Thursday, September 30, 2010
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Europe 2010 Bamberg Day 12 Tuesday, 8 th June 2010
Our stop for today was the pretty town of Bamberg located in Upper Franconia on the River Regnitz three kilometres before it flows into the Main River. Bamberg extends over seven hills, each crowned by a beautiful church and it is one of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by WW11 bombings. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its authentic medieval appearance.
Some of the sights include the Cathedral Quarter.The cathedral (Dom) was consecrated in 1237 with its architecture revealing a transition from Romanesque to Gothic style around this time. It contains the Bamberg Rider (1225) , the tomb of Henry 11 and Kunigunde by Tilman Riemenschneider(1513) and the Mary Alter by Veit Stoss(1523). Pope Clement is buried in the east part of the cathedral. Adjoining the cathedral is the Old Court which was the bishop's residence before the building of the massive 17th century New Residence opposite with its beautiful rose gardens and views towards Michelsberg Hill.
Also interesting is the Old City Hall constructed on a bridge. The half timbered part dates back to 1440 while the frescoed section was added in 1668.
The former fishermen's houses of "Little Venice" are particularly picturesque. This is Bamberg's main shopping zone and includes many Baroque buildings such as the church of St Martin.
Our afternoon concluded with a beer tasting in Klosterbrau Brewery, Bamberg's oldest brewery.
Bamberg has ten independent breweries and is known particularly known for it smoke beer where the flavor comes from roasting malt over beechwood smoke.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Europe 2010 Nuremberg Day 11 Monday, 7 June 2010 Post 2
Our stop today was the historic city of Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Nuremberg is situated on the Pegnitz River and the Rhine-Main- Danube Canal and was an important city in the Middle Ages due to its location on key trade routes and the fact that many Imperial Diets met at Nuremberg Castle. it was also known as the 'unofficial capital' of the Holy roman Emperor.
In the 15th and 16th century Nuremberg became the centre of German Renaissance , but by the 19th century the city was practically bankrupt but came to prominence again in the Nazi era when, because of the city's relevance to the Holy Roman Empire and its position in the centre of Germany, it was chosen as the site of the huge Nazi Party rallies. In 1945-6 it was also the site of the famous war crimes trials.
Our first stop was the site of the Nazi Party rallies with Hitler's Colosseum-like structure still visible. It is still possible to feel the intensity that the rallies generated. Our next stop was to view the site of the war crimes trials. It is no longer possible to visit inside the court rooms.
We then visited the Hauptmarkt, Nuremberg's main square which contains the "Beautiful Fountain" a spire like Gothic structure from about 1390 which is 55 feet high and contains about 40 carved figures and a ring which you twist and make a wish. The square also contains the Church of Our Lady with its clock with moving figures and St Sebald a 14th century church with sculptures by Veit Stoss. This square is where the famous Christmas markets are held during Advent.
As we drove around the city we could see the old city walls and moat. Our final stop was at the Documentation Centre which contains a very powerful presentation of the rise of Hitler and the Nazi Party. We were fascinated with the many original documents and photos it contained.
After dinner we were treated to a bit of fun with a music quiz evening as we sailed to Bamberg.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Friday, September 17, 2010
Europe 2010 Regensburg Day 10 Sunday, 6 June 2010
We were moored at Kelheim under the Befeiungshalle or Hall of Liberation built by Ludwig 1 to commemorate the soldiers lost in the war against Napoleon in 1815. We set sail on the Scenic Emerald for Regensburg as we had now past the flooded portion of the Danube. Regensburg on the northern point of the Danube was an important Roman city and was in the middle ages at the hub of German affairs with the Imperial Diet (Reichstag) often meeting here. From 1663 to 1806 it was the seat of the Permanent Diet.
As we made our way to Regensburg we enjoyed a Bavarian Fruhshoppen (or German feast with sausage and beer before 12am) on the sun deck. This was an activity enjoyed by all involved even the crew.
On arriving at Regensburg we began our town tour visiting St Peter's Cathedral, a lovely Gothic church built between 1250 and 1275 with its sculpture, stained-glass windows and monumental high altar completed in 1785.
We then saw the Steinerne Bucke (or Stone Bridge) which is one of Europe's earliest intact bridges. It was constructed between 1135 and 1146 and has 16 beautiful stone arches.
Just east of the Stone bridge we saw the historic Wurskuche or sausage house which serves locally made fried sausages with sweet mustard and sauerkraut. We also visited the old city hall and saw the golden tower situated nearby. Before we continued our tour, we enjoyed a beer at a local beer house in the al fresco area overlooking the Danube.
In the late afternoon we visited a former Benedictine abbey on the eastern edge of the old city which is at the core of the castle owned by the Turn and Taxis family. This castle was again unbelievably opulent.
After dinner we enjoyed a lively evening of fun on board the Scenic Emerald with a group of Bavarian Brass Musicians providing some typically German music.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Passau Day 9 Saturday, 5 June 2010
Passau is a town in lower, Eastern Bavaria where the Danube is joined with the Inn River from the south and the Liz River coming out of the Bavarian forests in the north.
Just prior to our visit the Danube had broken its banks and flooded the town with the worst floods in 50 years. Some of the town was still under flood and many sand bags were still in place.
We were taken on a walking tour of the town and ended at St Stephen's Cathedral built in the Baroque style with some earlier Gothic elements of the original church kept for financial reasons when the church was rebuilt in the 17 th century. The cathedral contains a magnificent pipe organ which is the second largest pipe organ in the world. We arrived in time for the daily organ recital. We particularly enjoyed listening to Bach's Toccata und Fuge in d played on such a magnificent organ.
The town itself has much Gothic and Baroque architecture and is dominated by the Veste Oberhaus and the Bishop's fortress . We enjoyed coffee at a local coffee house watching the locals at their daily life and browsed the local shops.
We enjoyed dinner at the Portobello Restaurant when we returned to the Scenic Emerald. It consisted of a seven course degustation meal and wonderful service from our waiters.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Durnstein, Melk and Regensburg Day 8 Friday, 4 June 2010
The Danube had flooded the Wachau Valley and the town of Durnstein so we were bussed from Vienna to Melk Abbey. We were forced to take the autobarn as even the lower scenic roads were flooded.
We arrived at the wonderful Melk Abbey, a baroque Benedictine monastery also known as Stift Melk.The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold 11, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to the Benedictine monks from Lambach Abbey.It became a major site for the production of manuscripts and has an impressive library with countless medieval manuscripts and frescos by Johann Michael Rottmayr and Paul Troger. There is a school attached to the abbey which currently caters for 900 pupils of both sexes.
The abbey houses many priceless artifacts and paintings and we enjoyed a guided tour through the many rooms and then were taken to the abbey itself, an unbelievably ornate structure, where we were treated to an organ recital.
We lunched at the Stifrestaurnat at Melk Abbey and then enjoyed the views over the flooded Danube and the beautiful gardens.
We were then back on the bus and travelled to the back docks of Kelheim to join the Scenic Emerald.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Vienna Day 7 Thursday, 3 June 2010
A beautiful day in Vienna began with a city tour starting with a tour of the Vienna Opera House. We were even able to see back stage as the stage was being prepared for a concert. It is an unbelievably opulent. We were treated to coffee and Sacher Torte at the opera house coffee shop.
Our city tour continued with a visit to the Spanish Riding School were we were luck enough to see a number of the beautiful Lipizzaner horses. We were also lucky enough to see the wonderful Corpus Christi procession winding its way from St Stephen's Cathedral through the streets of Vienna. Many of the participants wore traditional costumes and even the children were throwing rose petals.
We then had the afternoon to ourselves. We looked inside St Stephens, walked down a major shopping precinct, the Graben, seeing the ornate Plague Column, took a ride in a horse-drawn carriage (Flaker) and walked to Burggarden to see Mozart's statue with the treble clef planted with roses.
We took the metro back to the Scenic Ruby which was forced to moor in Vienna overnight rather than proceed to Durnstein and Melk as planned as the Danube was flooded.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Budapest to Vienna Day 6 Wednesday, 2 June 2010
A lovely relaxing day cruising from Budapest to Vienna. We had time to enjoy our balcony, good food and all the luxuries the ship had to offer including the coffee machine which enabled passengers to enjoy good cappuccinos on demand.
We saw many small fishing huts by the river's edge, passed Bratislava and Duernstein Castle where Richard the Lionheart was held captive for ransom during the crusades before docking in Vienna.
An early evening meal with an Austrian dinner buffet was served before we left for our concert at Leichtenstein Palace with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, a tenor and soprano and members of the Vienna Ballet company performing the works of Mozart and Strauss Senior and Junior . This was a truly memorable and moving experience.
The weather was fairly cold, so we enjoyed the hot goulash soup that awaited us when we returned to the ship.
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