10/8/14 Bamberg

We sailed through more locks today.  It is interesting to watch the lock fill will water up to the level of the next section of the river.  I took some photos and hope to put some of them on later.  It is a gloomy day again today - off and on rain or sprinkles.  We sailed through the morning and stopped in a small town short of Bamberg as the locks were busy today and the captain did not want us to be late for our walking tour.  After lunch, we boarded buses and arrived in Bamberg 20 minutes later.  Our guide was a young student at the university.  She is studying French and Latin with hopes to teach school when she is finished.  She was very good and spoke English well.  We toured the town passing by the very ornate old city hall, the old slaughter house which was built over the river (no wonder everyone drank wine in those days), and ended at the catherdral (built in 1012).  The cathedral was built by Heinrich II as he and his wife (Kunithunde) had no children and he wanted the people of the diocese to pray for them after death in order to shorten their time in purgatory.  He also wanted the city to become a second Rome and there are churches on each of the seven hills of the city.  He eventually became Emporor of the Holy Roman Empire and both he and his wife are buried in the cathedral as was Pope Clement II.  Bamberg was one of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by World War II bombing.  Our guide suggested that as Bamberg is known for its smoky beer, the allied bombers spared the city so that they could celebrate here after the war.

This evening we will be leaving the Main River and begin sailing down the Main-Danube Canal that was built between 1960 and 1992.  Without this man-made canal, we would not be able to make this trip.  It is 106 miles long with 16 locks that raise the water to 1332 feet.  We are hoping for better weather tomorrow.  Tomorrow is the day that we change ships in Nuremberg.  We will be on the Eistla for the rest of the journey