Europe 2010: Würzburg, Germany - Passau, Austria
   
 

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Third Stage: Day 11 - Day 12 - Day 13 - Day 14 - Day 15

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Day 11 - August 13: Würzburg (Friday)

From Avalon: Known as the “Pearl of the Romantic Road,” Würzburg is surrounded by sloping hills covered with vineyards. The magnificent Bishop's Residenz is another Unesco World Heritage Site.
Weather: Cloudy, some sun, about 74F
 
Breakfast: On the Ship Lunch: On the Ship Dinner: On the Ships

Comments: After breakfast we got on buses for a tour of Würzburg.  The ship stopped a little before the town, and then it continued on to the town where we met up with it later.

Our first, and only stop, was at the Bishop's Residenz. We toured the inside, but no pictures were allowed. There are some pictures in the link. Afterwards you had the option of returning to the ships by bus or take a short walking tour of the city and returning to the ship on foot.

We opted for the latter, but didn't realize how far the ship was from the center of town. I think it would have been nice if they provided some shuttles.  We were thinking of going back to town, but after having walked it one way we weren't about to walk it round-trip again.

In the afternoon there was an optional tour ($) to Rothenburg, but we had been there before so we didn't go. We did go off the ship to visit a "beach" which was right in front of the ship, complete with sand.

Tonight was the "Onboard Pirate Dinner". Of course, we didn't know this was going to happen otherwise we would have had our costumes :-).  Nevertheless, some people had enough imagination to 'dress up'.  The crew wore pirate t-shirts.

Tomy Temerson, a zither player, entertained us tonight. An instrument which is traditional for this area. He was excellent - we even bought his CD.

Click to see a larger Picture (except Coat of Arms)

Würzburg
Coat of Arms
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Bishop's Residenz - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
           
Leslie, Marie, Jeanne & Mary - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Würzburg - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
           
 
Würzburg Tram - - - Across the River - - - - - Beach on the Main - -  
           
 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pirate Dinner - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
           
   
- - - Tomy Temerson - - - Marie & Leslie   Daily Schedule  

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Day 12 - August 14: Bamberg (Saturday)

From Avalon: Another beautiful Unesco World Heritage Site is medieval Bamberg. Your walking tour takes in its breathtaking cathedral, the Old Town Hall straddling the River Regnitz, and serpentine streets with charming houses and 18th-century mansions.

The Rhine–Main–Danube Canal (also called Main-Danube Canal, RMD Canal or Europa Canal), located in Bavaria, Germany, connects the Main and the Danube rivers across the European Watershed, running from Bamberg via Nuremberg to Kelheim. The canal connects the North Sea and Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea, providing a navigable artery between the Rhine delta (at Rotterdam in the Netherlands) and the Danube Delta in eastern Romania. The present canal was completed in 1992 and is 171 km (106 miles) long. (Wikipedia)
More at Canal

Weather: Cloudy, some sun, about  75

Breakfast: On the Ship Lunch: On the Ship Dinner: On the Ship

Comments: We cruised in the morning. A local historian came on board and gave us a lecture on the history and functioning of the European Union which provides the political backbone of the European continent. Very interesting. He arrived by bicycle at one of the locks and later left us at another lock. These locks come in handy, they are not just used for bringing the ship up or down.

Lunch today was a "Bavarian" buffet. After lunch we had a tour of the galley. It's amazing that they can prepare all the meals for about 220 people (passengers & crew) in such a small place.

About 3:30 pm we finally arrived at Bamberg.  After a short bus ride we had a 1.5 hours walking tour of Bamberg. You can't really cover these cities/towns by bus.  Most European towns are have a pedestrian zone in the center of town.  We had some free time which we used for shopping and having cake and coffee in one of the restaurants.  After all, we missed out on the tea time this afternoon since we were in town.

The entertainment tonight was the "Gunzenheimer Swing Band".  The three members of the band were '270' years old (according to the cruise director!) and they gave us an excellent concert.

The Main - Danube Canal starts in Bamberg and we will be on it for the next 106 miles. More at Canal.

Click to see a larger Picture (except Coat of Arms)

Bamberg
Coat of Arms
- - On the Way to Bamberg - - - - - - - Galley Tour - - - - -
           
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - Bamberg  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - Bamberg  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
 - - - Bamberg - - - - - - Coffee Break - - - Swing Band Daily Schedule

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Day 13 - August 15: Nürnberg (Sunday)

From Avalon: Although Nürnberg suffered extensive damage during WWII, much of it was restored to its original style. Marvel at this historic city with its fabulous gothic churches and elegant patrician houses—all explained by a local expert. Nürnberg’s traditions include famous Lebkuchen, toy making, and metal working. After dinner we’ll introduce you to some of Germany’s Famous Beers.
Weather: Cloudy and light rain in the morning, sunshine in the afternoon, about 72F

Comments: This morning we have a tour of the city, first by bus and then a walking tour of the castle taking us eventually to the market square. We have been here before in December when the famous Christmas Market was open.

It started to rain as we were walking down to the square so we got a little wet, but we soon had to catch the bus back to the ship.

This afternoon we had a lecture on the Main-Danube Canal which was very interesting.  While the canal was finished in 1992, the passenger ships, like ours, have only been making these trips for the last 8 years. The ships are made for the canal - in other words they fit like a glove and barely can go under the bridges. We were able to go on the sun deck while we were in one of the large locks with the lecturer. He left us at the lock. More at Canal.

During dinner we crossed over the continental divide. Up till now all the rivers ended up in the Rhine. Now all the water will go to the Danube.  There was a marker for the divide.

Tonight the crew had a show for us, they did some comedy skits, sang, etc.  Nice show.

Click to see a larger Picture (except Coat of Arms)

Nürenberg
Coat of Arms
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  Nürenberg  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  Nürenberg  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
Canal over
the Road
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  Another Lock -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
- - Same Lock - - Lecturer
Leaving
- - - - - Another Lock - - - - -
           
Continental
Divide
- - - Crew Show - - - Desi & Marie Leslie & Marie Daily Schedule

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Day 14 - August 16: Regensburg (Monday)

From Avalon: Regensburg is one of Germany’s best preserved medieval cities. Architectural highlights on your guided tour include the Old Town Hall, the beautiful white and gold Old Chapel, and Porta Pretoria—gates to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 AD. The city is the capital of Upper Palatinate, a bustling university town, and one of Bavaria’s cultural centers. It is here you will find Germany’s oldest restaurant, the 12th-century Historische Wurstküche (Old Sausage Kitchen).
Weather: Some clouds, some sun, very slight rain, about 70F
 
Breakfast: On the Ship Lunch: Old Sausage Kitchen Dinner: On the Ship

Comments: We got into Regensburg about 9 am. The tour for us will be this afternoon, since an optional tour is leaving in the morning and they will be back about lunch time.  We decide to do our own tour in the morning and finish it with lunch at the Old Sausage Kitchen since we were given coupons for beer & sausages. You get six little sausages with sauerkraut and a roll. It was good and we didn't need lunch on the ship.  They have similar sausages in Nürnberg, but these of course are better :-).  We rested in the afternoon.

One of the ladies on our cruise fell yesterday in the rain in Nürnberg.  She is hurting but no bones were broken. Walking is a problem here. They still believe in cobble stones in Europe and you will find them everywhere. On top of that you have to watch out for cars and bicycles, not to mention steps everywhere. We are always telling each other where the steps are.

We have seen many other river boats on this cruise so far. Some belonging to Avalon, but there are many other cruise lines busy on these rivers. Some of them are not offered in the US since they are geared towards other nationalities, in other words they don't have an English speaking crew. In port with us is an Avalon ship and a Uniworld ship.  We ran into passengers from a Viking ship but there are docked in a nearby town and were bused over here.

At night we had a "Bavarian Beer Experience" - the same guy who did the talk on the European Union a few days ago - but this time he brought a young lady along!

We are now out of the canal and entered the Danube (Donau).  We will be on the Danube until the end of the cruise.

Click to see a larger Picture (except Coat of Arms)

Regensburg
Coat of Arms
 - - - - - - - - - - - - -  Morning along the River - - - - - - - - - - -
           
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  Regensburg  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
 
- - - - Regensburg  - - - - -  -  -  -  Old Sausage Kitchen  -  -  -  -  
           
- - - Look who else is here! - - - - - - - Other Ships in Town - - - -
           
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  "Bavarian Beer Experience" -  -  -  -  -  -  - Along the
Danube
Daily Schedule

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Day 15 - August 17: Passau (Tuesday)

From Avalon: Passau, ideally located at the confluence of the Rivers Inn, Ilz, and Danube, is a city of graceful arcades and cobblestone streets. St. Stephen’s Cathedral houses the world’s largest church organ with more than 17,000 pipes.
Weather: Rain in the morning, stopped in the afternoon, about 65F
 
Breakfast: On the Ship Lunch: On the Ship Dinner: On the Ship

Comments: Today was the coldest day we have had so far. It was kind of nasty in the morning so we skipped the tour of the town and did our own tour in the afternoon, including a visit to St. Stephen's Cathedral.

Many of our fellow cruisers were off on all-day optional tour of either Salzburg, Austria or Cesky Krumlow, Czech Republic. We had been in Salzburg and I didn't need to see another old village so we skipped it. They also ran into rain. The ship left them off on one part of town and once they left we moved to another part of town which was closer to the center of town.

We docked next to the "Mozart" which we had to cross to get off.  The "Mozart" is a much wider ship and she only cruises on the Danube where the locks are much wider than on the Main or Main-Danube Canal. There were quite a few other ships here - Passau is the start of many Danube cruises.

After dinner "Hans - O" entertained us with Bavarian music and fun, which included participation from the audience. It was pretty funny - especially since he didn't pick on us.

Click to see a larger Picture (except Coat of Arms)

Passau
Coat of Arms
They didn't
skip the tour
- - - - - - - - Moving to the other part of town - - - - - - - -
           
 
  - - - - - - - Still Moving - - - - - - - - - Double Parked - - -  
           
 
-  -  -  -  -  -  Passau -  -  -  -  - - - St. Stephen's Cathedral - -  
           
 -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  Having Fun with "Hans - O"  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -
           
-  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  Having Fun with "Hans - O"  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  -  - Daily Schedule

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