Holiday Markets on the

Rhine & Main Rivers

Day 1 — Depart Home

Depart Chicago for overnight flight to Munich, Germany.

Mike and Michael picked us up at home and gave us a ride down to the memorial Union. We caught the Van Galder bus there and took it to O’Hare. We arrived in plenty of time for check-in and there were no long lines for check-in or for the security check. The flight was OK. We had an aisle and a center seat. I had the pasta dinner, and Sharon had the chicken dinner. I must be getting used to these seven to eight hour flights. This one seemed not as long as ones that we had taken in the past.

Day 2 — Arrive Munich / Nuremberg, Germany /

Embark Ship

• Upon arrival you will be required to clear Immigration and Customs; after you clear Customs you will be met by a Vantage Representative outside of the Customs area

Motorcoach transfer to the pier in Nuremberg
Embark your Vantage river cruise ship
Welcome Briefing and welcome drink
Accommodations for 9 nights on board a Vantage Deluxe river cruise ship

We were met by the Vantage tour director at the airport, and guided to the waiting buses. It was a 1 ½ to 2 hour bus ride to the ship. There was an elaborate lunch spread waiting onboard, with many kinds of salads, sandwiches, hot foods, desserts, etc. Our cabin was very nice. Somehow we had been upgraded to what they call a ‘Junior Suite.’ This was about the size of an average motel room, and we did not feel at all cramped for space.

Day 3 — Nuremberg, Germany

Choice of city tours in Nuremberg with free time to visit Christmas Market
Lunch at leisure (you will be given a set amount of euros to spend at a restaurant or cafe of your choosing)
Afternoon time at leisure in Nuremberg to visit Christmas Market or museums
Captain’s Welcome Party and Welcome Dinner aboard ship
Ship departs Nuremberg

We had a great breakfast. I had melon, eggs, sausages and a couple of nice pastries. I also made a resolution not to do that kind of breakfast every day. After breakfast we had a lecture on present day Germany and its economic problems. We had a choice of two tours in Nuremberg, the Medieval or the WWII tour. We selected the Medieval Tour, which concentrated on the castle, cathedral and Durer’s house. There was an ugly statue of a rabbit in the square outside Durer’s house. Our guide said that the artist was trying to make a statement about the monstrous impact that Durer’s drawing of the rabbit had on his career (if you look closely you can see the representation of Durer’s hand, as if he had been crushed by the rabbit). We went to the Christmas Market, where we found the hand-carved crèche that Andy and Terri had wanted, and I had my first taste of Glühwein, a hot, spiced wine. I have to admit that it was just the right thing to sip while strolling through the markets. We lunched outside at a small restaurant near the markets. I had six bratwurst on a pile of sauerkraut (so did Sharon) and a beer. Brats are smaller in Germany, maybe about ring finger size. We returned to the ship for the Captain’s Reception and Dinner. Tuxedos and evening gowns were not required, not were they present. The ship left Nuremberg at 10:00 PM for the trip to Bamberg.

Day 4 — Bamberg, Germany

Ship arrives Bamberg
Morning walking tour of Bamberg including a visit to a Nativity crib
Visit Christmas Market
Ship departs Bamberg
Afternoon at leisure aboard ship
Evening local entertainment

We arrived at Bamberg at 8:00 the next morning. At Bamberg we left the Main – Danube canal and entered the Main River. After breakfast we left on the bus for the tour of the old town section of Bamberg and the cathedral. We returned to the ship for lunch, and the ship left for Würzburg at 1:30. There was a Christmas handicrafts workshop in the lounge in the afternoon. Sharon had signed up to sit in on it but found that it was too crowded, so she came back to the cabin and we took it easy for the afternoon.

Day 5 — Würzburg, Germany (Rothenburg ob der Tauber)

Ship arrives Würzburg
Full-day excursion to Rothenburg ob der Tauber including a short walking tour of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, lunch at leisure (you will be given a set amount of euros to spend at a restaurant or cafe of your choosing), and an afternoon visit to Christmas Market with time to explore on your own
Festive entertainment on board this evening

The ship arrived at Würzburg at about 7:00 AM. After breakfast we took the 1 ½ hour bus ride to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Our guide took us to the Christmas markets in the square and then turned us loose. We had a Glühwein and then went through the Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas village. We had tea at the “Iron Hat” (that’s a translation) restaurant. Sharon had a ham, egg, and cheese sandwich, and I had the sausage and sauerkraut plate. Sharon went to try to buy some German commemorative stamps, and I went to try to get up on the town wall to get a nice perspective for some pictures. She succeeded in getting the stamps but I ran out of time in trying to get to the wall, so I headed back to the markets in the square to join the group for the walk back to the bus. We each bought a “Schneeball” (snowball), a pastry that seems to be something like piecrust cut in strips, wrapped into a ball, deep fried, and then frosted. After the bus ride back we had supper and later listened to the ‘oompah’ band in the lounge. The former music teacher that we were sitting with agreed with my impression that the band was very good.

Day 6 — Würzburg

Visit to Würzburg Residenz and free time to visit Christmas Market
Ship departs Würzburg
Afternoon at leisure onboard
Lecture aboard ship: “Christmas Traditions in Germany”

We had a half a day in Würzburg itself. We took our buses to the Residence (the palace of the Prince-Bishop). The Residence had been elaborately restored and decorated, although our tour showed only a small part of the building. We walked back through town and the Christmas markets toward the boat. I saw the “Old Main” bridge on the way back. For lunch I selected the cabbage roll, which was very good. We left Würzburg at 12:30 on our way to Wertheim. The afternoon lecture in the lounge was “Christmas Traditions in Germany”, which both Sharon and I passed up. We did attend the galley tour, though. Food preparation for the crew and 160 passengers takes place in a remarkably small area of the ship. After supper I won $13 at the horse races in the lounge.

Day 7 — Wertheim, Germany

Ship arrives Wertheim
Morning walking tour of Wertheim with leisure time in town
Ship departs Wertheim
Glass-blowing demonstration and cookie-baking demonstration onboard ship

We had a guided tour of Wertheim, a really small town on the Main River. We spent a half day there before leaving for Frankfurt. The town was characterized by small shops and old half-timbered buildings, without much of a tourist presence or orientation at all. Our guide explained the history of the town since WWII, and how it was affected by the establishment and closing of a nearby US Army base. Sharon and I took a long walk, almost out of town, looking for a supermarket, and stopped in at the Glass Museum on the way back. We did find the supermarket and continued our search for Milka hot chocolate mix, but to no avail. Sharon and I shared a bratwurst in the market area. It was very good, and the bun was one of the best I had, crunchy on the outside and firm and chewy on the inside. We returned to the ship for lunch, and glass blowing and Christmas cookie baking were the lounge activities for the afternoon. I stopped down there briefly to see if I could find a nice paperweight, but didn’t see anything in the way of paperweights. Sharon stopped down later, found the paperweights, and bought a very pretty one with a rose blown into the glass. We left Wertheim for Frankfurt at about 2:30. After supper we had the Crew Show in the lounge. Amusing, and possibly embarrassing for some of us.

Day 8 — Frankfurt, Germany (Heidelberg) / Mainz, Germany

Ship arrives Frankfurt
Your choice of included tours:

Full-day excursion by motorcoach to Heidelberg for a tour of Heidelberg Castle, lunch at leisure (you will be given a set amount of euros to spend at a restaurant or cafe of your choosing), and free time at Christmas Market. (tour concludes in Mainz where you’ll meet ship)

or —

Walking tour of Mainz including Old Town, the Cathedral, and a visit to the Gutenberg Museum, as well as free time at Christmas Market (takes place after ship arrives Mainz — lunch will be onboard for passengers touring in Mainz)

Ship departs Frankfurt
Ship arrives Mainz

We decided to take the tour of Heidelberg instead of the tour of Mainz. Heidelberg castle sounded interesting, and I really couldn’t pass up Heidelberg after participating in The Student Prince production in high school. While we were on the trip to Heidelberg the ship was going from Frankfurt to Mainz. It was about a 1 ½ hour bus trip from Frankfurt to Heidelberg. We arrived and toured the castle. Parts were in ruins and parts had been nicely restored. The gigantic wine barrels and the story that went with them was interesting (but rather long and involved to go into here). Two of the smaller barrels are shown with Sharon. The picture of the largest barrel didn’t turn out, but just to give you an idea of its size there was a dance floor built on top of it. This was Saturday, and at the markets we saw some of the largest crowds that we had seen so far. We lunched on brats at one of the market stands and later on went to Starbucks for an espresso and cappuccino. As we expected from the number of people on the streets and at the markets there were no chairs or table space. We met the bus and rode back to Mainz to meet the ship. We took a quick walk into Mainz to check out the markets there. The streets in Mainz were at least as crowded as the streets in Heidelberg. The Mainz markets covered a large area, with several small rides (e.g., carousel, small ferris wheel) and a band playing in the bandstand. After supper the ship’s pianist gave a classical music recital. He played very well, and happened to include some of my favorites, Barcarolle by Offenbach and Für Elise were among them.

Day 9 — Mainz / Rüdesheim, Germany /

Cologne, Germany

Ship departs Mainz
Ship arrives Rüdesheim
Mini-train from pier to Siegfried’s Musikkabinett museum of mechanical musical instruments for tour
Leisure time in Rüdesheim
Lunch at a local restaurant in Rüdesheim
Ship departs Rüdesheim
Afternoon scenic cruising through the Rhine Gorge
Onboard commentary from the ship’s bridge on the Legend of the Lorelei and the Castles on the Cliffs
Farewell Cocktail Party and Dinner
Ship arrives Cologne

We arrived in Rüdesheim at 8:00 AM. The tour in Rüdesheim was the local museum of mechanical music making devices. The more complicated ones were run by punched paper rolls and air pressure. These machines also usually had several varieties of instruments included, and a sound and style kind of like an early juke box. After the tour we wandered the markets for a couple of hours and then met at the restaurant in town for the planned German meal. Then it was back to the ship to start the trip through the Rhine Gorge, with its many castles, and the Legend of the Lorelei. We arrived in Cologne at about 11:00 PM.

Day 10 — Cologne

Short walk to Cologne Cathedral for tour including the Shrine of the Three Magi (if the Cathedral is closed, a visit to the Roman GermanicMuseum will be substituted)
Visit Christmas Market after Cologne Cathedral
Afternoon at leisure with transportation provided from pier to Cologne’s other major Christmas Markets
Evening entertainment aboard ship: Cologne Shanty Choir

The morning weather in Cologne was cold, windy, and drizzling rain, but we went down to the markets in Cologne anyway. While crossing under one of the busy streets we found a small shopping area that had among other things, a very nice flower shop. We were at the Christmas market earlier than many of the people managing the stands, so we could just walk around several times and see different market stands each time. We returned to the ship for lunch. After lunch Sharon was feeling a little ‘under the weather’ so I took a walk downtown to the markets around the cathedral. The markets were crowded and busy, and the cathedral was unbelievably large. Since I was on my own I didn’t get to see the shrine that was supposed to contain the relics of the Three Magi. Given the season I am sure that there were large crowds waiting to get to that shrine.

Day 11 — Cologne / Disembark Ship / Frankfurt,

Germany / Return U. S. Gateway

Disembark your Vantage river cruise ship
Motorcoach transfer to the airport in Frankfurt for return flight
You will be required to clear Immigration and Customs at your first point of entry into the United States

It was about a 1 ½ hour bus ride to the Frankfurt airport from the ship. Once in the airport we passed through security checks and found ourselves in a featureless waiting area. The Frankfurt airport, at least the section that we were waiting in, is definitely lacking in shopping and dining facilities. The flight back to Chicago was a long one, about 9 to 9 ½ hours, and seemed longer than that. In Chicago we found the Van Galder bus stop easily and impatiently waited until it arrived. Then we mostly slept for the three hour trip back to Madison. We called Mike and Michael while we were on our way and they met us at the Memorial Union and delivered us to our home. It was a great journey with lots to see and lots of great meals, but it was definitely good to be home.