Nuremberg, Germany

For those of us who did not want to pass up the opportunity to see Nuremberg, Uniworld arranged buses to take us into the city from Regensburg which was as far as the river level was going to let us go by riverboat. The bus ride was about an hour and a half and then we were to have a tour with a guide followed by two hours of free time before we had to head back to Regensburg. It was a plan and it worked well.

Our bus let us out at a high point, the Nuremberg Imperial Castle. It was again a chilly morning and being up on a hill made it a bit windier which added to the wind chill. The castle area was very interesting and had great views of the city. 

The Nuremberg property is first mentioned in documents in 1050. In the Middle Ages the city had developed into a great location for great Imperial Diets (no not that kind of diet, a legislative meeting of sorts). As with most important castles and palaces, this too went through many changes with the passing of time and powerful leaders.

From the castle, we walked down into the old town and past several buildings that had significance but I'm sorry to say as I write this I can't remember it all. If I don't write while it's absolutely fresh, the old brain just doesn't pull it out again. As I've said before, there was just too much information thrown at us each day. Too much to process. 

Albrecht Durer home

We stood in a very busy place while the guide pointed out several buildings including one that Albrecht Durer, one of Germany's most famous artists lived in the early to mid 1500s. 

We eventually found ourselves in the old town square where there was a fall market going on. Lots of fall decorations and handcrafts as well as snacks and treats. 

St. Sebaldus got a nod as we walked past and we decided we would return during our free time and take a peek inside. Sebaldus is the patron saint of the city.

Church with Glockenspiel

Our guided tour ended at the market square after our guide pointed out the glockenspiel on The Church Of Our Lady and told us it was worth waiting ten more minutes for the noon time playing of the clock. We wandered the market a bit and then as the crowd began to grow for the glockenspiel's performance, we found a spot and claimed it.

At noon, the chimes rang and the music played and the figures surrounding the emperor seated on his throne began to move. Eventually the seven electors parade around the emperor twice giving him honor and then disappear.

When the clock's performance ended, we walked back to a place that the guide had recommended for sausages and beer. The place was packed and extremely noisy. We walked in and right out again and wandered around the corner toward the church we wanted to peek into. We found a lovely restaurant with the same kind of local sausage as the other place offered and we could sit quietly inside amid a very Bavarian atmosphere of old wood and designs. My sausage was perfect accompanied by some sauerkraut--Bob's had potato salad.

After our lunch, we wandered around a bit, of course looking into the church of St. Sebaldus. Eventually we found ourselves in an ice cream/gelato shop and indulged while we waited for our appointed time to meet the ship's director and find our way back to the buses.

I wish we could have done Nuremberg on our own but at least we got a taste of it. Perhaps another time...

Regensburg, Germany

 Regensburg would be our last stop on the Danube. The captain had informed our director that the river had become too shallow for the boat to make it safely to Nuremburg which was to be our last port before our post cruise time in Prague. I didn't mind having to stay in Regensburg overnight. It was a quaint little town and we were right in the middle of the old town section.

Our morning had been a few hours of cruising while we had breakfast and then enjoyed the countryside as it passed by. There was a bit of mist on the river as the morning sun played with the cool temperatures. At one spot, it appeared as if a cloud had rested on the water. There was lots of waterfowl to watch, many swans mostly white but a black on now and then.

We arrived in Regensburg around ten and our excursion formed on the shore after we had climbed to our sundeck, passed over a Viking ship and down their stairs to the ramp to shore. At least there was only one ship to pass over. Sometimes on the river there would be three or four rafted together.

Our guide greeted us with O-H when he asked where we were from. It seemed he knew quite a bit about America, enough to make a few jokes. He raced along a boardwalk of sorts lined with pretty fall colored trees. It was near impossible to get any pictures as he was moving so fast we would have been left behind. Some asked him to slow down and he said, "Ja, Ja." 

After a short stop for everyone to catch up and for him to show us pictures of the area, he raced on again. When he stopped to show pictures again, this time news headlines from the past that had little to do with where we were standing, I looked at Bob, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you ready to cut out?"

He agreed and we got out my GPS My City App and began our own tour and at our own pace and headed for our first stop, the Regensburg Cathedral. Now I haven't mentioned how cold it had gotten. Even though the sun was shining the temps were only in the 40s F. We tried to walk in the sun as much as possible. 

The square in front of the cathedral was nice and sunny and we warmed a bit there before going inside. The building was icy cold. I would hope that there would be lots of warm bodies in there when they had mass. But then, maybe they heat it for the worshippers. The stained glass windows were stunning and obviously well cared for as the colors were not dulled by smoky candles or the weather.

Out on the square again, we spied a coffee shop that was open. We had been warned that there might not be too many places open for business since the Germans were celebrating Reunification Day, the day in 1990 when East and West Germany were reunited for the first time since 1945. We were grateful for the opportunity to go inside and warm up with a cappuccino and we split the last available chocolate croissant. The proprietor was very happy to split it for us and declare it was our lucky day.

By the time we were back on our tour, the sun had warmed the cobblestones and building walls a bit to make it a little more comfortable as we sought out the Praetorian Gate, the oldest surviving stone building in Germany. It dates back to 179 AD when it was a Roman settlement. Over the years it has become a part of adjoining buildings but has been preserved as a historic landmark.

We skipped a couple of uninteresting stops, we'd already had our food and drink, and went on to the Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady. From the outside it didn't look like much but the inside was amazing. I sat and just took it all in while Bob wandered about. He likes to check out all the nooks and crannies and any crypts that might be interesting.

Several other places of worship also had beautiful interiors. The paintings themselves I'm sure have quite a history and meaningful connection with the artists. You could spend a whole day in some of them and not find out all that is represented there in paint and sculpture. 

Of course a visit to a German village would not be complete without a stop by the Rathaus, the town hall. We were a little disappointed to learn that the interior was closed for the day along with all the lovely shops and bakeries and candy places we'd seen along the way. 

The Old Stone Bridge would be our last stop for the morning tour. It was near where our ship was docked. The bridge dates to the 12th century and for the longest time was the only place to cross the river.

After lunch and a short rest, we were off again with a large group to hear a wonderful choir at a church nearby. The choir turned out to be ten men and their conductor but with the acoustics and their amazing voices, you would have thought it was a choir of a hundred. They did quite a variety of music including Gregorian chants, some pieces by Mendelssohn and Haydn, It Is Well With My Soul (made you want to sing along) Ava Maria and they ended with Brahm's lullaby. 

We all returned to the ship for dinner and the usual predinner meeting to plan the next day. We were all curious to know what our cruise director had planned for us since we would not be cruising to Nuremburg the next day. Could we get there by bus? How long would it take? What tour would be planned?

Passau, Germany

Burnout is beginning to happen. River cruising is a little more intense than ocean cruising. Everyday is a different port and there are excursions usually both morning and afternoon or evening. Unlike an ocean cruise where you get a sea day or two to rest, the most you can expect is a morning of cruising or an afternoon. When it came to Passau, we looked at the excursions and decided we wanted to go at our own pace and not have to follow a guide full of more information than we could ever retain.

My wonderful GPS My City app took us on a lovely walk through the old town. Many of the sites we had seen before when we did the Christmas Markets cruise several years ago. We picked out the must sees like St. Stephen's Cathedral. The site of the cathedral dates back to 730 AD with several churches established there before the cathedral was built in the late 1600s. 

The cathedral for many years claimed the largest church organ in the world but was more recently demoted by another in the USA. It still claims to be the largest organ outside the US. 

Passau sits uniquely on the confluence of three rivers, the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz. The Ilz is a little hard to see at first since it is just a small river kind of off to one side. They all meet at a point and there is a very nice walkway that goes all the way to the point. 

We strolled the walkway and admired the Schaibling Tower. Built in 1250, the tower was originally a defense structure. In the 15th century it was repurposed as a storage facility and eventually served as a place where boats dropped off their salt cargo. Over the years it has also had the distinction of serving as a residence for security guards and some theatrical performers.

Rounding the point we headed back on the Danube side to where our ship was docked. On the way we passed the old town hall and took note--a short note as our walk had been longer than we planned and I was ready to crash for a bit. 

Bob, on the other hand saw me to the ship and then headed for a Starbucks he had seen. We were both starved for a good cup of coffee. Most everything on the ship and on shore was espresso and Americano only goes so far in satisfaction. Starbucks often has brewed coffee, their light Pike Place blend. You know it's bad when we rely on Starbucks rather than McD's for decent coffee. 

The sunny day provided beautiful scenery for our cruise out of Passau and on to Regensburg.

Cruising The Danube - Vilshofen, Germany

This cruise day began with snow. We had been originally scheduled to cruise to Vilhofen but were held overnight in Passau because of some bridge work being done that would not allow our riverboat to pass beneath it. It was not a terrible inconvenience as Vilhofen was just about a 30 minute bus ride from our boat.

Much as I wanted to enjoy the snow as a part of the Christmas theme to our cruise, I was concerned about slipping on icy walks and the cold weather was really beginning to wear on me. Every so often I had that fond memory of 80 degrees and sun in Miami we had left behind. We had signed on for this excursion to Vilhofen and the Aldersbach Abbey not really knowing what to expect other than seeing another Christmas market.

Our bus ride ended at a small riverside parking area but a ways from the Christmas Market on the riverbank. It was a bit of a walk on slippery cobblestone and pavement and it ended at the market area that was closed. It didn't open until much later but our tour guide obviously felt obligated to show us. I took a couple of pictures, inhaled the lingering chocolate smell from one of the closed booths and admired the large nativity that had been set up on top of a riverboat moored at the shore. Just then the hotel director from the Crystal Mozart who had joined our tour asked that the tour guide just take us back to the bus before someone fell. He apologized. We returned to the bus and made our way to the Abbey.

I fully expected another church to look at and wasn't disappointed. There was a church and a monastery. The church was under renovation and icy cold. I could feel the cold seep up through my boots.

The Aldersbach Abbey however was known for something more--their beer. Ah, those monks knew how to make beer and the Abbey continues to turn out all sorts of brews. Our tour guide handed us over to a lady who took us on an extremely educational tour of the brewery. She showed us every which way they make beer. I always wondered about how they got different colors and flavors and it has to do with the grains they use and how long they roast them before they put them into the mixture with the hops and the yeast. Oh yes, and there were two kinds of yeast. One that stays on top and one that works from the bottom so that lends to a whole other flavor and texture.

Maybe it was because everyone seemed quite attentive or maybe because she was such a precise person who seemed a bit like a school teacher but I leaned over to another woman in our group and said I hoped she wasn't going to give us a test at the end. She giggled. "I was just thinking the same thing."

Our brewery tour ended in the pub with some samples of beer and the best part, the famous white sausage of Bavaria accompanied with sweet mustard and a soft pretzel. Yummy does not sufficiently cover that eating experience.

The trip back to the boat was quiet. Eating comfort food has a way of doing that to you. We spent the afternoon watching Christmas movies and warming up. After all, we had this wonderful room and a big TV and a really comfy couch and bed. And it was the Christmas season. . .

Through My Lens - Passau, Germany

Cruising The Danube - Passau, Germany

It was a miserable day. Rainy. Cold. But we were signed up for a walking tour of Passau and a visit to their Christmas Market. We dressed warmly and grabbed an umbrella. A short bus ride into town and we set out with our lively tour guide who was a student at the university there. She made the tour interesting and fun despite the weather.

And despite the weather I managed to get some very nice pictures of the town. Passau is in Bavaria and has all the makings of a nostalgic German town. We wandered around and absorbed some of what she was telling us. Mainly we were trying to stay warm and dry.

Like many of the places along the Danube, there were markings to show how badly it floods from time to time. I was amazed at how resilient the people were here. There were some really big floods and I’m sure it led to a lot of damage but if you didn’t see the markings on the wall that showed how often it happened and how high the flood water got you wouldn’t know there had been any disaster.

The town sits on three rivers (kind of reminded me of Pittsburgh in that sense but they play a different kind of football). The three rivers that converge are the Danube, the Inn and the Ilk. On either side of the rivers, the land rises and of course offers great views if you care to visit some of the buildings that sit on top of the hills. 

On one side there is the Veste Oberhaus, a fortress that was once the stronghold of the Bishop of Passau. There was something about the date on the wall that we could see but unfortunately I let too much time go by to remember what it was. It had to do with the way they wrote the date in those days. (When it's raining you don't take notes.)

On the other side of the river valley was the Pilgrimage Church and Pauline Father's Monastery. To make a pilgrimage to the church you would have to climb over 300 stairs--something none of us were willing to do raining or not. For those of nimble body and with nicer weather the views would be spectacular (I've seen pictures online).

Along our walk we found buildings with some of the intricate folk painting that southern Germany is so famous for. This part of Germany is Bavaria and Passau lived up to all the traditional architecture and culture of the area. 

Near the end of our tour we went into St. Stephen's Cathedral which I believe was sitting pretty much in the middle of the Old Town area. It was good to get out of the rain but it was even better to have been able to see some spectacular paintings and appointments in the beautiful interior of the Cathedral.

Our last stop was of course the Christmas Market where our guide led us to the booth that she considered the best. It was where her friend was working. She had arranged for us to sample the warm wine and a little treat. While the goodies were nice, it was even nicer that the rain had let up and we were encouraged to tour the market area a bit more on our own, then return to the parking lot where a cruise shuttle would take us back to the boat.

The market offered a bit more variety of things than we had seen elsewhere and there was lots of  different sausages cooking as well as some huge slabs of salmon that were slowly cooking over an open fire. 

What intrigued us most though was the 1/2 meter sausage sandwich. We wandered in a circle passing it twice before finally giving in and buying one. I took a picture before the lady in the booth cut it in half for us. It was as good as it had looked and smelled.

One more stop at another booth that was baking a sweet dough that was wound around a spool and then rolled in whatever sweet topping you wanted. We chose cinnamon sugar and with our warm purchase in hand, headed for our ride to the boat where we would get a cup of coffee and enjoy our treat in a warm dry place.

Later that afternoon, we listened to a lecture about Bavaria and enjoyed learning more about this beautiful area--rain or shine.

The Christmas Markets

Hello? Anybody out there? Or are you all out shopping and making the economy a better place at least for Black Friday? For those of you not shopping til you drop or in the case of the internet shoppers--til your fingers cramp up, here's a little information on an old tradition in Europe, the Christmas Markets. These are large areas of booths set up each Christmas season with all sorts of arts and crafts and gift items as well as food and drink for purchase in many of the old European cities.

From researching them, it appears that the Christmas Market in Strasbourg, France, is the oldest and has been around since 1570. With the backdrop of the Strasbourg Cathedral and the famous astronomical clock it must be very impressive. It was originally called Christkindelsmarik or Market of the Infant Jesus. If that sounds a bit German rather than French it is because Strasbourg is near the German border and over hundreds of years that border has moved back and forth creating an area where German and French are spoken.

There are Christmas Markets in most countries including England but the greatest number of them are in Germany. There are many tour companies that specialize in taking you from one to another and there are even river cruises with a Christmas Market theme. You do have to book them quite a ways in advance. They fill up quickly.

This is a definite bucket list item. I'm not a shopper and if you read my blog you know that. But I am an interested observer and while I may not purchase a lot, this is the kind of thing I'd like to see and experience. I'll take it over the Black Friday experience any day.

A Fairy Tale Castle

As I've been shopping for the Christmas season, I've noticed all the Disney princess items available in the stores. Everyone loves the fairy tale castles and the make believe lives of their inhabitants. There is a castle said to be the inspiration for the trademark Cinderella castle at Disney World that has quite a tale surrounding it. I'm not so sure it can be labeled as a happily-ever-after story.

Neuschwanstein Castle was a dream of King Ludwig II who hoped to build an even more beautiful castle than the one he grew up in, Hohenschwangau, just below where Neuschwanstein would be built. The area is absolutely beautiful and the legend of a swan knight, Lohengrin, immortalized in a Wagner opera, gives it a romantic flavor.

Unfortunately Ludwig began to live in a fantasy world. His monarchy was more in name only. The castle plans were changed often according to his whim and eventually with his unusual behavior, he was declared insane. He died under unusual circumstances shortly after moving into the castle.

I remember some of the legends and myths and tales that surround the area and the castle were quite interesting and entertaining. It's a great tour if you are traveling and can stop there
.

Shrove Monday - Rosenmontag

Yes, today is Friday. And yes, we've already started into the lenten season but I discovered that there is more celebration going on around the world than just in New Orleans or Rio on the days before Lent begins.

In Germany, parades and parties take place on Shrove Monday or Rosenmontag. While it is not a national holiday many schools and businesses close and there are parades and festivals in the streets of some towns. The theme according to the article I read seems to be a little Saturday-Night-Live-ish. They satirize politicians and make fun of German stereotypes and other public figures.

It's not the day to wear a necktie in Cologne. Apparently one of the customs is to cut off neckties because they are a symbol of authority.

The traditions of the Carnival festivities are possibly traced back more than two thousand years ago to the Roman period when it was a custom for servants and slaves to play the role of the master for one day. Hence the poking fun at politicians and public figures today.

Let's face it. Sometimes it's just good to blow off a little steam--as long as it is in good fun.

18 Days Through Europe in an Audi - Salzburg, Germany

[Summer, 2004]

Our morning exploration of Salzburg on Saturday included an open market with all sorts of food products and fresh produce. We wound our way through it to the funicular that would take us to the fortress of Hohensalzburg. Once there, to our surprise we found ourselves in the middle of a Medieval Festival. Costumed performers and merchants were found throughout the courtyards of the fortress.

The castle tour was very interesting providing a look at 11th century decor (including a private commode in the bedroom). Wooden walls were elaborately painted and touched with gold. At one time, the bare walls were adorned with red velvet. An old ceramic oven provided heat in one room. The views of Salzburg are wonderful. It is easy to pick out the cathedral and St. Peters church. What a view the prince-bishop must have had of his subjects below.

Returning to old city, we explored the cathedral and St. Peters arriving just in time for a wedding. We sat in a slight drizzle and waited for the bride to arrive. Our patience paid off as a car decorated with fresh flowers, mostly red roses, arrived and a lovely bride emerged to be pampered by mom and dad who straightened the roses on the neckline of her dress and led her into the church.

Polly had missed the Sound of Music tour on her last visit so we walked to the Mirabell Palace gardens where, on the steps, Julie Andrews taught the children Do-Re-Mi. We had already walked through the cemetery by St. Peters where the inspiration for the set was found. The movie copied the crypts almost exactly.

The convent sits in the side of the hill overlooking the area. Apparently when they were filming the movie, some of the actors wouldn't abide by the rules set up by the nuns so they were banned from filming the wedding in the chapel there. The producer used a church in a little town of Mondsee. I was disappointed we couldn't show Polly the church but we were running our of time.

Earlier, we had tried to get into the Mozart dinner concert and found it was fully booked. We opted for a Sound of Music dinner concert which was okay but not the elegant evening the Mozart dinner would have produced. The singers were good and the evening enjoyable.

Salzburg is always a treat to visit and there is never enough time to do all that you would like. With the thought that we would return again, we left to travel unknown territory and face the perils of the road to Venice.

18 Days Through Europe in an Audi

[Summer, 2004]

Dick's mind was on dessert as we walked from the Best Western Zum Hirschen in Salzburg to the Glockenspiel Restaurant located in the Mozart Plaza near the Glockenspiel of course. When they had last visited Salzburg, Dick ordered a special soufflé there and it was "calling to him". We were a little late to hear the carillon. It plays at 7 a.m., 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. but just before dessert arrived, we were serenaded by a violin and piano just below the balcony where we sat overlooking the Mozart Plaza. We lingered over coffee and the light fluffy concoction that Dick was so fond of.

After dinner we strolled through the narrow streets of the Altstadt (old city). There are hundreds of shops and museums and cafes, the majority honoring Mozart in some way. On our last trip, we had explored his birthplace, a small apartment, and walked past the home where he grew up. A little more exciting however, was the dinner and concert we attended in the St. Peter Stiftkeller. The Mozart dinner concert featured musicians and singers dressed in costume and a dinner served in elaborate surroundings above the Stiftkeller, Europe's oldest restaurant.

We rose the following morning to gray skies and the threat of rain not a good omen for our trip to Berchtesgarden and the Eagles Nest. Bob's Tours picked us up at 9 a.m. at our hotel. We had booked a tour because we weren't sure how difficult it might be to find the place and/or what the road to the top was like. (It turned out we could have driven ourselves and did the next day.)

When we arrived, our very blonde, tall tour guide from Holland navigated us through all the crowds and onto the buses that leave from a central area half way up the mountain from Berchtesgarden. The bus route to the elevator is thrilling as you look thousands of feet below you.

At the top we were ushered to the elevator that goes up to the Eagles Nest, built as a retreat for Hitler by one of his henchmen, Bormann, for his 50th birthday. Unfortunately, Hitler was afraid of heights and didn't use it often. Luckily, the clouds cleared a bit and we could see the spectacular view. We were so high up that there were piles of snow in some places.

The whole side of the mountain at one time was a complex for the Nazis. Most of it was destroyed because the Germans did not want it to resemble a memorial to the Hitler regime. Only Eagles Nest survives and, down where the buses load, they have excavated an area of the bunkers to show what it was like. There is also an exhibit with a wealth of history about the persecution of the Jews and the war with information that particularly concerns the town of Berchtesgarden.

On our way back to Salzburg, we stopped in Berchtesgarden for a short stroll. It was beginning to rain so we didn't linger. But we were attracted to a cathedral where someone was playing the large pipe organ. The sounds resonated within the walls. Pure and unamplified, the music was thrilling to hear. Our guide obligingly left us at the entrance to the old city of Strasburg and we found a little restaurant for lunch.

With the rain discouraging any outdoor activity, we opted to make it a laundry day and found a coin-op place not far from our hotel. Even doing laundry in a foreign country can be entertaining. The variety of people to watch kept our attention as the clothes tumbled dry.