Thanks to all of you who read our last post and for all your comments. We hope that for some of you we are bringing back fond memories of your travels. And for others, we wish to inspire you to get up and go. We are now in Day 8.
Leaving Koblenz, we continued down the Rhine River, past the Lorelei Rock where legend has it many a sailor lost their lives to the beautiful maiden Lorelei who distracted them with her lovely voice.
As we entered the Upper Middle Rhine we enjoyed a picturesque two hour panorama of storybook villages, castles and steep vineyards where the grapes are still harvested by hand.
Leaving the Rhine River, we continue our journey on The Main River, through several locks to the lovely town of Miltenberg. We were greeted by a rain shower when we arrived. While it was a bit inconvenient, it was also welcomed as the rain raised the water level which meant we would not need to be bused to our next location.
It was a brief shower and we were able to enjoy the tour of the little Bavarian town with cobblestone streets, flower boxes and traditional houses. It is one of the few towns in Germany that did not need to be rebuilt after World War II. However it did not escape the horrors of the Nazi regime. We were introduced to the stumbling stones that are found though out Europe. These brass plates are placed in city streets and sidewalks to commemorate the lives that were lost in the Holocaust.
Our guide told us of a more recent incident in which a group of Neo-Nazis came to Miltenberg for a rally. The citizens were not pleased but because of their freedom of speech laws could do nothing to stop it. Not to be deterred, the priest of the nearby Catholic Church rang the very loud church bells so they could not be heard. After about 45 minutes they gave up and left town.
We took the opportunity to join our Idaho friends for a pint of Faust Beer at the oldest brewery in the Rhine-Main area founded by the Faust family in 1654. Four generations later, the brewery is still owned by the Faust family.
Our next stop was Würzburg, a modern city with the typical shopping area with stores much like those we find at home. After walking around a bit, we stopped on the popular Alte Mainbrücke (Old Main Bridge) to take photos and enjoy a glass of wine.
We continue to be amazed with the Viking Crew. Our cabin steward, Suzy, is from Romania and is always cheerful as she keeps our room tidy. She said she has been with Viking for five years, working 9 months of the year with a 3 month break in the winter. On her days off she visits the port cities.
53 year old Art who serves in the lounge cafe, has been with Viking for 13 years and said he has done the Around the World tour three times. He shared that the staff can join any of the excursions on their off days. What a great job for the young and adventurous souls!
As we continue down the Main River—through a total of 34 locks, we will soon merge with the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. Our next stop is Bamberg.
Again, we will add photos to the blog once we are home.
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