Viking River Cruise, Day 8: Nuremberg, Germany (Facebook collage)
(click any collage to enlarge)
We're now starting the second half of our river cruise, and lucky for us, with so much history riding on this German city, especially from WWII, we had all morning and afternoon in Nuremberg, 170 km north of Munich in Bavaria, on the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal.
Once on our coaches to the Imperial Palace, we first drove around and through the Nazi rally grounds where the well-oiled Hitler propanganda machine made Nuremberg strategically significant.
After the war, this entire complex has remained empty and useless...except as a sad reminder.
Remember the Nuremberg Trials after the war?
The city is heavily fortified but was captured in April 1945 by the US at the end of the war.
Our main excursion of the day, right after breakfast, was to the Imperial Castle, from 1105.
All good castles have moats, right? So we crossed it to enter the castle grounds.
Once inside...I could not get enough of these half-timbered structures!
Can you imagine playing with your friends after school here?
See what I mean!
Look at the views of the city from up there!
See what I mean!
(and, yes, that's her camera!)
(and, yes, that's her camera!)
All good things come to an end, as they say....
...but now were we on our own to explore the city center.
And on our way.... Impressions. Impressions. Impressions.
The very first sight coming into city center, or the market square, standing out like a sore thumb,
is the Schöner Brunnen fountain from the 14th century, 19 meters high.
See the love padlocks?
Then, while on our way to see St. Lorenz, we passed these Jewish musicians.
They were playing songs from "Fiddler on the Roof." HA!
When we toss in coins, we can take as many pics as we want, of course.
This is the St. Lorenz Church from medieval times...now an Evangelical Lutheran church.
(Thanks to Astrid for the middle and right images.)
You know I'm gonna say it: Impressions. Impressions. Impressions.
...especially when you see a Balloon Man at church!
And why not???
These churches all look the same. They also all look so different.
I especially liked the angels holding candles.
We then headed back to the main market square, near the Schöner Brunnen fountain,
to check out the 1352 Frauenkirche, Church of Our Lady, behind the market stalls.
The entryway alone was more than enough....
...but we did go inside for a peek (more angels holding candles!).
A good time to show some niches, as we headed back to the ship for lunch...
...welcomed by our executive chef, Klaus, with a tasty appetizer.
Speaking of executive...after lunch I made the executive decision to stay put on the ship to rest midway through the cruise and work on images...while Astrid went back out on her own for "me" time. The following collages are of HER images:
Since she knows I love niches, she "collected" these for me. What a Lady, right?!
And can you tell we both like architecture?
Birds of a feather flock together. Partners in crime.
What can I say. We were made for each other!
We do love these photo hunts! And to do them on a river cruise? WOWSER
This whole trip is such a WOWSER! Thank you for continuing to share and show us parts of the world we may never get to experience. Love the fact that Astrid took some "me" time as well...great!!
ReplyDeleteI just love that you can come along for the ride, dear Robin! Even if you never go there, you get a taste. Sometimes a taste is better than nothing. And yes, sometimes we both need "me" time and we gladly give it to eacxh other. :)
DeleteNuremberg is just one big amazing place to visit. Wonderful architecture, wonderful houses and churches.
ReplyDeleteThe orchestra played great Jewish Music and the man with the cigaret made me laugh, I am glad he did not set fire to his instrument....
The Grandfather and the balloon and the boy, were waiting for Mommy to get back. I saw them being reunited and of course the balloon was the 'meeting point'. I am glad, I could make a contribution to this post, HA, we are partners in crime, grin.....and the 'me' time was great. I did a lot of walking and loved every second of it.
To think back of all the impressions, I am glad that we have the pictures, it is too much to remember them by heart.
A fabulous post again, made with love and pictures. Dank je wel, dikke kus.
You have no idea how fun this has been, MLMA. It's been lots of hard work, too, but totally worth the time and effort. I don't want these memories sitting in a file that we never look at anymore! Hartstikke bedankt for your undying support.
DeleteIt's a wonderful "job" you have, and you get to experience everything twice (at least)! Fantastic coverage and photos, both of you!
ReplyDeleteYes, Ruth, twice...the "second blessing," as we often say! Isn't this what we want of all of life, to experience the "blessings" over and over again. We're so lucky. And thank you for following our journey...which in itself is yet another blessing. :)
DeleteGinnie....I'm short of eyes!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean, Maria!!! :)
DeleteWowser is right, Ginnie! The beautiful blue spires and the rooftops ... so much gorgeous-ness. I also love that you two understand & appreciate having *me* time, very smart when you are spending lots of time together!
ReplyDeleteLots of WOWSERs this entire trip, Susan, as you can guess. And yes, we're very good about understanding "me" time and giving it to each other generously! It makes us all happy...and prepares us for when Astrid will retire. HA!
DeleteThe Nazi rally grounds... give me shivers. I would love to see the church stain glass windows at night, standing outside looking at them as the inside light shines through. It must be spell-binding.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about the Nazi rally grounds, Margaret. I'm actually glad it stands there as a wasteland, reminding people of a past that can never be forgotten. What a stark contrast to seeing those stained-glass windows at night! Thank you.
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