AMAWaterways Christmas Time Cruise Day 7 & 8 - Nuremberg, Germany

Thursday, December 22 - Day 7
Nürnberg
We did not have an early morning, as we didn't get into Nuremberg until about 12:30.  We were leaving the Danube River to enter the Main Danube Canal which is 106 miles long, linking the North Sea to the Black Sea.  It thus creates a 2,200 mile waterway that connects 15 countries and can accommodate barges carrying up to 2,425 tons of bulk cargo.  The canal has a total 16 locks each about 625' long and 40' wide and up to 81' deep. 

Quite a tight fit going into the locks!

The canal reaches a height of more than 1,332' over the Schwabian Alps which is south of Nürnberg.  The exciting part of cruise that morning was passing over the continental divide.  At this point we had been cruising upstream till we hit the continental divide so now that we were going downstream the process of going through the locks was opposite.

This marks the Continental Divide

We actually docked in Roth which was just a quick bus ride to Nürnberg.   Nürnberg is the 2nd largest city in Bavaria, about 500,000 people.  The city was founded about 1,000 years ago by an Emperor named Heinrich III and before the war, the city was one of the most beautiful medieval cities in Germany.  From the 12th to the 16th century nearly all the emperors maintained their residence in the Kaiserburg Castle. 

The Kaiserburg Castle Grounds

At that time Nürnberg was regarded as the unofficial capital of the Holy Roman Empire of German Nations.  Even today, the city is surrounded by its sturdy 13th century defensive wall complete with fortified towers!  Most of Nürnberg was completely destroyed in WWII (in 90 minutes btw!) and the historical buildings we saw on our city tour were rebuilt using the very same stone.  We had a nice, informative tour through the city and ended at the main square, Hauptmarkt, home of the unique and famous fountain "Schöner Brunnen" as well as the Marienkirche (its most famous church) and the Christmasmarkt. 

Glühwine and Lebkuchen at the Nürnberg Christmarkt 

We spent time wandering the stalls, eating the famous Nürnberger Sausages and Kraut as well as sampling the city's famous and traditional gingerbread, "Elisen" Lebkuchen. Which I have to say I did not like that much, but Dave got the Glühwine and liked that just fine.   It was a cold stroll through the 160+ stalls, I got separated from Dave and had a mini panic attack when he didn't answer his phone but we reconnected, bought a nice ornament and found our way back to the meeting point to board the buses.

We enjoyed our last dinner on the ship with Pat and Tom from LA and Rolf and his wife who live in Canada but are from Germany.  It was great to meet them plus they gave us a list of their favorite places in Southern Germany that we will have to visit.  I cant wait to share travel ideas with Pat who has been to a lot of places we would like to go to because she is a research guru for finding good deals!  We said our goodbyes to Jerry and Elissa that night and spent one more evening just chatting over drinks in the lounge.  With the ship being so empty, we were usually the only ones in there at night, or late at night anyway. Anita, the bar manager called us the "jolly" group but I'm sure enjoyed having us there. 


Friday, December 23 - Day 8
Nürnberg heading to Prague
We departed the ship at 8:30 and made a few mini stops at some more famous sights in Nürnberg.  We had already heard a lot about WWII but this day we heard more about it during the time of the Third Reich and we saw several reminders of what actually went on there.  We went to the courthouse of the Nürnberg Trials and then visited the Zeppelin Field where Hitlers Party Rally grounds and Coliseum were.

Hitler's Rally Grounds - The Coliseum

The Coliseum was never finished and was very difficult to build as they placed it by a lake where the ground was not the most stable.  They wanted it by the lake so it would look even bigger than it was by using the reflection off the lake to help magnify all the buildings in the area.  The Coliseum today is used as storage.  We toured the rest of the rally grounds before heading off to the Czech Republic. 

What a fantastic week we had aboard the AMALegro!  We have to say, AMAWaterways is an exceptional river cruise line and we would sure do it all over again!   To be able to go on board on Day 1, unpack and settle in, see all that we saw in the matter of a week and then pack back up at the week end is just a fabulous way to travel.  We included an extension to Prague along with about 20 other passengers.  Next post is Prague - our favourite stop during the whole trip!

LINK TO NUREMBERG PICTURES