Koblenz, Germany - October 21, 2015

We began our day cruising through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world: The middle Rhine Valley, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We sailed past Rhine castles in various states of repair, watching over idyllic small towns, churches and vineyards.  I kept hopping up onto the upper deck for pictures, then returning to the lounge to thaw. Rob remained in the toasty lounge, but took advantage of the spectacular scenery through the lovely floor to ceiling windows.

 At the narrowest part of the Rhine, we passed by Lorelei Rock, named for the legendary Rhine Maiden who lured sailors to their doom by singing like the ancient Greek sirens.  We arrived in the charming town of Koblenz to have this view from our balcony.

It was a sunny, glorious day, and I even needed by sunglasses for our tour to the Marksburg Castle. This castle remains as the headquarters of the German Castles.

Wertheim, Germany - October 20, 2015

We docked in Wertheim, Germany this morning for a walking tour of this charming fairytale town located at the meeting of the Main and Tauber Rivers.  The medieval townscape includes beautifully restored timbered houses built in Franconian style. We visited the historic marketplace, glassblowing studio, bakery, Euro Store (much like our Dollar Tree) and various other merchants.  This fascinating community floods regularly,so the town actually floods itself, preventing extensive damage.

   During the afternoon, we continued to cruise down this picturesque river admiring the scenery.  The vineyards seemed endless.

Wurzburg, Germany - October 19, 2015

A sunny day - yipeeeee!  Rob decided this would be his "day at sea" and remained on the ship, so Teri, Alan, and I headed off to explore Wurzburg, Germany. We began at the Residenz Palace, an impressive baroque Bishop's palace, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was probably THE most impressive palace I've ever seen.  It was designed by Balthasar Neumann, built over a 70-year period, beginning in 1720.  The art was done by Venetian artist Giambattista Tiepolo.  The gardens were spectacular.  The gardens were splashes of every color as the lingering roses competed with the gorgeous leaves.

  After our tour, we strolled the streets for a while, then found a great place for lunch.  We've discovered that the Germans have no concept of portion control, as Alan's schnitzel was actually longer than his plate.  The food was marvelous, even if we couldn't finish all of it.
  Again, we're exploring the streets, when we stumbled upon an incredible gummie bear store where every flavor imaginable could be found.  I purchased Autumn themed gummies to take home to David and Lily.
   Next, we simply had to stop for coffee and a pastry - yum!  It fortified us for our continuing walking and exploring.
   Back on board, we continued our amazing sail down the Mein River.

Bamberg, Germany - October 18, 2015

Amazing!  Yes, this is definitely one of Germany's most beautiful cities, as well as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with over 2,000 buildings listed as historical monuments and its old city center is Europe's largest  existing group of historic buildings. Our tour was fabulous, but the highlight of my day was the Bamberg Lace Store.  Alan suggested exploring a street, and as we began our stroll, we came upon this famous lace store.  During WWII, Bamberg was not severely bombed, so most of the stores were frequented by the U.S. soldiers. Since the war efforts back in America were consuming most of the factories, lace wasn't a priority.  The GIs found this lovely lace store in Bamberg to purchase gorgeous lace to send back home.  It was chilling to stand in this store, purchasing lace products just as the WWII soldiers had done back in the 1940s. Most of the stores were closed because it was Sunday, but I was so ecstatic over the lace purchases, that I didn't even mind.  In fact, I found their "Closed" signs absolutely adorable.

 We opted NOT to try the famous "smoky" beer since the locals described it as drinking beer from an ashtray - ewwwwwwww!  We wondered, why would anyone drink this concoction? The locals response was, the first pint is disgusting, the second is okay, and by the third you really like it.

Afterwards, we enjoyed pretzels and (a lighter version) beer, probably like most of the WWII soldiers had also done, before returning to our ship.

Nuremburg, Germany - October 17, 2015

We arrived around midday after sailing along the Main-Rhine Canal where the leaves keep getting more and more vivid!  Nuremburg is a rather somber city, most notorious for the post-World War II war trials.  Much, 90%, of the city, was destroyed during the war, but a section of the 13th-century wall remains, as well as the Nazi Party Rally Grounds, Zeppelin Fields, the Documentation Center, and Palace of  Justice.  This city is also known for his handicrafts, particularly toys and fancy metal work.  We were lucky enough to see the Market Square packed with local vendors.

The beautiful Christmas shops, featuring "Smokers" and Nutcrackers, were fun to visit.

Back on our ship, the entertainment,featuring three fabulous opera singers and a pianist,  included an audience participant, Rob, which was hysterical!  Everyone on board now knows his name!  I'll edit our post later to include a picture taken by one of the other passengers.

Regensburg, Germany - October 16, 2015

Happy Birthday, David Trick! Today we arrived in one of our many "burgs" while in Germany, Regensburg.  One of the many things that we've come to appreciate while on this Viking River cruise, is the optional tours available.  Today, was a perfect example, as four different tours were available, and we selected the city tour with focus on the Jewish Quarter. Jews arrived in Regensburg around the same time as the Romans during the 10th century. Actually, both the Jews and the Roman military shared the same walled city.  The Jews would become essential members - bankers, traders, doctors, lawyers, teachers - within the community.  However, eventually they were driven out of Regensburg, due to the pogroms and then the Nazi ruling, with only 15 survivors remaining after World War II. A tribute in built in the center city where they first synagogue existed.

There is a German gentleman who is attempting to remember every Jew exterminated during the Holocaust by placing a bronze brick near his/her residence. His philosophy was that a person will always be remembered if his/her name is not forgotten.

We crossed over the 12-century Old Stone Bridge where we saw this spectacular view of Regensburg.

Of course, we had to sample the delicious chocolate from Princez, one of the oldest chocolate stores in Germany. Also, on the "can't not" list was the 800-year old Alte Wurstkuche (Old Sausage Kitchen) where we tasted AMAZING grilled sausages on rolls with sweet mustard.  Yum!  The sun actually came out today as Teri was purchasing her cuckoo clock!  I do believe that was a sign from above that her purchase was a must!

Passau, Germany - October 15, 2015

Today we docked in another lovely port, Passau, Germany, known to the Europeans as Dreifussestadt, City on Three Rivers because it is situated at the confluence of the Danube, Ilz, and Inn Rivers.  We enjoyed an organ concert in the 17th-century St. Stephan's Cathedral. The organ is Europe's largest pipe organ. The cathedral was, thus far, the most impressive church we've ever visited.

Afterwards, we enjoyed a truly delicious lunch with the Stewarts and newly met friends, Connie and Jim (grape growers from California) at the Am Paulsbogen, a lovely restaurant recommended to us by Nadia.  Nadia is one of the ship's employees who attended the university in Passau for five years, and her recommendation was spot on. We then explored the narrow streets and quaint shops in Old Town before setting sail again. I have a difficult time concentrating as I update this blog because the Internet is best in the ship's lounge, which has lovely large windows, and I'm constantly distracted by the captivating scenery.  Opps - must close because we're entering another lock and I LOVE watching this procedure.