Mainz and Rüdesheim, Germany

Mainz is a large metropolitan city surrounding fragments of its medieval past. Being Germany's forth largest city and rated as the second best city in Germany based on growth, jobs, etc. makes this a completely different experience than what we have lived for the last couple weeks. As in all the locations we've visited, there is a strong devotion to the arts and the unique architecture and public works of art reflect this.

One hightlight of Mainz is the Gutenberg Museum. Johnann Gutenberg, inventor of the printing press was born here and a museum has been erected highlighting his inventions and the history of printing. Several copies of the Gutenberg Bible are on display in a highly protected glass case inside a vault with incredibly thick doors. Pictures are only allowed in certain areas and our schedule did not afford us the time to leisurly look at all the exhibits. A cruise shows you a sampling and leaves you with a desire to return and spend more time. Certainly this cruise is no exception - we've seen several cities that beckon us to to return.

Christmas decorations are becomming more and more prominet as we approach the holiday season. In another week the Christmas markets will begin to open. We'd love to return and experience the the sights, sounds and smells during this festive time.

In the center of Mainz stands the Romanesque Cathedral of Saints Martin and Stephen. Construction started in 975 and was not completed until the 13th century. I guess we shouldn't complain when that annoying freeway project takes a year or two to complete...

The cathedral contains numerous lavishly decorated tombs, belonging to prominent bishops.

Some of the original stained glass windows were broken during WWII and replacements were designed by Chagall, giving the cathedral a unique blend of old and new art.

The trees certainly grow big leaves here!

Rüdesheim, a World Heritage Site, is a winemaking town in the Rhine gorge. It is also home to the Siegfried's Mechanisches Musikkabinett, a museum dedicated to mechanical self-playing musical devices, from very large units weighing tons to tiny windup music boxes with even tinier mechanical chirping birds. Exhibits cover instruments spanning four centuries. The entire collection has been meticulously restored and several of the more spectatular units are played for you during the guided tour. Our guide was the son of the founder of the museum and is now one of the principal restorers so, as you can imagine, was very knowledgeable of the mechanisms and explained to us how some of the units came to them in pieces and how they restored or rebuilt them. Definitely worth a visit if you are in the area.

Freudenberg and Wertheim, Germany

Freudenberg is a small German town on the Main River with an old castle high above the city that lies in partial ruins. To get to the castle you must climb a stairway of over 300 steps leading up the hill.
From the staircase you get nice views of the community, residing on both sides of the river.

Had we arrived a week or so earlier, the hillsides would probably been ablaze with fall colors, but we still got a taste of the natural beauty.Wertheim is home to the "famous" Leaning Tower of Wertheim. The city is subject to periodic flooding which, over time, has softened the soil under the tower causing the lean. Our guide, a local from Wertheim, said that the residents just live with the floods. They get enough warning to move their possessions out of harms way and then deal with the cleanup and get on with life.

Even though we are overfed on the ship, we are constantly sampling the local goodies. Try as we might, I'm afraid we'll be bringing some of these calories back home with us in the form of a rounder self.

Castles seem to be everywhere. After a while their abundance numbs your sense of awe. This is the Upper Castle built by the Prince of Wertheim in the 12th century.

A medieval custom (so we are told) was to decorate your home with gargoyles or caricatures. The resident of this home obviously did not like his neighbor as this carving is sticking out his tongue to the resident living across the alleyway.

Prior to WWII approximately 80 Jews lived in Wertheim. All were removed to concentration camps during the war and many were victims of the holocaust. Within the last week, the city placed bronze placques in front of the homes where the Jewish residents once lived. Each is inscribed with the name, date and information relating to when and where each family member was taken.

Würzburg & Rothenberg

Würzburg was one of the most severly damaged large cities in Germany during WWII, with approximately 85% of the city in ruins. Fortunately, the Archbishop's Palace, now designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was spared even though fire swept through the structure. The artwork, tapestries, antiques and furnishings had been removed and stored in a safe location in anticipation of an attack. The baroque building and gardens have been fully restored with the original furnishings and is open for tours.
Statues on the courtyard fountain honor the arts depicting a poet, musician and sculpturer.
A fortification wall surrounds the well preserved old town of Rothenburg. Althought there are some concessions to the tourist trade, the building still reflect its medieval history and this was one of our favorite visual-appealing stops so far.

Restoration work extends to all facets of the city, including the streets. The cobblestones in the many walkways have been replaced with smoother stones to making navigating the gift shops more pleasurable...

No self respecting medieval town would pass up the opportunity to showcase the torture devices from its past. The "rack" shown below would stretch the unfortunate victim, dislocating joints until a confession was extracted. Often a single confession was insufficient for conviction and up to three people would be subjected to torture until enough evidence was received to convict the "guilty" party.