Day 9 ~ Bamberg

This charming town has been our favorite so far. A large part of the town has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993. Because it was not damaged during WWII, the homes and historical buildings are original. Below are half-timbered residences that line the Regnitz River.

Bamberg Cathedral was founded in 1002 by King (and later Emperor) Heinrich II (Henry II) and consecrated in 1012.  After the first two cathedrals burned down in the 11th and 12th centuries, the current structure, a late Romanesque building with four large towers, was built in the 13th century.

The Bishop's Residence/Alte Hofhaltung (Old Palace) was located to right of the cathedral.

The first structure we saw as we approached Bamberg was the Mount St. Michael Abbey.  Founded 1015, it became one of the culturally most important Benedictine abbeys in southern Germany. In 1803, the abbey was dissolved; and the 21 monks then in residence were obliged to leave. It is presently a retirement home.

According to legend, the bishop of Bamberg did not grant the citizens any land for the construction of a town hall. This prompted the townsfolk to ram stakes into the river Regnitz to create an artificial island on which they built the town hall they so badly wanted. The result is this beautiful Old Town Hall covered with decorative frescos.

Bamberg is known for its Rauchbier (smoked beer) and is home to nine breweries. One of the most picturesque breweries/taverns is the Schlenkerla. I was able to sample a Rauchbier and found it to have quite a smokey taste, but I enjoyed it.

As we sailed from Bamberg, we left the Rhine-Main-Danube canal and are now on the Main River. We are no longer in the land of beer but are now in the land of beautiful vineyards and wine.  

Day 8 ~ Nuremberg

Nuremberg’s first documented mention dates back to 1050 and was the undeclared capital of the Holy Roman Empire. The Imperial Castle’s beginnings  date back to that time.  The Sinwell Tower was erected in 1377 but was mostly destroyed in WWII as was much of the city. Most of the historic buildings in Nuremberg were restored after the war.

In the city center of the old town stands the Gothic Saint James the Greater church which was founded in 1209. This now protestant church has a lovely clock tower as seen in the center of the photo.

 

The Hospital of the Holy Spirit was founded in 1332 and is one of the largest hospitals of the Middle Ages. Lepers were kept here at some distance from the other patients. It is now a home for the elderly and has a restaurant.

Zeppelin Field was the Nazi party rally grounds in Nuremburg. Six Nazi party rallies were held there between 1933 and 1938. In a distance, our Program Director is standing on the platform where Hitler stood at those rallies.

Built to resemble the Roman Coliseum, the Congress Hall  was built to house the congress of the Nazi Party on Rally days. It was the biggest construction project ever begun by the Nazis, but it was never completed.

The Nuremberg Trials were held between November 20, 1945 and October 1, 1946. The military tribunal held by the Allied forces after World War II was given the task of trying 24 of the most important political and military leaders of the Third Reich. Below is the building where those trials took place.

Sometimes I just need to post a picture for no other reason than it amuses me.  This fountain was adjacent to St. Lawrence Church in old town.

Tonight we feasted on a traditional  Bavarian buffet. 

Bamberg is our destination for tomorrow.

Day 7 ~ Weltenburg Monastery

After arriving in Kelheim, we loaded buses for the Weltenburg Monastery. Founded in 620, this Benedictine monastery is believed to be the oldest monastery in Bavaria. The current courtyard with its Baroque buildings dedicated to Saint George were built by the Asam Brothers between 1716 and 1739.

A larger than life sculpture of St. George slaying the dragon and saving the maiden was located above the alter.

Having been in operation since 1050, Weltenburg Abbey brewery is thought by some to be the oldest monastic brewery in the world. In 2004, 2008, and 2012 it won the World Beer Cup award for the best Dunkel beer in the world. In Bavaria, beer is not considered to be alcohol, but food (they even call it liquid bread). So here we are enjoying a pretzel and I a beer at 10:30 in the morning.

After leaving the monastery, we boarded a ferry that transported  us back to Kelheim via the Danube Gorge, the narrowest and deepest part of the Bavarian Danube. The dramatic limestone rock formations dated back to the Jurassic Period 180 million years ago. The building in the middle of the photo is Liberation Hall built by Kink Ludwig I of Bavaria between 1842 and 1863.

Along the way we encountered a small statue of St. Nicolas, patron saint of merchants and sailors.

We returned to the ship for lunch and then hopped back on our bus for a 45 minute ride to Beilingries where we went to the home of a local resident for a “Kaffeeklatsch.” After a tour of her lovely gardens and home, our host treated us to coffee and dessert.  In the photo below, we are looking down into her yard from her third story loft.  The dark green object in the lower left corner is a robotic lawn mower like a Roomba vacuum used on floors.  You can see the patterns it has made on the lawn.

For the next two days, we will be traveling on the man-made Rhine-Main-Danube canal that crosses the European continental divide. Tomorrow, we will spend the day in Nuremberg.

Day 6 ~ Regensburg

The Celts were the original inhabitants in the Regensburg area, but in 90 AD the Romans built a fort here. In 179, a new Roman fort, Castra Regina ("fortress by the River Regen"), was built during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. It was an important camp on the most northerly point of the Danube with as many as 6000 Roman soldiers occupying the city. From about 530 to the first half of the 13th century, Regensburg was the capital of Bavaria.

The historic city center was undamaged during WWII and remains beautifully preserved. The Stone Bridge built 1135–1146, is Germany’s oldest bridge. The knights of the 2nd and 3rd crusade used it to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land. Currently, it is  surrounded by metal scaffolding as it is being repaired.

St. Peter’s Cathedral was founded in 1275 and completed in 1634, with the exception of the towers, which were finished in 1869. The cathedral represents one of the most important examples of Gothic architecture in Bavaria. 

Many of its stained glass windows date back to the 1200-1300s.

We kept hearing wonderful Klezmer music as we walked through town and finally found where they were performing. https://youtu.be/iW9klh2N8H0

On our way back to the ship, we stopped by the Regensburg Sausage Kitchen, which claims to be the oldest sausage kitchen in Germany. 

We treated ourselves to one of their sausage sandwiches with sauerkraut and sweet mustard.

After spending some time relaxing in our cabin, our group headed to a local restaurant for dinner and um-pa-pa music. Our destination, Alte Linde, is the yellow building in the right corner.

Bonnie isn’t a beer drinker, so I got two! We had a traditional German dinner of schnitzel, potato salad, and apple strudel.

This was the view from our table of both the Stone Bridge (without scaffolding)  and St. Peter’s Cathedral. 

Tomorrow will be another full day as we set sail for Kelheim. 

Day 5 ~ Passau, Germany

This morning, we entered Germany stopping just over the border in Passau.  Known as the Three Rivers City, this town sits at the confluence of  the Danube, Inn, and Ilz. It was an important center for trade for much of its history, especially for the salt trade from Bohemia. During the Renaissance and early modern period, Passau was one of the most prolific centers of sword and bladed weapon manufacture in Germany. Below  was our first view of the city dominated by the spires of St. Stephens Cathedral.

Below  is a photo of Veste Oberhaus, a fortress that was founded in 1219, which served as the stronghold of the Bishop of Passau. It is currently the site of a museum, a youth hostel, and a restaurant, as well as an open-air theatre dating to 1934. Many of the windows you see in the photograph are simply painted on to make the building appear like a residence rather than a fortress.

If you look in the lower right corner of this photo, you can see the wedding taking place at the Passau Rathaus, (City Hall).

St. Stephen's Cathedral is a baroque church built from 1668 to 1693 dedicated to Saint Stephen who is  venerated as the first martyr of Christianity. The onion topped spire is a baroque design element in this area of Western Europe. This church houses the largest cathedral organ in the world with 17,774 pipes and 233 registers. This afternoon, we attended a 30 minute concert inside the cathedral where we were treated to a variety of music from very dramatic to lighter classical.

Cathedral Alter

Cathedral Organ

Bonnie and I are standing outside the Hotel Wilder Mann and Glass Museum.

Again we have set sail with Regensburg our destination tomorrow morning.

Day 4 ~ Melk Abbey

On route to Melk, we enjoyed some beautiful scenery on the banks of the Danube River. Convents and monasteries are more common than castles in this area. Notice the crucifixes in the pink building on the right.

Just a short distance away was the former residence of a Duke.

Melk Abbey is a Benedictine Abbey above the town of Melk, Austria, on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube River in the Wachau Valley. The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II gave one of his castles to Benedictine monks. Today's Baroque abbey was built between 1702 and 1736. (photo from Wikipedia)

Main Entrance to the abbey

Prelate's Courtyard – The building surrounding the courtyard house the classrooms for about 900 students grades 5-12.

The library of the Melk Abbey consists of a total of twelve rooms with over 100,000 volumes, some over 1000 years old. (We could not take pictures inside the abbey so the library and the church below are also from Wikipedia.)

The high point of the monastery is the very ornate church.  Some of the side alters contain relics of various saints.

Here we are overlooking the town of Melk from the Abbey.  A field of sunflowers can be seen in the left middle of the photo.
At the end of our time in Melk, we returned to our ship, River Adagio. This 418 foot-long ship has a capacity for 164 passengers with 82 cabins. The little speck at the end of the gang plank is Bonnie waving. 

By 6:00 pm, we set sail for Passau, Germany, where we will arrive mid-morning on Saturday.

Day 3 ~ Vienna

Vienna, Austria’s capital and the seventh largest city in the European Union, is located in the eastern part of the country on the Danube River. Regarded as the City of Music because of its musical legacy (Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss, Liszt, Brahms), Vienna is also said to be The City of Dreams because it was also home to Sigmund Freud.

The Hofburg Palace is a very imposing presence in Vienna. Built in the 13th century and expanded in the centuries since, the palace has housed some of the most powerful people in European and Austrian history, including monarchs of the Habsburg dynasty, rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, the property houses a mixture of museums, ministries and courtyards. Below are two of the many buildings.

Imperial Chancellery Wing

Neue Burg Wing

The first structure for St. Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom) was completed in 1160 with major reconstruction and expansion lasting until 1511. Repair and restoration projects continue to the present day. This Romanesque and Gothic cathedral has borne witness to many important events in Habsburg and Austrian history.

The Spanish Riding School  was first named during the Habsburg Monarchy in 1572 and is the oldest of its kind in the world. It was named for the Spanish horses that formed one of the bases of the Lipizzan breed. We walked by the school and got a peek at a few of the horses in their stable.

We also got an eyeful when we passed by a salon where two people were getting their bodies painted.  You would have thought we were in Amsterdam.

Because Bonnie has taken so many trips with Grand Circle, we were treated to a fabulous dinner with the the captain of our ship, Pavol Buzgovic.

What was on the menu you ask? A seven course dinner that included grilled veal loin topped off with Crème brûlée for dessert. 

When we returned to our cabin, we had the additional treat of this beautiful view  outside our balcony.

In the middle of the night, we begin our journey north to Melk.