Miltenberg Friday 5 September

Went through a number of locks through the night. As the river is very busy, we have had to slow down so timetables are quite fluid of when we are likely to arrive in Miltenberg. After a late breakfast we are happy to sit in the lounge and read. can't get over all the long stretches of caravans and tents along the river front. Most look like they are fairly permanent set ups. Some have at least 3 rows back from the water front. Not sure how accurate this is but some of the spots charge 100 Euro per night for a spot right on the water edge and it is a bit cheaper the further you are from the river. Also not sure how many of them are gypsies too.

It really is very relaxing and such beautiful greenery. Once we are out of the locks, the river is so smooth and reflections are lovely.

Lunch is the usual buffet of salads and wraps, plus a hot dish. It had usually been a pasta dish but today is beef goulash which was really good. We then arrive in Miltenberg. There is a culinary walking tour on offer where you get yo try a local beer and a meat sandwich, but as I've been here before and remember how pretty a little village it is, Julie and I prefer to walk around on our own.

I had no idea what this place was, originally thinking it might be a brothel, but apparently it was an artist's workshop. Certainly very eclectic in his choice of muses if the painted lady in the top left window is anything to go by!

It really is a pretty little village.

I recall climbing to the top of an old castle, so Julie and I head up a very steep hill, and the views from the top were amazing.

The castle at the top is now a museum. We take a different path back down the hill and wind up in a much more modern shopping district. There is a fair with side shows and various displays along the waterfront. There is a huge beer hall that we walk through with an oompah band on the stage. I wasn't interested in listening to them so left Julie there as I wandered around the fair and then made my way back to the boat. Such pretty flower displays along the path and a very novel water feature near the toilet block!

Once back on board, time for a hot chocolate, some reading and the blog before dinner as we say goodbye to Miltenberg. Once we are underwater it rains steadily for a while so we are very pleased to have missed the rsin. Dinner is a fun affair with Tony and Tricia, plus Graham and Linda who we met the other day. We were all in stitches when Tony (who is Italian) was telling us about his wine making adventures and how he had to siphon the wine. I told him that I still had some of my panty hose from patrol days over 40 years ago, the same type worn by Ansett air hostesses, with a reinforced heel and a cotton gusset that breathes! I was quick to add that I had never tried breathing through my gusset but many of the guys I worked with wanted any spare packets I had, supposedly to tie up their tomato plants. As I still have some of those blasted packets of panty hose, I offered Tony a pair to try with his wine making so will be sending him a pair when I return home! The conversation around this topic was hilarious. I was laughing so much that my cheeks hurt. We were amongst the last to leave the dining room after what has been a lovely day (5 1/2 km walk through Miltenberg) plus our evening dining experience so it time for me to head to the cabin and get some rest. We have another big day ahead of us in Wurzburg.