Chip and Daisy’s Blog: Adventures in Bamberg, Germany

Day 10, Monday, July 24

On the morning of Monday, July 24, the Viking Magni continued sailing on the Main-Danube Canal. Daisy and I slept in and had lunch in the main dining room before the ship docked.

Our selections were  a salad, Penne Pasta Frutti Di Mare for Daisy—a seafood mix with bean sprouts, tomatoes and spring onions. I had an American stew and we both a raspberry, mango and berry tart for dessert.

We docked about 1 p.m. in Bamberg, Germany, and joined other passengers on a 4.5-hour walking tour, then a bus ride. The ship left us and cruised to the Main River to pick us up at Zeil am Main in the late afternoon.

Founded in 902, Bamberg, flanked the picturesque River Regnitz. It was built on seven hills, each crowned by a beautiful church, and so it is often compared to Rome. This attractive group of former fishermen’s houses is often called “Little Venice.”

Following our guide, the walking tour started along the river…

…then continued into the downtown area, with winding cobblestone streets and buildings dating from the medieval period. We walked 14,000 steps this day. 

The whole of the Old City has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Bamberg Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George was consecrated in 1237, thus straddling the Romanesque and Gothic styles.

In this cathedral, we were allowed to take photographs of the dramatic sanctuary. Pope Clement II was a native of Bamberg and is buried in the Cathedral, the only Pope to be buried north of the Alps.

Beautiful artwork adorns the interior of the cathedral, such as the Mary Altar that dates from 1523.

This equestrian statue, called the Bamberg Rider, dates from about 1225 and is thought to depict St. Stephen of Hungary.

After touring the church we dropped in on the 17^th century Neue Residenz (New Residence) which was the seat of the Bamberg prince-bishops until 1802.

It has an extensive rose garden that was laid out in 1733 and has over 4,500 bushes, as well as numerous sculptures.

The Old City has examples of various styles of half-timbered houses as well as the multiple colors of buildings that are representative of this region.

We had free time and used it for a happy hour at Aecht Schlenkerla, a brewhouse dating from 1310. We tried two versions of the Bamberg specialty called Rauchbier (smoke beer). It is a robust brew made from a five-century old recipe using smoked malt. Daisy had the traditional style and I tried the Rauchweizen, wheat smoke beer. Both had a slightly smoky flavor, which we decided would pair well with smoked meats, and of course bratwurst!  In keeping with tradition, these beers are still tapped directly from wooden barrels.

There was one meal I wanted to try at the restaurant. It smelled like good roasted pork and has a crusty exterior. It was called a PORK KNUCKLE.  I had already ordered a snack of bratwurst, which we shared.   I made a mental note to search it out.

In our bus we past grain fields and logging yards on our way through the countryside to our pickup point.

The longship had left Bamberg and picked us up in a small village on the Main River. 

A short while after we got back to the ship, we found this interesting view from the dining room.   The ship had entered another of the many locks, and the concrete walls were only a few inches outside the dining room windows.

As an appetizer that evening, Daisy selected Smoked River Trout with Cranberry Cream, but had wine with it instead of smoke beer!  We selected a Zweigelt/Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend.  It was quite tasty for a mid range wine.

I chose the Caprese Bread Salad, which featured tomato and mozzarella slices with a cucumber, walnut, and onion bread salad and pesto dressing. One unique aspect of the presentation is that it came with a small plastic vial of balsamic vinegar to be added to your taste. I also passed on the smoke beer.  It is a developed taste.

I also tried the Fish and Shrimp Sinigang with miso broth. It was light and tasty.

For our entrée, we both selected the Veal Tenderloin with Parmesan Jus, Mushrooms, Green Peas, and Citrus Potato Gratin. Fortunately, we walked three to four miles each day, so we could enjoy the food without too much guilt!

The dessert this night was a Bienenstich Cake (bread like with a sugary-almond crunchy crust and a vanilla pudding filling) for Daisy. Having no imagination, I had a mango sorbet.

That evening we took part in Salsa dance class followed by music from the ship’s musicians Eliz and Martin.  It was a jocular, energizing way to wrap up our day of touring.