We spent the morning watching our riverboat go through some of the 67 locks we were scheduled to experience. We had now left the Rhine River and were cruising on the Main.
And then there was breakfast again with all its wonderful assortment of fruits, meats, muffins, pancakes and other wonderful delicacies.
At 10:00 we watched a glassblower named Karl Ittig (Wertheimer Glaskunst) demonstrate his craft. Karl said he'd worked with the famous glass sculptor Dale Chihuly. He explained the different kinds of glass and how they are blown and shaped.
We had a lighter lunch out at the Aquavit Terrace. I swear these river cruises could be all about the food.
Our tour leader for Miltenberg, Germany was Jens Hupe who was actually raised in South Africa. He informed us that Miltenberg was established before 1100, but was granted its name after 1200. Approximately 10,000 people live there, most are retired since it's a pretty area and far from other big cities.
Houses were once built with lumber studs and mud-filled straw (adobe?). Jens also said that roosters at the top of weather vanes remind people of St. Peter when Jesus predicted Peter would deny him three times before the rooster crowed.
85-90% of the Miltenberg population are Roman Catholic. The rest are Protestant and everyone must pay a church tax.
During 1590 through 1630 witch burning occurred in the city.
Interestingly we learned that "schmuck" means jewelry in German. So if someone calls you a schmuck, I guess you can consider yourself a real jewel.
We climbed up a rather steep hill to the Miltenburg Castle for a gorgeous panoramic view of Miltenberg.
Craig and Terry are fabulous travel companions because they are interested in seeing, learning and experiencing everything.
Considering the fact that Craig suffers pain in his knees and hips, we were amazed at how he was determined to keep up the rather rigorous pace of the more difficult walking and climbing routes.
We then found a wine seller and bought a small bottle of Jagermeister. Jägermeister is made with 56 herbs and spices at a strength of 35% alcohol by volume. We only looked for it because glassblower Karl said it would cure any cold. We figured mom might like to try it.
Back on the boat, we were enchanted to see two swans following alongside our windows.
And dinner? Oh yes! Another amazing meal!
POSTSCRIPT:
It might even have been cheaper if we'd bought it here in Hawaii not to mention not needing to carry it in our suitcase worrying it could break! Arrrghhh!
what a beautiful city. the architecture is amazing, the food is beautifully presented too!! The swans are so lovely aren't they, thank you for sharing this with us!
ReplyDeleteYou are now in a different area than our cruise took us. We stayed on the Rhine to Basel, Switzerland. As to the wifi on board it was fine. I think there was only one time when it went down and the crew was very apologetic about that. Interesting about the church tax because the guide in Speyer told us that Germans do pay a church tax if they are members of a church, but can opt out if they are not. We saw lots of closed churches which the guide attributed to people opting out of the church tax.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding? It's funny how the different guides might have different information. They also show different areas. I know this because Art got lost one day and had to join another tour group.
DeleteI have found things in our local grocery store that we bought in Mexico, hot sauce actually.
ReplyDeletehow fun to have such choices in meals and to see history come alive!
ReplyDeleteNow you know. LOL The only way I will ever get to these beautiful places are through your words and pictures. Thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteHope your friends on the big island were able to get off ok.
Oh yes, Jagermeister (Hunting Master) is a popular drink world wide. Even I like it. Just like cough syrup ;)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Jagermeister you bought in Germany was the same as what they sell here. I remember loving the German beers over there and being disappointed to learn it was different, even the same brands, in the US. It is because it must be pasteurized, which it wasn't in Germany. Love the pictures, BTW, of all the food! :-)
ReplyDeleteBavaria has always been pretty pro-catholic, though it's hard to know the true numbers as some "nones" are counted on church rolls officially. Apparently it's about a 1/4 of the population in Bavaria have no religion.
ReplyDeleteSchmuck! I love that word!
ReplyDeleteCraig might benefit from rolling his fascia out - there have been miraculous stories coming from 70+ year old seniors who have pains and disabilities. There is a large group out in Mililani and sometimes in Pearl City. I go to the Honolulu sessions. Check it out at TheFascianator.com. It hurts different people at different rolling points, but I notice a difference for myself.
Am thoroughly enjoying your trip. I would have taken lots of bacon, yummmmmm. I wonder if the Hawaii cruise ships have such good food.
Would be interesting to learn how "schmuck" morphed into the meaning we associate it with. A long way from jewelry. I was thinking along the lines of Lin of how what you saw made history become visual.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you have left the Rhine and are following the Main River. Those old German towns are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThank you for the reminder. I've just added it to the post. You are so observant.
DeleteBeautiful scenery. Don't let Mom mix the sake and the Jugermeister! I think I can skip dinner just having looked at your food photos. Linda in Kansas, by the Kaw and Missouri Rivers.
ReplyDeleteI used to drink Jägermeister, we have it in Canada, too.
ReplyDeleteI wish I knew more about architecture. It's just fascinating. A lovely trip.