in 1744. Not only was he a bishop but he ruled as the prince.  This was another example of “it is good to be king”.  The massive 400 room baroque structure and gardens were patterned after Versailles, probably as a bit of “one upsmanship”.  The entrance staircase of the Würzburg Residence spans its vault, an area of 18 × 32 meters, without pillars. Beneath an unsupported vault is a masterpiece of construction with a maximum height of 23 meters. The ceiling has the world’s largest fresco mural depicting the 4 Continents known at that time. Luckily this part of the residence was not destroyed during the war.

Certainly when we toured inside the residence it was more garish and over the top than anything else I have seen!  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos inside (and they policed it) so you will have to seek out some photos on the internet to see what we saw.

Lastly we were taken to the wine cellars below the castle, which were immense, for a tasting of some of the wine wines the region is noted for, mostly made from the Silvaner grape.

Back on the ship we had an excellent lecture at 5:30 by a Dr. Markus Urban, a history professor at a local university, on “Germany in the 21st Century”.  Normally one would think this would be boring subject but he made it interesting and understandable.

The entertainment after dinner was labeled as a “Music & Dancing Quiz”, which was touted as a bit of music trivia. I was a bit under the weather and did not go but the rest of our group participated.  It was basically a music trivia contest but with a twist. As an example they played a Beatles song but did not ask the year or the title of the song. The question was in what city was an airport named after a Beatle?  The answer: Lennon Liverpool Airport.  I would have missed that one. Additional points would be earned if you got up and danced. Our group( minus me) made a good showing, missing first place by only one point. Might it have been different had I been there??

 

 

Today was a day with several pleasant surprises. Our first stop was in the small (22,780 population ) village of Wertheim, where we had a walking tour. We walked the Main Street where our local guide pointed out places of interest. After the brief tour we were given some time to wander on our own.  That gave rise to our first surprise.

We are all fond of the German pretzel, a mainstay of most German bakeries and cafes. I walked into the local bakery (owned by a 10th generation baker) to buy one to share with Yvonne for a mid-morning snack. A charming young lady working there asked if I wanted the pretzel plain or with butter. I have never had that option offered to me. Of course I selected the option with butter, and the young lady immediately said “it is better with butter”. I bought one initially because I did not see Bruce and Jan. It was marvelous! By the time Yvonne and I had eaten ours Bruce and Jan came walking up and I went into the bakery to buy one for them. Other people in our group saw us eating them and also went into the bakery. I think we bought out his daily stock of pretzels!

The second activity of the day involved exploring “village life” in the nearby town of Homburg am Main. We had to choose one of four optional tours: a visit to a forging operation, a visit to a paper maker, a visit to see an antique piano collection or wine tasting at a local winery. Yvonne thought the pianos might be interesting so we chose to take that excursion. That is when surprise #2 came in.  Not only did we see antique pianos we were treated to a mini concert by the owner (Michael Günther) of the collection. He explained the history of each piano, how it was designed, and how pianos evolved into what we know as the pianos of today. He played several songs on each of the instruments, focusing on those written by composers of the time. Besides being a collector he is a concert pianist and teacher. It was a superb visit. Our tour guide had to adjourn our visit  as we needed to stay on schedule for a group luncheon. I think our host would have likely gone on and played more songs had we had the time

The luncheon was billed as a German BBQ with live music. Sure enough, when our bus arrived at the hotel  we were met by a husband/wife duo who played an accordion (her) and guitar (him) singing peppy German songs. The buffet included multiple, delicious salads, sausages, chicken, fish and beef burgers, sauerkraut, and potatoes, along with ample quantities of beer and wine. While people were eating the music continued and evolved into dancing and singing before the meal was done. A good time was had by all!

A short walk through the town, which seemed like a ghost town even at mid day, took us back to our boat where a short nap was in order before dinner.

Each evening there is a cocktail hour with music provided by the on board piano player, followed by a short presentation by the tour director, Alina, about the activities planned for the next day.

By the way, they have a very good method of breaking us up into manageable group size of about 20 people per group. When we leave for the tour we receive a color coded card (red, white, yellow, purple, etc) which designates what group we will be in for that tour. If you are traveling with fellow companions they make sure you are in the same group. You also have a special color coded card with all the colors on it, which you use to point your hearing device at so that the device automatically switches to the proper frequency for that specific color. Slick!

Dinner tonight was a special paired wine meal and the entertainment for the evening was a showing of the movie “ The 100 Foot Journey” which I had never heard of but is a true story about an Indian chef and the movie was produced by Steven Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey so we had to see it. The final selling point was that there would be popcorn!

 

Our ship left Rüdesheim and made a left hand turn into the Main (pronounced “mine”) River and headed toward Frankfurt, where we will board buses for an all-day excursion to the town of Heidelberg.

The Main River is a much smaller tributary of the Rhine River and is noted for the 34 river locks we will be passing through as we work our way 246 miles to Bamberg where we will connect to the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal for the next portion of our journey. By the way, our ship is 38 feet wide and the locks we will be going through are 39.4 feet wide. Do the math! The captains that oversee these boats are darn good!  Another fun fact about boat captains on German rivers. The language used are either German, Russian or French- surprisingly not English.

We have 1.5 hour bus ride from Frankfurt to Heidelberg. The ship will continue without us and pick us up later today downstream. During the ride our local guide, Magnus, narrated historical information  about Frankfurt. It is a financial center and its airport is the largest in Europe. The city has a population of about 700,000 and has more non-German people living here than Germans. A favorite drink here is alcoholic apple cider (apfelwein). Magnus says the first glass is not all that tasty (tart and sour tasting) but the taste improves as you have more glasses!  “Hand cheese with music” is a popular companion to apple wine. It is a stinky cheese with onions and is eaten with your hands. And we were told the music comes later!

If only I was 18 again and graduating from high school after taking 2-3 years of German as a second language. Why, you ask?  Because I would be able to attend the University of Heidelberg for free; yes, free.  Why U of Heidelberg?  Because the town of Heidelberg is idyllic:  the ruins of Heidelberg castle, overlooking the Main River, an old town with cobblestone streets, and a variety of small restaurants that cater to the 40,000 students who attend the university. The city itself has a population of 160,000. Heidelberg University was founded in 1386 and is the oldest in Germany; it is considered to be one of the best in Europe. Four of the prestigious Max Planck Institutes are located in Heidelberg.  Heidelberg is a lovely city that won us over!

We visited the ruins of the Heidelberg castle. First built before 1214 it was subsequently destroyed by fire and wars, rebuilt, with new architecture incorporated over the years, such that it is recognized as one of the best examples of renaissance architecture north of the alps.

One of the major sights in the castle is the world’s largest wine barrel. It was built in 1751 and stands seven meters high, is eight and a half meters wide, holds 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) of wine, and has a dance floor built on top of it.  One hundred and thirty oak trees were reputedly used in its construction. It has only rarely been used as a wine barrel, and in fact presently enjoys more use as a tourist attraction.

After the guided tour of the castle we rode the funicular down to the town proper where we toured the old town a bit. We always seem to run into a wedding when we are traveling and today was no exception. In fact we saw three separate ones during our afternoon in Heidelberg.

It was now time for lunch and we were taken to a small local restaurant where we were served a delicious German potato salad as an appetizer, followed by “Maultaschen“, the German equivalent of ravioli.  It is made with ground meat, onions and parsley and molded into a pasta. It can be either boiled or fried;  ours were fried and came with a green salad. As expected beer or wine accompanied the meal. 

We were free to shop or sightsee on our own for some time before returning to our bus/ship. We wandered down the pedestrian malls, bought something called “Schneeballen”, a local fried pastry covered with various coatings, which looked and sounded good but turned out to be dry; none of us were particularly excited about it. We did stop for some ice cream and coffee, sitting on the market square, watching the world go by and enjoying the atmosphere of Heidelberg.

While we were in Heidelberg our ship continued downriver and met us in the nearby town of Aschaffenburg, so we did not have a long bus ride back to the ship. This will happen more than once on this trip, a nice benefit.

There was a cooking class at 5:30 on making Kasspatzle, which consists of spatzle, onions and cheese. Unfortunately there was a limited number of people who could attend. Luckily Jan made the cut and promised to share the recipe.

The on board entertainment tonight was a local female group (dressed in white) called the “4 Virtuosos”, who played violins and a cello. They played a 45 minute set featuring mostly popular tunes that we all recognized.

We got in 10,495 steps today, so we headed to bed right after the show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our destination today was the small (population of 9,922) town of Rüdesheim am Rhein, which is its official name. It is one of those idyllic small villages located on the banks of the Rhine River, surrounded by hills of vineyards. It is also the location of the Niederwalddenkmal monument built in 1883 commemorating the unification of Germany. Rüdesheim is a popular tourist destination for these reasons.

To get there we first had to travel through a section of the Rhine River noted for its large number (dozens) of castles located on the hillsides overlooking the river. These castles were built by princes and “robber-barons” who preyed on the boats that sailed on the river. We spent a leisurely morning lounging either topside (where it was rather cool- around 60 degrees) or in the lounge where we listened to commentary by Alina telling us about the history of the castles and their inhabitants. Many have been restored and now serve as luxury hotels.

Another famous landmark is the rock and statue called Loreley, located at a dangerous bend in the river. Legend has it that ships traversing this region of the river saw a fair maiden who distracted them with her beauty and songs, causing them to crash on the rocks in this treacherous section of the river. There is a statue of her at the edge of the sea. We were given glasses of champagne to celebrate our successful passage through the area.

We reached Rüdesheim about 2 PM and had a choice of three different local tours. We chose one that included a tram ride over the vineyards to an observation point above the valley, followed by a wine tasting in a local winery.  Rüdesheim is in the Rheingau region,  noted for their excellent Riesling wines. Wine making here dates back to the 12th century. However, there is evidence that the Romans grew grapes here in much earlier times. Although we had expected some showers we were greeted by lovely sunny, but cool (low 60s) weather so the ride on the gondola and subsequent views of the valley were spectacular.

The wine tasting occurred in the wine cellar of a small, family owned winery in town. The owner presented us with three of his Riesling wines: dry, semi-dry and sweet. All were excellent and surprisingly cost 10 Euros a bottle- a steal in my opinion. Too bad we cannot take a case home with us. I was surprised to learn they do not harvest the grapes until October/November, although global warming is causing the harvest time to occur earlier in the year. About half of the grapes have already been picked this year.

There is a famous small, narrow street in town called “Dosselstrasse” that is the home to many restaurants and wine gardens that feature food and music. Many serve a famous local coffee called Rüdesheim coffee. It is made by adding 3 cubes of sugar to a special goblet, followed by a warmed shot of local brandy (to dissolve the sugar), which is then flamed with a match. Next comes the coffee and a generous dollop of whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles to complete the process. It is not proper to mix the cream into the coffee; you drink straight from the cup which results in a whipped cream mustache.  We did not try it but Bruce and Jan did and heartily recommended it. Unfortunately they said it was so good they forgot to take a picture to commemorate the event!

By this time it was late afternoon and time to return to the ship. I had a map and was trying to figure out what direction to turn to get to the river. An elderly German couple saw us and stopped by to assist us. Even though they spoke no English, a few words and gestures gave us the necessary directions to find our way to the river. What lovely people!  It was a pleasant 10 minute walk along the river bank back to the ship with an opportunity to visit some of the small shops along the way. It was indeed a pleasant afternoon spent in the lovely German village of Rüdesheim. I wish we could have spent more time there.

Although our ship was near the entrance to the Main River where we will be mostly traversing, we first travelled north on the Rhine River to Cologne where we spent the day exploring. There was an organized walking tour of the downtown area once we arrived. Although we have ~140 passengers on board they have a good system of breaking us up into manageable sized groups, each with a specific local guide for tours. We were given colored coded cards to define our group and we would rally around the same color flag held by the local guide. Vantage provides passengers with state-of-the-art “whisperers” to use to easily hear what the tour group leader is saying without having to be standing right next to him/her. This is a wonderful technological advance for group tours.

The major sight in Cologne is their gothic styled cathedral. The last time we were in Cologne we could not go into the cathedral because there was a funeral being held for an important local dignitary and the church was closed to outsiders. Today is Sunday so we have to deal with all the Sunday masses being held at the church.  Free access could not be possible until after 12 noon. Our tour leader did tell us about the church and its history as we walked around the outside. Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 but was halted in 1473, unfinished. Work did not restart until the 1840s, and the edifice was completed to its original Medieval plan finally in 1880. It is the most visited site in Germany, with some 20,000 people a day. The cathedral is the largest gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second tallest spires of any church. It was made famous because it houses the relics of the three Kings who visited Christ at his birth. The church is in constant renovation; there are 80 full time artisans working there.

Near the church is a museum built around an almost complete mosaic floor from a Roman villa that occupied that spot. We were able to see the beautiful floor that was in the dining area of the former mansion.

Our walking tour then proceeded along the shores of the Rhine River  to an area where the old medieval markets were located. It is now an area with restaurants, bars and entertainment venues. The tour ended at one of the famous brewing houses where we tasted the famous local beer, “Fruh Kolsch”.

We all remembered that our last visit to Cologne in 2015 included a stop at a local pastry shop near the cathedral where we had some fabulous pie. We all wanted to go back because it was so good. Thankfully Bruce remembered where it was so off we went. After all, why not have some dessert after a beer! They did not have the exact same pastries we had last time but we found some equally good substitutes.

We had to walk back (~ 1 mile)  to the ship for lunch as we missed the bus and quickly dropped into the Cathedral even though there was a mass going on. We simply could not go beyond the back of the church but I managed to catch a few photos of the inside.

The offered afternoon activities were to walk back into the city center (Bruce & Jan did that) or take a 5 mile bike trip along the Rhine River which Yvonne and I chose to do. This was made possible because the ship has 20 modern bikes on board for guests to use. Neither of us has ridden a bike in over 10 years but what could go wrong? This was a challenge that had to be met! As we reported to our sons, we survived the ride without injuring ourselves or any pedestrians we met along the way!

 

Dinner tonight was a set course Captain’s dinner featuring sirloin steak and multiple accompanying dishes.

The on-board entertainment for the night was two local women who sang noted German songs “through the ages”.

Needless to say because of the walking and bike riding (15,945 steps worth) we slept very well that night!

 

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Trip Update:  On a sad note, our Wisconsin friends, Stan & Cindy Jaskolski, had to cancel this trip at the last minute because Cindy had her gall bladder removed. We had hoped that Cindy would have recovered from her surgery by now but she has not returned to her usual peppy self. Get well quick, Cindy; we will be thinking of you.

The nice thing about leaving on a trip originating in Germany is that it only takes one flight from Seattle to get to our destination. This trip we are flying with Condor Airlines, which is owned by the UK based Thomas Cook Travel Group. Condor is headquartered in Frankfurt and surprisingly has 41 aircraft that serves some 90 destinations. They fly older Boeing 767 aircraft but their business class (featuring lie-flat seats) fares are hard to beat. Our children have flown them several times and were quite happy with the experience. It is also nice that Condor has a relationship with Alaska Airlines so we will get mileage credit on Alaska for the flights.

Trivia for the day: the Boeing 767 was the first wide-body, twin engine plane that flew on transatlantic routes and with a two person cockpit. It entered commercial use In September 1982 and became the primary aircraft used in the 1990s for transatlantic flights. As of August 2019, 1,161 planes have been delivered to 74 different customers. Delta Airlines has the most in use-77. It is still in production (military tankers and cargo versions). The newer 787 will undoubtedly make it obsolete one of these days.

Because the incoming flight was delayed we were delayed about 30 minutes in leaving. I continue to be amazed at how they are capable of turning around these planes so quickly. The flight from Frankfurt to Seattle was due in at 4:10PM and our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:10PM. Do the math. They expect to refuel the plane, clean it and restock the provisions in 2 hours! Surprisingly, even though we left late we were able to make up the time and arrived in Frankfurt almost on time, after a 10 hour flight. So this plane basically is in the air 20 hours a day!  Talk about reliability.

I simply have to comment on the food and service on the flight. It was simply amazing. Our dinner was one of the best we have ever had on an airplane, and we have eaten a lot of airline food!  And the service provided by the staff was equally impressive. In my book, Condor is certainly an airline to seriously consider for any future flights.

Frankfurt airport is huge! We breezed through immigration but had to wait a good 20 minutes for our luggage. I had arranged for a private car (Suntransfers.com) to take us to Mainz (pronounced “minz”) where we will be boarding the ship. Because of the airport size I was a bit concerned about making the connection with the driver but there he was with our name on a sign as we exited the baggage claim area. It was a 45 minute drive to the city of Mainz and we both dozed on the way. We are staying at the Hilton Mainz on the shore of the Rhine River, not far from where our ship is expected to be docked. It is also located about 10 minutes from the old town section of Mainz.

Tomorrow we will do a bit of local sightseeing, then board our ship in the afternoon to begin our river cruise on the Main and Danube Rivers. Our travel companions, Bruce & Jan Bender, will be arriving from Denver tomorrow and we will meet them on the ship.

 

 

 

 

In 2015 we traveled with Colorado friends (Bruce & Jan Bender) and Wisconsin friends (Stan & Cindy Jaskolski) on a river cruise through Germany on the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. After enjoying the scenery, the beer, the brats, the pretzels, the Black Forest cake and all the other German delicacies we vowed we would be back to explore other parts of Germany.

That time has come! Our trip leaves Mainz on September 20. This time we are traveling through the mid-section of Germany, sailing on the Main River from Mainz, and ultimately joining the Danube and ending the river cruise in Budapest. The trip does not end there as we have elected to take the 5 day extension to Bratislava (Slovakia) and Prague (Czech Republic). We are again traveling with Vantage Travel, whom we have travelled with on other river cruises.  Details of the trip can be seen at:  www.vantagetravel.com/ourjourneys/deluxe-river-cruises/european-river-cruise/holhu/2019/itinerary.