Cities of Light Prague to Paris Mainz

---

Today we docked well after 7 AM so we got to sleep in a bit, just like a vacation. We are in the city of Mainz on the Main (pronounced more like Mine) River. Our plan today was a walking tour of the historic city, lunch on shore, and shopping in this most wonderful city.

Mainz is a very old city that was bombed heavily in WW2 by the Allies. Much of the center city and surrounding area was blown up. What we see today is a reconstruction of the original city, recreated to its former glory as well as the reconstruction funds would allow. There was one section spared from damage; that is the area around the Cathedral. This massive medieval church holds the bones of St. Bonafice and was built as the location for coronation of kings and queens over many centuries. The buildings in the shadow of the church were also spared so this area of the old town is completely intact.

Our guide imparted information on the history of this beautiful city and took us to the most famous landmark the Gutenberg Museum where Johanas Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg, historically known simply as Johanas Gutenberg, developed one of the last thousand years most significant inventions, the printing press.This press was invented in 1439 and was used by Johanas to print, among other things, the famous Gutenberg Bible. This three volume work was printed with 42 lines on each page giving it the nickname of B-42.

He only printed 180 Bibles of which 49 survive today. These bibles were printed on the press using only black print. Illustrations and color were added later at the request of their owners by sending the printed work to the illustrator who embelished the work. Depending on how much money the owner wanted to spend, the Bible could be lavish or simple. The owner was also responsible for binding the book so each book is an individual work of art. The last one sold for over $3.5 million.

Our tour finished just after 1 and Cathy and I decided to stay on shore and shop. We found a lovely local cafe serving pizza and enjoyed a Margarhetta Pizza and a Capresse Salad, washed down with a cranberry spritz. Delicious. I alway suggest, when possible, to eat the local food, sit in a local cafe, and just enjoy being in a foreign locale.

Next came shopping. We meandered in and out of several stores selling anything from souveniers and kitch to clothes and jewelry. Cathy bought a lovely skirt which she plans to wear this evening at our optional local dinner and show.

We headed back to the ship about 3 and went directly to the newly opened upper sun deck where we enjoyed the view, had a drink, and chatted with Dan and Katherine. Here we chatted with some of the crew.

Now let me tell you that the crew and all of the servers, housekeepers, cooks, and customer service folks are an integral part of your trip. How they perform in the background, fixing this or that, keeping the ship spotless, sanitizing every surface, making up rooms, serving food and drinks, and assuring our safety while in port are just a few of the things these hard working people do to make your cruise an experience of a lifetime.

We chatted with two of the crew Madalin and Svetlozar Stanchev from Romania. Svet had worked three seasons in the Denali Cabins in Alaska as well as on this ship. He has a wiofe and daughter in Romania. He works hard and someday wants to take his wife on a cruise. He showed me the boat control panel, spent some time just chatting and laughing. The crew may be in the backgrouind but they are great people so please do say hi, and spend a moment chatting. You mighht learn something. Also thank them for all their hard work; thay appreciate it.

Here is another travel tip that just might come in handy. Before you leave home take a cell phone photo of all your critical documents. Mary Kay, a fellow passanger, gave me this tidbit. With all the issues with travel right now, say they lost your bag with all your medications. If you followed my earlier suggestions, you would not have an issue because these were in your carry on. But, if not and they are lost, if you have a photo of the prescriptions, you can walk into a local pharmacy, explain the issue, show them the prescription, and get your medication more quickly. It will not be a walk in the park but alot better than trying to get your doctor on the phone to get a new one. I though that was a brilliant suggestion. So Mary Kay suggests the following documents at a minimum: Passport, perscriptions, other ID, Travel insurance policy number and phone number, credit and ATM cards (front and back), and any other items you may feel necessary. It may take a moment but it will be a moment well spent if something goes awry.

The trip so far has been educational, inspirational, informational, but not always perfect. Tonight was that night. We were booked for a dinner and entertainment at a local restaurant. The billing was for a fun evening of food and song in town. We left the ship and boarded a cute street train, like the ones at Dinsey, and drove through town to an amazing area with restaurant after restaurant. The area was an historic entertainment complex of sights sounds and smells.

Well, it all started out grand and slowly slipped below par. The restaurant was nice, well decorated, and half open to the sky while we were under the roof. It was airy and cool and we prepared for an exciting evening. Well, sometimes expectations can disappoint. The food was mediocre at best, and the music, while entertaining, was a little too loud and filled with way too much American fare for the venue. The entertainer did not take a single break for two hours so there was never a time to sit quietly and chat with our tablemates. The wine, however, saved the day. They had dry white and red wines, a special selection for me of a sweeter white wine, and beer aplenty. So the lesson here, not EVERY adventure will be memorable in a positive way. But you never know until you do it, so if you read the description and feel you want to go on the excursion, give it a go, just have some tempered expectations when it comes to a group dinner event. If it is not to your expectations, grin and bear it. It will be over soon! If you really feel strongly, you might pass on that information to your program director because he or she probably has input into the dinner venues on the tour.

Tonight we got back to the ship close to 10:45. We stopped into the lounge for a drink, ice water for me, and off to bed for another deep and restful sleep. Tomorrow is my bike ride on the Moselle. Now that is something I look forward to.

---

Photos

Gutenberg
An ancient city build by the Romans

Roman Tower
The Rhine used to come to the foot of this tower, but in more modern days they filled in this area and rerouted the river to enhance river traffic

Our Crew
Svet and Madelan

The Cathedral where Kings were Crowned
During WW2 the allies agreed not to bomb this church so it and the homes in the shadow iof the cathedral survived

Demonstrators
These university students are protesting the war. They are using the pidgeon as a symbol of peace

City Market
Fresh eggs anyone?