A Magical Christmas and New Year cruising the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers: part 4

 Cruising from Wertheim, Miltenberg, through the Rhine Gorge to Koblenz, Cologne and Amsterdam

Views of Wertheim and docking in Miltenberg

We cruised along the Main River to where it joins with the Tauber River. There was a walking tour of Wertheim and the centre around the Marktplatz. The scenery was just beautiful along the way. We opted for staying on the boat that morning and enjoying the, yet again, beautiful views. The weather forecast for that day was minus 9 to minus 4.

Just after lunch we arrived in Miltenberg. Our Daily Cruiser told us that the town was stuck in time with the medieval heart still full of fairytale half timbered houses. It did not disappoint at all – it was truly beautiful and a wonderful place to just stroll and explore the various cafes, shops, public sculptures and churches. 

Our cabin attendant Tunde told me that Miltenberg was a great place to get perfume and cosmetics. In fact Germany generally offers very good prices for these goods. Indeed, I did go to a modern (interior) store that specialised in perfume, cosmetics and other beauty products. Later that day Tunde and I compared notes – we both did very well!

Cruising the Rhine Gorge

The next morning, December 30^th, was spent cruising the Rhine Gorge, with the option of disembarking at St Goarshausen to visit Rudesheim to see Siegfried’s Musical Cabinet, a museum housing an exhibition of self-playing musical instruments.

Sailing through the Rhine Gorge is one of the highlights of this cruise. There are over 2 dozen castles or castle ruins along the stretch of the gorge covering about 130 kilometres. Three of them were on tiny islands in the river; you could swear you saw a fairytale princess leaning out from one of the windows! Our cruise manager Elke gave us an excellent commentary as we drifted along blissfully taking it all in.

The castles have proved to be a resurgent force through history – they were destroyed about four times between the 13^th and 19^th centuries but fortunately restored by various regimes and now enjoyed by locals and tourists.

Once through the Gorge, we docked at Koblenz just before dinner and remained there overnight. Koblenz is located at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers and our Daily Cruiser described it as a lovely place. Of course it was dark when we got there, so its beauty was a bit elusive for us!!

To Cologne – New Year’s Eve awaits!!

We left Koblenz around 8 am to sail the 95 kilometres to Cologne, where we would spend the evening of New Year’s Eve. The sailing between the 2 ports was again spectacular and included passing the Remagen Bridge, or the 2 piers of it that remain of what was once thought to be one of the most beautiful steel bridges across the Rhine. Once again we had excellent commentary from Elke as we glided further down the river.

The Remagen Bridge was built during WW1 to support shipping troops and war material to the western front. The bridge was successfully captured by US troops in 1945 towards the end of WW2 after 2 unsuccessful demolition attempts by the Germans. Further attempts were made by the German Army to destroy the bridge and Hitler ordered the execution of some of the troops involved in these failures. Finally, 10 days after its capture, the bridge collapsed apparently of its own accord. Sadly 28 American soldiers were on the bridge at the time and lost their lives. Today each of the piers houses a peace memorial/museum and flies both US and German flags.

Of course all of this comfy sightseeing from a chair in the lounge can make you exhausted and positively starving, despite having had breakfast only a few hours ago!! So … at 10.45 “Fruhschoppen” was served in the lounge. This is a German breakfast containing all imaginable kinds of sausages – bratwurst, weiswurst etc – along with the correct epicurean accompaniments, including a delicious potato salad. I opted for a weiswurst with potato, and the very helpful chef told me how to eat the weiswurst. Do you know? Well, whereas the other sausages are grilled and the skin is crispy, weiswurst are boiled and the skin is soft. So, you pick up the sausage and take a bite, pulling the filling out with your closed teeth, leaving the skin to discard. This approach works well and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The boat docked in a very central place close to the city centre of Cologne, so it was just a very short walk to the Cathedral and the heart of the old city. Of course, being New Year’s Eve, everything was shut, although there was plenty of action inside the Hauptbahnhof (railway station) next to the cathedral.

Cologne was founded in 50 BC by the Romans who were attracted to its natural harbour. They were followed by a long list of occupants including Charlemagne, Napoleon and the Prussians. My Daily Cruiser notes say that the cathedral is reputedly holds the relics of the 3 kings (maggi) for which the cathedral was built.

Interestingly, until the Eiffel Tower was built this cathedral was the tallest building in the world. We enjoyed our rather scenic walk into town. To our right was the Rhine and to our left, across a snow covered park, a row of gorgeous pastel coloured buildings from the 18^th century. We then spent a couple of hours walking around the cathedral area, shopping and having a good cup of coffee in a warm cosy café at the Hauptbahnhof. We also had time to admire some very appealing Christmas decorations on the face of one of the exclusive hotels.

Then back to the ship to relax and get ready for the Captain’s New Year’s Eve dinner!! …

The team of chefs and wait staff did a great job of decorating and preparing a wonderful dinner for us. People decked themselves out in appropriate finery for the occasion and the atmosphere was on of festive happiness.

After dinner … well, of course there was a New Year’s Eve buffet served in the lounge, just in case your clothes were too loose!! And at midnight, most of us were rugged up outside for the fireworks at midnight. Of course being on the river we were in the prime spot for viewing the action.

The evening was very cold and misty, which probably made the fireworks somewhat less spectacular than they otherwise would be. It was interesting though, that unlike so many cities in the world now where the fireworks are professionally choreographed productions costing millions, in Cologne it is still a “neighbourhood” event. People buy various styles of firework, and set them off themselves. So, being on the top deck of the boat we had a good view of people igniting rather large packets and watching them explode overhead.

Amsterdam

In the early hours of New Year’s Day, we left Cologne and headed for Amsterdam, some 280 kilometres away. We entered the Rhine Amsterdam Canal around 11 am. For those off us taking the guided city tour of Amsterdam, Utrecht was our departure point for the coach. The tour was excellent and I strongly recommend it. Our guide was great, offering lots of interesting information, both on the bus and then later in the canal boat. Cruising the canals in this way gives you a feel for Amsterdam and offers many opportunities to grab some interesting photos – despite the fact that the boats are enclosed during winter.

Whilst I was enjoying views of the inner city and the atmosphere of the canals, Julian was taking some great shots of life around the Rhine Amsterdam Canal, complete with the requisite windmill!!

That evening, we had the Captain’s Farewell cocktails and dinner. A very enjoyable affair with all the trimmings we had come to expect (but not take for granted). We enjoyed a pre dinner champagne in the library beside the faux fireplaces, which are really very effective and give a lovely warmth and radiance to that part of the lounge and proved a popular spot.

Because of the effect of the frozen Main Danube canal and the resulting amalgamation of 2 cruise groups, those of us originally scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam on 2 January had an extra night and day on the Amabella. Our cruise director Elke thought that we should do something special, even though we ere a small group of just a dozen. So, she arranged a wonderful excursion for us to get a feel for Holland, as opposed to Amsterdam. And so it was that we headed north to 2 wonderful fishing villages, each with a unique and different appearance and ambience: Volendam and Marken. We also drove beside Ijsselmeer, a large natural harbour closed off from the North Sea by the Great Enclosure Dyke in 1933. At one stage in our tour we drove near the wall of a dyke where the water level was higher than the road we were on.

Volendam

Volendam was a charming place. We walked through its streets to the little port area filled with fishing boats and nets. All of the houses were painted a glossy dark green with contrasting white stripes. The effect was quite stunning.

Marken

Marken is an island on the Ijsselmeer Lake. Before the construction of the dyke here in the 50s, Marken was quite an isolated place and relied on fishing as its main source of survival and income. Now, its income is from tourism and most people work on the mainland.

After walking around but before adjourning to a café for hot coffee and apple pie, Julian took some wonderful photos of the sun setting behind fishing boats and the wonderful luminescent light falling across the exposed sand.

Conclusion

I have prepared all of the notes for this story since returning home. We have had lots of time to reflect and consider the places we saw and experienced on the river cruise. Our verdict remains the same – it was a magical Christmas and New Year aborad Amalyra and Amabella, and we will carry the memories of this trip in our “best holiday” category. So, if you haven’t done this, put the European River Cruise on your list and get cracking with making plans! … we're planning our next one … France? Russia? … hmmmmm

A Magical Christmas and New Year cruising the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers: part 3

Regensburg, Nuremberg, Bamberg and Wurzburg

Overnight and through the morning, we sailed from Passau to Regensburg. Again, the scenery was beautiful, having that “quietly suspended in air” feel that cold, snowy landscapes have. And we certainly had a forecast temperature range that matched the silent, foggy picture outside … yep … minimum – 10 degrees, maximum – 9!! (yes, you read right, minus!)

For those of us feeling a bit peckish by 11 or so, typical German “fruchschoppen” with weisswurst and laugenstange. Just the thing for a chilly day. And, after all, we had to cope until 12.30 when a Bavarian lunch would be served.

Just after 2pm, a walking tour of the historical centre of the town began. Highlights were the Stone Bridge and the gothic Regensburg Cathedral.

In the meantime, we started packing our stuff. This followed the briefing (mentioned in the first part of “A Magical Christmas and New Year cruising the Danube, Main and Rhine rivers”) with our cruise director Sue and our captain Henk, where we learnt that we would be disembarking Amalyra due to the Main-Danube canal being frozen, This was a bit of a disappointment, as part of the attraction of the 2 week cruise was not having to unpack for a fortnight! Of course, we understood the situation and the inconvenience was really not that big a deal. The night was capped off with a special Captain’s Farewell Dinner, with all present wearing their best gear, followed by a cabaret performance in the lounge and general “joie de vie” tinged with a little sadness that comes from parting after a fun time together.

Nuremberg

We left the boat at around 9am by coach, en route to Nuremberg and then Bamberg, where the Amabella was waiting for us. Nuremberg, Bamberg and Wurzburg are all located in the sub-region of Franconia.

We had a lovely courier/guide who looked after us and gave us some commentary as we travelled. But we had a specific, local guide join us for our drive around Nuremberg. This turned out to be quite a hoot … we stopped to pick up our guide at a small side street and the two guides spoke briefly to each other (sotto voce). Then our new guide started up in the friendliest of tones in a broad Scottish accent no less! She explained (and try to do your best Billy Connolly accent here please) that 20 years ago she had come to Nuremberg to teach English. One thing lead to another and she fell in love with the local German man she would later marry. She still teaches English in addition to being a tour guide, and had us all in stitches imagining all of these Nuremberg kids running about speaking with broad Scots accents!!

Nuremberg held great significance for a millennium, beginning as a significant part of the Holy Roman Empire. This status was important in it’s choice by the Nazi Party as the site for huge rallies held annually form 1927 to 1938.

A great construction project, which included Hitler’s chief architect Albert Speer, was undertaken to build the Reichsparteitagsgelande – Nazi Party Rally grounds in south-eastern part of Nuremberg. Many of the individual stadia were not completed, certainly the part we saw was not, but the scale of each part is breath-takingly huge. Such was the symbolism and theatre of the regime.

An important note: our guide took great care to ensure that everyone was ok with seeing these significant Nazi sites. We all were and hence we did a drive around of the precinct.

 After a bit more bus-riding, where we saw the Cathedral St Sebalds, in the distance; the old grain stores which have been converted (and modernised) into low cost student housing and took in the views along the river. Then we stopped at the market square, Hauptmarkt, which is dominated by the rather the lovely Frauenkirche (Our Lady’s church) from the fourteenth century with it’s rather beautiful Glockenspiel and the fascinating Gothic fountain, Schöner Brunnen, one of the most visited sights in Nuremberg. It was actually snowing when Julian took these pictures of the Glockenspeil, hence the white blobs!

In December it gets really crowded there, because then it's time for the world famous Christmas market, the Christkindlesmarkt Nuremberg. Of course, being the 27^th December, the crowd had gone, and in fact there were several workmen dismantling the Christmas stalls that filled the space. Still it was interesting to imagine how it would have been a few days earlier.

After this we adjourned for lunch. As it turned out this was the only restaurant open on December 27^th. I might say that it was freezing outside with icy snow on the ground and a temperature around minus 5. By contrast the restaurant was a warm, traditional kind of establishment and specialised in the local delicacy – small pork sausages (about the size of your little or ring finger, depending on how big your hand is) accompanied by a very tasty potato salad. Not bad at all. Many chose to wash lunch down with a beer. You can see why no-one was having coffee al fresco!! 

Another important note for the perhaps over-zealous traveller: Our courier/guide had told us to wait for her at the restaurant after lunch, because she had to go and collect some other people at the railway station, as they would be joining us on the Amabella. Well, it seemed to be taking a long time … and we all knew where the bus had dropped us at the main square, so it stood to reason that this was where it would be … didn’t it? … hmm … some of us were a bit “iffy” but, well ok … So, we all trudged back down the hill, and waited … waited … freezing from the knees down as we were standing on ice … hmmm, maybe this was a bad idea?

Well, you know how a story like this ends. Someone with a phone number finally rings the guide. She’s frantic because she didn’t know where we were (no one told the restaurant staff, of course). More times passes; circulation in lower limbs now touch and go … and … yippee, here’s the bus!!

The moral of the story – do what the guide tells you; get a mobile number, just in case and if you have to leave the appointed location, tell the staff where you’ll be … or … smack!!

Bamberg

It was almost dark when we got to Bamberg and the temperature had dropped to more like minus 8. There was a walking tour of the old part of town and a beer tasting. As we didn’t really feel much like doing this, or taking free time to wander ourselves, we joined another couple and holed up in a nearby café, chatted and enjoyed a warm drink together.

We boarded the bus and took a short but eventful trip to our boat, Amabella. It was now fully dark and the boat was not quite where the guide knew it was from the previous evening! Yikes! How can you loose a 160 foot long boat?? Well, not to worry, it was berthed around a corner and down about 150 meters further, so we found it after our fearless guide did a quick sprint to investigate. But, it was worth the wait …

 Wurzburg

We sailed into Wurzburg at around 9am on Tuesday 28^th December. Expected high for the day was zero, starting from a bracing minus 8! Our views from the boat were lovely – snow covered vine clad slopes, interesting boats on the river itself and a distant view of the Residenz Palace. Now a World Heritage site, the Residenz Palace was home for the prince-bishops of the Schonborn family who were both religious and secular rulers of the area.

Whilst there were tours of both the Residenz and Rothenburg ob der Tauber – a picturesque walled city – we opted to go and explore Wurzburg itself. The centre was only about a 10 minute walk from the boat. We walked through a most enchanting snow covered park into the downtown area. 

Our mission there was to buy cough mixture for me (very exciting) as I had succumbed to a nasty bug! We found a great place for coffee managed by a charming young woman who came from a military family and had spent her life to now travelling to different parts of Germany and beyond.

Locks

APT provides some very handy statistics regarding rivers and the number of locks on each An interesting thing which we don’t automatically think of when talking about water is the that you go uphill (upstream) and downhill (downstream) when cruising these rivers. Check out APT http://www.aptouring.com.au/, go to Europe cruises, travel documents and select “Rivers and Locks” under Europe Luxury River Cruises.

Sailing towards the first big lock on the Danube

 For the nautically minded reader, here are a few of the river/lock facts!

Going downstream the boat enters the lock and the gate closes behind. The lock is then drained until the water level is the same as the lower side of the lock chamber. Then the second gate opens and the boat continues (as if by magic …)

Here it comes …

Inside the filling lock going upstream

Then, going upstream it’s the opposite … boat enters lock, gate closes behind, water is pumped in until the water level reaches the higher side of the chamber, and viola! Boat sails out.

Nearly there …

Free at last!

 The number of locks is quite staggering – 34 on the Main River and 17 on the Danube. The navigable stretch of the Main River from Bamberg to Mainz is 384km or 240 miles. The Danube is navigable some 2415km or 1767 miles and crosses 10 countries from Germany to the Black Sea.