Wurzburg Blog 07-10-12

Up around 6:15. Feeling vaguely harried. Going to be a busy day, and it seems like every minute of every day is taken up with something to do or something that should be done. Beautiful weather. Ship has been passing vineyard-covered hillsides since yesterday. That's a lot of wine!

It's now 7:54; I've had “breakfast” and since I discovered the free coffee bar at the top of the main stairway (well, actually, I knew it was there...I just hadn't used it) offers hot chocolate, I had it for breakfast rather than coffee.

We're scheduled to arrive in Wurzburg at 9:00, and according to the “briefing” sheet the cabin stewards leave in our cabin each night, there will be a 4-hour shore excursion from 9:30 to 1:30. Since lunch on board is always at 12:00, I don't know what this will do to the schedule...not that I ever eat that much anyway, but it's a change in the routine.

City tour turned out to be a tour of the Rezidenz, a royal castle which looks pretty much like every other royal castle, where there is no such thing as too little opulence. Tour was pretty much a wash for me, since photography was not allowed. You wanna take back a picture of the largest ceiling fresco in the world (bigger even than the Sistine Chapel, but less cluttered), hie yourself to the gift shop and buy one. No thank you. But I did get some photos of the gardens behind the palace.

Returned to the ship for lunch and as I got off the bus I noticed a castle across the river. Walked along the river for a bit to get the best angle, clicked the shutter, and...nothing. Camera froze completely. Total panic...without a camera, I'm lost. Came back to the room, tried to remove the battery to see if I could find a replacement somewhere in town during a walking tour at 3:00, and suddenly it's working again. Then realized that when I plug the camera in to charge it, two little green lights come on...one at the top and on on the back...and the last several times I'd charged it, only the light at the top came on. So jiggled the battery a bit, plugged it in, and...voila! Someone up there was being good to me today.

A nice couple from the Bahamas with whom I've become friendly invited me to join them at their table tonight to celebrate Bahamian Independence day. Nice of them.

After returning to the ship for lunch, Andrew, our social director...a nice guy and I'll bet a fortune is one of my people, led us on a walking tour to the city's shopping area. I wandered off looking for somewhere to buy a new suitcase. Ran into Andrew again and he went with me to look. Found one marked almost half off, down to 59 euros, which I snapped up. Only when I got back to the ship and inspected it did I discover it has two broken zippers. Not major ones, though, so I can get by just fine.

Left Wurzburg at 6:15 for Werheim, of which I can't recall ever having heard.

Back from dinner just before nine. 8 people at our table to celebrate the Bahamas' Independence Day with Frances and Darryl. I am consistently embarrassed by my total inability to remember names. I think there is something really perverse in my head that refuses to let me remember from one minute to the next.

There's to be a glass-blowing exhibition in the lounge at 9 p.m. I think I will miss it.

Only four more days of cruising. On the fifth, we reach Amsterdam and leave the ship. Ah, well....still those four more days!

Dorien will be posting frequent blogs while on his current European River Cruise, and posting photos of his adventures on Facebook and Google+. You're also invited to check out his website at www.doriengrey.com.