First of all let me just say that we found a trip for Penny! The Queen Mary 2 has a Kennel! All pets are allowed! They even sell Queen Mary cat and doggie bowls, neck collars, sitting mats and animal clothing all sporting the Queen Mary and Cunard logo! Penny can be treated like the Queen she is on this ocean liner!
The Queen Mary 2 is the largest and grandest ocean liner in the world. We could not think of a better way to end our European Lieber-Trip than with a transatlantic voyage home on the Queen Mary 2. This ship holds about 4,000 people and they serve over 15,000 meals a day! The Cunard Cruise Line is known for their “Whit Star Service” this means they pledge to make this a legendary, elegant and memorable cruising experience.
To our surprise when we boarded the ship, we had gotten an upgrade and we had some lovely gifts waiting for us in our room! Thank you! Our days on board were spent winning our Cunard Golden Tickets (very similar to the Holland America Dam Dollas), playing trivia, darts and other games like shuffle board and quoits. Of course Josh won at quoits beating a man probably twice his age, this is an old Lieberman tactic that we learned from our dad when he goes and plays tennis, we finally figured out how he wins! Also, Scott got first place in darts! We also did get a perfect score during one of the trivia events (they repeated the quiz from earlier in the week and we remembered the answers)! We need to give a “shout-out” to our new friends from Worcester; she threw a bean bag into the pool and has a sock puppet, but that’s ok because she is from Worcester so we do understand! We also got to experience a planetarium and an audio walking tour of the ship!
On the first night in the casino we were playing 50 cent tokens on roulette in honor of Stacy’s birthday and we both won! At first I was paid out as if we were playing with dollar tokens and then when Scott was getting a payout he caught himself and paid Scott in 50 cent tokens and he then proceeded to pay me again with the 50 cent payout! I made three times my actual winnings! Holla! On this cruise we met two French girls who sat at our table and had a blast with them, we did some dancing like Marilyn Monroe (the British will understand that). We attended an Ascot Ball where all the women wore some crazy hats, played baggies and wacky bowling and we are happy to report that neither of us ended up making any donations to the casino. Sally spin the wheel, Sally spin the wheel!
This cruise was great!
It is 5:30am on August 31, 2007 and we have just cruised past the Statue of Liberty, you know what this means, we are home! It is has been an amazing journey filled with good times, lots of laughter, amazing sights and opportunities. The friendships that we have made and the ones we have been reunited with along the way is what truly helped make this a journey of a lifetime! Thank you all for everything! Well, I guess the real question is, where are we going to go next summer?
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Happy Birthday Stacy (8/25), Bournemouth, England, The Hardcastle’s, and Cricket
After leaving Bath, we took a train to visit the hometown of another great camp friend, Luke Hardcastle. We were only spending 24 hours there, but boy did we see and do a lot. Bournemouth is a town which is situated along the bluffs of England’s Southern Coast. When you walk the coastline you have amazing views of the sea.
When we arrived Luke gave us a tour of the outskirts of the city, the costal views were amazing. We then went to his house, where we unloaded and talked in their backyard with flowers, grape plants and a little pond. We were then treated to a freshly made traditional English dinner. It was delicious and had mashed potatoes, beef, and a brown sauce. We also had some Peas and Rolls. It was a very nice home cooked meal. Later that evening we walked to a local pub near the beach. After having a few drinks we walked to the edge of the bluff and saw fireworks in the distance. It was a very nice way to end the evening. It was especially nice of Luke to arrange the fireworks for our arrival.
The next morning we woke up to a very busy day. We had so much to do as this was our last day in England. We woke up early and had a full English breakfast, some of the brave even tried haggis. We were then off to find a ₤ .99 store, see where Luke worked, go to the ship to drop off luggage, find a customs agent, call Stacy to wish her a happy birthday, watch Luke play cricket, and then take a train back to Southampton before the ship left us in England. We succeeded; everything was completed with a few moments to spare.
One of the highlights of being in Bournemouth was watching Luke play Cricket. I will be completely honest when I had no idea what was going on, but it was nice to see Luke bowl. His team was winning when we left to go to the train station, so I hope they kept scoring those runs.
Luke we just wanted to say you and your family are truly amazing. Thank you for hosting us while we stayed in Bournemouth. We can’t wait to see you when you come to New York or, maybe we will see you in February.
When we arrived Luke gave us a tour of the outskirts of the city, the costal views were amazing. We then went to his house, where we unloaded and talked in their backyard with flowers, grape plants and a little pond. We were then treated to a freshly made traditional English dinner. It was delicious and had mashed potatoes, beef, and a brown sauce. We also had some Peas and Rolls. It was a very nice home cooked meal. Later that evening we walked to a local pub near the beach. After having a few drinks we walked to the edge of the bluff and saw fireworks in the distance. It was a very nice way to end the evening. It was especially nice of Luke to arrange the fireworks for our arrival.
The next morning we woke up to a very busy day. We had so much to do as this was our last day in England. We woke up early and had a full English breakfast, some of the brave even tried haggis. We were then off to find a ₤ .99 store, see where Luke worked, go to the ship to drop off luggage, find a customs agent, call Stacy to wish her a happy birthday, watch Luke play cricket, and then take a train back to Southampton before the ship left us in England. We succeeded; everything was completed with a few moments to spare.
One of the highlights of being in Bournemouth was watching Luke play Cricket. I will be completely honest when I had no idea what was going on, but it was nice to see Luke bowl. His team was winning when we left to go to the train station, so I hope they kept scoring those runs.
Luke we just wanted to say you and your family are truly amazing. Thank you for hosting us while we stayed in Bournemouth. We can’t wait to see you when you come to New York or, maybe we will see you in February.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Bath, England, Stonehenge, and Simon's Family
Bath was transformed into England’s first spa resort by the Roman’s in the 18th century. With its bubbling pool of water at the heart of the city, this is one of Britain’s greatest memorials to the Roman era. Bath also many other riches such as a beautiful Abbey, The Pulteney Bridge, and many Crescents where people live.
When we arrived, Simon picked us up from the train station and drove us to our hotel. Simon is one of our first “overseas friends” who we met at Camp Frank A. Day. He has not changed much except he now has a lovely wife Heidi and a beautiful daughter Phoebe. Phoebe who is only three months old is the most precious thing we have seen on this trip. She is so cute and definitely gets her looks from Heidi.
Our hotel was amazing, picture an old castle like building sitting in the country side along rolling hills with lots of gardens housing private sitting areas. It couldn’t be a more beautiful picturesque scene. Our first evening in Bath was a lot of fun. We met with Simon and participated in a Bizarre Bath evening tour. It was a great comedy tour recommended by Simon. After the tour we had a few drinks and laughs at different pubs. Simon even taught us a new game to play.
The next day, Simon picked us up at the hotel and drove us around Bath and the surrounding areas towards Stonehenge. During the trip, he gave us his own narrated tour with history and points of interests including tidbits of white horses which we eventually saw. I am not sure about the whole story of the White Horses, but it has to do with winning a battle. In either case, Stonehenge was one of the most amazing monuments we’ve seen on this trip. Many centuries ago ancient people mapped the course of the sun and moon to build this massive monument. Nobody is quite sure how they moved the stones in place, but it was quite impressive. After visiting Stonehenge, Simon drove us back to the Bath where we spent the day walking around the city. Later that evening, Simon picked us up from the town center and drove us to his house for an unforgettable barbeque dinner which was filled with food, pictures from the past, laughs, the baby, and their wedding video/photographs. This is just what we needed after weeks and weeks od traveling.
Bath was truly an amazing part of the trip. We thank Simon, Heidi and Phoebe for hosting and putting up with us (including Randi) during our trip. When you come to New York, feel free to use our grill and cook us another dinner again and Josh might even buy you a new pair of sunglasses. Oh and the lobster was delicious!
Cheers Mate!
When we arrived, Simon picked us up from the train station and drove us to our hotel. Simon is one of our first “overseas friends” who we met at Camp Frank A. Day. He has not changed much except he now has a lovely wife Heidi and a beautiful daughter Phoebe. Phoebe who is only three months old is the most precious thing we have seen on this trip. She is so cute and definitely gets her looks from Heidi.
Our hotel was amazing, picture an old castle like building sitting in the country side along rolling hills with lots of gardens housing private sitting areas. It couldn’t be a more beautiful picturesque scene. Our first evening in Bath was a lot of fun. We met with Simon and participated in a Bizarre Bath evening tour. It was a great comedy tour recommended by Simon. After the tour we had a few drinks and laughs at different pubs. Simon even taught us a new game to play.
The next day, Simon picked us up at the hotel and drove us around Bath and the surrounding areas towards Stonehenge. During the trip, he gave us his own narrated tour with history and points of interests including tidbits of white horses which we eventually saw. I am not sure about the whole story of the White Horses, but it has to do with winning a battle. In either case, Stonehenge was one of the most amazing monuments we’ve seen on this trip. Many centuries ago ancient people mapped the course of the sun and moon to build this massive monument. Nobody is quite sure how they moved the stones in place, but it was quite impressive. After visiting Stonehenge, Simon drove us back to the Bath where we spent the day walking around the city. Later that evening, Simon picked us up from the town center and drove us to his house for an unforgettable barbeque dinner which was filled with food, pictures from the past, laughs, the baby, and their wedding video/photographs. This is just what we needed after weeks and weeks od traveling.
Bath was truly an amazing part of the trip. We thank Simon, Heidi and Phoebe for hosting and putting up with us (including Randi) during our trip. When you come to New York, feel free to use our grill and cook us another dinner again and Josh might even buy you a new pair of sunglasses. Oh and the lobster was delicious!
Cheers Mate!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
London
The train ride from Brussels to London was awesome. We went on a Eurostar train under the Chunnel. The whole ride took 2 ½ hours, but we lost an hour heading west so time wise the trip was only 1½ hours long. We had first class service with snacks, dinner, and drinks. We also met some very nice ladies who were celebrating a birthday. Their names were Elaine and the birthday girl Sonia. We all had a nice time, must most importantly, thanks to Elaine with the lastminute.com suggestion. We saw an amazing West End show called Blood Brothers. It was an amazing show about twins separated at birth. Sitting only eleven rows from the stage for ₤18.50 we did not miss anything.
When we arrived in London it was a great surprise to see Randi in the station with Jessica. We then made our way to the Five Star Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel which hosts UK’s version of the Emmy’s. The icing on the cake was the air conditioner didn’t work in one of the rooms so we got upgraded to a suite. We could have been sleeping on the same bed where Sir Elton John might have slept. I could have sat on the same throne as Ozzy Osbourne. Anywho enough about the Loo.
The first night we went out for dinner with Luke, Angela, Randi, and Randi’s friends Jeremy and Krista. We had a low key night not too far from the hotel. It was great to see everybody again. It was just like old times.
The next 48 hours was filled with touring, fog, friends, rain, a show, and fun. We took a traditional Double Decker Bus Tour around London in addition to a River Cruise on the Thames. Just to name a few, some of the things we saw included The Millennium Foot Bridge, West Minister Abby, The London Tower, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, a Cruise Ship Parked in the Thames, and the tower which houses “Big Ben”. Did you know, the clock which spans over 30 feet is not “Big Ben”, but the bell inside is the real “Big Ben”. One of the most fun things we did was go on the London Eye. Luke treated and we all saw spectacular views of London it was definitely one of the trips highlights. Thank You Luke!
Our last night in London was very enjoyable and sad. We had dinner in Trafalgar Square with Randi, Angela, Jessica, and our Kiwi friend Renee. After dinner we all walked to Covent Gardens for a drink. It was bittersweet because we had to say some goodbyes because tomorrow we are off to Bath.
When we arrived in London it was a great surprise to see Randi in the station with Jessica. We then made our way to the Five Star Marriott Grosvenor Square Hotel which hosts UK’s version of the Emmy’s. The icing on the cake was the air conditioner didn’t work in one of the rooms so we got upgraded to a suite. We could have been sleeping on the same bed where Sir Elton John might have slept. I could have sat on the same throne as Ozzy Osbourne. Anywho enough about the Loo.
The first night we went out for dinner with Luke, Angela, Randi, and Randi’s friends Jeremy and Krista. We had a low key night not too far from the hotel. It was great to see everybody again. It was just like old times.
The next 48 hours was filled with touring, fog, friends, rain, a show, and fun. We took a traditional Double Decker Bus Tour around London in addition to a River Cruise on the Thames. Just to name a few, some of the things we saw included The Millennium Foot Bridge, West Minister Abby, The London Tower, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, a Cruise Ship Parked in the Thames, and the tower which houses “Big Ben”. Did you know, the clock which spans over 30 feet is not “Big Ben”, but the bell inside is the real “Big Ben”. One of the most fun things we did was go on the London Eye. Luke treated and we all saw spectacular views of London it was definitely one of the trips highlights. Thank You Luke!
Our last night in London was very enjoyable and sad. We had dinner in Trafalgar Square with Randi, Angela, Jessica, and our Kiwi friend Renee. After dinner we all walked to Covent Gardens for a drink. It was bittersweet because we had to say some goodbyes because tomorrow we are off to Bath.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Cologne, Germany and Amsterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands
Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany. It is known for its many cathedrals, its young population, its Roman heritage, and its production of beer. We spent the day taking a walking tour of the city. The tour included visiting the Cologne Cathedral which houses the Shrine of the Three Kings and a beer tasting at the Fruh Brewery.
Something we found interesting was that when the people of Cologne start new construction projects, they usually unearth artifacts dating back to medieval times. The deeper they dig, the more artifacts they find. This delays most construction projects because they have to call archeologist to determine how to remove and classify the artifacts. A major construction project which has had numerous delays is the building of the new underground railway system. Cost wise and time wise, this might put the Boston’s BIG DIG to shame. We even took a picture of the oldest road in Cologne which was uncovered while doing some digging for a subway station. Even though the city is pretty modern, they have an old town which has been restored to its natural beauty. They even have the cute cobble stone streets with the uneven surfaces. As you might have guessed it, we had another accident involving an elderly woman. She was walking along the cobble stone and took a fall. She is ok and was able to continue on for the rest of the cruise. The other person will not be joining us for the remainder of the trip.
Amsterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands
All I can say is WATCH OUT FOR THOSE DAM BIKES!!! If you are not watching carefully, THEY WILL TAKE YOU OUT!!!! Josh spent some time directing passenger traffic so they would not get into accidents with the bicycles. On the trip we already had two ladies fall on the streets, one was taken to the hospital for surgery; we were not taking any chances on our last full day with the River Cruise. I think he found a new calling in life.
Today we had a tour of Rijksmuseum and a water boat tour of the city of Amsterdam. We saw some masterpieces painted by Rembrandt and Frans Hals. We also saw the infamous Night Watch painted by Rembrandt. After going back to the ship for dinner and a farewell get together. We decided to visit the oldest section of Amsterdam with a friend. If you could only imagine these little cobble stone streets and alleys, lots of little shops, waterways intertwining with the streets, beautiful flower boxes everywhere, so rich in history this area was really something and filled with culture. There was so much to see and do before we had to return to the ship. Only having a few hours to spend, we window shopped and had a few beers. It really was interesting seeing things in all different ages, shapes, and sizes. The Red Light District was truly a cultural experience. Talk about Bachelor Party Number 1, HOLLA!
One of the funniest things that happened this evening was having many people from the ship ask us if they could join us for the expedition of The Red Light District. One couple even asked if we would take their daughter and her friend along to sure they did not get into any trouble! Oh, if they only knew us! A GREAT time was had by all even a wild a crazy lady who is a “proper” mom and does not want her name to be mentioned (if her family read’s this just check the pictures, we have proof).
As the night went on we went back to the ship for a late night happy hour with some champagne and watched as the crew wondered back on to the ship one by one!
It is our last day in Amsterdam and we did some street shopping and of course wanted to make sure we did not leave any corners unexplored in the oldest part of town! Off to London!
Something we found interesting was that when the people of Cologne start new construction projects, they usually unearth artifacts dating back to medieval times. The deeper they dig, the more artifacts they find. This delays most construction projects because they have to call archeologist to determine how to remove and classify the artifacts. A major construction project which has had numerous delays is the building of the new underground railway system. Cost wise and time wise, this might put the Boston’s BIG DIG to shame. We even took a picture of the oldest road in Cologne which was uncovered while doing some digging for a subway station. Even though the city is pretty modern, they have an old town which has been restored to its natural beauty. They even have the cute cobble stone streets with the uneven surfaces. As you might have guessed it, we had another accident involving an elderly woman. She was walking along the cobble stone and took a fall. She is ok and was able to continue on for the rest of the cruise. The other person will not be joining us for the remainder of the trip.
Amsterdam, Kingdom of the Netherlands
All I can say is WATCH OUT FOR THOSE DAM BIKES!!! If you are not watching carefully, THEY WILL TAKE YOU OUT!!!! Josh spent some time directing passenger traffic so they would not get into accidents with the bicycles. On the trip we already had two ladies fall on the streets, one was taken to the hospital for surgery; we were not taking any chances on our last full day with the River Cruise. I think he found a new calling in life.
Today we had a tour of Rijksmuseum and a water boat tour of the city of Amsterdam. We saw some masterpieces painted by Rembrandt and Frans Hals. We also saw the infamous Night Watch painted by Rembrandt. After going back to the ship for dinner and a farewell get together. We decided to visit the oldest section of Amsterdam with a friend. If you could only imagine these little cobble stone streets and alleys, lots of little shops, waterways intertwining with the streets, beautiful flower boxes everywhere, so rich in history this area was really something and filled with culture. There was so much to see and do before we had to return to the ship. Only having a few hours to spend, we window shopped and had a few beers. It really was interesting seeing things in all different ages, shapes, and sizes. The Red Light District was truly a cultural experience. Talk about Bachelor Party Number 1, HOLLA!
One of the funniest things that happened this evening was having many people from the ship ask us if they could join us for the expedition of The Red Light District. One couple even asked if we would take their daughter and her friend along to sure they did not get into any trouble! Oh, if they only knew us! A GREAT time was had by all even a wild a crazy lady who is a “proper” mom and does not want her name to be mentioned (if her family read’s this just check the pictures, we have proof).
As the night went on we went back to the ship for a late night happy hour with some champagne and watched as the crew wondered back on to the ship one by one!
It is our last day in Amsterdam and we did some street shopping and of course wanted to make sure we did not leave any corners unexplored in the oldest part of town! Off to London!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Wertheim, Glassblowing, Horse Racing, Mainz, Rudesheim
What a busy 48 hours. We visited three cities, participated in a Glassblowing demonstration, had two happy hours, got lost, and were horses. Now that isn’t bad for a river cruise.
Wertheim, Germany
Throughout history, Wertheim has been known as a “safe town” with the friendliest inhabitants in Germany. Located between the Tauber and Main Rivers they have had many visitors and merchants come through via boat. It has been said in the past they’ve shared liquor unique to their region with most visitors who passed through. On an average, each house had three barrels of this wine/liquor in their basement. They even offered this liquor to the allies during WWII to show they were not Nazis and were friends. Rumor has it the Mayor went to the top of the Burg or castle with an Oompa Band and this liquor to show armies the residents of Wertheim were not Nazis and not to open fire. The town was not fired upon and it is still home to one of the largest stone fortresses in Germany belonging to the many Counts of Wertheim. Wertheim also has a strong Jewish Heritage which they try to preserve. They have set up many monuments through out the town and we also learned you can find many Jewish residents of Israel, England, and the United States with a last name similar to Wertheim. If you ask them their heritage, their family was probably from Wertheim and escaped during the Holocaust. Another interesting fact was when a bar had fresh beer or liquor they would post a picture over their door because most people couldn’t read. This picture of this sign was a Star of David with a Beer Stein in the middle. You can see a picture of this old sign in our photos.
Well the tradition still stands today. We met a man name Hans Ittig a 6th generation glassblower in town who apparently knows Mark Goldschmidt’s brother, Eric from visiting The Glass Blowing Museum in Corning, New York. Anyway, we started talking because he liked our last name “Lieberman” which translates to “love man” so he gave us each a bottle of Jagermeister. We spoke some more and he let us use his Internet and we had some laughs. Hans also did a glass blowing demonstration on our ship and Josh was picked to make a one of a kind piece. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!!!
Later that evening, Josh and I were asked to be two horses during the horse race for the ship. The crowd loved it, and we had a good time. You can check out the pictures in the slideshow.
Mainz, Germany
Mainz is a bustling city where old meets new. There were plenty of historic buildings intertwined with newly built modern buildings. Mainz is also the capital of Rhieland-Palatinate and is situated on the Rhine River. In addition to political and religious reasons, which I am not going to talk about, Mainz is famous for being the birthplace of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. We went to the Gutenberg museum, and Josh helped a tour guide press a verse of the bible using the press. It was very interesting. We then went back to the ship after getting lost trying to find a supermarket for happy hour supplies.
Rudesheim, Germany
Today we took a tour of the Siegfried’s Musikkabinett or Siegfried’s Music Museum. It was a small museum which housed organs, pianos, record players, and self playing instruments from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Each unit was very detailed and played an array of familiar sounds and instruments using both cardboard and wooden spools to play/trigger the notes of the different instruments. Since it was a nice day with a breeze coming from the river, Josh and I along with a fellow passenger decided to climb a mountain to reach the Denkmal. The Denkmal is a shrine that stands high above the Rhine River. It was a nice uphill hike through vineyards and country side with spectacular views. We waved to a lot fellow passenger who took the Drosselgasse or Ski lift to the top. We thought it would be nice to take the ski lift down, but the cost was 4.50 euros for a one way ticket or 6.50 euros for a roundtrip ticket. So we walked down and saved the money to get cultured. We spent the evening getting cultured in the little town. We had a nice time and met some people from the ship for drinks in the various café’s and bars.
Wertheim, Germany
Throughout history, Wertheim has been known as a “safe town” with the friendliest inhabitants in Germany. Located between the Tauber and Main Rivers they have had many visitors and merchants come through via boat. It has been said in the past they’ve shared liquor unique to their region with most visitors who passed through. On an average, each house had three barrels of this wine/liquor in their basement. They even offered this liquor to the allies during WWII to show they were not Nazis and were friends. Rumor has it the Mayor went to the top of the Burg or castle with an Oompa Band and this liquor to show armies the residents of Wertheim were not Nazis and not to open fire. The town was not fired upon and it is still home to one of the largest stone fortresses in Germany belonging to the many Counts of Wertheim. Wertheim also has a strong Jewish Heritage which they try to preserve. They have set up many monuments through out the town and we also learned you can find many Jewish residents of Israel, England, and the United States with a last name similar to Wertheim. If you ask them their heritage, their family was probably from Wertheim and escaped during the Holocaust. Another interesting fact was when a bar had fresh beer or liquor they would post a picture over their door because most people couldn’t read. This picture of this sign was a Star of David with a Beer Stein in the middle. You can see a picture of this old sign in our photos.
Well the tradition still stands today. We met a man name Hans Ittig a 6th generation glassblower in town who apparently knows Mark Goldschmidt’s brother, Eric from visiting The Glass Blowing Museum in Corning, New York. Anyway, we started talking because he liked our last name “Lieberman” which translates to “love man” so he gave us each a bottle of Jagermeister. We spoke some more and he let us use his Internet and we had some laughs. Hans also did a glass blowing demonstration on our ship and Josh was picked to make a one of a kind piece. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO!!!
Later that evening, Josh and I were asked to be two horses during the horse race for the ship. The crowd loved it, and we had a good time. You can check out the pictures in the slideshow.
Mainz, Germany
Mainz is a bustling city where old meets new. There were plenty of historic buildings intertwined with newly built modern buildings. Mainz is also the capital of Rhieland-Palatinate and is situated on the Rhine River. In addition to political and religious reasons, which I am not going to talk about, Mainz is famous for being the birthplace of Johann Gutenberg, the inventor of the printing press. We went to the Gutenberg museum, and Josh helped a tour guide press a verse of the bible using the press. It was very interesting. We then went back to the ship after getting lost trying to find a supermarket for happy hour supplies.
Rudesheim, Germany
Today we took a tour of the Siegfried’s Musikkabinett or Siegfried’s Music Museum. It was a small museum which housed organs, pianos, record players, and self playing instruments from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Each unit was very detailed and played an array of familiar sounds and instruments using both cardboard and wooden spools to play/trigger the notes of the different instruments. Since it was a nice day with a breeze coming from the river, Josh and I along with a fellow passenger decided to climb a mountain to reach the Denkmal. The Denkmal is a shrine that stands high above the Rhine River. It was a nice uphill hike through vineyards and country side with spectacular views. We waved to a lot fellow passenger who took the Drosselgasse or Ski lift to the top. We thought it would be nice to take the ski lift down, but the cost was 4.50 euros for a one way ticket or 6.50 euros for a roundtrip ticket. So we walked down and saved the money to get cultured. We spent the evening getting cultured in the little town. We had a nice time and met some people from the ship for drinks in the various café’s and bars.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Fruhschoppen and Bamberg, Wurzburg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Today we had a traditional Fruhschoppen on board the Viking Pride. What is a Fruhschoppen you might ask? Well… most Germans in traditional cities will stop at a local shop or stand between 10:30am – 11:00am to have a beer, some soft pretzels, and sausages while listening to music and enjoying each others company. Josh and I participated in this highly cultural event.
Bamberg, Germany
Bamberg is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany. The town is divided into two parts by a river. The river separates the old part of town and the newer part of town. All throughout Bamberg you can cross between old and new town using one of the many bridges. I got lost because I was reading the map wrong AGAIN. Josh had the idea of holding the map upside down which put everything back into perspective and we found our way to our meeting point. Bamberg is a great city that kept most of its medieval appeal. It has also been noted as one of the few towns in Germany to sustain almost no damage during WWII. An interesting souvenir out of Bamberg is “smoked beer”. I am not sure how it is made, but it tastes as if the beer has been infused with smoked almonds. It was something nice to try once, but defiantly not one of our favorites.
Wurzburg, Germany
Located in the middle of Franconian Vineyards along the banks of the Main River, Wurzburg hosts a beautiful Baroque palace which we were able to tour. The palace is one of the largest ones in Germany and was built in the 1700’s. One of the most amazing finds in this palace was the grand staircase with a vaulted ceiling of over 6400 square feet covered with a masterpiece by Balthasar Neumann. Neumann depicted all known continents of the time with drawings of people, animals, and landscapes from each region. It was very impressive.
Our tour group suffered a minor setback when an older woman fell and broke her elbow. She tripped on cobble stone while backing up to take a picture of her friend. We found out after being taken away by ambulance, she endured a three hour surgery and might be joining the cruise again in a couple of days. Her friend is back on the boat and one of the local guides who showed us around Wurzburg is going to visit her in the hospital and keep in touch with the boat via cell phone. Luckily for her, this is the same place where the x-ray was invented (and cochlear implants).
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is located by the Tauber River. Most people call this town Rothenburg for short. This beautiful picturesque town has been preserved since the 16th century with medieval buildings, old fort walls, fountains and cobble stone streets. It was nice to walk around and climb up to the top of one of the fort walls. We also had a traditional lunch with sausages and sauerkraut.
Bamberg, Germany
Bamberg is a town in northern Bavaria, Germany. The town is divided into two parts by a river. The river separates the old part of town and the newer part of town. All throughout Bamberg you can cross between old and new town using one of the many bridges. I got lost because I was reading the map wrong AGAIN. Josh had the idea of holding the map upside down which put everything back into perspective and we found our way to our meeting point. Bamberg is a great city that kept most of its medieval appeal. It has also been noted as one of the few towns in Germany to sustain almost no damage during WWII. An interesting souvenir out of Bamberg is “smoked beer”. I am not sure how it is made, but it tastes as if the beer has been infused with smoked almonds. It was something nice to try once, but defiantly not one of our favorites.
Wurzburg, Germany
Located in the middle of Franconian Vineyards along the banks of the Main River, Wurzburg hosts a beautiful Baroque palace which we were able to tour. The palace is one of the largest ones in Germany and was built in the 1700’s. One of the most amazing finds in this palace was the grand staircase with a vaulted ceiling of over 6400 square feet covered with a masterpiece by Balthasar Neumann. Neumann depicted all known continents of the time with drawings of people, animals, and landscapes from each region. It was very impressive.
Our tour group suffered a minor setback when an older woman fell and broke her elbow. She tripped on cobble stone while backing up to take a picture of her friend. We found out after being taken away by ambulance, she endured a three hour surgery and might be joining the cruise again in a couple of days. Her friend is back on the boat and one of the local guides who showed us around Wurzburg is going to visit her in the hospital and keep in touch with the boat via cell phone. Luckily for her, this is the same place where the x-ray was invented (and cochlear implants).
Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is located by the Tauber River. Most people call this town Rothenburg for short. This beautiful picturesque town has been preserved since the 16th century with medieval buildings, old fort walls, fountains and cobble stone streets. It was nice to walk around and climb up to the top of one of the fort walls. We also had a traditional lunch with sausages and sauerkraut.
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