Bavaria

Tuesday May 12th.  We are on our way to Bamberg, Germany.  The river is the Main and the Danube canal.  Bamberg is built on seven hills ( just like ancient Rome) and a gem of Franconia.  It is known for smoked beer and white asparagus. More on this area later in the day.

For the past 2 days we have been cruising down the Main River with over 38 locks to go through.  Along the way we have stopped at Miltenberg.  This is a typical German medieval town with adorable half-timber houses and cobblestoned streets.  It really looks like it is stuck in time. From there we went to Wertheim, known for glass blown art.  Another medieval town.  Seeing as how this was on Sunday, the shops were closed so we all had a nice stroll around both towns.  The Main River is smaller than the Rhine and it means snake in German.

More locks!

Quaint charming houses!

Yesterday we were in Wurzburg, the home of the Prince Bishops.  A Prince-Bishop was not only a bishop of the church but the secular ruler as well. Napolean abolished them 1803 with the creation of "King of Bavaria". 
The "Residenz"is a wonderful example of Baroque architecture.  It definitely a testament to the wealth at that time.  This palace was fashioned after Versailles with a mirrored room, baroque bedrooms and the sweeping staircase .  The Venetian artist Giovani Battista Tiepolo who did the frescos on the ceilings.  The largest of its kind.  The gardens are also fashioned after Versailles.

In the afternoon we traveled to Rothenburg on the Tauber.  This is a walled medieval city that is still standing and thriving.  It is also the home of the Christmas market and very pretty. 

Julie and I walking the wall of Rothenburg!

As you can gather most of these stops along the main are for positioning the passage through the locks.  All of the side trips are about an hour to an hour and a half of bus riding (one of my favorites! NOT) but the country side is gorgeous with the vines for wine and the fields full of canola ( Yellow flowers)