Index: Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George

Thank you all who have read your way through our five-country grand tour along the Rhine, Main, and Danube, with a handful of days in Prague to boot (we were gone May 12 - May 30). To sum up, here's what was best about this Viking Cruise, beyond the wonderful company of Judy and Roger, our too kind benefactors:

• Wonderful, personal, attached local guides
• Great location-appropriate onboard food and drink
• A chance to see so many places that only seem to exist in films or dreams
• Our terrific, patient, funny and knowledgeable cruise director Stein Dyb, who stayed with us the whole trip even though we had to take two different ships

And to help you find all these posts, as the chronicling of the trip took 10x longer than the trip itself:

Prague, Czech Republic (flying and arrival) Day 1
Prague, Czech Republic (city touring) Day 2
Prague, Czech Republic (Sedlec, Kutna Hora) Day 3
Budapest, Hungary (bus trip, night cruise) Day 1
Budapest, Hungary (bus tour, friend visit) Day 2
Vienna (Prater, plus Slovakia sail through), Austria Day 1
Vienna (city tour and The Belvedere), Austria Day 2
Melk (and Danube sailing), Austria
Passau, Germany
Regensburg, Germany
Nuremberg, Germany
Bamberg, Germany
Wurzburg, Germany
Wertheim, Germany
Koblenz (castles, Marksburg), Germany
Cologne, Germany
Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George (Day 12)

Shedding a Tir

So the water levels never lowered and Viking came up with an ingenious solution--we are to switch ships with the cruise doing our route coming the other way. They will continue on to Budapest on our boat, while we sail on to Amsterdam on theirs. We are told this the night before, as we must pack up and get our suitcases labeled and in the hallway by 7 am so they can be trucked to the Vali, our new ship (and I mean new--the Tir was the second newest in the Viking fleet, the Vali the newest by a couple of days). We also spend a sad night saying goodbye to the crew that has taken such good care of us--bye bye, Harris, fine bartender! Luckily we get to keep Stein. (I hope he felt the same way.)

That photo above is across the Main-Donau Kanal from where we board the Vali, just a bit of evidence not every moment of the cruise is a scenic snapshot. Or is a different kind, if you get tired of villages and churches and vineyards, but still want a few goats chomping along the banks. Yawn to all that pastoral beauty! Give me this stuff.

Which for my Euros still looks sort of composed. I mean, something had to influence Gerhard Richter. The good news is that this transfer goes as smoothly as possible, given the ships are of the same design--you end up in the same stateroom and everything.

We board a bus, and are off to Bamberg, but get a couple last fascinating glimpses of Regensburg. Like this tower that perspective makes look as if its face is melting.

Promise that is before the beer to come in Bamberg. And speaking of melty faces, spot the photographer's in this one, a last river shot of Regensburg, our longer home than we had expected.

Wham, Bam, Thank You Berg

It's Day 12 of this, folks, written three-and-a-half-months after the day actually happened. The jokes aren't going to get better. But Bamberg does have the distinction of largely surviving WW II unscathed, so that makes it postcard precious. Take what gets called Little Venice, on the Regnitz that flows through town.

So cute brushing up against gorgeous, no? The funny thing is, these used to be the fishermen's houses, and were thought of as sort of the town's slum, because you know what also happened to rivers in the middle ages? Let's put it this way--you can't spell pre-17th century sewer system without r-i-v-e-r. Today we think living near the water is charming; back in the day, cholera was calling. Of course real estate is all about timing. Take Hellerhaus, which was the birthplace of Josef Heller, and that's not a Catch-22. It's a different Heller, and since the house is not yell-er, let's call it a Wedgewood come to life.

Bamberg is quite famous for its Old Town Hall, ye olde Alte Rathaus, that straddles the river on a bridge. You can see lots of photos of that. Somehow, I did not take that angle, but the place is wonderfully muraled and a pleasant view from other sides, too.

And then there are buildings with frescoes like this one, that I thought I remembered had once been some kind of hospital/sanitarium, but I can't find a name even using all my internety powers.

Some sections of town were house-to-house....

but then this photo shows it's a mighty green town.

Just don't steal anything, as the penalties are harsh. (Look closely to the left of the stations of the cross image.)

Dom, Dom, Dom, Platz

Cathedrals are doms, platz are squares, and Bamberg does their better than most. Of course I might be a bit partial as the official name of the church is Dom St Peter und St Georg. While it's the third cathedral on the site, it still dates from the 13th century. (I made that a short sentence so you could think about that for a second.) It gets to be both  Romanesque and Gothic, as it got built through both architectural periods. And they're still keeping it up today, as you can see.

Not being royalty, we didn't get to use the Fürstenportal (princes' portal), but we were allowed to snaps photographs.

Inside there are all sort of fun finds, like the Bamberg horseman. Nobody is sure who he is, or why he's in the cathedral, on a horse, and not a saint or anything.

But there is a statue of St. Denis, and I bet you can guess his untimely earthly end (no, it's not being slightly out out of focus, sorry about that).

Here's your word for the day--statues that carry their own heads are cephalophores. There are out and out tombs, too, like the one for beloved rulers Heinrich-II and Kunigunde, the folks in power when the cathedral was founded.

Next to the cathedral, you can wander into the Alte Hofhaltung, which just sounds like a Jethro Tull classic. Inside the courtyards it loks like the Globe Theater almost (partially as it is set up for a performance the day we're there), but the gate into the courtyard was what I want to share with you.

And across the way is the Neue Residenz, as it's a mere 400 years old. (Europe is good at making Americans feel very immature.) Despite being beautifully baroque, I will instead show you the view from its rose garden, as the whole Domplatz is at the town's top point, of course, being all powerfully religious and imperial.

Signs of Those Times

While many of the German towns have had great building signs--clearly they lack a draconian sign committee like the oneSanta Barbara has, keeping our town free from, well, anything interesting--Bamberg had many of the best, so here's just a sampling, starting with a shot down one street so you can realize how much sign-festation there is.

Smoke Gets in Your Beer

Of course, Bamberg is quite famous for rauchbier, or smoke beer, and we had to have some at the source as we're are smoke-loving fools. That meant running to Schlenkerla in the brief time we had after our tour and before getting to our new boat. They have a great sign, too, as you might expect given they've been brewing this stuff since the 14th century.

Inside even on a bright day it's almost as dark as the beer--oh, who am I kidding, nothing is as dark as they beer--plus the light fixtures are bare-bulbed and walk a fine charming-creepy line.

Here's your beer menu, all we have time for, and Chryss is more than pleased to see what the more traditional one is like, because if you can go session when having beer at noon, why not. Do note that while the marzen is a powerfully flavored beer, it's still under 6% alcohol itself. Plus they quote Ben Franklin, of course that might just be only on the English language menus.

Is it amazing? Yes, it is. Smoky as Satan's lapels, but a clean smoke, rich and satisfying and clean and dry, so you can down a .5 l no problem and not get tired of it, as is the case with so many flavored beers. A once in a lifetime worth it drink, especially in the tavern.

Nothing Rude about the Vali

That's a bad pun for four seasons, I know. But we get to our new boat, much like our old boat, and the food just keeps coming. Like here's a quick shot of some of lunch, with the chef's station carbonara foreground and a tortilla espanola toward the back. All as yummy as what we had on the Tir. Consistency seems strong with Viking.

Then lets jump ahead dinner, even if that was hours later, following a toast to our guests from Captain Georgi and Hotel Manager Eddy. Have I said one of the best moments on the cruise was sitting in the cocktail lounge, sipping a happy hour martini, reading a good book (finally read the terrific, encompassing, inspiring Love Goes to Buildings on Fire, which I recommend to all my music friends), and watching Europe sail by?

Heck, even the blandest of bridges might float into art.

So, then, dinner. The soup hit parade continued on the Vali, and even better, something a bit different scwarzwurzelsuppe mit krautercroutons, or, if you prefer, creamy salsify soup with her croutons.

That spell check doesn't recognize salsify simply makes it like most people--looks like a parsnip, related to the dandelion, tastes vaguely oyster-esque with less brine. It makes, like most of the weird root vegetables, a fine soup. I passed up a goat cheese souffle for it, and don't regret my decision.

Chryss had the regional entree this night, a lentil ragout with a bread dumpling, as it's against the law to serve a dinner in Germany without one dumpling on each menu. Plus, really good, too!

I went very non-German, with a faux filet (a roasted NY) au Roquefort, despite the sauce looking more gravy-brown than cheesy white.

It was good, but not the best of all my cruise meals. Of course I'm mighty picky about steak when I choose to eat some, so there's that too. (All of you who have had my grilled tri-tip raise your hands.) Then I ran against my usual taste, as I'm not a bread pudding fan, and opted for the scheiterhaufen for dessert. If you know some German, or how to Google, that word actually translates to wood piled for a pyre, but luckily no witches stopped by the table and I just got to enjoy its apple-y richness, especially with that red current compote giving it a tangy zip.

Go back and read Day 11 of Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George

Go ahead and read Day 13 of Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George

Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George (Day 11)

Germany in a Door Handle a Day

That's what greets you at the door of St. Sebaldus Church, who is the patron saint of Nuremberg, despite, as Wikipedia kindly puts it, his "insecure historicity." (Note to self--there's a title for your memoirs if you ever write them.) Hello, death. You are everywhere, and can be expressed in the simplest of hints of form. How particularly fitting to be in Nuremberg, though. For now we probably think of this city as most associated with Word War II--site of Nazi rallies held at still monumental structures like the Colosseum-esque Congress Hall that you can cruise around inside via bus

or the Zeppelinfeld, where you still expect to see swastika-emblazoned banners to hang, flanking old you-know-who in mid-racist rant. (No, not 45*.)

Of course the town is the site of the Nuremberg Trials, too, trying to correct the massive wrongs through reason (after war won the day). The Palace of Justice is the calm spot all that went down.

But then Nuremberg was also home to one of art's great geniuses, Albrecht Durer. There's a plaque on what was once his house--oh, about WW II, it pretty much meant all of Nuremberg was destroyed. That so much of it is re-built, that's another testament, too. Humans, damn complex.

Speaking of complex, the original organ in St. Sebaldus was for a long time one of the oldest playable organs in the world, well, until it got destroyed in WWII. Some dude named Johann Pachelbel was organist there in the day, and wrote one of classical music's greatest hits on that organ. So there's that, too. But, how 'bout some more death just to keep us modest?

Or let's instead celebrate how we can be artful, visionary, builders, and re-builders, despite all we know. Here's some more of St. Sebaldus, spectacular church to a saint we're not sure even existed, and probably a minor cathedral as Europe's clutch of holy edifices goes.

Noshing through Nuremberg

Since the Tir is till stuck in Regensburg thanks to the high water (better that then hell), we motorcoach to Nuremberg, which isn't far. It's cool to get to see some of the non-riverside country-side, too. You may spy on a village....

or a lovely lake-let.

From that countryside comes the delights for sale at the Nuremberg farmers market in its Haputmarkt. Made us want to cook just to play with those gorgeous white asparagus.

And we also bought some souvenirs for the family back home, some lebkuchen, a flourless gingerbread cookie Nuremberg is noted for that's not what you might expect given that description. It's more a spice cookie (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, aniseed, cardamom, allspice, coriander, oh, yeah, and ginger), and of course comes in decorative tins. Souvenir city, you are Lebkuchen Schmidt.

We even got to taste them when we got home and they are uniquely yummy. Since we were in Nuremberg from 11-4 and away from our talented kitchen crew, Viking took us to lunch to try Nuremberg's famous sausages. It seems every German town argues its sausages and beer are the best, and since we didn't try many in other towns, we'll have to go with what we were offered at Bratwurst Roslein, founded in 1431. Somehow their motto is not "Centuries of Sausages!" Note, what we think of us bratwurst isn't what Franconians (the area Nuremberg is in) think of us bratwurst, so they are shorter and thinner, and meant to please on their porky own. As on this plate with potatoes and sauerkraut (cabbage is sort of air in Germany, you know).

Yep, they are grilled, by the many dozens, especially when 150 folks from Viking show up hungry.

And it wasn't just a sausage plate, for the lunch kicked off with a very interesting soup with a noodle that was weirdly, pleasingly doughy--almost something you'd expect in an Asian dish.

Oh, they had a veggie option for Chryss, something soupy-stewy she liked enough. Germans don't seem to have got word of the vegan sausage revolution the U.S. has embraced.

And then a dessert, too, a version of a Black Forest cake with more ice cream, and what could be wrong with that?

Here's the exterior, not that exciting a shot, but there's Program Director Stein (in the red Viking shirt facing the camera) probably explaining something he's said eight times for the ninth to one of our fellow passengers.

And to ruin chronology--but the trip is so many weeks ago, what does that even mean at this point--after we did our bus and walking tour of town with the local guide provided by Viking, we opted to rest and reconnoiter and drink at Bratwursthäusle, with its lovely outside tables taking in town hall across the street. The Trucher beer there was fine, but more striking was our waiter, oddly aggressive for a server ("you are only ordering the .3 l sir?")--picture Rolf from Sound of Music going bad, as you just know he did. Of course, still full we refused to eat, so that might have set his tip-seeking heart off, who knows?

Gorgeous Old Stuff Re-Built

So then there's all the scenic scenes Nuremberg offers, from its Beautiful Fountain (Schoner Brunen) in Haupmarkt--that's its actual name--to a much more modern sculpture called The Ship of Fools which I chose to photo in detail, because today's post has a theme and we love Halloween and all that.

And while Nuremberg is off the Main-Danube where we should be docked, it's got its own river flowing through its middle, the Pegnitz, which means reasons for many a photo, showing how the town's got old and new a-scritching and a-scratching upon each other (probably given all the old was re-built as the new got built).

Spot the locals and their wedding photos. It's a theme of the trip!

Perhaps the couple will bid troth in Frauenkirche, which I'm pretty sure translates as "Church with Pointy Roof."

And speaking of keeping things old, forget about using your phone as a watch here, you just need a handy sundial.

Lots of wonderful wooden houses, none more scenic than this one.

And the historic (yes, restored) walls of the town still have impressive gates like Frauentor.

I'm contractually obligated to take a photo of every St. George depiction I see.

And while this one doesn't spell museum mvsevm as one of my poems does, it was still pretty enough to be worth a photo, I think.

Kaiserburg, the Town's Crown

The bus tour portion of our trip kindly leaves us at the highest point of town, a complex dating back to 1040 that is actually three castles, cleverly atop the town to be both commanding and easier to defend. Some of it looks likes this

and then from the top you get views like this over Nuremberg

Of course there are towers that tower over you too, as you can't have too much a height advantage.

And some narrow passages, just in case your enemy gets inside somehow--it's easier to pick them off 4 a-breast than 20 a-breast.

At least I don't think back in the day they were considering tourists might one day think, "Great framing device, thanks!"

Dinner and Two Shows

Meanwhile back at the still stuck thanks to the water levels Tir in Regensburg, we are docked alongside a carnival/fair called the Dult. The coolest thing about it is that people get dressed up, and by that I mean

That's just a few of the folks in their dirndls or lederhosen, but I felt funny taking too many voyeuristic spy photos, if that makes sense. But it was good to see traditional clothes were still being embraced by the young, and not just in some ironic way--most of the people dressed that way were looking mighty good. So congrats, Regensburg.

As for dinner, I'm sure I am surprising you by once again ordering off the regional special menu. Someone had fun with the madeline in the kitchen, as you can see from my opening salad--ochsenmaulsalat & knodel carpaccio. How German--we will offer you carpaccio of dumplings!

Turns out you can make the seemingly heavy, a beef salad with dumplings, be light on its elegant feet if you work hard enough, slice thin enough. And zip it up with a brandy vinaigrette.

Chryss went for a more salady-salad, featuring spinach, artichoke, radicchio, and a forest mushroom vinaigrette.

Then for my main the mouthful, both as a name and a dish, kassler sauerkraut salzkartoffeln, or cured pork loin with sauerkraut and parsley potatoes. Hearty-licious.

While Chryss enjoyed the sauteed Chinese egg noodles with yet more mushrooms (although shiitake aren't from the German forest, we think), even if the spicy sesame-soy sauce made it a tad too salty.

Plums awaited with dessert, zwetschgenkuchen mit sahne, aka whipped cream.

After dessert the ship offered some onboard special entertainment--show two after watching the dress up parade headed to the Dult. I don't have pictures, but that's ok as this was really about sound. Two women singers and one man, accompanied by their own pianist, regaled us with what was billed as "an unforgettable evening highlighting the greatest melodies of Mozart and Lehar." These Danube-infused tunes were charming, in particular when one audience volunteer got to play the man fought over by the two sopranos.

Go back and read Day 10 of Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George 

Go ahead and read Day 12 of Ain't Europe Grand (Tour) with Chryss and George