We pulled into historic Nuremberg, Germany on Thursday morning, September 11 and boarded a bus to take us into the city. Nuremberg is the second largest city in Bavaria and the ringed walls, towers, moats, and imposing castle provided an image of what the town may have looked like during medieval times.

After walking the grounds of the castle and medieval alleyways, we traveled to the main market. Nuremberg is famous for gingerbread and roasted bratwurst sausage. During our free time we strolled the market square area where vendors were selling produce, flowers, cheese, and olives. A group of us found a restaurant where we enjoyed finger-sized bratwursts on a kaiser roll and a glass of excellent German beer before returning to the square for the noon performance of the glockenspiel.

After lunch, we went on an optional excursion of the sites in Nuremberg that are closely associated with the Nazi led reign of terror. We passed old Nazi barracks, the prison where 21 of the major Nazi regime’s war criminals were held, and the Nuremberg Palace of Justice where the Nuremberg Trials were held beginning on Nov. 20, 1945. We also toured the Nazi Party Rally Grounds where rallies were held from 1933 until 1938. Today, this area is a memorial site, but the remains of the grounds and buildings are a strong reminder of the megalomania of Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist Regime. The area is quite large, covering eleven square kilometers and was intended to be an impressive backdrop to demonstrate the power of the Nazi Party.

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It was chilling to know that we were standing in an area that had once been occupied by someone as evil as Adolf Hitler and members of the Nazi Regime. Before concluding our tour, we toured the Documentation Center where the permanent exhibition “Fascination and Terror” provides information about the motives, actions, and consequences resulting from the Nazi reign of terror. Congress Hall, designed after the Colosseum, is the largest preserved national socialist building and is located on the grounds of the Documentation Center. Today, this never completed edifice is a storage site for Christmas Market stalls. I was born after World War II, so seeing the places that I had only heard about made the atrocities perpetuated by the Nazi Regime all the more horrific. As we sat down for our evening meal, we cruised out of Nuremberg enroute to Bamberg, Germany.

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We awoke to pouring rain upon our arrival in Bamberg. Other than some drizzle while we were in Nuremberg, we have experienced absolutely beautiful weather. Bamberg, located in Franconia was one of my favorite cities. Even the rain could not lessen the beauty of this well preserved UNESCO World Heritage Site. So, not letting a little rain deter us, we donned raincoats and unfurled our umbrellas for the city walk of Bamberg. The Old Town Hall, which is built in the middle of the Regnitz River is painted with colorful frescoes and is accessible from two bridges. Cobblestones can be quite slippery when wet, but we continued our walk to the top of one of the seven hills to the Bamberg Cathedral. The interior of the cathedral provided a respite from the rain and the opportunity to view the interior which is a mix of Romanesque, Gothic, and Transitional architecture.

The cathedral is also the only place in Germany where a pope is buried. Pope Clement II died in 1047 and his tomb is located here. We also walked the grounds of the Old Palace and the Bishop’s Rose Garden. This city was not bombed during World War II, and houses date back to the 1200s. After our tour ended, we walked back through the town stopping along the way at a Kathe Wohlfahrt Chrismas Shop, a street cart in the city centre for a hot bratwurst sandwich, and a café for hot coffee and milk before returning to our bus. Shortly, after noon we left our mooring spot in Bamberg and entered the Main (pronounced mine) River enroute to Wurzburg. A rainy afternoon lent itself to visiting with other passengers, reading, and enjoying the beautiful German countryside.

On Saturday, Sept. 13 we arrived in Wurzburg located in Southern Bavaria. It is a cool, cloudy morning, but no rain as we began our walk through the city to Wurzburg Palace as church bells heralded our arrival. Much of Wurzburg was destroyed during World War II, but in the intervening years the city has been beautifully rebuilt. As we walked across the Old Main Bridge which is lined with statues of saints, we were able to view Marienberg Fortress, a castle on a hill settled during the late Bronze Age.

We continued our walking tour to the centerpiece of the city, Wurzburg Palace. We toured just a small part of this opulent palace. The palace was the former residence of the Wurzburg Prince-Bishops and is one of the most important baroque palaces in Europe. The palace was built from 1720 to 1744 and the interior was completed in 1780. Architect Balthasar Neumann designed the Palace and the world famous grand staircase which is roofed by an unsupported vault. From 1750-1753, Giovanni Batista Tiepolo, a Venetian painter decorated the vault which is 18 x 30 meters with a fresco depicting paintings of the four continents: Europe, America, Asia and Africa. The frescos are absolutely breathtaking and you could spend hours looking at this magnificent work of art. We also visited the White Hall which is dominated by white stucco decorations on a light gray background. From the White Hall we moved into the Imperial Hall. The walls in this hall consist of stucco work marble in shades of red, yellow, and white. The domed ceiling is also decorated with frescoes by Tiepolo reflecting the history of the diocese of Wurzburg.

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After our tour of the palace we were introduced to our guide who would escort us to a wine tasting in the former Prince Bishop’s Court Cellar. As we descended the steps into the cavernous cellar, we were ushered into a large room that was lit only by flickering candlelight. Candles were lit near the ceiling, on the tables, and in front of all of the gleaming oak wine barrels in the cellar. It was an enchanting location to sample wines produced in the Lower Franconia wine region near Wurzburg. We tasted three excellent white wines that are not exported outside of the country before returning to our ship. The wine tasting in the candle lit cellar was a multi-sensory experience I will always remember.

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After lunch, we went on an optional excursion to the medieval jewel of Rothenburg. Rothenburg is a walled town that looks like a village that was designed and built by the creative genius of Disney imagineers, yet dates back to 1172 when it was granted a town charter. Today Rothenburg is a mecca for tourists from around the world. We walked on a portion of the city wall that surrounds this magnificently preserved medieval gem before walking through the town with our very informative guide. He explained that about 4,000 residents live within the walled medieval section of Rothenburg, with the remaining population of the city living outside its walls. Homes inside the walls of Rothenburg are rarely sold, but are passed down from generation to generation. Shopping and restaurants are plentiful throughout the town, but I was delighted with the opportunity to photograph the beautiful half-timbered buildings, the Gothic Town Hall, Market Square, private residences, and Little Square which is one of the most photographed areas in this medieval treasure.

The afternoon passed quickly and we returned to Wurzburg via the Autobahn. Many high performance German automobiles passed by us (on the left only) on this controlled-access highway that has no federally mandated speed limit. After a very full day, we enjoyed a fun evening at a Pirate’s Night Dinner in the ship’s restaurant as the crew pulled our mooring lines and we left Wurzburg behind.

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We slept in the next day and spent a relaxing morning cruising on the peaceful Main River. We stopped briefly in Wertheim for those going on an optional city walking excursion of Wertheim and Miltenberg. Shortly after noon, we moored in Miltenberg to pick up the passengers who had gone on the morning excursion. We left the ship for a quick walk through Miltenberg before we set sail for our next destination, Rudesheim.

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At 5 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 15, we entered the Rhine River at the German city of Mainz. As we docked in Rudesheim, swans and ducks swam up to the side of the boat to be fed. After breakfast, we left the ship and was transported via the Wine Maker’s Express, a city street train, to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum. Our guided tour included musical demonstrations of mechanical instruments and music boxes dating from the 18th to 20th centuries. The museum is housed in one of Rudesheim’s most beautiful aristocratic dwellings, the Bromserhof, built in 1542. Before returning to the ship we took a leisurely stroll through the Drosselgasse, which is a quaint, cobblestoned pedestrian alleyway lined with restaurants, shops, wine bars, and plenty of German charm.

Between Rudesheim and Koblenz, we sailed through the romantic Middle Rhine. The river wends its way through a story book valley of charming villages situated along the banks of the river, terraced vineyards, and medieval castles dotting the tops of the hillsides. With each bend in the river several more castles came into view and we passed over twenty-five castles. We also passed by Lorelei

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Rock, where according to legend, a young maiden named Lorelei threw herself into the river over a faithless lover. After her death, she could be heard singing from a rock along the Rhine which lured many sailors to their death. Observing this beautiful river valley and the many castle ruins from my seat on the deck of the riverboat was the epitome of Rhine river romanticism.

After lunch, Cruise Director, Andreea, took me up to the Sun Deck for a visit to the wheelhouse. She explained the many electronic systems that are part of the ship’s navigation and communication systems. She told me about the GPS to track the ship’s exact location, the depth finder, a scanning device that shows underwater objects, the steering device used to maneuver the ship, and the Captain’s phone for communication with other ships on the river as well as with harbor and lock masters. The wheelhouse can be hydraulically raised and lowered for low bridge clearances and some locks. Other controls for maneuvering the ship are located outside on the left and right top deck which provide a better view and are used during docking maneuvers, positioning in locks, and communication with other crew members. I asked Andreea to take a photo of me and the Captain on duty graciously invited me to sit in his chair for the photo. It was a quite a thrill to be the “acting Captain” if only for a few moments. I shook hands with the Captain and thanked him for allowing me to visit the command center of the MS Amadeus.

In late afternoon, we arrived in Koblenz which is located on the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. We walked with the tour to visit the imposing statue of Emperor Wilhelm at the famous German Corner. It is located on the banks of the Rhine River and is quite impressive. We decided to take a leisurely stroll through the adjacent park and stopped for a cold beer in a lovely outdoor beer garden located on the river bank. Later we strolled through the town square which was very busy with locals dining in the many outdoor restaurants and cafes located there. We meandered back down to the river front and boarded our ship to prepare for dinner. We sailed out of Koblenz later in the evening to the sound of church bells as we headed for our final stop in Germany, the city of Cologne.

We slipped into Cologne before dawn. As the sun rose, we were greeted with another spectacular day to explore another German city. Our first stop was the Cologne Cathedral. The construction of this immense Gothic cathedral began in 1248 and was completed in 1880 to house the shrine of the Three Wise Men. Relics from Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar are in this shrine. Badly damaged from extensive bombing during the Second World War, the Cologne Cathedral miraculously survived. Today maintenance and restoration experts work constantly to deter the effects of weather related and other environmental factors on the structure.

The cathedral dominates the skyline of the city and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as one of Germany’s most famous landmarks. The footprint of the cathedral is massive and can accommodate more than 20,000 people and the grandeur of the interior is breathtaking. After leaving the cathedral, our guide took us on a walking tour past the town hall and through the narrow streets of Old Town. We enjoyed an afternoon of free time to further explore Cologne or to enjoy the pleasure boats, barges, and riverboats passing by us on the Rhine River.

The Gala Farewell Dinner is tonight. At 6:30, everyone from the Sun Lakes group gathered in the reception area for a group photo before attending the Champagne Reception where all of the crew members were reintroduced to the passengers. It was a bittersweet evening at the realization that our journey would soon be coming to an end. We will arrive in the Netherlands tomorrow for one final day of sightseeing.

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Early the next morning we departed the ship for our day in Amsterdam. Amsterdam has been called the “Venice of the North” but I think a better description would be “The Bicycle Capital of the World.” Before we departed for our tour we were frequently admonished not to walk or step into a bicycle lane as we would most likely be run down. Without a doubt, I have never seen so many bicycles in my life. Along the waterfront a multi-level parking structure was used for bicycle parking and it was filled to capacity. It is estimated that there are over 800,000 bikes in the city which is greater than the population and thousands of bikes are pulled from the city’s canal system yearly.

With Amsterdam located several feet below sea level, buildings/houses in the city were built on top of millions of wooden support pillars. The wooden supports were driven into the marshy ground and today many of these supports are rotting which causes the houses to tilt and sink into the earth. During our tour we saw many examples of buildings that are leaning sideways.

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A highlight of the morning tour was a boat cruise through Amsterdam’s canal system which dates back to the 17th century. Another UNESCO World Heritage site since 2010, Amsterdam has 165 canals with a combined length of 60 miles. Approximately 2500 houseboats line the canal’s waterways and provided a glimpse of everyday life aboard a floating home. We also passed many beautiful residences, hotels, restaurants, and shops located along the canals.

Before our tour ended we passed by the Royal Palace and stopped in the city’s floating Flower Market. The market is located on the Singel canal and the flower stalls are on floating barges which sell Dutch tulips, tulip bulbs, other fresh flowers and a large selection of Dutch souvenirs. The Flower Market began in 1862 and is a fragrant and colorful attraction of the city.

After lunch, Bill, our friend Bob Henrich, and I walked along the waterfront to the Central Train Station. The building opened to the public in 1889 and over 250,000 people a day go through the Amsterdam Central Station. In addition to being a transportation hub, the station houses cafes, fast food restaurants, and retail shops. We made our way back into the city center and walked along several of the streets before returning to our ship.

Early the next morning we bid farewell to fellow passengers and crew members and departed for Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport to fly home.

The 14 days we spent on the riverboat from Budapest to Amsterdam was one of the best of our many travel experiences. We met many wonderful people on our riverboat and in the countries we visited, but the beauty and history of the places we toured, as well as the things we experienced, will always bring pleasant memories to mind.