Good night's sleep and awoke to grey skies as we arrive at Bamberg. After breakfast we have to bus it to near the conference centre and then start our guided walk into the city. We have left the Main Danube canal and are now on the quaint Main River. Bamberg was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983. Just love the buildings already.
/>
The Regnitz River runs through the centre of town separating the old town from the new. Our guide Stephanie takes us to the cathedral which is no mean feat, avoiding cyclists and cars. The cobblestone roads are marked by little silver domes which means that we are never quite sure if we are on a road or a footpath.
The population is about 70,000 of which 10% are students and I'm sure they all ride bikes as we were dodging them for most of the morning! We also walked through the rose garden of the palace of the Prince Bishop Frederick Schonborn which was quite lovely, even though we were at the end of the season.
Two bridges over the river had lovely old painted buildings. Bamberg has been dubbed 'Little Venice' and I can understand why in seeing the little bridges and waterways.
The buildings and homes in the old town are just wonderful. Just wish the sun was shining a bit more so that the photos do true justice to how pretty this little town is.
When we have free time we head for a drink and B and I share a jam donut. We then wander about the shops and really could have gone mad if we had a lot more time.
But for now, it is time to head back to the coach as it is coach pick up time and we are cutting it fine with only 5 minutes to spare but we weren't last as two ladies actually missed the coach but were spotted down the street as we headed off and so were able to be picked up enroute. They were very lucky though, as no sooner were we dropped off near the ship and boarded and we set sail. The sun has come out, shining brightly. Already time for lunch and then there is the opportunity to go to an apple strudel making demonstration but B and I both decide to give it a miss. I have hand washing to do, photos to download and a blog to get up to date. So after chores are complete, we have a hot drink and a chocolate covered gingerbread cookie to share (that B bought yesterday). Yummy. There is a Hugh Jackman X-Men movie of some description on the tv so we half watch that whilst enjoying the sunshine, scenery, rest with our feet up, cuppa and gingerbread. An idyllic way to spend the afternoon. once again lovely scenery along the banks. Unfortunately I keep losing internet connection so a big problem in trying yo upload photos and save the bog, but I'm persevering... Sigh...
I even have time to share some more gems on Bamberg... Bamberg has 9 breweries in the town alone and 81 others in the surrounding region that produce over 200 different types of beers. Rauchbier (smoked beer) is a specialty: dark, red ale with a smoky flavour and an aftertaste of bacon. It sounds awful but apparently is okay after the third one! None of our group tried it so I can't give you a firsthand opinion.
Now it's time for a Travel talk from Anja in the lounge. All goes well for about an hour when she is called away due to a medical emergency for one of the passengers... We suspect a possible heart attack but that isn't confirmed. An ambulance us called and we head fir a bridge that we can see the ambulance on top of, but then we move further upriver near shore where an ambulance arrives and the woman is winched over from the ship to the shore. She heads for hospital where she will be monitored overnight. The sticky beaks on the ship are a pain, but most of us stay in the lounge, like we are asked to do and the cruise manager Lech, steps in and attempts to keep us engaged. Finally all the drama is over and we head back to our cabins for a few minutes before we then head to dinner.
After dinner we go to the lounge where Anja holds a game of 'Liars'. If you have ever played Balderdash you will know that it is about picking the correct definition of a word (a word that no one has ever used before, but really does exist) amongst a number of false answers. It dragged on way too long for my liking but we managed to sit it out. So now it is well and truly bed time. Has been a good day and we are likely to have an even better, and busier, one in store tomorrow.
The Regnitz River runs through the centre of town separating the old town from the new. Our guide Stephanie takes us to the cathedral which is no mean feat, avoiding cyclists and cars. The cobblestone roads are marked by little silver domes which means that we are never quite sure if we are on a road or a footpath.
The population is about 70,000 of which 10% are students and I'm sure they all ride bikes as we were dodging them for most of the morning! We also walked through the rose garden of the palace of the Prince Bishop Frederick Schonborn which was quite lovely, even though we were at the end of the season.
Two bridges over the river had lovely old painted buildings. Bamberg has been dubbed 'Little Venice' and I can understand why in seeing the little bridges and waterways.
The buildings and homes in the old town are just wonderful. Just wish the sun was shining a bit more so that the photos do true justice to how pretty this little town is.
When we have free time we head for a drink and B and I share a jam donut. We then wander about the shops and really could have gone mad if we had a lot more time.
But for now, it is time to head back to the coach as it is coach pick up time and we are cutting it fine with only 5 minutes to spare but we weren't last as two ladies actually missed the coach but were spotted down the street as we headed off and so were able to be picked up enroute. They were very lucky though, as no sooner were we dropped off near the ship and boarded and we set sail. The sun has come out, shining brightly. Already time for lunch and then there is the opportunity to go to an apple strudel making demonstration but B and I both decide to give it a miss. I have hand washing to do, photos to download and a blog to get up to date. So after chores are complete, we have a hot drink and a chocolate covered gingerbread cookie to share (that B bought yesterday). Yummy. There is a Hugh Jackman X-Men movie of some description on the tv so we half watch that whilst enjoying the sunshine, scenery, rest with our feet up, cuppa and gingerbread. An idyllic way to spend the afternoon. once again lovely scenery along the banks. Unfortunately I keep losing internet connection so a big problem in trying yo upload photos and save the bog, but I'm persevering... Sigh...
I even have time to share some more gems on Bamberg... Bamberg has 9 breweries in the town alone and 81 others in the surrounding region that produce over 200 different types of beers. Rauchbier (smoked beer) is a specialty: dark, red ale with a smoky flavour and an aftertaste of bacon. It sounds awful but apparently is okay after the third one! None of our group tried it so I can't give you a firsthand opinion.
Now it's time for a Travel talk from Anja in the lounge. All goes well for about an hour when she is called away due to a medical emergency for one of the passengers... We suspect a possible heart attack but that isn't confirmed. An ambulance us called and we head fir a bridge that we can see the ambulance on top of, but then we move further upriver near shore where an ambulance arrives and the woman is winched over from the ship to the shore. She heads for hospital where she will be monitored overnight. The sticky beaks on the ship are a pain, but most of us stay in the lounge, like we are asked to do and the cruise manager Lech, steps in and attempts to keep us engaged. Finally all the drama is over and we head back to our cabins for a few minutes before we then head to dinner.
After dinner we go to the lounge where Anja holds a game of 'Liars'. If you have ever played Balderdash you will know that it is about picking the correct definition of a word (a word that no one has ever used before, but really does exist) amongst a number of false answers. It dragged on way too long for my liking but we managed to sit it out. So now it is well and truly bed time. Has been a good day and we are likely to have an even better, and busier, one in store tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment