On our third day aboard we had entered Germany and we were given the okay to  join an evening walking tour of the small city of Koblenz, especially beautiful in the twilight.  The city is over 2,000 years old and sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers.

We docked overnight so we might have an early departure through the 65 km Rhine gorge which has the greatest concentration of castles and castle ruins in the world. Small villages are nestled along the edge of the river and vineyards cascade down the hillsides.

After six hours the river widens near Rudesheim and familiar villages we visited previously during Joe’s stint as an instructor at the European Business School came into view. Rudesheim is a bustling winemaking town and home to Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instruments Museum.

Another overnight passage takes us past Frankfurt where we move from the Rhine to the Main River. On the Main we experience 34 locks.  At the medieval town of Miltenberg we have time to explore this charming village with it’s half-timbered houses and narrow streets, try a local brew, and climb above the town for some stunning views.

When we arrived in Wurtzberg we opted to take the optional bus trip to Rothenberg au Tauber. In 2019 we had the pleasure of a full day in this incredible walled city, but we had less than two hours on this visit so it was not possible to indulge in the best of its gems. Plus it was too crowded, too hot, and not really worth the long round trip journey. Spending a night would allow one to enjoy a peaceful evening and morning without tour groups like us.

On to Bamberg where, again, we spent a day in 2019. It’s a small city but very walkable, and it was easy to retrace our previous steps.

As we headed downstream to Nuremberg we had to pack our bags because the Danube waterway was too low for travel beyond this point and we had to transfer to a sister ship downstream. We were sorry to say farewell to the top-notch staff on our first ship but at least our 2nd ship was identical and we even had the same cabin number. Of all the days, our cruising partner, Al, became ill and was Covid+. He had to endure a stifling afternoon in Hitler’s famed city and then a 2+ hour coach ride down river to Vilshofen where we met the AmaReina’s sister ship AmaVenita.  Since we had spent a few days in Nuremberg previously we were very familiar with it and as hot as it was we were happy to people-watch from a shady cafe table on the main square. Vilshofen was an overnight stay and a wander in this sweet village with beautiful light was worthwhile.

We backtracked by bus to Regensburg for a guided tour of the ancient historic center of this well-preserved university city.