VIKING TRAVELOG GRAND EUROPEAN RIVER CRUISE RHINE-MAIN-DANUBE RIVERS DAY 5 – MILTENBERG (on MAIN River) We were now entering the scenic part of our journey through the narrower Main River, which would lead to the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, and then on to the Danube River. Plan for the Day: The morning is spent sailing along the beautiful Main River as it winds its way through the Spessart region, home of the actual Snow White. During our sail, be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to learn about the region’s glassblowing traditions during a live demonstration. After lunch, we stop in Miltenberg, known for its half-timbered houses and Germany’s oldest inn. Join our walking tour that concludes with free time for you to explore. We sail through the night. 1 When I woke up in the morning, I noticed from the Ship Tracker that we had sailed past Frankfurt am Main and were on our way south to Miltenberg. I also checked the weather report for the day, and the forecast for the next five days (low 70’s F, mostly cloudy). 2 Elsa was happiest in the morning after she had her cup of coffee. After breakfast we continued to watch the scenery of the countryside pass by. We were interrupted time after time by the inevitable locks that impeded our progress. 3 The Main is navigable for shipping from its mouth at the Rhine close to Mainz for 396 km (246 mi) to Bamberg. Since 1992, the Main has been connected to the Danube via the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. The Main has been canalized with 34 large locks (300 × 12 m or 984 × 39 ft) to allow CEMT class V vessels (110 × 11.45 m or 360.9 × 37.6 ft) to navigate the total length of the river. The 16 locks in the adjacent Rhine- Main-Danube Canal and the Danube itself are of the same dimensions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_(river) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_%28river%29#/media/File:Verlaufskarte_Main.gif%20 Main%20(river) (map of locks/dams along the Main) 4 Cathy, our traveling companion, spent a lot of her time sitting on the sun deck, or in the lounge, drawing sketches of her surroundings. 5 The villages and the vineyards seemed to be much closer now since the Main River was not so wide. I also noticed that the vineyards were now terraced in horizontal rows, instead of the steep vertical rows on the Rhine River. Ever so often a castle or palace (or church or abbey) on a hilltop would entice me to bring out the camera and take a snapshot. This building had a small cross on it. 6 At 10:30 AM we were invited to attend a Nautical Talk (with slideshow) presented by Chief Engineer Catalin Cimpeanu in the lounge. We learned that the Viking longships were built in shipyards in the northern German city of Rostock. Viking is privately owned (owner from Russia), and the vision was to eventually build 100 longships. We were told it cost about 25 million euros to build one ship. https://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Viking-Vali-2151 (Viking Vali details) One interesting photo of the longship stood out – it showed how the top deck was cleared and the captain’s cabin lowered hydraulically in order to safely pass under a bridge. 7 The locks were built to accommodate ships and boats with a width of 39 feet. I took a photo of the side of the ship, which showed a leeway of about one foot on each side. While we were slowly moving through the lock, several crew members were cleaning the windows with buckets of soapy water and squeegees. 8 The locks were managed on a “first come, first served” basis. When the longship entered the lock (going upstream), it had to wait until the lock filled up with water before it could proceed out of the lock. A system of lights was installed to help the captain know when “the coast was clear.” Plaque on side of the Viking Vali longship showed that it was built in 2019 in Rostock (founded 1850) by Neptun Werft. 9 We entered the vicinity of Miltenberg at 11:30 am. A sign near a look-out building stated that Miltenberg was “Die Perle des Mains” (The Pearl of the Main River). The Mainz Gate (tower) is the western gateway from Miltenberg to the west. http://wikimapia.org/25589034/Mainz-Gate https://www.miltenberg.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/Stadtplaenchen-mit-Highlights- Miltenberg-Buergstadt-Kleinheubach.pdf (illustrated map with numbered-labeled sites) 10 As our Viking longship slowly moved to the right bank in preparation for docking, we watched as the charming half-timbered houses on the shoreline came into view. The townscape revealed a medieval town that was documented for the first time in 1237. A castle on the hilltop, and a church below, seemed to be the pattern for that time. We were presently passing the Schwarzviertel (“black quarter”), so called because of its narrow streets and tall buildings preventing most sunlight from reaching the ground. The Mildenberg Castle stood high above that section of the city. 11 Presently, the twin towers of the Catholic Parish Church St. James came into view. And then the Mainbrucke (bridge crossing the Main River) presented a dazzling gatehouse at the south end. The gatehouse was built in 1900, and it was originally a toll booth for the bridge. 12 As it turned out, we did not dock in Miltenberg. Instead, we continued upstream for another several miles to a town called Freudenberg Stadt. That’s where we docked, and then a bus took us later in the afternoon on an eleven-minute ride back to Miltenberg, where our three-hour walking tour began at 3:30pm. I took a video of our bus ride to Miltenberg -- https://youtu.be/j1GjT0-jYsc (11:24). Freudenberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudenberg_(Baden) 13 Since we had several hours to kill before our late afternoon tour of Miltenberg, Elsa and I decided to take a walk along the promenade of the town Freudenberg. We spotted a large building (hotel) near the bridge called Goldenes Fass (the Golden Barrel). There was also a sign on the building saying “Distelhauser” (beer). 14 We decided to take a walk across the bridge to the other side. A sign on the bridge indicated we were entering Kiirschfurt, municipality of Collenberg, in the county of Miltenberg. Coat of arms sign of Miltenberg County Advertisement for Europe. Best idea! 15 I stopped to take a photo from the bridge of our Viking Vali longship (with top down) and the scenic town of Freundenberg. A sign on the other side of the bridge showed that we had come to “Unterwegs im Naturpark Spessart” (Roads and paths in the Nature Park Spessart). 16 Elsa loved to walk through new neighborhoods, so we kept walking until the road to the right ended. Then we turned back and returned to the bridge. I noticed an interesting trellis for several small maple trees. It appeared that the owner wanted the maple trees to grow in a certain pattern along the bamboo-shaped trellis. The double lion crest (heraldic symbol) made of stone was placed next to the walking path of the bridge. The word BAYERN (Bavaria) marked the bottom of the stone. 17 Sign on bridge: Freiheit, Gleichheit, Schwesterlichkeit (“Freedom, Equality, Sisterhood). Sign on bridge: Main – Tauber – Kreis (with coat of arms of Main & Tauber rivers on bottom and six-spoked Wheel of Mainz on top) Back to the Viking Vali – what a beautiful longboat (longship) to look at and admire. 18 Photo opportunity for Elsa to be placed in a picturesque village setting. Back in Freudenberg, we walked down a narrow street and looked at the beautiful buildings. One beautiful half-timbered building caught my eye. It had the coat of arms of Stadt Freudenberg on the side of the building. Of course, I had to look up that coat of arms. The shield is quarterly divided. Top left in a silver (white) field is a black demi- eagle. Top right has a blue field divided by a golden (yellow) fess wavy. Below left in a blue field is a golden (yellow) heraldic rose. Below right in a silver (white) field are three black peaks of a ridge of mountains. https://www.crwflags.com/FOTW/FLAGS/de-tb-fr.html 19 It was also a photo opportunity for me to show the brick-paved promenade beside the scenic town and the River Main. (1) Ad for the beautiful Freudenberg http://www.freudenberg-main.de (2) Sign about the Wertheim Gate and the story of the town 20 The Wertheim Gate was the town’s third gate. There is a crucifix placed on the side of the gate (to the left). Newly erected in the 1950’s, this was the third church devoted to St. Lawrence. The house of worship is built in the style of the 1950’s with local sandstone and colourful glass painting. 21 (1) St. Nikolaus (protector of seamen), donated by the fishermen and boatsmen, greets the faithful coming from the river. (2) Sign: the Neue Kirche (New Church) This is where the Viking Vali was docked in Freudenberg. From here we took a bus to Miltenberg for our afternoon (3:30pm) tour. I took a video of our bus ride to Miltenberg -- https://youtu.be/j1GjT0-jYsc (11:24). 22 WALKING TOUR: AN ENCHANTING RIVERSIDE VILLAGE (WWW.VIKINGRIVERCRUISES.COM ) Take in the fairy-tale charms of Miltenberg by foot, the most intimate way to get to know one of Germany’s most delightful riverside towns.