It's 1.30pm on Saturday 4th May and we are docked just outside Regensburg on a sunny afternoon and as a treat we have just had an 'Ice Cream Party 'aboard after lunch. There must be 10 river cruise ships here so a popular and busy place. I will be off in about 30 minutes for a walking tour of the town and then Kafffee & Kuchen!
Since I last posted we have finished our transit of the Main – Danube Canal and have begun the last leg of cruise along the Danube River. Yesterday evening we negotiated 3 of the deepest locks on the Canal, each being over 25 metres in rise. Since joining the Main River at 2 metres above sea-level we have steadily ascended to 406 metres above sea-level over the Franconia Mountains. We have now begun our descent to Budapest but more about the locks and the Canal in a later post.
Once again, I'm going to draw on Wikipedia to provide an historical and cultural introduction to Bamberg.
The town dates back to the 9th century, when its name was derived from the nearby Babenberch castle. It's described as one of Germany's most beautiful towns, with medieval streets and buildings, the old town of Bamberg with around 2,400 timber houses has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993.
Bamberg is located in Franconia, 63 km (39 mi) north of Nuremberg by railway and 101 km (63 mi) east of Würzburg, also by rail. It is situated on the Regnitz river, 3 km (1.9 mi) before it flows into the Main river.
Bamberg extends over seven hills, each crowned by a church and has led to Bamberg being called the "Franconian Rome". The hills are Cathedral Hill, Michaelsberg, Kaulberg/Obere Pfarre, Stefansberg, Jakobsberg, Altenburger Hill and Abtsberg.
There are also tunnels beneath the town. These were originally constructed as mines which supplied sandstone for construction. Mining came to an end in 1920 but 7.5 mi (12.1 km) of the tunnel network remained and were used as air raid shelters during World War II.
Bamberg escaped major devastation. There were incidents in the closing months of the war. Bombing ruined three of Bamberg's numerous breweries and killed a number of people taking shelter in a beer garden in 1945. Most of the major monuments and historical landmarks escaped damage but over 300 buildings were totally destroyed..
Bamberg is famous for its smoked Rauchbier, a type of beer with a distinctive smoky flavour imparted by using malted barley dried over fires made from beechwood logs. The malt and fermenting beer are then stored under the brewery in the maze of tunnels which have a very stable moisture and temperature.
It is said to have the flavour of bacon and that when tasting it for the first time you should not smell the beer before drinking and you should drink in long drafts. After a pint or two you will enjoy the flavour!!
I declined but instead found a delightful Café and in my best German (Not spoken for more years than I care to remember I managed to order Kaffee und Ein Stuck Apfel Kuchen and have a short but meaningful conversation in German!!
Just 3 photos: A view from the Rose Garden of the Palace overlooking the roof tops of the City; the Old Rathaus (Town Hall) and the area close to the old harbour wharf now known as Little Venice.
