Wurzburg, Bavaria is on the banks of the Main. It's a university town noted for its students & vineyards. We toured the Residenz Palace which is the grandes Baroque Palace in Germany. It was built between 1720 & 1744 under the direction of the architect Balthasar Neuman. The monumental Grand staircase is one of Neumann's masterpieces. The frescoes decorating the vaulted ceiling are by the Venetian Tiepolo, as well as the frescoes in the Imperial Hall & the Palace church. Also saw the Cabinet of Mirrors (mirrored ceiling & walls) & the intimate Court Chapel. I bought more postcards. Then we took a short walking tour of the city.

After getting back on the bus, we were taken to Rothenburg. We had lunch at the Hotel Timan Riemenfdoneider. While waiting for it to be served, Carol took me to a nearby store. She knew I was looking for 47-11 cologne. I bought for myself, Debbie, Laurie & Katie. Some of the food was passable enough for me to eat a bit. We had noodle soup, salad, mashed potatoes, saukraut, sausage, & hazelnut ice cream with strawberry sauce & a cookie.

Then we took a walking tour through one of the best preserved Medieval walled cities in Europe & the highling of Germany's "Romantic Road". As well as being old, the town is both picturesque & unspoiled. Rothenburg's ancient houses, street signs, fountains, & narrow cobbled lanes seems all at once in some kind of time-warp, plunged back to the middle of the 16th century. I took a picture of Jane in front of the Hotel, houses, town houses, in the distance.

Another place I found both interesting & amazing: "The long drink (Meistertrunk) - During the Thirty Years War, the Protestant Rothenburg fell to the Imperial army commanded by General Tilly. Tilly decided to raze the town. All pleas for mercy having been rejected, the Burgonmaster as a last resort offered the victorious general a goblet of the very best local wine...and the miracle occurred. His heart warmed by generosity, Tilly offered a way out. He would spare the town if some eminent local could empty in a single draught ahanap (a 6-pint tankard) of the same wine. A man named Nusch, a former Burgonmaster, succeeded in this exploit & Rothenburg was saved. North of the Marketplatz (Market Square) is the gable of an ancient inn, the Ratstrinkstube, on which the figures of an animated clock re-enact mechanically the famous legend of the Long Drink." A Glockenspiel playhs, the shutters open, the mayer drinks a 1/2 leder mug of wine, the shutters close. Different!

We met the ship at Volkach at 5:30 after which the River Queen continued sailing. After dinner we were entertained by local musicians from Rothenburg in the lounge. She played the harp (one of my favorite instruments). He played the guitar, the flute, & both sang together & separately. I enjoyed their music so much that I bought their CD. Then I went over to the harpist & had her sign it for me.

Went through locks between Amsterdam & Vienna. The Main River & Maine Danube Canal. Lohr am Main	Gardens outside Residenz Palace Wurzburg, Bavaria
Scenes of Wurzburg A beautiful place
Houses & a Church - Rothenburg
Wurzburg, Bavaria, Inside Palace Church	Wurzburg, Bavaria, Gardens outside Residenz Palace

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	Sign my guestbook