Posts Tagged With: Miltenberg

On the Main River heading toward Wurzberg, Germany

September 16, 2022

First off, I need to make a correction. We did not begin traveling on the Canal as I indicated on the closing of the last post. We travel on the Main River prior to reaching the Rhine Main Danube canal. There are also numerous locks on the Main River, the first one we entered around midnight Wednesday night. There was a four hour delay in getting through that lock due to heavy commercial traffic.

While dictating this on Friday morning, we are still on the Main River. We are also still going through locks. One major difference between the Rhine and the Main Rivers is the presence of birds and wild fowl. A second difference is the decrease in the overall number of commercial shipping, despite the comment about the backlog at the first lock.

The Main River has 31 locks ranging between nine and 25 feet in depth. There will be 16 locks on the canal ranging in depth from 17 to 81 feet. Even though a number of them will be traversed during the nighttime hours, we will have sent more than our share of locks by the time the trip is over.

So, back to Thursday, September 15. We were scheduled to cruise all morning and part of the early afternoon. A glass blowing demonstration was scheduled for the morning. However, the artist was ill. Our Program Director stepped up to the plate and gave an hour and a quarter presentation on Viking longships and the lock and dam system we are experiencing. Frankly, we found his presentation more informative and enjoyable than a glass blowing demonstration would likely to have been.

Our primary shore excursion on Thursday was a visit to the small town of Miltenberg. The ship docked downtown and then we walked a few short blocks to the main street area. Miltenburg has a small main street but it has a still well preserved architecture of the traditional half timbered buildings that people associate with Germany and particularly Bavaria. It was difficult to not continue taking pictures of almost every building in town.

This is the way the shore excursion is described by Viking: take in the fairy-tale charms of Miltenburg by foot, the most intimate way to get to know one of Germany’s most delightful riverside towns. Begin your tour in the old town, following the cobblestone streets past medieval houses fronted with flower bedecked balconies. The town square, lined with half timbered facades, is one of the most picturesque in all of Germany, laid out on a narrow strip of land between the hills and manicured banks of the Main River. Nearby, the handsome and richly hued hotel Zum Riesen, Inn of the Giant, Germany’s oldest Inn, is a Renaissance treasure; it first opened its doors as a hotel in 1411 has been open ever since. You will also see the Mainz and Wirzburg town gates and catch a glimpse of Miltenberg Castle, built in the 13th and 14th centuries, high over the roofs of Miltenberg.

There was only about 1/2 hour between the end of the guided tour and the time to get on the buses for the short transfer to the ship. Once again, the ship proceeded further down the river while we were in town in order to keep on schedule since the buses travel more quickly.

Ed and Chris