Day 15: Sunday, 22 May 2011

After breakfast, I took some pictures of Passau, Germany from the sun deck. There are some uniquely colored homes across the river and a pink church on our side of the river. I hope we have time to visit Passau when we return to the ship this afternoon.

Mom, Aunt Peggy and I opted to go to Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic. Dad stayed behind to do the walking tour of Passau, Germany instead.

We were bused about 100 minutes away on a ride through the Black Forest of Bavaria and across the border into the Czech Republic. It was a pretty drive. There are no more border crossings under the EU, but along the way, we did pass the former border crossing zone.

Our first stop at Český Krumlov was a mass exodus to the bathrooms. Again, this would make another interesting entry into Tineke’s restroom break book that she is talking about writing! HA! All the men were done in like 10 minutes, but there was still a line of like 50 women yet, and so Sandor stood guard at the door while some of the women used the men’s facilities.

Silva, our local guide, gave a wonderful walking tour of the city. We learned a great deal about the history of the town, the castle fortress that dominates the city, and the changes made to the country since Czechoslovakia was split into 2 parts: the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

We walked across the Vltava River and into the town center. It was charming! We learned that many of the buildings had been painted with brick lines or other decorations rather than add the actual details. So the buildings had the appearance of splendor, but then when you got closer to them, you realized that the decoration was just painted on the structure.

We walked to a lookout area, which gave superb views of the castle and all of the buildings below.

We had lunch at the Old Inn Restaurant, which was excellent. Dick and I went outside to take some pictures during lunch, and we spotted Sandor, Tineke and Lubo eating out on the deck. So I asked for their picture, and then I gave Sandor a hard time…”Do you never smile or what?” He just stared back.

After lunch, we had some free time to explore or shop on our own. Aunt Peggy opted to go shopping, and Mom and I headed off to the castle. There is an official castle tour that you can take, I think. At least, I saw pictures of some of the rooms you can walk through, etc. But Mom and I didn’t have all that much time, and so we opted to just walk up the 200+ steps to the top and take pictures of the view below. It was quite a hike up there, but we loved it all. The view of the village below was well worth the extra steps. It was spectacular!

Soon we were all packed back into our buses and our way back to Passau. Once we got back to the ship, Dad was waiting for us and was up for more walking, and so the 4 of us along with Susan, Dick and Audrey headed into Passau to explore the city. We wound up touring 2 churches on our own.

We thought we were at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, but we soon learned that we were in St. Paul’s Cathedral instead. HA! The walls were almost a dusty pink, and the light was really good. The altar was magnificent, and we loved the church, but it was quite clear that this wasn’t the one we had been told about. The organ was not that big and certainly not the famous one we had heard about.

So we set off to find St. Stephen’s Cathedral, which has the world’s largest pipe organ. We found it. The outside was under construction (as were so many churches in Europe on our trip), but one look inside the church, and I was mesmerized.  The amazing frescoes on the ceiling set it apart. It was gorgeous, and the pipe organ was massive! It was hard to take it all in. I didn’t want to leave. This might just be my favorite church so far!!

Walking in Passau was fun. Part of the city is on a hill, and so you often need to go up or down the hill to get from point A to B. We happened to find one souvenir shop still open, and there Aunt Peggy finally found the unique gift she had been searching for. WHEW!

We hurried back from the shop to the ship for dinner. “Hansi” the one man band came on board in Passau for our evening entertainment. He was jovial and good fun. He had the most unusual moustache. It was unbelievably HUGE! I think it really must be his beard, and that he just curls it up special as a performer or something. He acted as if he didn’t know much English, but my guess is that he knew more than he let on. J

He had members of the audience help him perform with his band, and it was hysterical. I was just glad that I didn’t get volunteered. AHEM!

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: The view from the castle of Český Krumlov below was magnificent!
• FEELING: Amused!

Day 14: Saturday, 21 May 2011

Today was a foggy morning along the Main-Danube Canal, but it did clear off soon enough. After breakfast, we spent quite a bit of time on the sun deck like normal. Mom is feeling better this morning, and I’m glad.

I’m having fun with the crowd from California and New Mexico: Linda and Harry, Cheryl and Stan, Melanie and Steve, Carole and Bob and Carol and George. Maureen and Paul (from Canada) are their “adopted friends” from this cruise. They are all a hoot!

We went through a few more locks this morning. We’re starting to be old pros at it.

We passed a large liberation monument for Germany from the Napoleon era. It was spectacular! We could see the monument for miles on our cruise.  

We passed more rocky cliffs this morning. Very pretty! It kind of reminds me of some of the scenery down south in Kentucky, Tennessee or North Carolina.

We also had several low bridges right in a row, where we all had to duck down to avoid hitting our heads. That is really quite an experience – the sensation and fear that you might not clear the bridge. But we lived to tell about it another day and cleared every time without any injuries.

At the last low bridge, Ben (hotel manager) was up front hanging out with us on the sun deck, and since he is so tall, I took a photo of him which I termed “a possible last shot of Ben,” and he laughed at that. We all ducked down and were just fine!

We had another great lunch today, and then got ready for our 2 PM walking tour of Regensburg. Everyone was impatient to get our tour underway, I think. Most of us were hanging outside near the boat when our local guides arrived. I think we are all eager to do some walking and see more stuff.

Suzanne led the yellow team through 2,000-year-old Regensburg, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Suzanne wore a traditional Bavarian ladies costume, which she claimed was a bit too warm for the weather we were having, but she kept in good spirits anyway. It was a really hot day!

We saw the medieval Stone Bridge and heard the legend of the building of the bridge. The picturesque Stone Bridge spanning the Danube was completed in 1146. It was the only Danube crossing for hundreds of years, and the knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusade used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land. The bridge opened major international trade routes between Northern Europe and Venice, and this started Regensburg's golden age as a city of wealthy trading families.

The bridge has a slight hump in the middle, and legend has it that THAT is where the devil arched up his back underneath the bridge because he was irritated at being out-maneuvered by the builder. Only one of the sections of the bridge was hit by the Germans in WWII to keep the Allies at bay. It didn’t hold the Allies back for long! Most of Regensburg was undamaged during World War II and is thus one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Germany.

Regensburg is known for their sausages and claim to have the first sausage café or something like that. We passed the oldest one in town on our walk. I am beginning to realize that Germans take their sausages and beer very seriously!

We saw the Roman Ruins of Porta-Praetoria Arch, which was part of the four walls of the Roman legionary camp. Each of them had in the middle of their length an entry gate flanked by two massive towers. The northern gate facing the Danube, called Porta Praetoria, was discovered in 1885 during renovations in the Bischofshof brewery. Regensburg's Porta Praetoria gains significance as the only remaining gate of a Roman military camp in northern Europe.

We passed by Saint Peter’s Cathedral (dom). The church is a prime example of Gothic architecture in southern Germany. The Cathedral has been built and rebuilt from the Carolingian times to 1514-1538.

We walked through some of the town and saw where the small merchants had shops and where they lived. Suzanne pointed out the “bench” like stones on corners of buildings. This was to prevent carts and other things from colliding into the buildings themselves.

We walked through the courtyard of a wealthy medieval family’s dwelling as well. Wealthy families would erect a tower on their dwelling as a status symbol of their prosperity.

We saw the old town hall with its measurement standards posted outside the door. This was our last official stop on the tour, and so we had free time to shop or sight see on our own.

We walked back up the street so that Dad and I could get some ice cream, and Mom and Aunt Peggy got pretzels at a local shop instead. Dad took his ice cream and went down by the river to wait for us, while Aunt Peggy, Mom and I opted to see some more.

First, we tried on hats at the hat shop. That was fun!  Then we toured the Dom or Saint Peter’s Cathedral on our own as well. Then we headed back down by the river to collect Dad and walk back to the ship. We started sailing again around dinner time.

Dinner was pretty good as usual. But I ran back up on the sun deck to take some pictures of the neo-classical Wallhalla Temple above the Danube. I spotted it from our dining car window, and I had to go.

I was up there on the sun deck admiring the building when one of the program guides (Lubo) came up to see it, too. We then talked about the monument, and he gave me more details about it. The temple seems to just pop up out of nowhere amidst the hills. I’d like to see the inside of the temple one day.

I headed back to my dinner, but then I was back to the window throughout the meal to take pictures of the beautiful sunset behind us. It was lovely! George kept encouraging me to take more and more photos, and I’m glad he did. I love them!

After dinner, the program managers put on a “Liar’s Club” for us. Louise was not able to participate since she is in the hospital back in Regensburg, but the other 3 managers put on a great show. Basically, they each read off their definitions of a word, and we had to guess which one of them had given us the actual definition. It was similar to other games that my family used to play.

Our team consisted of Gladys, Susan, Iva, Carl, Susan, Gail, John, Mom, Aunt Peggy and me. We called ourselves “The Fabulous Fabricators.”

Tineke, Sandor and Lubo did a fabulous job. We learned that Tineke is a fabulous liar. She totally got into stories for her definition and expounded on them for several minutes. It was a hoot! We wanted to vote for her even when she couldn’t have possibly been right! J I couldn’t tell when Lubo or Sandor were lying at all, and I could tell they were all having fun with it as they tried to maintain their composure especially during Tineke’s lengthy definitions. J

A couple of the words were:

Slibber-sauce: mud beauty treatment

Quidnunc: a gossip

Our team was not so good at detecting fact from fiction. We lost, but we had some great laughs! I think this was my favorite evening entertainment so far. I love to laugh!

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: Discovering that people born on the other side of the globe can still have common interests and passions – we are not all as different as we like to think we are.
• FEELING: Whimsical and happy!

Day 13: Friday, 20 May 2011

We docked at Nürnberg around breakfast time. Mom and Dad both made it to breakfast this morning. Mom is feeling weak, but both she and Dad were hungry, which is a good sign.

At 8:30 AM, we heard a lecture on “The Development of Nürnberg” by Margit Schmidt Pikulicki.

Today, Nuremberg is a beautiful, bustling city with the old mixing in with the new, but it also has a dark recent past: from 1933 to 1938 it was the site of annual conventions or rallies of the National Socialist German Workers (or Nazi) Party. It was at a 1935 meeting that the notorious Nürnberg Laws were put into effect, depriving German Jews of many civil rights. And then in 1945 and 1946, Nürnberg was the site of the Nürnberg Trials, the War Crimes Tribunal that tried Nazi leaders.

At 10 AM, we started on our bus tour of Nürnberg (also known as Nuremberg). Our first stop was at the Congress Hall that Hitler built for the Nazi rallies. If he had been able to finish the structure, it would have been larger than the Coliseum in Rome. We drove around inside of the Congress Hall and then stopped at the Documentation Center that was connected to it.

We had a hour one stop here with headsets to walk through the exhibits. There was a lot to take in, and so everyone felt a bit rushed to get through it all. It was exhausting and mentally draining to read and see the Nazi’s plan in action. There were a lot of old photographs and drawings of the Nazi’s plans for Nürnberg and other areas.

Next we visited the famous Zeppelin Field, which was another part of Hitler’s propaganda in Nürnberg. This is the site where Hitler made some of his famous Nazi speeches and stirred up the party with his rhetoric. We saw the platform where Hitler gave his speeches.

Margit told us that the massive complex that Hitler had envisioned for Nürnberg was never completed  or realized because the war ended, but the people of Germany have chosen to maintain these sites not as memorials to the Nazi party but as evidence of what happened here. The sites do not honor the deeds planned and done here, but instead they are constant reminders of the not-so-distant German past. No one wants to let it be forgotten what happened here either!! I liked that honesty.

Our guide Margit then led us on bus ride through Nürnberg. She pointed out the courthouse where the famous Nürnberg trials took place.

Next, we walked to the restaurant where we were to have lunch, but along the way, we got to see more of Nürnberg. She pointed out St. Sebaldus Church, which was begun in 1230/40.
We passed the Beautiful Fountain (or Schöner Brunnen) which was erected between 1389 and 1396 by the builder and stonemason, Heinrich Beheim. The 19-metre stone pyramid rises from the octagonal basin like a Gothic steeple top, narrowing in three steps, right to the top finial. Forty stone figures are arranged in three rows, all of them important 14th century sculptures representing the world-view of the Holy Roman Empire. The protective railing surrounding the fountain's basin was forged in 1587 by Paulus Kühn from Augsburg.

We passed the Church of Our Lady's (Frauenkirche) built here between 1355 and 1358 on the site of the destroyed synagogue of the former Jewish quarter. It was the first Gothic hall church in Franconia, constructed as an Imperial court chapel with three aisles.

Soon we arrived at the Heilig Geist Spital, a beer garden, where we had lunch. Each table had a different German college student joining us. We sat with Claudia (pronounced “Cloudia”). She was a sophomore studying to be a secondary teacher and was studying at the University in Nürnberg. She was originally from Dresden and was very sweet.

Our lunch was tasty but very heavy. We had bread served with butter or horseradish, a salad, and meat, potatoes and sauerkraut followed by an apple fritter with ice cream for dessert. It was good but too much for lunch. On the ride home, we drove through part of the walled city again. I think I’d like to see more of Nürnberg one day. There is a lot I missed of it on today’s tour.

Aunt Peggy and I then went to the Bavarian Beer Tasting in the lounge. Carol teased me and asked to see my ID during the beer tasting. HA! The German beers weren’t so bad. They were not too heavy or bitter. I liked the 2nd variety (a Pilsner) the best, but I’m still not a fan of beer in general.

Neither Mom nor Dad wanted any dinner, and so Aunt Peggy and I went to dinner on our own. We joined Dick and Audrey, Carl and Eunice. Carl’s daughter Susan and Eunice’s traveling partner Audrey are both sick with the virus that has plagued our ship. Lots of people have gotten it! I still hope to avoid it myself.

During dinner, we went through one of the massive locks that we had heard about, and so I ran up to the sun deck to get pictures. I missed the soup course, but I didn’t care. Must capture every moment on film! And then I noticed that it seemed like we were at the portion of the canal that went over top of the road. I had heard about it in the Main-Danube Canal lecture, and so I ran to the windows for a few quick shots. Now, that was cool!! You could see the road and some buildings below us.

Alec was dressed up in a native costume tonight, and so Aunt Peggy and I got pictures with him. He’s such a sweet kid and always has a good attitude!

After dinner, we all headed up to the sun deck, we were going through one of the highest locks (up some 80+ feet) on the Main-Danube Canal, and so we were all psyched about it. It was probably the most crowded it had yet been on the sun deck. It took quite a while for us to rise up high enough for this lock, but it was fun to watch. I went around and took pictures for people as we waited. Eventually, we reached the top, and then we could see the recycling water pools that we had been told about in the lecture earlier that week. It was cool!

There are 4 women who are called Peggy on this cruise. Two of them are fully named Margaret, but the other 2 are just Peggys, and so I took a picture of the 3 of them that were available. I think the other Peggy  (#4) was sick.

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: Having Claudia share her story with us at lunch.
• FEELING: Anxious! I don’t want to get sick, but what can I really do to prevent it.

Day 12: Thursday, 19 May 2011

Mom and Dad are both sick today, which makes me sad. I hope they get feeling better soon.

After breakfast, I headed up to the sun deck afterwards for the scenery again. (BIG SURPRISE, I know, but I love the sun deck!) I made some more new friends! I am really having fun with the people on board.

We keep going through more locks. We have now gone through 35 of the 68 locks between Amsterdam to Budapest, but I find that I am still fascinated with it all. We have already had 2 really low bridges to pass under this morning. YIKES! No one hit their heads fortunately.

We had a mid-morning lecture with Dr. Daniel Gürtler on the Main-Danube Canal. I don’t quite understand the canal and the locks in general, but basically, the canal and locks offer a stair step approach to going up and down the watershed. Daniel is a good speaker and kept the lecture very interesting!

Before lunch, we docked at the industrial area of Bamberg. We then had lunch, and then it was time for the Bamberg walking tour. Aunt Peggy and I walked ahead to the buses and then stood outside directing people to their proper buses. Seriously, I think I have a tour guide role in my future! I love it!

Bamberg was not touched during WWII, and so a lot of the structures are original. . It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.  I particularly liked the Bamberg Rathaus (or City Hall), which is built on an island. It’s a lovely building!

Our guide led us up the hill to the 11th-century cathedral. The cathedral is a late Romanesque building with four grand towers. It was founded in 1004 by the emperor Henry II, finished in 1012 and consecrated on May 6, 1012. It was later partially destroyed by fire in 1081. The new cathedral, built by Saint Otto of Bamberg, was consecrated in 1111 and in the 13th century received its present late-Romanesque form. The cathedral is 94 m (308 ft) long, 28 m (92 ft) broad, 26 m (85 ft) high, and the four towers are each about 81 m (266 ft) high.

A treasure of the cathedral is an equestrian statue known as the Bamberg Horseman (German: Der Bamberger Reiter). This statue, possibly belonging to the emperor Conrad III, most likely dates to approximately 1200. The statue also serves as a symbol of the city.

We stepped into the rose garden nearby for a few minutes, and from there we could see the Benedictine Abbey up another hill. It started to rain, and so we quickly made our way back down the hill. We did some shopping in town and also stopped to watch a street performer.

Dinner tonight was great again. It was just Aunt Peggy and I, and so we sat with some friends.

We had another trio for our evening entertainment, the Gunzenheimer Swing Band. They were quite entertaining. I headed back up top to watch the ship embark from the dock after dark.

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

Me: Making new friends on the sun deck and having to duck down for the low bridges!

FEELING: A bit down…I’m hoping that Mom and Dad feel better tomorrow.

Day 11: Wednesday, 18 May 2011

We woke to find ourselves docking in Würzburg already, and there was a “Noah’s Ark” attraction nearby.  We are docked in an industrial zone. Würzburg is located in Bavaria on the Main River and is the commercial center of an agricultural region most noted for its vineyards.

In the morning, there was an early AM lecture on “Germany in the 21st Century: Changes & Challenges” by Dr. Markus Urban.  It was pretty good. It’s just hard to be alert for such a heavy talk so early in the morning, I think.

After the talk, those going to Rothenburg ob der Tauber left the ship by buses. Dad chose the Rothenburg option, which is listed as the highlight of the northern stretch of the Romantic Road. It is a 13th century walled city. Dad seemed to have a pleasant day on his own, and I think it was just pure coincidence that he kept referring to the place as “Rottenburg.” HA!

Mom and I chose to go to the Würzburg Residenz, which is a fabulously ornate palace that was built in 1720 to house the region’s powerful prince-bishop. In addition to being one of Europe’s finest baroque structures, it houses a grand staircase that splits into two curves as it rises above the main entrance way. Enormous vaulted ceiling frescoes by Tiepolo soar overhead in a dazzling display. Deservedly, this amazing edifice has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

We rode by bus to the house, and Louise (who was with our group for the day) said that we had selected the right option! J And I think she was right. It was a bit hard not being able to take photographs inside the house, but it was a marvelous experience to tour the house and grounds.

Mom and I skipped the wine tasting in the cellar and chose to stroll through the gardens instead. (Audrey Miller later told us that we made the right choice, and that she wished she had gone with us on our garden walk.) The gardens were not in full bloom, but they were still lovely. Obviously the drought is affecting the planting schedule on the grounds. They had areas fenced off, and the plants that were still in the ground were not doing very well. The grass was not a bright shade of green either.

Mom liked the tall skinny trees we found in the garden. They reminded me a little bit of the “Hershey kiss trees” I enjoyed at Hampton Court Palace.

Mom and I went back to the ship for lunch and talked over our options with Gladys and Susan. We ended up splitting a taxi ride back to the city center. We walked through the Marienkapelle Church (circa 1400) and also walked over to see the baroque building next to the church, which is used as a visitors’ center. Our taxi driver had recommended the building to Susan, and it was beautiful.

Next we ran into Dick and Audrey Miller, and Mom and I opted to join them after making sure that Susan and Gladys knew where to catch a taxi back to the ship. We all opted to walk back to the ship rather than hitching a taxi. It was a beautiful day!

We crossed the 15th-century stone bridge (Alte Mainbrücke) spanning the Main, which also offered a good view of the Marienberg fortress on the hill above the city. There are many sculptures on the bridge, and I had trouble choosing a favorite. I loved them!

We walked along the Main River towards our ship. I wasn’t sure how we were going to get there, but Dick led the way, and we made it just fine…even though I think we got there by accident. HA! Dick teased me about having such little faith in him.

Once the Rothenburg buses returned (and thankfully Dad was with them), our boat embarked back along the Main River, and we found ourselves going under the stone bridge this time to go through a small lock. It was nice to see Würzburg one more time that way. I also spotted the lovely church on the hill (the Kappele), which our guide had pointed out earlier in the day. It is a highly sought-after for area wedding, and it is clear to see why. It is beautiful! 

Dinner was yummy, and afterwards, I was back up on the sun deck for more pictures as we cruised along the Main River. Once again, the water was calm and still, and the reflections were breathtaking on the water.

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: Correcting Dad over and over with how to say “RoTHenburg” and not “Rottenburg” – he was incorrigible!
• FEELING: Peaceful!

Day 10: Tuesday, 17 May 2011

After breakfast, we spent more time on the sun deck. The water was calm and still this morning and perfect for reflection photos. I took a lot of them! We passed a couple more castles and turrets and made our way through a couple more sets of locks as well. The countryside scenes were beautiful! I loved the rolling hills. The red jagged rocks really stand out amidst the green hillside.

The captain has the back sun deck flattened because we are expecting several low bridges for the next couple of days. And sure enough, we had a really low bridge this AM. We all had to get down really low in our chairs in front of the captain’s wheelhouse. The wheelhouse itself was flattened down to half of its size, and we cleared the bridge just fine. But I confess I hit the floor on my knees just to make sure I wasn’t gonna hit my head. HA!

Mid-morning, there was a glassblowing demonstration in the lounge, and so I went down to watch it. The guy was fascinating, and he spoke excellent English. One of my new friends, Al Doty, got called to be a volunteer glass-blower, and he did a great job!

After lunch, we had a walking tour of Wertheim, which is located at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. It is an old Franconian town which has kept most of its character. Our awesome guide Brigitte took us on a stroll through some of the windy roads and timber-framed houses. We learned why a cock is placed on the tops of most church weather vanes. It is to be a reminder or Peter and GOD’s forgiveness after he denied Christ 3 times and heard the cock crow.

Along the way, we ran into another group from our boat and learned that there had been an incident on the walk. Two passengers had been hurt. Brigitte handed off the yellow sign to George and went running down the lane while we waited. An ambulance soon arrived, and we started back on our tour of Wertheim.

We learned about the pretzel which was first created by monks in Germany. They wanted to make a salty bread they could enjoy during lent, and thus the pretzel was born.

We also learned that Wertheim has invited back those surviving Jews that once fled the area or were held in concentration camps during WWII. Some of the buildings have the names of former Jewish residents on them. At the end of our tour, Brigitte thanked us as Americans for what we did for her country, and it was rather touching! I think memories of the war are more prevalent here than in my own country, and I am glad to see that the atrocities committed in Europe are not being forgotten.

Mom and Aunt Peggy headed off for a "Kaffeeklatsch" — coffee and cake with a local family. But Dad and I chose to explore more of Wertheim on our own and do some father-daughter bonding. We did a little bit of shopping, and I found a ceramic turtle with mosaic tiles, which I love.

I was curious about the Wertheim castle or fortress overlooking this quaint town, and so we took a mini train up to the fortress. We walked around the structure, which is mostly in ruins, and I took lots of pictures, of course. Then we caught the train back down to the town center and had some eis (ice cream) before walking back to the ship.

I’d like to come back to Wertheim and do more exploring of the fortress ruins. I didn’t feel like I got to see it all, and I’d like to.

We had another fabulous dinner and then retired to the sun deck again to finish off our evening. We got to see the sunset over the river, and it was quite nice. We went through another set of locks before retiring for the evening. It was a chilly evening but well worth it.

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: Trying to communicate to the Germans at the ice cream shop that I wanted the strawberry sundae. The guy (probably around my age) did not know English, and so he came across to the other side of the counter and had me physically point to what I wanted. HA!
• FEELING: Thoughtful!

Europe Trip Photos Are Online!!

I took over 7,800 photos on my recent trip to Europe, and so it has taken me a while to get through them all and decide which photos to post on Facebook.

Now, don’t panic! I did NOT post all 7,800 of them. I used some restraint and posted some from each day. HA! Feel free to check the photos out in your spare time…  

• Day 1-3: May 8-10 – Brussels, Belgium      
• Day 4: May 11 – Margraten, Netherlands
• Day 5-7: May 12-14 – Amsterdam, Netherlands to Cologne, Germany
• Day 8-9: May 15-16 – Rüdesheim, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt, Germany
• Day 10-13: May 17-20 – Wertheim, Wurzburg, Bamberg and Nürnberg, Germany
• Day 14-15: May 21-22 - Regensburg, Germany; Český Krumlov, Czech Republic; and Passau, Germany
• Day 16-17: May 23-24 – Linz, Durnstein, Emmersdorf, Melk Abbey and Vienna, Austria
• Day 18-19: May 25-26 – Vienna, Austria to Budapest, Hungary

Day 9: Monday, 16 May 2011

We arrived in Frankfurt early this morning. We had an early breakfast since we needed to take a bus trip to Heidelberg Castle. Once we got to Heidelberg, we rode up to the castle via a curvy, tight road. And then we stopped for a restroom break before starting our tour. Mom and Dad’s bus arrived later, and so we had to hold up the yellow group while we waited for Mom and Dad to use the restroom.

Bathroom breaks are proving rather hilarious here in Europe. Tineke says that she could write a book about them, and I believe her. We’ve already had some issues. First of all, most of the toilets in Europe are pay toilets, and so you have to either pay to use them or tip the attendant when you leave, etc. It’s a bit of a hassle. Vantage tries to work ahead of the system and pay for everyone to use it, but there are always kinks in the process.

Finally, everyone had used the facilities, and we were off – using our headsets to keep up with our guide. Most of Heidelberg Castle is in ruins, but the structure is still rather lovely. And the views of the city below were spectacular!

Looming over the red-roofs and Neckar River is Heidelberg’s famous castle, the castle ruins are among the most important Renaissance structures north of the Alps. The castle has only been partially rebuilt since its demolition in the 17th and 18th centuries.

We got to walk across the top of the world’s largest beer barrel. It is massive all right. Unfortunately, I guess it leaks as well, and so it is not used any more.

We rode another type of cable car back down to Heidelberg, and our guide Rinata walked us around historic Heidelberg, with parts dating back to the 12th century. Because Heidelberg escaped damage throughout World War II, many of the buildings in the Old Town are intact and are noteworthy examples of 18th-century baroque architecture.

We walked across par t of the “Old Bridge” (1786), which offered spectacular views of the town as well.

Rinata led us to our lunch location where we had a 3-course meal at Hotel Zum Ritter. After lunch we were off again to explore the town for ourselves. We toured the Church of the Holy Spirit on our own. The church was bright and cheerful inside. Afterwards, we did some shopping.

I had been looking at the cuckoo clocks since we had arrived in Germany, and I opted to buy one for myself that day in the square. I love it. It was made in Bavaria and is made from Bavarian wood, and the price was within my budget.

We then rode the bus back to Frankfurt. Mom, Aunt Peggy and I decided to set out on our own and explore Frankfurt. So we got a couple of quick directions from Tineke, and we set off on our adventure. We walked along the river and reached an old town square with a fountain in the center. We found an optical shop with the name “Weiss,” and so we stopped to take pictures.

Then we walked to through the 13th-century Cathedral of Saint Bartholomew (also known as the Frankfurt Dom). There was some type of service or rehearsal going on inside the church, and so we didn’t stay long. We then walked halfway across a pedestrian bridge, which offered some good views of the city of Frankfurt. Then we hurried back to catch dinner onboard the ship.  

After dinner, we spent time on the sun deck watching the city lights of Frankfurt go by, and then we proceeded to go through another set of locks. After the locks, the other captain asked us to please leave the sun deck since we were coming up on some lower bridges, and so we headed down the stairs and to our cabins for bed. It was getting late anyhow!

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: At Hotel Zum Ritter, Aunt Peggy asked me to take a picture of her and the tin man in the entrance of the restaurant. I was surprised to see that by “tin man” she meant a knight figure in armor. AHEM!  
• FEELING: Hurried! I wish we had more time at each location.

Day 8: Sunday, 15 May 2011

Today was my favorite sailing day so far.  After breakfast, I spent the morning on the sun deck taking pictures. The day started out hazy with a few raindrops, but the rain kept away from us for most of the morning, which was nice.  Lots of my new friends were up on the sun deck as well. I’m really getting to know lots of people onboard, and I love that.

We passed 15 or 17 castles in the space of the morning, and it was incredible! I was delighted! They had a map handout, which indicated the castles and towns we were passing on our journey. Each village and town we passed had a church or two to take photos of as well. The rocky cliffs along the shoreline were spectacular. In addition, we spotted lots of vineyards on the steep hills.

We cruised along the dramatic scenery of the Rhine Gorge, which is a popular name for the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen in Germany. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002.

We passed beside the imposing Lorelei Cliff, where we heard the ancient Legend of the Lorelei. The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there. Lorelei is supposedly the name of a mermaid who lured unwary fisherman to their death by singing the most beautiful song they had ever heard. Today a sculpture marks the legendary spot!

Lunch was good, but I kept hopping up and running over to the window to take more shots of castles and the cathedrals on shore. I’m quickly gathering a reputation as an obsessed photographer!

Once we arrived in Rüdesheim, we double-parked (parked parallel to another boat). To disembark, we walked through the lobby of the other boat to get ashore. Dad, Mom and I chose the gondola ride option in Rüdesheim. It rained a bit as we rode up from the Rhine Valley floor to visit the Niederwald Monument of Germany on top of the mountain.

The Niederwald Monument, which was built in 1877-1883 to commemorate the unification of Germany,  offers superb views of the Rhine Gorge. Thankfully, it wasn’t raining on top of the mountain, and so we walked over to the gazebo for some photos and then on to the monument itself. I took lots of pictures of the valley floor below us. You could see for miles up there.

We walked around Rüdesheim, had some ice cream and visited a few shops. Rüdesheim is a charming town full of tight little alleys and enticing shops and beer gardens. I liked it. Soon we ran into Aunt Peggy and Susan Urben, who had finished their music tour as well. Dad opted to go back to the ship ahead of us, and Mom, Aunt Peggy and I stayed in town and did more shopping and then walked back to the ship.

Dinner was great as usual. After dinner, a husband and wife duo (Toni & Florrina) provided our evening entertainment. Florrina has an amazing voice and is able to sing in multiple music styles from opera to Patsy Cline, from rock to musicals.

Our boat departed from Rüdesheim later that evening around bed time.

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: One shop in Rüdesheim intrigued me. They had a cardboard cutout poster of “James” from Twilight in their front window, and then in the back room, they had “Victoria” and “Laurant” as well as “Harry Potter”. It was pretty strange!
• FEELING: Delighted!

Day 7: Saturday, 14 May 2011

We had our breakfast and then a great many of us hung out on the sun deck enjoying the view. There is so much to see all around us as we cruise along the Rhine River in Germany. We passed under more beautiful bridges. I think I am quickly becoming a bridge fanatic. I am also enjoying the many steeples along the shore and the different styles of architecture.

There is quite a bit of traffic on the river this morning. We passed a barge full of John Deere tractors, which caused quite a bit of conversation up on deck. It was attached to another barge carrying semi cabs. And soon after, another barge passed us with a load full of cars. So you just never quite know what you will see on the river.

Campgrounds seem to be pretty popular in Europe along the river. We have passed several of them. A lot of large industries also have set up their factories along the river, too. It’s a busy waterway that is for sure.

We passed through the city of Dusseldorf this morning, which has some interesting architecture. Some of it is modern, but I like it. It sort of reminds me of buildings in a cartoon or something. It is hard to explain unless you see them for yourself.

At 11 AM, I headed downstairs to meet Mom and Aunt Peggy for the German language lesson led by Tineke (who is Dutch). It was very interesting to say the least, but I was distracted and a bit sad to be missing the scenery up top, too. I’m quite clearly smitten with being on the sun deck so that I can see everything that is going on.

Today, George informed me about the prevalence of the Roman numeral “IV” being written out as “IIII” in Europe, and once he mentioned it, I kept seeing the improper “IIII” everywhere. Leave it to George to mention something like that!

After lunch, we headed out into Cologne for our first German city visit, and our first stop was the Roman Germanic Museum. I was excited that we could take pictures, but then I got yelled at for taking pictures in the first room after I had been granted permission. HA! Turns out that there were a couple of the entry rooms where photographs were not allowed of certain displays. Of course, I didn’t know that and hence the reprimand.

But despite our early issues with the museum, I loved it. It houses all kinds of ancient Roman artifacts from the period of the Roman emperors who attempted to overtake the Germanic tribes. Our guide led us to the highlight of the museum's collection, the Dionysus Mosaic, which dates from about 220 AD. It lies exactly where it was found, and the museum was built around this star exhibit. It was discovered in 1941 when workers were digging an air-raid shelter.

Another main attraction is the reconstructed Tomb of Poblicius, dating from around 40 AD and standing about 15 meters high beside the mosaic. Poblicius was an important veteran who served in the Fifth Legion.

I learned why there are so many heads and busts of Romans rather than full body sculptures. The Romans were frugal. They made the heads or busts removable so that when there was a change of leadership (governor, emperor, etc.), they could remove the old and install the newly carved head or bust. Brilliant! This explains the clean cuts on many of the heads and busts I have seen in this exhibit and others before it, and why most of them are missing a body. And now you know the rest of the story...

Some of the glass and stone jars were amazingly detailed. One glass jar they discovered was still sealed and contained the original sealed contents. Incredible stuff!

After our tour of the Roman Germanic Museum, we had free time to visit Cologne, and so the 4 of us visited the Cologne Cathedral, which was Mom and Dad’s first introduction to European cathedrals. It was pretty awesome.  Founded in 1388, this gothic cathedral has twin spires, each 515 feet high. The Cathedral was begun in 1248 but not completed until 1880. The structure was thoroughly restored after heavy damage during World War II, and is now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Aunt Peggy, Mom and I opted to walk to the Chocolate Museum. It was up the river a couple of blocks, but we managed to find it and visit the museum gift shop for some chocolates. And then we walked back to the ship.

Dinner was pretty tasty tonight, and it was followed by some onboard entertainment by La Strada – a trio consisting of a keyboard and 2 violins. They were amazing, talented musicians.

After the concert, I went back up on the sun deck to take a few more pictures and caught some of Cologne at night. Our boat left Cologne as we were heading to bed tonight, and tomorrow we will wake up somewhere else.

I tried to call Barbara tonight to wish her a happy birthday, but I can’t get a call through tonight from Germany. Bummer! I did think of her today though. I even took a short video of Dad wishing her a happy birthday while we were near the Cologne Cathedral. That HAS to count for something, right?

Favorite Thing or Funny Moment

• Me: showing Mom her first European cathedral in Cologne – she was delighted!
• FEELING: Happy!