Keeleys, Wright, & Forster Viking River Cruise: Danube, Main, and Rhine : Bamberg, Germany

Leaving Nuremberg and passing through several locks throughout the night, we cruised to Bamberg. While we sat in the lounge and enjoyed the beautiful scenery as we cruised along, Violetta, the Viking Program Director, engaged the group in another quiz competition- this time it was a quiz about our knowledge of the ship and the ship’s international staff. Team Keeley, headed by David and Beth were the winners! Team Keeley is now 2 for 2, with Gary having won the music quiz a few nights before.

Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by WWII bombing. It is the largest old town in Germany to retain its medieval structures, and because of this, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993. It has over 2,000 buildings designated as historical monuments. Along with its Gothic, Baroque, and Romanesque architecture, the city was laid out according to medieval planning rules as a cross with churches at the four cardinal points.

Our walking tour guide, Anna, is a university student, studying to be a history teacher for grades 5-12. She exuded a passion for history! We started in the Gruner Market Square in front of a statue of Neptune with his trident. She amusingly explained to us that historically people living along the river have little connection to the marine world and hence, the statue is known locally as “The Pitchfork Man”. From there we walked through the arch and up narrow streets to the large church on the hill, the Imperial Bamberg Cathedral, consecrated in 1237, and built on the original foundations of the Basilica of Emperor Heinrich II and his wife Kunigunde. Inside is their ornate burial vault. It was said that Kunigunde, a powerful woman at that time was accused of adultery by her enemies. Therefore, at that time, she had to undergo “trial by ordeal.” She had to walk across glowing red hot, sharp heated plowshares. Miraculously, she walked over them and her feet were unscathed. She therefore was designated not only an empress, but also a Saint. Inside is the Bamberg horseman, the only statue of a man on a horse in European churches. It was said that the horseman, who was diminutive in stature, sat atop a large Hungarian horse to make himself appear taller to the Emperor’s daughter. She was very particular about her suitors, and unusual for that time, she was allowed to choose her own husband. She saw right through the horseman’s deceit, but decided he was so witty (and handsome) that she would marry him.

Inside the Cathedral we saw the burial vault of Clemens II, the only Pope buried north of the Alps, but he was only a pope for 9 months before he was poisoned in 1047. We strolled through the church and around the Bishop’s Palace Residence where there was a beautiful rose garden. The view of the red tile rooftops from the palace wall extended for miles.

We then walked down into the village to try one of Bamberg’s specialties- beer! There are many breweries in Bamberg and they are famous for their rauchbier- a smoky tasting beer, described as drinking “liquid bacon.” We stopped at the historic Schlenkerla Smoked Beer Brewery, established in 1405, to try the local beer specialty. Keeping with tradition, the beer is still tapped directly from wooden barrels. One goes up to the window to order the beer and then you sit, drink, and chat at communal tables with other beer drinkers. Meg and Page went next door to the bakery and brought back a couple Bamberg butterhornsches, a very buttery croissant-type pastry, to eat with the beer. After a few sips, Meg and Page decided they could skip the beer and visited the shops and farmers’ market in the square instead.

The ship sailed ahead through several locks while we were in Bamberg. So, we caught up with the ship on a 35-minute bus ride through several scenic towns in Germany. It is amazing to see the number of homes and farms that have solar panels on their roofs. We have seen this throughout our trip- from small, old village homes to modern complexes. We googled this and found out that Germany is #1 in the world for use of solar energy. Perhaps the U.S. could learn some lessons from the Germans on successfully supporting alternative energy on a large scale! We met our ship and were welcomed warmly by the wonderful staff, which we have gotten to know throughout the trip.

We started our walking tour of Bamberg in front of this statue of many names: Neptune, Poseidon, Pitchfork Man, or "Gobbo-Mo"

The entire side of this building was painted with an exquisite fresco- at the top and at the bottom, notice the 3-D part of the scene popping out from the painting- a cherub and a leg!

One roof edge was adorned with over a dozen of these strange faces!

We walked from the Gruner Market Square through the arch into the old part of the city.

A lot of interesting facades and details on the buildings. This one is called The Crab House- I think they have their crustaceans mixed up!

One of th eold timber buildings. Between the timbers is a mixture of plaster, straw, and horse manure.

This beautiful building reminds me of Wedgewood china.

The Emperor's Cathedral (1012)- where Emperor Heinrich II made Bamberg the center of the Holy Roman Empire . The cathedral spires are currently undergoing restoration.

The church horseman- only horse statue inside a European church.

Bishop's residence, part of the cathedral complex

The gardeners at the Bishop's Residence are able to keep roses blooming from April through October. The smells were warm and sweet as we looked over the city below and the church above.