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River Cruise 2022
  • Lacey Travels
  • Lacey Travels

River Cruise 2022

Bucharest to Amsterdam - Viking River Cruise with Pre and Post extensions. Read more
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  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    Map of the Canal system
    Map of the Canal systemProfile of the locks in the canal.Coming up to a lockEntering the lockNot much spaceLock gates almost closedClosed --- and the water level rises or falls.Almost thru to the next water level

    Rhine-Main-Danube Canal

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 8 °C

    A little over 100 miles in length, this canal’s importance to river traffic is enormous. Connecting the Danube in Kelheim to the Main in Bamburg via Nuremberg, river traffic can sail between the Black Sea and the North Sea, traversing 11 countries. Construction took place between 1960 and 1992, but it had been planned [in one way or another] for 1,199 years. We climb the locks to the highest point at the continental divide and then start to come down the other side.
    Most of this journey was made at night while we slept.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler

    Nuremberg - Albrecht Durer House

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 11 °C

    Albrecht Dürer was a German painter, printmaker, and theorist of the German Renaissance. Born in Nuremberg in 1471, Dürer established his reputation and influence across Europe in his twenties due to his high-quality woodcut prints. In 1509, he purchased the large half-timbered building in the Old Town which served as both his home and his workshop for the remainder of his life. He died in 1528.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    Built right to the city walls on Castle Hill.
    Built right to the city walls on Castle Hill.Looking down one lane towards a watchtower

    Nuremberg - Castle Hill

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 11 °C

    The old building facades have been reconstructed but behind them lies modern buildings in the Old Town. Many date back to the 15th and 16th century; and during the Napoleonic years.

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The entrance to the Kunstbunker
    The entrance to the KunstbunkerInside the tunnelContinuing down underground.The labyrinth of tunnels and bunkers. Gold bunkers were not linked as they stored the art.Looking back up the tunnel to the outside

    Surviving the War - Art in Nuremberg

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 11 °C

    The Historic Kunstbunker is a complex network of tunnels under the Imperial Castle. Tunnelled into the sandstone and lined with concrete and rock, the tunnels provided shelter for the people of Nuremberg during WW2 and also the preservation of artworks. In 1940, work was done on these tunnels to provide lighting and temperature control to safeguard the art held in the secret bunkers.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    Photo of how monuments were protected in situ.
    Photo of how monuments were protected in situ.

    Protecting the Art

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 12 °C

    Contents included:
    Veit Stoss' Annunciation from St. Lorenz
    The Altarpiece of Veit Stoss
    The Imperial Regalia
    The Automaton clock from the Frauenkirche
    The Erdapfel
    The Codex Manesse
    Works of Albrecht Dürer
    Historic musical instruments, scientific implements and clock mechanisms
    Furniture and windows from the churches of the old city.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    Brown flagstones outline the footprint of a bombed building.
    Brown flagstones outline the footprint of a bombed building.A re-creation of bombing residue.Bombed old townBombed Castle HillIt took 5 years to clear the debris. Amount depicted by comparing to Pyramid of Cheops.

    The Bombed City and Reconstruction

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 12 °C

    The city was extensively bombed in WW2 air raids. There are still undischarged bombs throughout the city.
    Reconstruction began to a clear plan agreed to by the citizens of Nuremberg - priority order, standards etc. Buildings were built to modern standards inside but with original facade and colours of the time [mostly shades of brown]. Where buildings once stood, they are clearly marked, should reconstruction be planned.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler

    St Sebaldus Church

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 13 °C

    St Sebaldus Lutheran Church, originally built in 1215, was almost bombed to the ground in WW2. It has since been reconstructed in 1957 and almost all the art was saved and hidden in the bunkers, including the stained glass, the statues and paintings. They were not able to save the organ.
    The church is named after an 8th century hermit and missionary, the patron saint of Nuremberg.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The Shrine of St Sebaldus
    The Shrine of St SebaldusAll paintings and statues were removed and saved.All the stained glass windows were stored in the bunkerSt Sebaldus' tomb was too big to move, so they protected it in situ.The epitaph in the exterior wall of St Sebaldus' was protected in situ.

    Saving the Art of Sebalduskirche

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 13 °C

    Those artefacts that could not be removed were protected by heavy bunkers around them (in situ). These were framed with timber walls, then filled with sand, brick and 40cm thick concrete walls were added all around the items. All survived the bombing.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The fountain in the town square was protected in situ
    The fountain in the town square was protected in situThe HauptmarktThe glockenspiel from the church was saved in the art bunkersDecorated building in the HauptmarktSide street of the Hauptmarkt

    The Main Market Square

    November 2, 2022 in Germany ⛅ 13 °C

    The Hauptmarkt is busy with workers getting ready for the Christmas market beginning in a week or so. Today there is the regular farmers’ market.
    Here in the Hauptmarkt is the Schooner Brunnen [Beautiful Fountain), Frauenkirche, and the old Rathaus [Town Hall].
    Today's Schonen Brunnen is a 1912 copy of the 14th century fountain. The remains of the original were transferred to the German National Museum in the early 20th century.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The square near the Hoffman Theatre.
    The square near the Hoffman Theatre.Narrow winding lanesFountain to the musicians in the Theatre LaneJewish quarterJewish district of Bamberg

    Bamberg

    November 3, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 8 °C

    Bamburg is one of the loveliest towns in Germany. It is situated on 7 hills with a church on each hill. It is bisected by rivers and canals. There’s a jumble of crooked lanes and mediaeval buildings with a skyline dotted with church steeples.
    We visit the Theatre district and the old Jewish sector. More than 1,000 Jews were in Bamburg prior to WW2 - half fled and half were killed - about 700 have returned.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler

    A city on the rivers and canals

    November 3, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 9 °C

    Bamberg is a city bisected by rivers and canals. This city marks the end of the Main-Danube Canal. One of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by WW2 bombing, Bamberg has the largest collection of retained mediaeval structures in the well-preserved Old Town. It was name a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The Rathaus built on a man-made island
    The Rathaus built on a man-made islandA very ornate building1Walking across the bridge to the RathausThe side of the Rathaus; a slalom canoe course; and Little VeniceThe picturesque fishermans' cottages of Little VeniceThe frescoed walls of the RathausThe slalom canoe course and river vista

    The Rathaus

    November 3, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 9 °C

    The original town hall or Rathaus was built on a man-made island in the 1400’s. In 1736, this was replaced by the New Town Hall. It is now a museum and gives excellent views of the city and the “Little Venice” area with its quaint fisherman’s houses which are now worth millions of dollars - prime real-estate.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler

    Würzburg

    November 4, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 8 °C

    Wurzburg sits on the Main River. The city is very old and was heavily bombed in WW2. It has been well restored. The old stone bridge and the Marienberg Fortress are adjacent to a major wine-making centre hosting Germany’s oldest and largest vineyard.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The Residenz from the French Garden
    The Residenz from the French GardenThe front of the Residenz, from the carparkEntry wayNote the stone statue under the topiarised tree.1I call this one "John with Tree-Dude"

    Bishops’ Residenz, Wurzburg

    November 4, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 9 °C

    For centuries the Wurzburg prince-bishops wielded enormous power and wealth. The Residenz is UNESCO-listed; a fine baroque palace built between 1720 and 1744. No photos are allowed inside. There’s a famous grand staircase and the largest ceiling fresco in the world [6,400 sq ft] showing 4 continents of the world. The other rooms are equally opulent and ornate.
    Outside, there are 3 gardens - French, Italian and English.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The Franconian Wine Bar is located on the bridge

    Alte Mainbrucke, Wurzburg

    November 4, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 11 °C

    Walked along the Main Promenade to the Old Stone Bridge which is adorned with religious statues, like the Charles Bridge in Prague. Originally built in the 12th Century, the bridge was badly affected by flooding and was rebuilt 1473-1543. During the period, 1724-46, The Prince Bishops of Würzburg added 12 statues, two being kings and ten being saints, to the bridge.
    Today, after additions and modifications the bridge over the years, the Old Main Bridge is a stone arch bridge with a length of 185 meters and a total width of about 7.5 meters. The bridge has eight arches, two of which are reinforced concrete with a natural stone veneer. The stone of the foundations and pillars are limestone.    Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler

    Marienberg Fortress

    November 4, 2022 in Germany ☁️ 11 °C

    The mighty Fortress Marienberg is a symbol of Würzburg and served as a home of the local prince-bishops for nearly five centuries. It has been a fort since ancient times. Most of the current structures originally were built in Renaissance and Baroque styles between the 16th and 18th centuries.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    Looking to where we will be sailing along the Main.
    Looking to where we will be sailing along the Main.Looking back from where we have come along the Main.River height flood levels - there's one at the very top of the pic from the 1600's, just a line.River levels along the Tauber river promenadeThe Tauber River

    Wertheim am Main

    November 5, 2022 in Germany 🌧 8 °C

    Wertheim lies at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. The Main has 34 locks and 33 hydropower stations on it and is part of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. The rivers are fed by spring snow-melt in the nearby Alps and the town is often subjected to flooding. Several buildings show the high water levels through the centuries.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler

    Wertheim Castle

    November 5, 2022 in Germany 🌧 8 °C

    The red sandstone castle overlooks the town. Begun in the 12th century, it was continuously expanded until the 17th century. It was destroyed during the early 1600’s. In 1995, the castle was purchased by the town. The facade overlooking the river is intact; the ruins are visible from within the town streets.Read more

  • Lacey TravelsRiver Cruise 2022Traveler
    The Witch's House
    The Witch's HouseThe leaning towerThe boat is ready.....even back in mediaeval times.Overhanging buildingsThe tower of the chapelFountain in. Town square.The engraving in sandstone above the door depicts skeletons.The Rathaus, or town hall, dated 1749The Hofhaltung with a magnificent Linden Tree in the courtyard

    Wertheim

    November 5, 2022 in Germany 🌧 9 °C

    Wertheim was a successful merchant’s town during the Middle Ages. The mediaeval buildings have half-timbered houses. Many of the buildings are overhanging and far from straight.
    The leaning tower [Pointed Tower] is due to 800 years of flooding. Built in the 13th century as a lookout tower, it also served as a prison for drunkards and “quarrelsome wenches”. It’s entry was 30 feet off the ground and people imprisoned in the. Tower had to climb a ladder up into the tower and another down to ground level [“the fear hole”] by rope. Prisoners were kept together in complete darkness until release - approx 6 weeks later.Read more