Christmas Markets Nuremberg

Day 3 Nuremberg – Cruising The Main / Danube Canal

Our day started off at 8:30am with a guided tour (via motor coach) of Nuremberg. Viking provided a local tour guide who was an American that had been living in Nuremburg for the past 18 years. The first part of the tour addressed the city’s infamous past. Nuremberg was a key centre for the Nazi movement and housed the party’s main parade grounds. We passed by the coliseum which was being built to allow party leaders the opportunity to spew propaganda to tens of thousands of followers. The interior was never completed but one can envision the magnitude of the plans the Nazi’s developed. A short drive later we got out of the coach at the Nazi parade grounds. This was the spot where Hitler would stand and inspect the thousands of troops and artillery. The guide provided pictures that made the grounds come to life and sent a chill through your body as we came to terms with the history of the area. Our next stop was a brief visit to the site of the Nuremberg trials. Since this is still a functioning courthouse, you are not able to ‘visit’ the interior. Our final stop was back in the old city at the site of the 400 year old Christkindelsmarkt. Here you are struck by the true Christmas spirit that the locals are passionate about. The market is filled with everything Christmas – all locally produced – all natural – all glittering. A light dusting of snow put you in the mood for some Christmas cheer. So off we went to have some fresh gingerbread cookies and a cup of mulled wine. We then returned to the ship and we were quickly on our way to Regensburg.

The canal is an engineering marvel. There are 16 locks that raise the ship over 1300 feet and was completed in 1992. It’s only when you pass through the locks that you appreciate the fact that these river cruise ships will never be any larger. We pass under bridges and through locks that allow for only inches of clearance. In fact the entire control room on the upper deck can be lowered into the floor so the ship can pass under several low bridges.

Viking provided a guest speaker for the afternoon of cruising. He is an expert in European history and spoke for close to an hour about the history of the area and the background to the formation of the EU. I would guess about half of the 150 passengers attended the talk while others played board games, read in the library or maybe caught a nap.