Tuesday June 5th

I woke early this morning mainly because I wanted to see us enter the Canal and because I had done the blog last night. It seemed to me that nothing was happening. I was right . Apparently there was a 4.5 hour delay because of canal traffic and a mechanical problem with a lock door. Because of it times and departure points for the morning excursions have been changed.

We went to the dining room and had a very nice breakfast. Natalie and Herb joined us. I had lots of fruit and Ken had the French Toast.

There were more swan families on the canal. They are so lovely to see.

Today we are passing through the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. This travels 171 kl long and it goes from Kalheim to Bamberg

As far back as 1,200 years ago, visionary Frankish Emperor Charlemagne contemplated connecting the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers so ships could travel the length of Europe. Today his dream dramatically comes to life as this ingenious 106 mile canal cuts through the rolling hills of north central Bavaria with an elevation change of 574 feet between Bamberg and its highest point , the Hilpoltstein and Bachhausen locks. The Main-Danube Canal employs 16 stair step river locks that allow vessels to travel 2,200 miles through 10 countries, from the North Sea coast of Holland to the Black Sea shores of Romania.

The difference is 796 feet..Three of the locks take us up and 13 of the locks bring us down.  It takes 45 minutes to fill or to empty a lock. The time for transit has to be booked 2 years in advance and each crossing costs 2,000 EUROS.The speed limit on the canal is 11km. There is GPS navigation, there is no auto pilot and all 16 locks are now automated without a Lock Master.  The canal is closed from January to March. because of freezing and this is when major maintenance is done.

There is a point where there is an aquaduct and the canal goes over the highway.

The Viking ships are constructed to fit the locks. There are You tube videos which show the entire lock process. Just go to Viking River Cruises and locks.

After lunch we headed for our walking tour of Nuremberg.
The second largest city in Bavaria, Nuremberg is filled with traditional half-timbered houses and Gothic churches with intricate spires. Although nearly destroyed during World War II, the remaining medieval city walls stretch some three miles and feature original gateways and 80 original watchtowers. Nuremberg is well known historically for its metal and toy craftsmanship. But it is infamous for its role in World War II, first as the site of Zeppelin Field's Nazi rallies and later as the site of the war crimes trials at the Palace of Justice that captured the attention of a generation.

We had another amazing guide. We had a driving tour for an hour. Our guide Joseph was very informative. The day was hot but we decided to do the walking part which was also an hour.  

It is hard to believe that except for small portions of a church and some of the castle this city was flattened during WWII. All has been restored.

We also the "Most Beautiful Fountain".

The Grand Market is quite sprawling. At a shop next to the market we bought a can of gingerbread. I was surprised to learn that "gingerbread" does not contain ginger and is not bread . It is not the stuff of gingerbread men but instead is a fruit and nut sweet.

Then we stopped to look around the downtown including the grand market and the beautiful Frauenkirche Church.

. We bought an ice cream cone but the establishment made the grandest ice cream sundaes we have ever seen. They were very pricey but they looked fabulous.

We sat with Dennis and Nancy for dinner. When we were finished eating we went to the table where Paula and George were sitting. They are celebrating 47 years of marriage. Sandy and Frank were there celebrating with them also. Viking staff brought a lovely cake and serenaded them. A great way to end the day.