Nürnberg

Friday, 13 December 2024

Our tour ended in Nürnberg (Nuremberg in English), which isn't on the Danube, but rather on the Donau-Main Kanal that connects the Danube and Rhine Rivers, ultimately making a navigable waterway from Amsterdam to the Black Sea. The Pegnitz River flows through Nürnberg, but it is a small river, and barges and riverboats musts use the canal, which has a lot of heavy industry along it.

Our tour of the old city started at the Kaiserburg (Emperor's Fortress, aka Castle). Atop a hill in the northwest section of the old city wall, it has a commanding view over Nürnberg.

Looking south, we can see the industrial sector in the the distance, where our ship is docked.

The door to the inner castle.

The castle courtyard.

Once the castle granary, this building is now a youth hostel.

The castle sits on a sandstone foundation.

Looking down Burgstrasse towards the city center.

Two decorative carvings on a building along Burgstrasse.

Sibalduskirche (St. Sibald's Church).

The vicar's house next to St. Sebald.

St. Sibald's Church.

St. Sibald's Church

St. Sibald's Church

The market square is directly in front of this church, the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).

An interesting place to put votive candles in the Frauenkirche.

One of several entrances to the Christkindlesmarkt.

Entering the Christkindlsmarkt.

The Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain) in the market square.

The Frauenkirche's mechanical clock performs everyday at noon.

A closer view of the mechanical clock.

From a first-floor (U.S. second-floor) balcony, all you can see of the market is the red-and-white striped roofs.

Back home. Our collection of Christkindlmarkt mugs:
Vienna, Schönbrunn Schloss, Salzburg, Passau, Regensburg, Nürnberg (2).

Regensburg

Thursday, 12 December 2024

Regensburg is a mix of medieval, gothic, and baroque architecture that has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We had a morning walking tour with time to savor the Christkindlmarkt before returning to the ship.

The Old Stone Bridge is one of the oldest medieval bridges still in use.

Narrow street in Regensburg.

Bishop's Courtyard

St. Peter's Cathedral. The foreground tower is much older than the Gothic parts, but the cathedral ran out of money and decided to keep the original tower.

The spires of St. Peter's Cathedral.

The south face of St. Peter's Cathedral.

Street in Regensburg.

Narrow street in Regensburg.

Window in St. Peter's Cathedral.

St. Peter's Cathedral.

St. Peter's Cathedral.

The Regensburg Christkindlmarkt at the Cathedral.

Enjoying hot beverages.

Back at the Bishop's Courtyard on our way back to the ship.

At Kelheim we left the Danube to follow the Danau-Main Kanal (Danube-Main Canal) that links the Danube to the Rhine. This is the Liberation Monument in Kelheim.

Passau

Wednesday, 11 December 2024

Passau lies at the far southeast corner of Germany. At Passau, two rivers flow into the Danube: the Ilz from the north, and the Inn from the south. We had a morning walking tour through the old city.

In Residenzplatz, a fountain is turned into a large wreath for Advent.

Wealthy merchants like to display their wealth by building towers as part of their houses.

The Rathaus clock tower.

With three rivers coming through the city, Passau floods regularly.

Buttresses in the narrow lanes help support the houses on either side.

An old city gate with a mural of St. Christopher.

A closer look at the St. Christopher mural.

Passau is a damp environment, as testified to by the mold and moss growing on roof tiles and wall.

Deutsche Post delivers from safety-yellow cargo bicycles.

Inside St. Stephan's Cathedral (Dom St. Stephan). The bucket crane is there to help set up and decorate the Cathedral's Christmas tree.

Like most Christmas Markets, the Passau Christkindlmarkt is in the Domplatz at the entrance to the cathedral.

Food is a large part of the Christmas markets. This booth had wood-grilled sausages.

Another booth was smoking salmon.

The large Christmas tree in the market. All the Christmas trees we saw on the trip were real.

After visiting the Christkindlmarkt, Lon and I walked down to the Inn River, then around the point back to our ship.

The Schaiblingsturm on the Inn River.

Looking across the Inn River to another part of Passau.

Houses on the north bank of the Danube at Passau.

As we left Passau we went through a lock. We were so close to the Viking Cruises riverboat next to us that it just looks like one continuous deck. There was less than a foot of clearance between the two riverboats. Everything from the top deck had been lowered (including the ship's bridge!) to be able to go under bridges. The bridge at the end of the lock looks like it should not be a problem, but the ships will rise about 20 feet in the lock, and then it's a close call!