VIKING TRAVELOG GRAND EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE -- RIVERS DAY 7 -

When I woke up on the morning of our seventh day, I checked the Ship Tracker as usual, and I saw that we were near a town called Obertheres. I went up to the top deck to take a picture of a campground alongside the river in front of Obertheres. There was a mountain-shaped yellow sign with the name Obertheres (“upper Theres”) on it. We were not far from Zeil am Main, where the Viking Vali will stop to allow some passengers to get off for their optional excursion to see the Franconian countryside. Plan for the Day: Continue along the Main–Danube Canal this morning, arriving in Bamberg in the early afternoon. Enjoy a tour of Bamberg, with its medieval city center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Your walking tour includes a visit to the magnificent 11th- century cathedral, reworked in late Romanesque style in the 13th century, and the picturesque city hall built on a tiny island in the middle of a river. Take some free time to enjoy Bamberg and sample some of the town’s distinctive smoke-flavored beer before returning on board.

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The Viking program for the morning included a glass blowing demonstration by a famous glass blower named Karl Ittig. Before Karl began his glass blowing show, he told us his life story, of how he escaped from the Soviet-occupied territory of Thuringia, which became part of the German Democratic Republic (East ) after WWII. His family didn’t like living under Communist rule, so they decided to escape to West Germany. After 50 kilometers, they entered Wertheim am Main. Hundreds were killed trying to cross the border, but Karl and his family survived. Karl praised the fantastic system of free enterprise, and the family’s ability to develop their glassworks technology. http://www.glaskunst.de/index.php/en/family-history

Samples of his work. 2

After Karl told us about his secret medicine that he uses to do his creative glass blowing projects, he called up a volunteer to help him with the demonstration of how he uses pyrex tubing to create the special glass creations. The secret medicine, by the way, was a “shot glass” of Jagermeister, which he said had 56 herbs, spices, and berries that gave the drink its flavor. After the demonstration, I bought a small sample bottle from Karl and found the licorice-anise flavored liqueur very “medicinal.”

Karl’s work impressed me, especially the bull figure that he created. A short video of Karl is on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PkeNItw4sbY (0:22)

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Another lock to go through.

A stone factory.

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Lunch menu: Rigatoni alla Romana, Black Forest ice cream. My bottle of Jagermeister.

Just before we went on our trip to Bamberg, I checked the Ship Tracker and saw that the Viking Vali was still docked at Zeil im Main. It was 12:54 pm.

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A bus arrived at 1:30 pm to drive us to Bamberg. The yellow sign told us that we were turning right to go to the city center of Bamberg.

The first thing we saw coming into Bamberg was the Regnitz River. It is a left tributary of the Main River and is 63.7 km (39.6 miles) in length. The river meets the Main River near the city of Bamberg. On the map I could see that small portions of the Regnitz near Bamberg are incorporated into a canal connecting the Main with the Danube: the Rhine- Main-Danube Canal, which runs parallel most of the way from Bamberg to Fürth. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regnitz

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We started our tour near the Regnitz River. Our tour guide was called Carla Heym.

I stopped to take a picture of a map pointing out the route of the RegnitzRadweg, a scenic river bike tour between and Bamberg. While the 85 km long valley route leads through villages and small towns with Franconian half-timbered facades, the hardly shorter canal route (75 km) is consistently oriented along the course of the Main-Danube Canal and the Regnitz. https://www.regnitzradweg.de/

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The former fishermen's district in Bamberg's Island City is endearingly known as Little Venice. This district is characterized by half-timbered buildings that prop each other up and by tiny, pretty gardens. The half-timbered buildings were mainly built in the Middle Ages. They are squashed together along the riverbank, creating a quaint and picturesque scene, with boats floating in the moorings by the front gardens. The sign (below) describes (in German) Klein-Venedig (Little Venice) with a drawing from 1602. https://en.bamberg.info/poi/little_venice-4650/

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We walked from the Little Venice area of the Regnitz River through a narrow street to our first attraction – a .

Carla showed us a photo from her binder of how the St. Elizabeth church looked like in the Middle Ages. The sign on the wall says: “Das Parken auf dem Kirchenvorplatz ist nicht erlaubt” (Parking in the church forecourt is not allowed).

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At statue of a saint beside the church. Carla’s bag: “Geschichte fur alle” (History for all).

A Medieval depiction of Christ carrying the cross. The Bamberg Way of the Cross between the hospital church St. Elizabeth’s and the provost’s church St. Getreu from 1503 is the oldest entirely preserved Way of the Cross in Germany 10

Carla Heym, our guide, was leading us through the Old Town with its “half-timbered” houses, a term that kept coming up and piqued my curiosity. If the structural frame of load-bearing timber is left exposed on the exterior of the building it may be referred to as half-timbered, and in many cases the infill between timbers will be used for decorative effect. The country most known for this kind of architecture is Germany. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timber_framing

Murals

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Since we were walking on Sandstrasse (Sand St.), I figured the sign – “Ahornla im Sand” – referred to a restaurant on Sand St. The unicorn sign above the door was unique. “Seit 1366” meant the restaurant was around since 1366.

Another building with Max Liebold above the door had a banner with the word Metzgerei (butcher) on it, “seit 1897” (since 1897)

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Brauerei, heller. Wirshaus zum Schlenkerla.(Brewery, cellar. House of Schlenkerla). This was the place the tourists came to try the “smoked beer” (comes from smoking the barley to dry it). The brewery was owned by the Trum family. A six-pointed star above the door meant there was beer being served. https://www.schlenkerla.de/

The brewery was named after Schlenkerla. Our guide Carla told us a story: “In the 1800s, one of the brewing masters had a terrible accident. A beer keg fell and rolled on his legs, breaking both of them. After that he could only walk with a limp. The Franconians, with the humor they have, called him “the guy with the limp.” The name became so popular that they renamed the brewery after this person. Schlenkerla, in the local Franconian dialect, means the limping person.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schlenkerla

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We were now on Cathedral Hill (Domplatz), with the Bamberg Cathedral in front of us. Bamberg extends over seven hills, each crowned by a beautiful church. The hills are Cathedral Hill, Michaelsberg, Kaulberg/Obere Pfarre, Stefansberg, Jakobsberg, Altenburger Hill and Abtsberg. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamberg

Carla told us about Henry’s Cathedral (1012) – the cathedral fires (1081/1185) – and the present cathedral (1237). 14

The New Residence of the Bamberg Prince-Bishops was begun in 1604 with two wings on the cathedral square. From 1695 to 1703, Schönborn and his court architect Leonhard Dientzenhofer (1660-1707) planned and built an ultra- modern three-winged complex which turned the cathedral square into a cour d’honneur (three-sided ceremonial courtyard) and visibly incorporated the cathedral as the fourth side of the square into the power structure of the bishop’s residence. The building ranks as the first large residence in . https://www.residenz- bamberg.de/englisch/residenz/index.htm

We weren’t able to go inside the New Residence, however I found a website that gives a virtual tour. https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/bam_res.htm

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Domplatz (Cathedral Hill or Cathedral Square). The cathedral square is also fronted by the Renaissance buildings of the Alte Hofhaltung (Below) and the Baroque Neue Residenz (above), the palaces of the bishops from the 15th century to 1602 and from 1602 to 1803, respectively.

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The Three Musketeers Movie was filmed in front of the Alte Hofhaltung (Old Court, 1591), which overlooks a large courtyard. Carla showed us a photo of the dueling action taking place in the movie. The location was chosen by the producers because a lot of the buildings looked like 17th- century Paris, where Dumas’ novel was set.

Carla guided us next to the Prince Portal, the main entrance (on north side). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamberg_Cathedral

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Carla: “There are two lady statues on either side of this portal: one is wearing a crown (left), and she represents Ecclesia (the ); the other is Synagoga (right), representing the Jewish religion. There is mild discrimination here, with Synagoga being blind-folded, meaning the Jews were blinded to the truth of Christianity. If you look below Synagoga, you can see a demon poking out the eyes of a Jewish man who is wearing a conical hat, which was used in the 1300’s to identify Jewish men (like a yarmulke). The Jews in the Middles Ages were persecuted for three things: (1) as a scapegoat, (2) as a minority, (3) for being money-hungry (a cliché). Sometimes, they were driven out of the city.”

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Carla points with her right index finger to a Medieval picture of a Jew with a white conical hat. The picture verifies the shape of the hat on the of a Jewish man under the statue of Synagoga.

Carla showed us another photo, this time of a Jewish Synagogue that was built in 1910 in the city of Bamberg. However, that building did not last long because if was burned down by the right-wing Nazi movement in 1938.

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Carla seemed to show hope that things would get better now that a new synagogue had been built in 2007. She showed us a photo of that new modern-looking synagogue. Then Carla guided us inside the Bamberg Cathedral through another portal since the Princes Portal (Fürstenportal) was used only on holy days.

We entered through the Marienpforte portal. And looked down the long nave.

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I glanced toward the rear of the cathedral to see if there was a pipe organ, but all I saw was some scaffolding. Carla directed our attention to the back (left side) where the Bamberg Horseman (equestrian statue) stood on a corbel (stone bracket) midway up the northwestern column. Carla: “The horseman is the only mounted horse structure inside a cathedral. You’re not supposed to be riding a horse in a church, typically. For a very long time we didn’t know who this man was. He has a king’s crown on his head. We now think he was the Hungarian king Stephen I, who had a connection to Henry II. There was a legend that Henry II’s sister Gisela was enamored by the horseman Stephen I of riding a horse inside a church, and so she married him.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gisela_of_Hungary

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Carla showed us a picture of the tomb of Clement II (from Germany). It was behind the high altar, and barely seen even through a telephoto lens. The tomb of Pope Clement II (1005–47, from Germany) is made from silver- grey marble with carved reliefs from the first half of the 13th century on all four sides: the four Cardinal virtues, death of the pope and St. Michael, rivers of paradise, and (or possibly Christ sitting in judgment over the world). It’s the only papal tomb north of the Alps. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_II

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Tomb

Madonna altar.

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Front of the cathedral – high altar.

Madonna and child.

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More statues.

Side altar.

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The tomb for Henry II., Holy Roman Emperor, and his wife Kunigunde of Luxemburg in the cathedral of Bamberg (Germany) was created 1499-1513 by . Both of them were canonized by the Catholic church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cunigunde_of_Luxembourg St. Cunigunde, patron saint of Franconia and Bamberg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Kaisergrab_Heinrich_II._(Bamberger_Do m) (details of the tomb)

Crypt.

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We came out of the cathedral through the Adamspforte portal. The Adamspforte portal sports figures (replicas) of St. Stephen (left), Kunigunde (center), Heinrich II, on the left side; St. Peter and Adam and Eve (on the right). Adam and Eve are naked.

Another view of the Bamberg Residence as we came out of the cathedral onto the Domplatz (Cathedral Hill or square).

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Statues on top of the Bamberg Residence façade.

Advertising for renovation of Residenz Bamberg.

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A Walk in the Rose Garden behind Bamberg’s New Residence. The roses were not in bloom, yet.

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After the garden tour, Elsa and I decided to go back inside the Cathedral to see if we could find a way to the top of the tower for a view of the city. There was a small elevator that we paid a small fee to ride to the top. The city view was fantastic!

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It seemed that most of the houses had red roofs – a sea of red tile roofs.

I couldn’t pass the opportunity to have a photo taken with the city as a background.

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It looked like the abbey on the hill was under renovation with all that scaffolding around it. The dark clouds made it seem like rain would descend on us any minute. We kept walking through the town during our free time. Even though I had a map in case we got lost, it was difficult to follow the haphazard organization of the town, which seemed to flow like the curves of a river throughout the town.

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Façade of a building with Lady Madonna on top.

We were now heading for the most scenic part of the city – the Altes Rathaus. The Bamberg town hall was built around 1467 on the river Regnitz. Originally influenced by Gothic, the building received Baroque and Rococo touches from Johann Jakob Michael Küchel in 1756.

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The building was placed on an artificial island, supposedly because the bishop didn’t want to relinquish any land. An armed conflict between the mayor and the bishop ended with an agreement that the citizens couldn’t rebuild their burned-down city hall on land. Tall arched bridges connect the island on either side to this city center on a river. Anwar Johann painted the murals on the exterior walls. https://www.architecturerevived.com/altes-rathaus-bamberg-germany/

The Regnitz River flows through the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus)

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The painting had a person with his leg sticking out (lower left) as a sculpture. The façade paintings were originally created in 1755 by Johann Anwander, but they have been restored many times since then. Both sides of the building are completely decorated with allegorical scenes and architectural details, the typical illusionary painting of the time.

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3-D Cherub

St. Kunigunde Patron saint of Franconia and Bamberg The statue of Saint Kunigunde on the Untere Bruecke (lower bridge) was created by Bamberg court sculptor Johann Peter Benkert (1709-1765) in 1750. She is the only one of six bridge figures that has survived the devastating flood of1784. As regards the Middle Ages, Kunigunde was a very emancipated woman, she participated in her husband’s affairs of state, took care of the poor and the sick, built hospitals, organized campaigns and was to a large extent responsible for the production of art that was created at her court.

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Medieval map of the Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) and the River Regnitz.

View of the River Regnitz and “Little Venice” from the Old Town Hall.

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A kayak course was placed for kayakers going down the river.

Our tour group continues walking together toward the next stop.

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Head sculpture (Centurione I ) made of metal - by Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj (1944-2014).

The surface of his marble and bronze is intentionally damaged and covered with cracks, entire body parts are missing in order to point out to the fragility of human existence and the irreversible decay of matter. The bronze sculpture Centurione I represents the fragment of a head that mirrors the classical ideal of beauty, but due to deliberate damages and the missing of the cranium the face turns into a symbol of the imperfection and vulnerability of man at the same time.

http://thomas-michel-contemporary- art.de/bamberg-sculpture-path/?lang=en

Photo opportunity to pose at the Old Town hall.

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We walked up and down the bridge that went through the Old Town Hall.

Crucifixion sculpture (statuary) at the Old Town Hall walkway.

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Marketplace.

Neptune Fountain. In 1698 the fountain received its present appearance with the depiction of the Roman god of the sea Neptune which was designed by Caspar Metzner. In Bamberg the Neptune’s Fountain is just called Gabelmann (man with the fork) or in Franconian Goblmoo.

This unique webpage contains descriptions of Bamberg’s Sculpture Path: http://thomas-michel-contemporary- art.de/bamberg-sculpture-path/?lang=en

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Another church to explore before we finish our tour of the city – St. Martin’s Parish Church. Someone in our tour group told us we had to see it. St. Martin's Church is located in the heart of Bamberg. Built by the Dietzenhofer brothers, it is Bamberg's only baroque church. The creation of this church is closely linked with the Jesuits as it was originally constructed as the university church and the church of the Jesuit College. After a construction period of just seven years, the house of worship was consecrated in 1693. The trompe d'oeil dome by Giovanni Francesco Marchini and the early 14th century pieta are well worth seeing. https://www.spottinghistory.com/view/57 01/st-martins-church/

Inside St. Martin’s Church. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Pfarrkirche_St._Martin_(Bamberg)

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Yes, indeed, the dome was worth seeing. It had the Tetramorph (Living “zodiac” creatures, with 4 evangelists) surrounding the center (of the universe). This was the “Fixed Cross” (Leo the Lion, Taurus the Bull, Scorpio the Eagle, Aquarius the Man) that I was accustomed to seeing in Catholic churches. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetramorph https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/2018_St._Martin_Bamberg_Innen _4.jpg Painting of the Veneration of Jesus’ Name (Jesuit Society).

Info about St. Martiin of Tours (Latin: Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316 or 336 – 8 November 397): He is best known for the account of his using his military sword to cut his cloak in two, to give half to a beggar clad only in rags in the depth of winter. His shrine in Tours became a famous stopping-point for pilgrims on the road to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_T ours

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St. Mary altar (holding body of son) – Pieta. High altar – painting of St. Martin’s death.

St. Aloysius of Gonzaga (left) St. Stanislaus Kostka (right) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aloysius_Gonzaga https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislaus_Kostka

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The map that we received at the Viking Vali main desk had the Meeting Point (B) at the Symphony hall (also Bus Station) where we were supposed to meet for our bus ride back to the longship. It was about a 20-minute walk there. And we had to be back by 6pm.

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We made it back to the Viking Vali and joined our traveling companions Cathy-n-Joe for a sumptuous dinner, served with complimentary wine.

We were presently traveling through the narrow Rhein-Main-Danube Canal on our way to Nuremberg. The sun was starting to set.

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After Dinner, our program director, Stephen Guy, gave us a preview (slide presentation) of the journey ahead through The Canal. It was 171 km long (106 miles). It linked the North Sea to the Black Sea. There were 16 locks, the highest being 406 meters above sea level, which was known as the Continental Divide. Construction of the Canal took 32 years, finishing in 1992. There were previous attempts to build such a canal by Charlemagne and King Ludwig I. Overall, there are 68 locks from Amsterdam to Budapest, and 450 bridges.

“It is the journey that matters in the end.” Ernest Hemingway. Sad to say – in hindsight – we did not get to see this part of the journey because of what happened the next day (in the evening) at Nuremberg.

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Resources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamberg (City of Bamberg) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamberg_Cathedral (Bamberg Cathedral) https://www.schloesser.bayern.de/englisch/palace/objects/bam_res.htm (Virtual Tour of Bamberg’s Residence building) https://youtu.be/0MMO3fvIQx8 (12:57) Travel And Discover Published Sep 13, 2017 Bamberg - Germany Tourist Guide - Travel & Discover

She died in 1040 and was canonized by Pope Innocent III in 1200. As St. Kunigunde (also spelled Cunigunde), she is the patron saint of Franconia and is most popular as the patron saint of the city of Bamberg. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMT94M_Saint_Cunigunda_Bamberg_Germany

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