Bamberg

Bamberg:

A lazy morning cruising the Main. After a long breakfast there was a presentation about offerings of  Viking River Cruises current and in the future. 

Our ship docked a few kilometers out side of Bamberg and we were transferred to busses. The busses took us near to the center of town where we met the local guides. Bamberg is a university town and most of the local guides are students. We started in the market and made our way to the city hall where the exterior is painted with frescos. From there we strolled the local streets to the local brewhouse where “smokey” beer originated. The story is there was a fire and the barley became smoked as a result. The brewer being too cheap to obtain new barley he used the smoked barley. Hence smokey beer. It was not to bad, as it is dark with a noticeable smokey flavor. We did return later to sample. 

From there we made our way to the Jewish Quarter and learned about the Jewish influence upon Bamberg. In a short distance we were told of of a project called Stumbling Blocks. These are brass plaques placed in the sidewalks. Each plaque has the name of a person who died at the hands of the Nazis. The plan is to place these all over Europe. 

We next made our way to Bamberg Cathedral where Henry II and his wife Cunigunde of Luxembourg ruled and lived. They were both canonized as saints and their tomb is in the cathedral. We visited the courtyard of their residence which was used as a set for a Three Musketeers movie. The we made our way to the Rose Garden, granted not in bloom but the terrace provided a great view of the city. 

From here we had free time and were off to explore on our own. This is when we returned to the famous smokey beer house. Here we also had a Bamberg Horn, a croissant made with 60% butter,  French croissant has 20% butter content. Tasty but I expected a more creamy taste. It was good. Next we strolled the city window shopping, before we had to meet and return to the ship via bus. 

It was a good day and Bamberg was a nice town which could be explored more.