Sep 20 - Nuremberg, Germany

After dinner last evening Tessa did a presentation on the Rhine - Main - Danube Waterway focussing on the Main Canal.  It is pretty amazing how they have made it possible for marine traffic to go from the North Sea to the Black Sea!  There are 67 locks in total on this itinerary.  Last night during the night we moved continuously from one lock to the next in the Main Canal ( I believe there were 16). By breakfast this morning we have been through 32 and have reached Nuremberg.

I had to make a decision about the excursions today!  We had booked two, so I consulted with Tessa about the demands of them.  She felt this morning’s tour, Surviving the War: Art in Nuremberg, would be challenging because of the walking and even more so because of the amount of standing in the bunkers ( I find standing harder than actually walking!) So Mary went off with the group and I stayed behind in the lounge.

This is my view of the lounge; looking forward you can see the glass doors leading out to an eating area, and then on out onto the forward deck.  We are docked behind another riverboat.

 

Here is the description of the tour from the Viking App…

See Nuremberg's remarkable underground chambers where priceless art was

hidden from harm during World War I. Drive with your guide to the inner

city center, passing the medieval walls, the opera house and the Plärrer,

where Germany's railroad age began in 1835. Arrive at the Imperial Castle

and walk into the Old Town to the Tiergärtnertorplatz, where you will see

Renaissance artist Albrecht Dürer's house. Next, descend into medieval beer

cellars to learn about the history of brewing and how these subterranean

"Art Bunkers" hid and protected centuries-old artwork. The famed

Monuments Men -art historians embedded in the US Army-braved the

Battle of Nuremberg to prevent looting and theft of priceless pieces stored

here. Later, visit the Gothic church of St. Sebald, where saved works of art

have been returned to their original home. Continue to the city's main market square, where you may enjoy free time before returning to your ship

Mary will likely post her photos on Facebook at some point when we get home.

This afternoon’s tour is in Nuremberg, or as it is in Germany, Nürnberg.  The bus picked us up at the ship and we had a sightseeing trip of the city.  Nuremberg has a totally different feel than other cities we have seen.  

It was almost completely destroyed in the war and the rebuilding outside the wall is more modern looking.  We drove through the ‘allotment  neighbourhood’ where there are strict rules about how the homes are kept; each home has a front garden usually with grass and flowers, and in the back yards there are vegetable gardens with produce for the family.

The buildings we saw driving through the city don’t have the ‘medieval’ feel of places like Passau and Regensburg.  The architecture is more modern as the city had to be rebuilt after the bombings of the war.

Nuremberg has preserved most of its old city walls, many sections of which date from the 14th to 15th centuries and were later strengthened in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Old City stands behind the wall and moat.  Unfortunately, because I didn’t do a tour in the morning, I did not see that part of Nuremberg. One important feature is the Imperial Castle.  You can read more about it by clicking on this link.

This impressive 351-meter-tall fortification is considered to be one of the most important surviving medieval fortresses in all of Europe and was the residence of all legitimate German kings and emperors from 1050 to 1571.

We drove by the Nazi Party Rally Grounds,  a reminder of the darkest chapter in the country's history and the Nazis’ brutal regime.  

We also passed by the Palace of Justice where the International Military Tribunal was held just months after the war.

After the bus tour, we spent time in the area of the city's Hauptmarkt, or "Main Market." – the Hauptmarkt is the traditional city center and is home to the ‘Beautiful Fountain’ of ornate decorations. The market is always open and a place where locals and tourists alike gather to eat food from the many stalls or look for souvenirs.

On one side of the market the Roman Catholic Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) is an important Gothic landmark. When we entered, an organist was playing the pipe organ which added to the atmosphere of this beautiful church.  I always marvel at how, in the 1300’s, they could have built such an amazing structure

Kitty-corner from the Haupt Markt stands Protestant St. Sebald Church, built from 1225-73.  When we were there a musical group from Tel Aviv was practising for a concert to be held in the evening.  The music of the stringed instruments reverberated from the walls.

After our free time at the Haupt Markt, we met up with our group to board the bus back to the ship.

Another excellent day!

The Happy Wanderers!