We had a quiet night’s rest on the first night in our stateroom. We were docked in an industrial area on the river for the night and would begin our voyage downriver this afternoon, starting the second phase of our vacation. Roy and Gwyn met us for breakfast at 7:15am in the restaurant. We had a choice of fresh omelets, yogurts, fruit, pastries and breads, as well as a full ordering menu of pancakes, french toast and more. No one goes hungry on a cruise ship, even a small one. We’d have plenty of energy for our walking tour of Bamberg today.
After breakfast we got our tour tickets and boarded one of the five waiting buses. A quick drive into town and our tour guide, Chris, a local student/actor/musician, was waiting for us. Bamberg was one of few cities not destroyed by WWII bombing. Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
In year 1007 Emperor Heinrich II made Bamberg the center of the Holy Roman Empire and the capital of his reign. He wanted the city to become a second Rome, and like Rome, it was built upon seven hills, each with a church on top. He ordered a new cathedral be built. It is a superb example of late Romanesque architecture.
The emperor built a new palace because he found medieval architecture unattractive, as in the third picture below.. He intended to have an additional wing but ran out of money.
The back facade of the palace facing the rose garden was painted in trompe l’oeil (fake) style, to save money.
After the tour we had a little over an hour of free time to explore. We each got an ice cream before 11am and walked around the historic areas. Rob and Michele went back to the cathedral only to be told it was closing at 11:15am. We got a few quick pictures of the interior.
In the 14th century the town built Bamberg City Hall on the river on a manmade island to serve both sides of the river. It was rebuilt and updated 1746-1756. This building has colorful frescoes. On one is a plaster leg sticking out, purportedly because the artist wanted everyone to see his signature and to leave his leg-acy. Click and zoom on the second pic below to see it.
Rob noticed it was 11:30am and we had to meet at our bus at 11:45. Google maps said it would take 17 minutes. After serious speedwalking, we met up with part of the group heading back to the ship.
Lunch was at Noon upon our arrival. Rob got spaghetti carbonara and Michele chose tuna nicoise salad. The ship also departed at this time, smoothly pushing away from the dock.
After lunch we sat in the lounge area. Roy and Michele attended the Main-Danube river lecture. Main is pronounced “mine.” The modern Main-Danube river canal was built from 1960-1992 with over 30 locks, most of which have hydroelectric power. Way back in 793, Charlemagne had the idea to dig a channel. In 1837 a canal was built and expanded in 1921. During our cruise we will go through 40+ locks and descend in water elevation by 500 feet.
At 3:30 the ship offered afternoon tea (only Michele had tea) and we all shared the tea tray treats. After, we rested in our rooms until dinner. During this time we went through more locks, some of which were a tight fit.
We enjoyed watching the novelty of moving within the locks. Dinner was 7pm tonight. At 7:03 we showed up to find everyone already there. We all started off with the minestrone except Roy who ordered two different salads. For the main course, everyone went with the beef brisket except Rob who chose the risotto. We all had the vanilla bonbon.
After dinner we made our way up to the third deck lounge where we participated in a music trivia game. Based on a song played, we had to guess the title, original artist, and a bonus question. Each team member that got up and danced when the song was played earned an extra point for that trivia question. We did pretty well between the four of us, but not enough to win.
Tired from all the dancing and fun, we turned in for the night. Tomorrow we have an all-day tour of Rothenburg, a walled city.
