Medieval Treasures

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We are taking a new route on AmaWaterways in the summer of 2022 that is called Medieval Treasures (we sailed in early August 2022).

So, let’s explore together and learn about this new route—perhaps you might want to try it out after reading this report.

Overview of Our Cruise

Starting in Switzerland in Basel, we will cruise to Strasbourg “The Gem of the Alsace” in France and then on to Speyer in Germany.

We will get to experience Europe on the picturesque meandering Main River beginning with Rüdesheim and finishing in Nuremberg.

Along the way, we will be captivated by the storybook villages of Wertheim and Miltenberg.

We will get to marvel at the Residenz Palace or visit Rothenberg.

Another highlight will be to savor the wine of the Rheingau; the smoked beer in Bamberg and the famous Rüdesheim Coffee.

Here is the route map:

Embarking the AmaPrima

Tonight, we gathered on board for a “Welcome Aboard” Wine Toast as we commenced our wine-themed itinerary through some of Europe’s most enchanting and historic wine regions.

We only boarded in Basel—there are no tours, but I thought you might like to see a couple of pictures of this wonderful city.

A bridge over the Rhine near the old town in Basel

Strasbourg

Our first port stop is in Strasbourg. It is the Alsace’s principal city and is situated on the Ill River (downstream it flows into the Rhine at the German border). Here are our options:

This morning, we could take a tour through this charming town lined with narrow cobblestone streets. Our visit will include the “La Petite France” district, where we can see the sandstone Gothic Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock, timber-framed buildings, covered bridges and medieval watchtowers.

A canal in Strasbourg. In the background is the cathedral spire

As an alternative, we could take a guided bicycle tour (capacity controlled) past the Orangery, the town’s oldest park, the European Parliament, and Place de la Republique.

Ludwigshafen

There are some interesting options here for tours. Here are the options:

We could visit the Mannheim Baroque Palace or go on the “Secrets of Speyer” tour or visit the Speyer Technical Museum.

Here are a few pictures of the Mannheim Palace (the tour we chose).

Here are some pictures of Speyer (from a previous visit):

Then we will sail to Rüdesheim.

Rüdesheim

This is a charming wine village. It is famous for the great white wines grown in the region, along with a special coffee drink, aptly named Rüdesheimer coffee (Flambé Asbach brandy, sugar cube, coffee garnished with whipped cream).

Our first tour will be a wine tasting after dinner. We overnight, so we could visit other parts of the village such as the Drosselgasse a lively lane, is lined with taverns and wine-cellars.

In the morning, we could take the gondola ride to the Niederwald Monument or take a hike in the vineyards or visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum

Niederwald Monument commemorates the unification of Germany

The outside of Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum

Miltenberg

The old town of Miltenberg is about 150 meters wide but about 2.5 Km long from to banks of the Main River up the hillside. There are over 100 half-timbered houses in this scenic town.

This is a place time seems to have stood still—almost all the older buildings have survived. Its market square is often cited as one of the most attractive in all of Germany. And, to just round out the fairly-tale feel of the city, there is a castle perched on a hillside.

Our tour options are taking the “Pearl of the Main” tour, or a Flavors of Miltenberg or a Miltenberg Castle hike.

Colorful timbered homes. In the background is the castle

St Jacobs Church. Again in the background is the castle

For the active folks who like bike tours, they can pedal between Miltenberg and Wertheim. We will take the bus to Wertheim.

Wertheim

Wertheim is located where the Tauber River and the Main River meet. Overlooking the town are ruins of castle that was built in the 12th century. The old town and its market square are ringed with several half-timbered houses.

The Wertheim Castle is high on the hill.

This old walled city has an impressive watch tower that remains--the 115-foot tall Sprizer Turm. It dates to the 1200s and was one of the original 18 watch towers that ringed this city. The tower is 36.5 meter high (116 feet) and the tower can only be entered by ladder at 10 meters (33 feet).

Our tour options are a Wertheim walking tour, or a pretzel bakery visit and tasting or a hike up to the Castle.

After this tour, overnight, we will sail to Kitzingen. When docked here are some very good options. We could take an all-day tour to Rothenburg or visit the Residenz Palace after a walking tour of Würzburg. The bike riders can take a ride between Kitzingen and Volkach.

Let’s take a closer look at the hardest choice on this sailing—do you go to see the palace or go to Rothenburg?

Würzburg

Würzburg is in the heart of Franconia’s wine country. As you move to the town from the port, your first sights are the Marienberg Citadel and the old stone bridge to enter the town.

The key sight in Würzburg is the baroque Residenz Palace and its amazing gardens. The tour the of the palace is excellence —about 40 of the 360 rooms are available for visitors. Here are some pictures from a previous visit:

Rothenburg

Rothenburg, Germany (the correct name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber—, ob means above the Tauber River), is one of the most visited towns in Germany. We chose this tour.

This walled city has all its ramparts intact, has massive gates, and many folks walk the walls or part of the walls as I did during our previous visit. Its medieval past is everywhere—the impressive town hall, half-timbered buildings, a criminal museum, a carved wooden altarpiece masterpiece in St. Jacobs Church--all are surrounded by massive fortifications.

Here are some pictures of this interesting walled city:

This is from an earlier visit prior to us starting our travel agency

Many of you have seen this photo—it is the most famous picture of Rothenburg. Translated from German, Plönlein is actually the small square at a fountain”, not the lone timbered frame yellow, crocked tiled house and has 2 towers in the square area. On the left is the Siebersturm Tor and on the right is Kobolzeller Tor which opens to the Tauber Valley.

Burger Gate (Castle Gate). This gate was built around 1460 and is the western gate entrance. It is the highest gate tower of the town fortifications.

Volkach

We attended a wonderful wine event in Volkach. It is an exclusive event where the small town puts on a wine festival with grilled brats, white and rose local wines, hosted by the mayor with a band and traditional dancers. It was a lot of fun—here are some pictures:

There were several traditional dances performed by the wonderful dance group

4 awesome ladies enjoying the festival. From left to right, Bianca, Jennifer, Marcia (standing) and Anne.

The local Silvaner wine we drank—it was very good.

Bamberg

Bamberg is about 7 Km from the Main River, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria. It has a wonderfully preserved old town area on the west bank of the Regnitz River.

The key sights of Bamberg include the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), the Bamberg Cathedral, and the Neue Residenz (home of the prince bishops).

Bamberg has a special beer—it is a historic smoked beer.

Nuremberg

We will disembark today. It was awesome trip and a lot of fun.

Our Final Thoughts

What a cool new route. It is not offered often, so if you are interested, get hold of us so we can advise of the dates it is offered in 2023.

We hope you enjoyed this report—this route is really packed with great port options and enough free time to get an excellent feel of the charming villages, towns and treasures of a time past.

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Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you! We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel. Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com. We want to help you: Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management. Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry. Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA. Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations. She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors. An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:

AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent

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