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| Vineyards and castles on the Main River at Wurzburg |
We've been travelling through gently sloping hills which are filled with vineyards. While most of Germany is noted for its beer, the region of Franconia and Wurzburg are noted for production of white wine. We were fortunate, as were the grapes, to finally see the sun in Wurzburg. Dwight decided to remain on the ship during our city tour, which turned out to be the right decision since when we first stopped at the Prince/Bishop's residence we were confronted with a hundred yard walk over cobblestones.
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| The cobblestone parade ground/parking at the Prince/Bishop's Residence in Wurzberg |
Franconia and Wurzburg are now part of Bavaria, a fact which does not please Franconians since they used to be independent (remind you Texans of anything?). It seems the Prince/Bishop of Wurzburg (an elected official with both political and religious power) managed to bankrupt the state by building his residence and the King of Bavaria bailed him out. The palace, like most of Wurzburg, was destroyed by fire bombing in WWII, but since much of the palace was stone, it has been restored. (Photos of Wurzburg after the bombing look like photos of Allepo today...sad!) The frescoes in the residence were done by Venetian painter Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and are magnificent. Much of the palace is too rococo, i.e. full of gilded curlicues and cupids, for my taste.
Back on the boat, we enjoyed the sunshine and watching our progress through a series pf locks.
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| Tight fit! |
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