Advertisement
This morning is spent on the Main-Danube Canal. This constructed waterway will take us over the continental divide and back down to the Main River on the other side. Consequently, there are serious locks to traverse as the ship is lifted higher and higher.
We arrive in Nuremberg around 1:30 pm. We have selected yet another walking tour of the city. The alternative is a tour focused on World War II, including a visit to the city's WWII documentation centre, but that will be for another time.
Nuremberg has been an important cultural and political centre in Germany for centuries. It is the birthplace of Albrecht Dürer and the setting of Wagner's Die Meistersinger. German kings from the 14th century onward traditionally held their diets here, and for over 300 years it was the keeper of the Crown Jewels. Unfortunately, the city's history and symbolism attracted the Nazis, who held massive rallies here. Consequently, Nuremberg was square in the sights of Allied bombers, and over 90% of the city was destroyed during World War II. And, of course, the post-war Nuremberg trials were conducted here for the same symbolic reasons.
For the first part of our walking tour,
we climb on foot to the Imperial Castle whose watchtowers and walls dominate the old town. The entire structure was built with defence in mind. We enter via a footbridge over the moat that is curved to inhibit battering rams, stroll along a tunnel through the thick walls that has gaps in the ceiling through which boiling oil could be poured, and enter the first courtyard, which is designed to be a trap for invaders. The castle, of course, has been reconstructed from the great devastation it suffered during the war. Our guide points out that one can distinguish original bricks from newer bricks by the holes in their sides, used for carrying sticks.
We descend to the old town. Because so much has been reconstructed, the town looks pretty and new. Many houses reflect traditional Bavarian style, with a stone ground floor and wooden storeys above. They are decorated "ginger-bread" style with colourful line markings over the white stucco.
Our walking tour now takes us through the city's Market Square, which is the site of world-famous Christmas Market. Notable here is the Beautiful Fountain, a structure originally intended to crown the top of the steeple of the
nearby Church of Our Lady. But the decoration turned out to be too heavy, and so it was converted into a fountain. It was considered such an important artifact that the Nazis themselves protected it with a concrete shield during the war. The Church of Our Lady, the only remaining Catholic Church in the city, stands to one side of the square. It has a famous wooden mechanical clock.
The tour ends with a complimentary beer at a biergarten just off Market Square. We now have free time. The women want to shop, naturally, but I set off in search of St. Lawrence (St. Lorenz) Church. it's on the other side of the canal, but there are many picturesque bridges across. St. Lawrence has one of the largest pipe organs in Germany, and it has dedicated itself to music. In fact, when I enter the church, the rear of the chapel is set up for a good-sized orchestra, presumably playing a concert there tonight.
I still have some time to kill, so I wander randomly through the cobble-stoned streets, admiring the beauty of the homes. Some houses are even built right over the canal, like a bridge! I
imagine the basements can get wet. It's starting to look like rain, so I rejoin my compatriots at the designated pick-up point. It's starting to spit as the bus arrives, and shortly after we reboard the ship, the heavens open. Perfect timing. The ship sets sail for Bamberg.
Dinner, dancing and bed. Lovely day.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.116s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 13; qc: 63; dbt: 0.0701s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb