Our Viking River Cruise Grand European Tour Daily Diary
Day 1 – Budapest
Day 2 – Budapest
Day 3 – Sailing to Vienna
Day 4 – Vienna
Day 5 – Melk, Austria
Day 6 – Passau, Germany
Day 8 – Nuremberg, Germany
Day 9 – Bamberg, Germany
Day 10 – Würzburg, Germany
Day 11 – Wertheim, Germany
Day 12 – Braubach, Germany
Day 13 – Cologne, Germany
Day 14 – Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
< Our Viking River Cruise Grand European Tour: Day 10 – Würzburg, Germany
Very cold start to the day this morning, down to 1 degree (Celsius). Now, that may not sound cold to some but don’t forget Jon and I lived in Laos and Thailand for a long time, so our blood is still Asian!!
But cold as it was, the sky was blue, so bundled up in all our winter clothes, we strolled into the nearby town of Wertheim. It’s a picturesque medieval town with half-timbered houses and narrow streets, located at the confluence of the Tauber and Main Rivers.
See also:
- Common Myths About River Cruising
- Life is Either a Daring Adventure or Nothing
- Essentials Required for Retiring Overseas
Overlooking the town are the ruins of Wertheim Castle, one of Southern Germany’s largest stone fortresses with great views of Bavaria. As we walked down from the castle, the air was filled with the sound of organ music coming from the local church and the smell of bread from the local bakery. We pottered around the small town for a while, just soaking in the ambience.
On our return to the ship, we were greeted with a cup of mulled wine (which I’ve been hinting for on board since we started the cruise!) It’s the perfect way to warm up after our morning’s excursion and keep warm while relaxing on our balcony and just admiring the surroundings.
It wasn’t too long before lunch, and as our ship cast off, we headed to the main dining room for mushroom ravioli. Yummy! Bellies full and after a few more cups of mulled wine, it was time for a siesta. This river cruising lifestyle is so exhausting!
At 3 PM, more food appeared as it was German teatime with cakes, and scones with clotted cream. We tried to resist, but a few egg and watercress sandwiches found their way into my stomach! But eating everything on offer is a significant part of cruising!
Later on that afternoon, there was a presentation or let’s call it a sales pitch about other cruises that Viking offer. Have to say, the cruise through Russia looks fantastic.
Then as is the way of river cruising, we enjoyed a pre-dinner cocktail, dinner with new friends. Even after 11 days, we are still meeting new people we have never seen before, and that’s with only 190 passengers on board.
And with that, it was time for bed. Tomorrow we start cruising along the Rhine, next stop: Braubach.
Hits
The picturesque town of Wertheim
The views from the ruins of Wertheim Castle
Mulled wine when we returned to the ship
Misses
Freezing cold (but blue sky, so quite nice, but I have to moan about something!)
If you like the idea of river cruising with Viking, check this blog post about ocean cruising with Viking.
