Grand Circle River Tour 7: Wertheim am Main [Sky Watch Friday]

The next port of call on our Grand Circle Great Rivers of Europe trip was Wertheim am Main, where the Tauber and Main Rivers meet.  Wertheim is a small and picturesque town with many half-timber houses [in German, Fachwerkhäuser], church towers and an old castle overlooking the town.

The Fachwerkhaus below is of special note because of the blue painted beams. Apparently, it was exceedingly expensive and difficult to make blue paint; so, the owner of this house was bragging to the neighbors that (s)he was of substantial means.

As in almost all German towns, there was a Jewish population prior to WW II. Little remains of the synagogues, and the people are certainly long gone. But, their memory is honored in a variety of ways. For example, there are small museums or remnants of the synagogue placed in the original location [see below]

In addition, throughout Germany and other European countries, small brass plates have been placed in the ground in front of the homes of former Jewish residents. I showed examples of them in a previous posting on Berlin. While I did not come across any in Wertheim [not to say that there aren’t any there], I did see a cluster in Heidelberg. I am showing it here because of the coincidence that the family name was Wertheimer.  The date of their birth, deportation and execution are given [but, Karl fled to Colombia in 1937].

To end this posting on a lighter note.... Storefronts usually hung signs identifying the nature of their wares available for purchase; and one could create an album of shots dedicated to just that. However, to be more selective, I am showing the one that made me laugh out loud. Bäckerei is a bakery.

Next week we will be in Würzburg, a 'sister city' to my home town, Rochester, NY.

Grand Circle River Tour 6: Heidelberg [Sky Watch Friday]

After an overnight sail to Frankfurt am Main [pronounced Mine], we disembarked and boarded buses that would take us to Heidelberg [on the Neckar River]. Rosemarie and I skipped the group morning walking tour since we were met by our nephew and his wife, who had driven from Lambsheim. We spent the next several hours with Eckhard and Elie making our own tour, which included visiting the University and its so-called prison [for misbehaving students]. I think it was less of a prison and more of a frat house, and probably a badge of honor to have spent time there, where they could express their creative juices.

After taking lunch in the public market, we walked back to the central meeting place and rejoined our group in order to visit Heidelberg Castle; while Eckhard and Elie drove off to visit their grandson. It was a bit of a hike up to the castle, and before long I managed to get separated from my group. But that left me more freedom to get the shots I was interested in taking, particularly those overlooking the city.

Grand Circle River Tour 5: Am Rhein [Sky Watch Friday]

According to the original itinerary, we were supposed to sail to Rudesheim along a stretch of the Rhein that passed through a valley dotted with vineyards and castles. Due to the low water level, the Adagio was not able to do this. So, our Program Directors engaged a group of buses to drive us to a convenient location where we could then board a smaller ship that could make the trip. The details escape me now, but the images are more important than how we did it. Note the steep hills where wine grapes are grown.
                                                                      Burg Maus

                                                                    Burg Katz

                                                                 
                                                                    Burg Sooneck

                                                                   Burg Stahleck

The building below, the Pfalz, is in the river and it served as a toll station exacting payment from vessels trying to pass by.

Since I knew that we would be passing through wine/castle country, I specifically packed my infra-red camera. Being a small and lightweight retrofitted Kodak camera, it was convenient to have along. The shot below is the best of the images. 

We arrived in Boppard [image below] where our buses had driven and waited to pick us up for a return to our ship. Tune in next week when we will be in Heidelberg.

Grand Circle River Tour 4: Koblenz [Sky Watch Friday]

As we slept comfortably that night, our ship sailed to Koblenz. Then, following breakfast on board, we made our way on foot into the city. As one might expect, there were church towers to admire.

  
For those of you who know of Max and Moritz, there was a delightful store and mural devoted to these two troublemakers.

Another character of importance in Koblenz lore is the young boy, Schängel. While I did not get a photo of him in the spurting water fountain, I noticed that manhole covers bear his image.

The most interesting feature of the city is the Deutsches Eck [German Corner], where the Mosel and  Rhein Rivers converge. A large promenade runs along the sides of the two, and a cable car ride spans the Rhein up to a fortress.

A monumental equestrian statue of Emperor Wilhelm I occupies a prominent spot. It is in honor of William I [of the House of the Hohenzollern], first King of Prussia [1861-1871], then Emperor [Kaiser] from 1871 until his death in 1888. He was responsible for the unification of Germany and establishment of the Empire.

Grand Circle River Tour 3: Köln [Cologne] [Sky Watch Friday]

We took leave of Amsterdam by bus to Köln [Cologne], where our ship awaited us. I was especially excited because, although I was well traveled in Germany, I had not yet been to Köln. I was looking forward especially to seeing the Dom [Cathedral].  As our bus approached the city, I was able to catch a glimpse of it in the distance, and I got a shot with my cell phone [image below]. Although the weather was unpleasant, the clouds and mist made the scene atmospheric.

Dedicated to St. Peter, construction was started in the mid 13th century and halted in the late 15th century. Work was restarted and complete in the 19th century. One of the two Gothic towers is undergoing some renovation, but most of the facade is not obstructed from view. Here are some exterior and interior shots of this magnificent church.

We were also treated to a pub visit where we could sample the city’s famous beer known Kölsch. It is served in 0.2 liter glasses that were filled while contained in a specially constructed circular tray [image below] while rapidly rotating the tray as the beer flowed continuously from a spigot.

                     After leaving the pub, I spied this figure on the wall of a nearby hotel.