RIVER CRUISE - 2018
Tuesday Aug 14 - Würzburg
We docked very close to the center of town; and because we would be here all day we opted for the tour of the Residenz palace, the home of the prince-bishop. Since it was at the edge of town and up a hill, we were chauffeured by bus.
The Residenz was constructed between 1720 and 1744 in the South German Baroque style when the Marienberg Fortress on the opposite side of the Main became no longer fashionable. Wikipedia says the interior is "considered masterworks of Baroque/Rococo or Neoclassical architecture and art include the grand staircase, the chapel, and the Imperial Hall." It looked to me like the bishop was trying to imitate Versailles, Schönbrunn, and San Souci, but on a slightly smaller scale.
Photograph was not allowed inside the Residenz.
Entrance to residenz.
Residenz is a U-shaped building. This is the bottom of the U, the main section.
This is one of the sides
After completing the tour inside, we visited the garden outside, this one on the right side of the building
This one is behind the palace.
Back out in front of the palace waiting for the bus
We had the choice of taking the bus back to the ship or walking back through the old town. Since we wanted to bike, we chose the bus. Before heading down the Main Valley Bike Route, we explored the old town by bike.
Fortress Marienberg on top of our ship
Heading to the old city with Fortress Marienberg and the Old Main Bridge, which dates from the 1400's, in the background.
Someone was kind enough to take our picture
The old town with the cathedral in the background
The cathedral. I liked the baroque decoration; but its size didn't do justice to the bishop's palace
Marienkapelle, a Colorful 14th-century Gothic church in Market Square
We headed back to the ship for lunch. After lunch it was an easy two blocks to the bridge to the opposite side of the Main where the Maintal Radweg (Main Valley Bike Route) was located.
Marcia out front missed the turn off to the bike path; so we continued on a bike path along a main street until we found another exit to the Main.
Maintal Radweg
More bike path
Oberzell Monastery dating from 1128, now a Franciscan Sisters convent. The brown weeds and grass shows the effects of the heat and a lack of rain.
After about 5 miles we left Jeanine to rest at a tennis court. We continued a couple of more miles when it started to rain and we turned around and picked Jeanine up.
We came upon this park in the town of Margetshöchheim
At the park there was a ramp leading to a bike and pedestrian bridge across the Main. Conveniently, there were seats under the bridge where we could wait out the rain.
This was our view as we waited out the rain
Coming back across the bridge to our ship, the vineyards are clearly visible on the hillside.
Our ship is docked in a small bay to the left. The three-stack power plant was the landmark leading back to the ship.
Sailing to Miltenberg
Despite the cruise director saying that oompah was not welcome, he announced that there would be oompah in the lounge that evening. From left to right: trombone, trumpet, accordion, clarinet (and announcer), and tuba.
Volkacher Ratherrn Musicanten (City Council Music Group from Volkach).
Their playing was excellent, but the singing was another matter (below). In no way could it be called Bavarian oompah. A trumpet instead of a rotary valve Flügelhorn (not to be confused with an American style flugelhorn) and a trombone rather than a rotary valve tenorhorn (similar to an American style euphonium) produce a much brassier, less mellow, sound. Although a tuba is the heart of oompah, a tenor horn is indispensable. In fact what we heard was the Franconian style of blassmusik, one that I had never heard. Needless to say, the group was well received and no one left early.
Here are some excepts of the concert.
Excerpt 1
Excerpt 2 (What do you think of the singing?)
Excerpt 3
