Koblenz and the Wachau Valley

    It has been a funny week so far - starting off warm and sunny, then clouding over in the afternoon with quite heavy rain. Today's shower was short and sweet but thunder was rumbling so somewhere got a soaking.

   Early tennis but we were done by 10:00 - just three of us and that is always more tiring. Bridge at noon, some good hands although I underbid a couple of times to my partner's annoyance. C'est la vie!

   Salmon for dinner tonight so that will be my serving of protein today. Just an apple for lunch. My appetite is slightly improved. I should weigh myself tomorrow.

   Next day on the cruise the morning was spent steaming up the Wachau Valley with wonderful views from the sun deck of at least a dozen castles high on the sides of the valley. We were given a running commentary of all the sites and were kept busy running from one side of the sundeck to the other as each new castle appeared. We saw the famous "Lorelei" cliff and sailed by several small picturesque towns. We didn't arrive at Koblenz until 2:30. and by then it was very hot. The guide for the walking tour was rather poor so I bailed half way through and walked back to the ship to watch the French Open women's final - much more interesting! In the evening we had the "Battle of the Universities" and U of T tied with Smith College for first place - another bottle of bubbly to share.

Not everyone was interested in the castles!

At the entrance to Koblenz.

Miltenburg and "Fruhschoppen"

   Still not much appetite but I have an appetizing dinner planned for tonight - tomato, olive and feta salad with lemon juice and some of the real olive oil, that I bought in Spain last Fall, as a dressing. It will also have cucumber and red pepper - that should tempt me to eat. There's nothing wrong with keeping meals light but I am missing protein so will have to think about that tomorrow.

   Fitness class this morning but I came straight home after, had a nap and a swim before going back to work in the coffee bar. Another nap after that then cut the front grass just before thunder started rattling around. This was followed by a very heavy downpour - good for the garden and the pool is filled again!

   I can't for the life of me, recall our walking tour of Miltenburg but the highlight of our day was Fruhschoppen on the sun deck. This is a Bavarian Sunday morning custom - white sausages with mustard, potato salad, sauerkraut and giant pretzels and, of course, big glasses of beer! and then there was lunch. Even after all that food we were still ready for dinner which that day was Osso Buco, tender and delicious. All in all, the food on the cruise was outstanding.

Food set out on the sun deck.

This MAY be Miltenburg!

Rottenburg and Wurtzburg

   Still feeling rather under the weather but went to tennis anyway. It was very hot and humid and I barely made it through two sets. We had a little party for one of our founding members on his 90th birthday - and he's still playing tennis! Hope I am able to last that long. There was a delicious cake, fruit, cheese,  crackers and genuine macaroons. Jasmin does treat us well. I didn't need lunch!

From the city wall in Rottenburg.

   Early start (8:30) next day on the cruise as we took a bus ride for a tour of Rottenburg. It was an interesting place with a well preserved medieval wall around the centre. I had a walk around it with some great views. After we left the boat it sailed to Wurtzburg where the bus took us, arriving for lunch. It was rather a rushed meal as we were leaving at 2:30 for a tour of the town and the Bishop's Palace there. It's a UNESCO site with a beautiful garden and well worth the visit. A very busy day (really too much for one day) and we were ready for a quiet night. The boat sailed at 6;30 and we were able to use the sundeck for watching the scenery pass by. We would reach the Rhine the next day.

We couldn't take photos inside the baroque Palace but the gardens were a photographer's dream

Bamberg, Germany

   Spent the weekend in bed with a stomach bug - had to be close to the toilet. I spent most of the time sleeping which is a shame as it was a lovely weekend. I managed to eat something today and felt well enough to go to Bridge. I left early as I was bushed but got someone to take my spot. Will try to have some dinner tonight but it will be another early night.

   Next stop on the cruise was Bamberg where we had a culinary walking tour so I had a light breakfast. We had liverwurst and a kind of meatloaf at a butchers, a croissant and rhubarb cake at a bakery. Next stop was a brewery but I didn't sample the beer - too dark and frothy! Last stop was a street vendor where we had a sausage in a bun. We had a little free time for a walk around the town and met back in the main square just as it started to rain. It was the coolest day so far. The rain became quite heavy but we couldn't use the sundeck anyway as it is still closed for the low bridges.

The town centre is on an island and this is one side of the river.