Day 5 (2) -- Nuremberg

After a wonderful breakfast (every meal may be eaten in the dining room on board), it was time to pile into the buses for the journey through Nuremberg. With a crisp but manageable temperature in the 30s, we headed for our  first stop. Our guide was an American-born former soldier who had served in Germany in the 1970's, and knew his history.

The audio receiver in its charger
in the room.

Before I go further, I must put in a plug (pun intended) for the audio receivers provided.  They look like little walkie-talkies that are simple to operate, with an easy-access volume knob to turn up and down as needed. Even though there may be four buses with four guides, it was easy to make sure you were listening to the right guide. You made sure you were closest to the guide you wanted to hear, then turned on the device. Within 15 seconds you were now able to listen with ease.  During one tour we got as far away as 100 feet and could still hear the guide. It makes it easy to view the sights while not having to hover around the guide. OK, back to the tour.

The bus pulled up at what appeared to be a dilapidated stadium, which it was.  This was where Hitler held the huge rallies in the 1930's that you sometimes see in old newsreel footage (or old footage on  Youtube today😊).

Zeppelin Field on that Sunday.

A detail of the Beautiful Fountain

Then we were off to see Nuremberg Castle, which overlooked the center of town. We were introduced to feudal techniques of holding off enemies, from raising the drawbridge to dropping pots of boiling oil in narrow passageways into the castle. After that, it was a short ride down the hill where we parked a block from the main square, known as Hauptmarkt. In the square, the first feast for the eyes was the Beautiful Fountain, where we were to meet to return to the bus for lunch.

The entire square was filled with shops set up for the Christkindl market. From Christmas angels to gluwein, there was a lot to see.  Frauenkirche church on the east end of the square provided a gorgeous backdrop for our first market.

Checking out the Rauschgold Angels at the Christkindl market

Frauenkirche Church at the main square

We headed back for lunch onboard the ship. It turned out that lunch could be taken in either the dining room, or in the lounge in the upper deck.  As we ate, the snow began to fall, dropping a light blanket all over the city.

After lunch the bus returned for more shopping at the market, or one could opt for a presentation in the lounge on the latest happenings in Europe's common market countries. 

Your intrepid author remained behind so he was unable to take photos of the falling snow at the market for the afternoon. All of us, however, returned to the boat by 5:00 p.m. so we could start the cruise, beginning with the Main-Danube canal.

Dinner in the dining room followed by a nice chat in the lounge filled out the day, as we retired for the night as the boat continued on its course for new sights tomorrow.

Goodbye Nuremberg!