 |
| Cologne Cathedral
Once we got settled in along with the 170 other passengers,
we headed downstream to Cologne Germany. We took a city walking tour in the
morning and explored in the afternoon on our own. This pattern would repeat
itself in most of the towns we visited. Afterward we cruised up the through
the Middle Rhine River valley. At Rudesheim we rode cable cars to the top of
the hill for a good view of the area. We left the Rhine River and headed up the
Main River. From Frankfurt we took a bus to Heidelberg to join the crowds at the
Heidelberg Castle. Maybe they were all there to see the world’s largest wine
barrel (58,000 gal).
|
 |
| Cologne at night |
 |
| Stolzenfel Castle |
 |
| Town of Oberwesel
In Wertheim, we attended a Vantage sponsored German Fest
with lots of food, drink and dancing. It was the highlight of our river trip. We climbed up to the fortress in Wurzburg,
after visiting the Residence and Cathedral of St Kilian. At Bamberg, we entered
the Main-Danube Canal which would take us over the Continental Divide. More
than 60 locks were needed as we moved up and over the continent.
|
 |
| Town of Wurzburg
In Wertheim, we attended a Vantage sponsored German Fest with lots of food, drink and dancing. It was the highlight of our river trip. We climbed up to the fortress in Wurzburg, after visiting the Residence and Cathedral of St Kilian.
|
 |
| Flooding was a problem
Europe had been experiencing a wet spring and our first
three weeks in Europe were mostly cool and cloudy with a chance of rain. As a
result all the rivers we traveled were well above normal and over the banks at
times. This proved to be a challenge for riverboats. Our Captain added extra
ballast and had our sundeck stripped down (lounge chairs removed) for maximum
clearance. We didn’t mind because one riverboat got stuck under a bridge and
some riverboat lines were busing their passengers when their boats couldn’t go
any further. We got under all the bridges (maybe because of all the weight the
passengers gained).
|
 |
| Zeppelin Field Nuremberg
The trip took a serious turn in Nuremberg. We visited the
Zeppelin Field where Hitler held his massive parades. He had more people marching than watching. We learned that recently a tourist got up to the platform
where Hitler stood and gave the Nazi salute. He thought it was good for a laugh
until he got arrested and the rest of his tour group had to return to their
boat. I guess that is why the neo-Nazis are in the Land of the Free! We also
visited courtroom 600, the most important courtroom in the world, where the
Nazis were put on trial. At the Documentation Center, we learned how Hitler
rose to power. The parallels to today’s politics were striking and a bit scary.
|
 |
| Nuremberg |
 |
| Our Riverboat |
 |
| Danube Gorge
At Bamberg, we entered
the Main-Danube Canal which would take us over the Continental Divide. More
than 60 locks were needed as we moved up and over the continent.
|
 |
| Passau and its 3 rivers |
No comments:
Post a Comment