Category Archives: Bavaria

Medieval Miltenberg

Today, the Ramblers experienced a brief stop in Freudenberg, a bus ride to Miltenberg, a delightful walk around the town and finally, a visit to one of the many nearby vinyards. All this before 12:30! Then our group returned to the Princess, now docked briefly in Miltenberg. That afternoon, we enjoyed a leisurely cruise along the beautiful Main. This was a totally different experience for the Ramblers than we had experienced the previous day in Wurzberg.

Unlike many of the towns we had visited on this cruise, Miltenberg was little damaged during WWII, except…on the day before the Germans surrendered,. The German troops destroyed its historic bridge across the Main to slow the advance of Allied troops! Of course, the Miltenbergers rebuilt the bridge in all its historic glory as soon as they were able.

The rebuilt bridge f rom the river with a view of the medieval entrance gatel

As usual, the Princess arrived at our first stop in Freudenberg around breakfast time. Although most of the cruisers left the ship at 8:30 for the short bus ride to Miltenberg, the Princess would stay in Freudenberg until 11:30. Those who remained onboard, including the senior Rambler, had an opportunity to walk around yet another small village with beautiful half-timbered houses, on their own. He enjoyed his time in Freudenberg as well as the short sail to Miltenberg while the Rambler embarked on the day’s tour.

Miltenberg from the top of the hill…you can see the red sandstone towers in the foreground, as well as another view of the bridge. an in town dock is hidden behind the trees.

Why could we not just go directly to Miltenberg? It was simply the availablity of dock space. Of all the companies whose ships cruise European rivers, Viking is the best known in the United states. Viking advertises heavily, has dozens of ships sailing in Europe and has cleverly bought up dock space at many popular stops. Amazingly they own three docks even in the small town of Miltenberg, thus their ships always have priority at their docks. This isn’t an issue most of the year, but can be a problem in the most popular cruising season, the month of July in particular. The Ramblers preferred to cruise mid August but the previous year, water levels had been so low by then that we chose to cruise in July. Thus we experienced the busiest time both on the river and on land as well, and decided we much preferred the less crowded times. Incidentally, most of the small towns along the Main have flooded many times in the last 300 years. Fortunately construction of canals, locks and dams has controlled the flooding to some extent.

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Zum Reisen, pub and guesthouse hotel has been around for a long time, althogh there is little left of the original medieval building as it has been remodeled many times. Emperors and kings have stayed there over the centuries.

Today, the Princess offered four tours in the Miltenberg area. After a short stroll around the delightful historic area, our large group would separate into four smaller groups. One to visit a brewery. Another to a farm. The third on a hike to a local vinyard (there was a bus for the gentle walkers) while the artistic members of our group went to a paint and wine experience. But first our guides took us for a tour along the single main street, the Hauptstrasse, which is lined with half timbered houses dating from the 15th throughthe 17th century. The street level of many buildings contain intriguing shops, pubs and restaurants.

One of the main stops for those who enjoy drinking beer in a place steeped with history is Zum Reisen, which calls itself the oldest pub in Germany. Although the date on the building is 1411, this is somewhat misleading as Zum Reisen was rebuilt in 1590, but it is still quite an ancient place.

Historic Mildenberg castle is small as castles go, but it is truly a magical place, just up the hill from St. Jacobus Church. It escaped destruction through the centuries but was expanded over time. There is a small entry fee and sadly the tour is is German but almost self-explanatory.

Miltenburg still has its city walls and even a small castle at the top of the hill at the back of the town. It also has a church, St. Jacobus, which dates to the 1300’s although it was rebuilt many times.

Unlike most of the churches we visited on this trip, the interior of St. Jacobus was very plain. It did however have a striking and colorful modern altarpiece that was installed in 2004. During our visit, we got to watch a group of kindergarten children practising for a saint’s day procession with their teachers. It was a charming scene.

The children ended their march above the striking modern altarpiece. A proud parent is takina a video of the event. The Rambler loved the simple interior.

The shops were open as it was a week-day and some of our group were tempted by the sale signs in shop windows. The street is pedestrian only for part of the day to accomodate the many tourists who come here.

Our meetingplace was in the square where wee found the famous fountain which dates to 1583..

Along the way, we passed the Rathaus or Town Hall built of the red sandstone which is used in many buildings in Franconia as it is quarried in the area. A look to the left provides a view of the Mildenburg castle, small by castle standards, but picturesque and in good shape. Built in the 1400’s, it had many owners until it was bought by the town of Miltenberg.. Today it houses two museums and is an easy stroll up at the top of the hill. However, we did not visit the castle as we had to locate Miltenberg’s famous fountain built in 1583, of what else but red sandstone. There we joined our groups and prepared for part two of today’s adventure.

The Rambler had chosen the vinyard option which sounded like fun, and joined the rest of the gentle walkers on the bus. It was a chance to see the Bavarian countryside away from the river. We got to wave at the rest of our group as they trudged uphill to the vinyard. It really wasn’t a very long way and they seemed to enjoy their stroll through vinyards and farmland.

Our hostess explains the characteristics of the wine she is pouring. Note the bulbous shape of the wine bottle in her hand. it indicates that the wine within comes from this area.

It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid-seventies. The owners of the winery had set up picknic snacks of sausage, bread and cheese on a covered patio to accompany our wine tasting. The vinyard was in a beautiful spot, surrounded by fields of vines, and othe crops, a charming spot in rural Bavaria. We enjoyed the food, the wine, the company and the enthusiastic presentation of our hosts. it was a very pleasant way to spend the morning sipping and munching until it was time to head back to our ship – just in time for lunch. LOL

After lunch the Princess set sail for our next stop, Rudesheim, unusually early, at 3:00 PM. This gave us an opportunity to enjoy the scenery along the Main river from the sundeck. The Main is considered the most rural of the major German rivers even tho it has been tamed by canals and locks. It certainly lived up to its name that afternoon.

Perhaps the most unusal boat we passed on the cruise was this obviously home-made houseboat which seemed to be steered by four or five attractive young women. They might actually have been poling it along, as we didn’t see a motor. The river isn’t very deep so this is possible.

But the day wasn’t over yet, as it was the senior Rambler’s birthday. Our waitstaff and the restaurant manager coordinated their efforts to serve a lovely meal and provide a birthday cake as we sat at our favorite table for two. They even sang Happy Birthday! All in all, it had been a totally satisfying day.

Our favorite waiters singing Happy Birthday to the senior Rambler! All the staff on a Uniworld ship are great but they were exceptional.

A Village Day in Volkach but first….

For some reason, I thought our next stop was Wurzburg, but this was not the case. The River Princess would instead dock in the small town of Volkach, one of the many places most river cruises usually sail past. The Ramblers had often thought that since the major stops were increasingly crowded, companies like Uniworld should develop tours in some of the smaller places along the Danube, Main and Rhine. Evidently Uniworld was thinking along the same lines, as Volkach was not one of their usual stops. Thus, when we looked outside early that morning, we were happy to see that ships from the major lines were not rafted up along side. There were a few docked nearby, but they were either private cruisers or locally owned. In truth, there probably wasn’t enough room at Volkach to host many ships.

The dock was on the outskirts of Volkach, which is more like a large village, and there was a path to the historic center of the town, no need to ride a bus. We would walk to the town in the afternoon, as the Princess would spend the whole day in this quiet little place. In the morning there were several guided tour options. First was a drive through the Franconian wine country with a stop for a chocolate and wine pairing; this group would board the Uniworld bus at 8:30 AM. The Rambler was always ready for a ride through the countryside and chose this option. but the senior Rambler opted to stay on board, since he could get off and walk around if he wanted.

Miles and miles of vinyards in the rolling hills of Franconia.

The Princess also offered several other guided options. The most energetic was a guided canoe trip on the old branch of the Main River, which might have been fun twenty years ago. There were also two walking tours offered, both involved visiting wineries, while the final option was a bike tour in the wine country.

Finally there was a Masterpiece Collection option to tour Romantic Rothenburg at a cost of 45 Euro. Since Rothenburg was some distance away, this group would be gone from 1:00 to 5:45 PM. This tour was tempting because Rothenburg is a place that still looks like a story book medieval village complete with castle and half-timbered houses. However, there would be lots of walking and unfortunately, lots of people as it was the high tourist season for Germans as well as visitors from abroad. Thus the Rambler reluctantly took a pass on visiting Rothenburg yet again.

The morning dawned bright and clear but not too warm, perfect for a bus tour. Our somewhat sleepy group boarded the bus promptly- no dawdling for those who wanted to take a tour as they almost always depart promptly. The countryside was lush and green, and we enjoyed our ride through the Franconian hills which were planted with rows and rows of grapes. Here and there one could glimpse a winery in the distance.

To our surprise our bus stopped at a roadside marker at the top of one of the rolling hills. We all scrambled out of the bus and dutifully looked at the marker; of course it was in German, so we climbed back in the bus to continue our drive through the extensive vineyards of Franconia.

A look down a long row of grapevines

Our next stop was in the small village of Swarzach am Main, for a chocolate and wine pairing/tasting at a small company called The Art of Chocolate. It had several branches but the one we would visit was in the small town of Swarzach. The Art of Chocolate was in a large metal buiding which housed a tiny cafe, a chocolate workshop, a room with an array of beautiful and good tasting chocolates and our destination, a seminar room set up with tables for four. It was here that our wine/chocolate pairing would take place

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We first enjoyed an interesting lecture on their chocolates and the local wines we would taste. our hostess was very enthusiastic about her products and this filtered down to us as we did enjoy both the chocolates and the wine. The wines were all whites, and I am a red wine enthusiast, so while I enjoyed them, I was not tempted to buy a bottle. The chocolates, however were very tasty and I bought some to take home. Chocolates fit into a suitcase much better than builky wine bottles.

Our tables were set up with chocolates and wine glasses for our tasting.

Afterwards we had a choice of climbing back onto the bus, or walking a short distance to take a small ferry to the other side of the river. The Rambler chose the bus ride, even tho the ferry ride looked like fun My friends Kathy and Jean opted for the ferry and seemed to enjoy their short trip very much.

The happy group who rode the ferry is on their way to the bus.

Then it was back to the ship for lunch. The senior Rambler was waiting for me near the gangplank as we walked onboard. After lunch, we could walk into the historic center of Volkach only a short distance away. Since it was a beautiful afternoon, we opted to walk into town but did’t go with the main group as the Ramblers are not speedy walkers and we didn’t want to hold anyone up.

As it turned out, the place the Rambler would have enjoyed visitng most was the Pilgimage Church of Maria im Weingarten, a late medieval pilgrimage church located only a short distance from the town center. Volkach, after all only had a population of 8,000. Unfortunately our cruise director didn’t mention it and I only learned about it when doing research for this blog entry. It is probably just as well that we missed it as the path to the church was mostly uphill and it wasn’t one of the senior Rambler’s good walking days.

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Maria im Weingarten is perched on the top of a hill. In the foreground you can see the tiny chapel like structures house the Stations of the Cross which line the path.

However, if you have a chance to visit Volkach, do visit this ancient little church as it is a place of peace and tranquility.The Catholic pilgrimage church “Maria in the vineyard” is located above the Franconian wine village Volkach on the Mainschleife in the Lower Franconian district of Kitzingen. The late Gothic church is lsurrounded by the vineyards of the main Franconian wine-growing region on the Volkacher Kirchberg.

See the source image

It still houses an important work of art by the carver Tilman Riemenschneider which dates from the 1500s.. This beautiful carving of the Madonna of the Rosary was stolen and mutilated in the early 60’s, but restored to its original beauty in 1963. This was due to the efforts of the publisher of the German newspaper Stern (Star), who offered to pay the ransom. The thieves did return the carving and all of the stolen artifacts were eventually rcovered…and the thieves were caught through the efforts of the police.

However if you don’t make it to Maria im Weingarten, Volkach is still an enjoyable place and an easy walk from the river. There is also another church with amazing artwork right in the historic district.

Unfortunately the Ramblers took the wrong path to the historic center of Volkach. We hadn’t started out with the main group, but we headed up what we thought was the right path. Instead, it took us away from the historic center and when we finally reached a cross street, we could see that our destination was two blocks in the opposite direction. We finally did get there, and found many of our friends enjoying a coffee or a glass of wine at one of several outdoor cafes. We were happy to join them. This gave the Rambler another chance to enjoy one of her favorite drinks in Germany and Austria, an Eiskaffe. if you haven’t guessed, it is a mix of icecream and hot coffee and an excellent refresher on a warm day.

The truly amazing interior of St. Bartholomew and St. George bursts forth in joyous beauty.

The church of St. Bartholomew and St. George has been the parish church of Volkach since medieval times, and even today, the life of the village is shaped by it. The church tower is the highest landmark in the area although the rest of the exterior is fairly plain. However, the interior, redecorated in the 18th century, has amazing three dimentional rococo statues and paintings but still retains some of its earlier medieval simplicity in its Lady Chapel. Our little group from the Princess was very happy that we were able to visit this parish church. It must be a joy for the parishoners to attend Mass there every Sunday.

The candles before the altar in the Lady Chapel attest that many kneel here in prayer.

All in all, our stop in this small town was a great succes, as we all felt that we had enjoyed a part of small town Bavaria that still exists in the 21st century.

Homeward Bound

The Rambler didn’t stay to tour the Christmas Markets  in Passau, as it was almost noon and she didn’t want to miss her last lunch on the Beatrice. Since this was the final stop,  she would have plenty of time to venture out later in the afternoon. It had been a damp and chilly stroll through the winding streets of Alstadt Passau, but Sonia, our guide,  made it fun despite everything. We didn’t get to hear the famous organ in St. Stephens as no concert was scheduled  that Friday. However, we did get to see a gingerbread haus,straight of Hansel and Gretel, across the street from Simon’s.

Passauer Gingerbread Haus!
Passauer Gingerbread Haus!

Not really, but someone  got carried away with their holiday decorating and gave their shop a gingerbread haus facade.This was the most over the top decorating the Ramblers saw in Europe, and reminded us of something the more fanatical Christmas decorators might put up in the US.

After lunch I couldn’t coax the Senior Rambler to take a stroll with me, as the weather, if anything, had gotten worse. He really dislikes cold weather and blames this on the year he spent in Greenland in the 50’s as a member of the United States Air Force! At any rate, he wasn’t about to go anywhere, so I ventured out myself with the goal of buying some Simon marzipan lebkuchen to bring home. Fortunately for me, their shop was only a short distance from the dock. I really do have a poor sense of direction, and I didn’t want to get lost on the last day of the cruise. When I disembarked I noticed several food trucks parked along the dock along with at least a dozen busses.

Line-up of busses along the Danube, hiding the food trucks
Line-up of busses along the Danube, hiding the food trucks

The trucks sold food and produce to the workers and residents of the Alstadt.  They didn’t have many customers today, not surprising because of the weather. However, the busses were another story. Evidently the Passau Christmas Market draws people from Bavaria as well as river cruisers. I did take a brief look in at the Christmas Market,; since it was a Friday afternoon, a growing number of folks strolled around  despite the bad weather.

Open for business at the Passau Christmas Market
Open for business at the Passau Christmas Market

Passau is one place the Ramblers would like to visit in good weather but on a chilly, drizzly day in December it was time to head back to the Beatrice.

The Ramblers spent the rest of the day hanging out with the many friends they had made on the cruise from both the US and Canada, as well as Australia. Tonight’s meal was  relaxing  and we took our time enjoying the excellent food and wine, although  we knew we would have to get up early for the flight back home.

Anna, one of our favorite servers, who was always waiting with my German coffee!
Anna, one of our favorite servers, who was always waiting with my German coffee! The blue light in the background came from a weird building which changed colors every few minutes. It was directly opposite our cabin window.

After dinner, we enjoyed a Christmas carol sing in the lounge,  very appropriate on the last night.

Our flight on Delta would be non-stop to Atlanta, however it left Munich at 8 AM and the Munich Airport was over 2 hours journey by bus from Passau. All departing passengers were divided into color-coded groups based on the time they would have to leave the ship to catch their flights. We were the purple group, scheduled to leave by 4 AM,(Could have been worse, the first group left at 3 AM, and the lucky ones at 8.) AND we had to have our luggage outside our room by 3 AM so it could be loaded onto our bus. Needless to say we didn’t get much sleep, but the transfer was handled very efficiently. The ship’s galley had even provided breakfast for us tho few took advantage of more than coffee and juice.

The drive to the airport through winter darkness was a quiet one, though I did hear a few snores and we arrived at the airport in plenty of time for our flight.

Waiting at the Munich Airport
Waiting at the Munich Airport

The Munich airport is attractive though fairly small and there were  shops to look through before it was time to board our plane. (And spend our remaining Euros)

We were disappointed in our Delta flight, although we had managed to get extended comfort seats so we had a little more room.  The food was really bad. The Senior Rambler ate hardly any of it, however, I managed to choke most of it down, it was a 12 hour flight after all. But really, Delta should do better for the passengers on their long haul flights. They are a captive audience.

After the passengers boarded, the flight attendants announced that this would be a special flight as our pilot was retiring  after many years in the Navy and at Delta. That was the last we heard of this special occasion, although the flight was thankfully uneventful… except for the landing. Our pilot must have been in a hurry to retire as he came in hot and hit the brakes hard. We had a very bumpy landing, not what we expected from a senior pilot. however we were just glad to get home after a very long 12 hour flight. Some of our fellow cruisers were also on our Delta flight but they unfortunately had to catch a connector to get home.

Atlanta Hartsfield is a very large airport so there was lots of walking to get to and through the customs lines, but everything moved fairly quickly. We were happy to see our daughter Lisa waiting for us, and know that home was only a half hour’s drive. We also knew we would get the urge to take another ramble before long,

Passau; Bavarian gem

After a sumptuous Captains’ Farewell Dinner, we woke to yet another day of rain and drizzle, high 36, low 32. There would be no sunny days for us on this trip. The Beatrice docked in Passau, Bavaria around 8:30 AM. This was  final stop on our cruise. Tomorrow the passengers would disperse, most to the airport but others to other cities in Europe.

Today’s tour started at 9 AM. The senior Rambler decided he didn’t want to go, but undeterred, I joined the Gentle Walker’s group solo. I was very glad I did, because our guide Sonia, was hands down the best we had on the trip.trip europe 905 It was not just her familiarity with Passau’s history but her warm and welcoming self. She greeted us with the traditional greeting of conservative Bavaria Grüß Gott, (translation , “God be with you)  which set the scene for an interesting tour, as she shared many  traditions of the area, including where to tie the bow of your sash if you are wearing a dirndl. (surprisingly important)

And if my female readers ever decide to wear the dirndl, think Maria in the Sound of Music, where you tie the bow is crucial, even today. If you tie it on the left, you signal that you are available, on the right, taken (engaged or married), in the back, a widow and in the front, a virgin. Evidently at least in Austria, people still check out the placement of the bow.. Dirndls are quite popular today in Austria  and Bavaria today, and can be quite expensive.They are worn for special occasions, for a comfortable, traditional look, and even as Halloween costumes. Young women often wear a short skirt and accentuate the low cut bodice, while older women stick to the more traditional long skirt. You can see a variety of dirndls  here. Recent article on Austrian dirndls from Vienna Unwrapped.

Sonia led us through the narrow medieval streets of Alstadt Passau pointing out the high water marks of the disastrous flood that occurred in June, 2013, the worst in 500 yearstrip europe 908. Water from the Danube reached a height of 42.2 feet and much of the Alstadt was underwater. By December 2014, many of the buildings had been repaired although some  along the river still needed restoration. Angela Merkel came to view the devastation personally and arraigned aid for for the townspeople who had no flood insurance

The 13th century date of this building was revealed after renovation
The 13th century date of this building was revealed after renovation

Passau, the town which takes pride because  three rivers meet there, was done in by its unique location in 2013. Sonia later took us up to a high point  in the Alstadt where we could see the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers.trip europe 1004

We also hiked up the cobblestone streets to St. Stephen’s Church which has the largest cathedral organ in the world and the largest outside the United States. This beautiful church was rebuilt in baroque style during the 17th century, although a Catholic church has stood on the site for hundreds of years. Passau was once governed by a Prince-Bishop and his impressive palace stands near the church.At St. Stephen’s, I  got to see yet another creche under construction, as well as the beautiful interior. Although we didn’t get to hear the gigantic organ

Baroque at its finest, St. Stephen's organ
Baroque at its finest, St. Stephen’s organ

, it was an impressive sight, all chrome and baroque gilt. After our visit to the church, we headed back to the shops of the Alstadt where we were scheduled to have a gingerbread baking demonstration.

The Rambler prides herself on her knowledge and skill in the kitchen so she wasn’t too excited about the demonstration. After all, every time she made gingerbread cookies they were the last ones to be eaten.

Gingerbread has never been one of our family favorites. However, I was very glad I decided to go because I learned quite a bit about the history of gingerbread baking.

Creche under construction
Creche under construction

Our instructors were the  third and fourth generation, father and son of the Simon (family)Cafe, Bakery and Confectionery, established in 1903. They told us that gingerbread has evolved since medieval times when it was simply a mixture of flour, honey and water flavored with whatever spices were available.

Simon Sr. holding up a gingerbread mold.
Simon Sr. holding up a gingerbread mold; note jars of spices on counter.

This variety got hard as a rock and kept forever, important in the days before refrigeration when nothing was thrown away. It was often pressed into a wooden mold before baking to decorate it. In the 19th century bakers produced a sweeter version, because of the availability of cane sugar, at first,  mainly in the form of molasses. No longer did they have to rely on honey as a sweetener. Gradually eggs and baking powder were added and the rye flour used in the earliest versions was replaced by white flour. Simon’s also makes a modern version which replaces much of the flour with. marzipan (almond paste and sugar). If you like marzipan, and I do, you will love this version, as I did..

Yummy stuff in the Simon  Confectionery/Cafe
Yummy stuff in the Simon Confectionery/Cafe, the lebkuchen are in the cans stacked on the counter.

The Simon’s call it  Eisenlebkuchen. I later bought a container and savored it all myself after we got home. That’s not as bad as it sounds as the senior Rambler dislikes gingerbread AND marzipan.

In Germany, gingerbread is called lebkuchen, and it contains a variety of spices even a little pepper, but no ginger! If you stop at Passau on a Christmas Markets river cruise, you will probably have a chance to stop at Simon’s and see a gingerbread demonstration. Don’t pass it up.