Friday,, July 24th - Miltenberg, German

We were up early this morning, had breakfast and left the ship in Wertheim at 9 a.m.  The ship was sailing on to Freudenberg and we went by bus to Miltenberg where we had a walking tour of the city.  At 1 p.m. we boarded our ship again to sail past Miltenberg shortly thereafter.  I'm not exactly sure what the logic was but perhaps the ship had to sail slower than what we could go by bus and do our tour, and there was no place for the ship to dock in Miltenberg.  Regardless, it all worked out and we are now back sailing along the Main River.

It is very green on every side with trees right along the bank (which prevent a lot of picture taking) then fields on the flat and vineyards going up the hillsides and then trees again at the top along with an occasional castle or fortress..  Form time to time there are beaches and there is almost always someone in the water.  There are even a few boaters out today, which is unusual.  There is almost always a path along the river and there are bikers and walkers out enjoying the route.  There are a lot of campgrounds along the river and they seem very popular.  They tend to pack everyone in very close together but they all seem to be enjoying themselves.  

It's another wonderful day with lots of sun but some cloud to cool things off.  I haven't heard the actual temperature but it was supposed to be in the low 30's so quite nice as we cruise along.  I am at the front of the ship on the third deck in the shade - sitting with a slightly wet bathing suit on under my other clothes.  I decided to have a swim before lunch and after my swim I was almost dried off so I decided to go straight to lunch, which I also ate out here on the deck.  Breakfast was out here too.  In fact, all breakfasts and lunches have been eaten in the same place and it's beautiful.  Most people head inside to the dining room but that just doesn't interest me at all.  I know they have more choices in the dining room but the light breakfast and lunch that they serve in the lounge is just fine by me.  Maybe it's just easier decision making for me..

Miltenberg has a population of under 10,000 and, accordign tot he brochures, it is one of the prettiest and best-preserved medieval cities on the River Main.  Two thousand years ago the Romans had two fortresses here and there are some remains still on display.  However the town really flourished in the Middle Ages and became a focus for trade.  Many of the buildings in town date from the 15th to 17th centuries and they are in great shape.  There were a few that seemed to be on a slant or drooping but otherwise they all looked great.  

We started our walk close to the river and there was a big brick gate as you entered the city.  Later, as the ship sailed by, I realized there were several such gates in the town.  The main traffic street ran parallel to the pedestrian street that we walked down.  The pedestrian street is over a mile long and the section we walked down had lots of old buildings, some of them ornately decorated with stone carvings, wood work, and colourful paint.  At the street level, most of the buildings housed shops but people lived on the higher floors.  One of the oldest inns in Germany is the Giant Inn from around 1400, and several people tried the local beer and wine there during our free time.  Napolean once stayed here and so did Elvis.  We walked form one square to another.  

We had a great guide who had lots of tails to tell along the way.  At the fountain in the Market Square, she told us that the designer / builder went to the mayor, who lived right by the fountain, to get more money and the mayor said no.  The designer then changed the plans slightly and put some little boys playing around the centre of the pole above the fountain.  The one directly in front of the mayor's house is actually mooning the mayor's house so it's quite cute.  You'd miss it if you didn't know it was there but it is cute.

They once had about 100 Jews in Miltenberg and all but 10 of them escaped in the late 30's.  The other 10 decided to stay and of course they were taken away and ended up in Auschwitz and died there.  The old synagogue still stands as it was purchased by another person before the war.  The new synagogue was destroyed.  The cemetery still exists but is in need of repair.

After the tour some of us went up to Mildenburg Castle - and yes, the spelling is different but don't ask me why.  The castle itself is over 800 years old  and now houses a museum / gallery.  They were not open until the afternoon so we could not go in.  However, the views from the wall were fantastic.   I then went down to the museum.  Unfortunately I did not have time to d it justice because it was very large and informative.  It started n the Roman era starting in 2nd century AD and then covered the development of the area covering shipping and trade, religion, their own gold currency, everyday life, etc.  It was interesting to lear that Martin Luther spent some time in Miltenberg and Franconia, the state in Germany, is very Protestant.  Bavaria, the neighbouring state just a few minutes away,remained very Catholic. 

The day ended with a port talk just before dinner and then another great dinner.  The meals have been fantastic and the wine flows freely - normally from whatever country or area we are in.  I'm just hoping that all the walking we are doing and the uphill climbs to castles and fortresses will counter all the extra calories I'm eating and drinking.  After dinner tonight there was a disco night in the lounge so I did dance to a couple of the songs so maybe that will help too.  However, the music was just too loud for me so I gave up and came to the room for some peace and quiet.  I guess I'm definitely getting old, but I'm okay with that if it gets me out of really loud, noisy rooms and back to the serenity of my room and a good night's sleep.