UK & Europe Trip 2009

Day 8 & 9 were in Nuremberg……, on day 8 we enjoyed a slow morning onboard the boat (reading, washing, drying, ironing), as it was heavy fog, cold & overcast. After another simple scrumptious lunch, we headed into Nuremberg to check out the many shops & gingerbread stalls. Over 60% of the guests (mostly Americans) left the ship in Nuremberg, as they had only booked a 1 week Rhine/Main Rivers trip, however the boat was soon filled again with guests for the Danube River trip. There is a third leg .. the Vienna-Budapest cruise through Hungary, Serbia, Romania & Bulgaria does sound very interesting … maybe next year ???

Day 9, we had a guided tour through Nuremberg historic town, an archetypal German medieval city encircled by mighty defensive walls and red-roofed buildings…. mostly destroyed at end of world war two, and reconstructed to match the historic original buildings. Our German male tour guide (a historian & a bit of a hunk), was very interesting… explaining how Hitler used Nuremberg for many political rallies before the war as propaganda, and we stood in the area the rallies were held (now a sports field & motor car race track).

We then left Nuremberg, and continued to climb the mountains through some very large locks (~30m) on the man made canal that connects the Rhine/Main rivers to the Danube river, and tonight we traversed the peak of the canal (highest point, where technically the 2 rivers join) …. & even received official certificates. After another formal Captains dinner, Liz enjoyed dancing……

Our time in Bamberg, Germany, was the usual routine, full breakfast, walking tour of historic town, lunch, walking around historic town, formal dinner, & sleep.

Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage city and one of Europe’s largest intact Old Town centres (did not get destroyed in the war) , with grand imperial cathedral, & residence, the Town Hall built in the middle of River Regnitz and the fisherman’s village, called “Little Venice,”.

In the afternoon, as it was Sunday, and most shops were closed, we just wandered around (whilst wet, it was getting warmer by a degree), and we took a few turns we didn’t remember and walked off our city map, so took a while to find our way back… a nice walk anyway.

Ah river cruising it’s a hard life. We do have to get ourselves out of bed and shower ourselves and choose what to wear, then it’s off to breakfast and relax. The chef makes Liz a yokeless omelet, with mushroom, ham and tomato. There is also cereal, a variety of bread to toast, other hot dishes, fresh fruit, croissants, muffins, breadrolls, waffles, pancakes and on it goes. We sit near the window and enjoy the view. The waiter brings us coffee and tea, clears away the plates etc. As I said, it’s a hard life.

After breakfast, a short bus trip into Würzburg where we explored a stunning example of baroque architecture, which also happens to be a World Heritage Site. We then wandered around the pleasant town of Würzburg, not many buildings date before 1945 as the town was 90% destroyed by the allied forces. It was Saturday morning and it was an opportunity to watch normal Germans go about their Saturday morning shopping, including choosing their seafood from a tank of live fish which were decapitated once the choice has been made.

The afternoon was spent leisurely cruising plus a very interesting lecture on the reunification of Germany.

Today is our first full day when it has mostly rained (or drizzled all day), plus it is still very cold. We did hear on CNN that Germany is having below average temperatures for October.

We did the obligatory morning walking tour which today was around the town of Miltenberg (Germany), nestled tightly below wooded hills on a bend of the Main River. It was a wonderful small photogenic town, not touristy at all, full of half-timbered houses that give the town a fairytale feel.

As we have not been able to upload photos via the boat’s internet connection (very restrictive firewall), we were able to log on at a warm cafe and upload some pictures of our river cruise so far.

The afternoon was spent lazingly admiring the scenery as we drifted along, an afternoon snooze after another delicious meal and watching TV & NSW cricket decimate the Trinidad team in a 20/20 match on EUROSPORTLIVE tv.

Dinner was an epicurean dinner, where each course is accompanied by a different matched wine, so I had to match the apple & orange juice to each course… was not easy.

Another lazy sunny day, as we cruised the peaceful Main River before docking right in the heart of Aschaffenburg…. during the morning cruise, we went on the top deck, to find out how absolutely cold it was … the wind was soooo icy cold.

Some of the bridges on the Main River are very low, so not only are all the top deck handrails folded down, the wheel house is lowered so far, that a room hatch is opened, and the captain stands up thru the hatch to see… like an army tank.

Our afternoon was a walking tour of the historic part of the town of Aschaffenburg, another palace, and historic buildings. The local guides are certainly passionate about their towns, and each old building. We then had some free time, and we headed for the commercial shopping centre (and the warmth of a few department stores).. just like our Westfields. There John was able to buy a few warm shirts, beanie, and gloves… it will only be getting colder as we cruise thru Germany & into Austria.

Another really nice 4 course dinner on the boat (lemon Meringue pie for dessert), and are now sitting in the lounge room, listening to a German folk guitarist, although he sang mostly popular American songs, only some in German…. it was good, just not the cultural experience it was supposed to be.