So tonight we have made it to the boat. We have unpacked our stuff and put our bags away as there isn't a lot of spare space in the room. Mum was surprised by how small the room was. It's amazing how pictures in a brochure can make a room look so big with the clever use of mirrors.

We left Rothenburg yesterday morning and caught the train to Nuremberg, having to make 2 changes. Caught a taxi to the hotel and met the Uniworld representative who advised that we would be staying at the hotel tonight and dinner would be provided. Today was a free day and tomorrow they would do the city tour with a guide and then there would be free time in the city centre (as it always was on the itinerary). They gave us 20 euros each for lunch for the next day as it should have been available on the boat for those that wished. We would then be bussed to Passau to join the ship. Details on what would happen on Wednesday would be provided later.

We checked into the hotel and then mum and I headed out to Kongresshalle & the Documentation Centre which details the famous rallies that Hitler held in Nuremburg in the 1930's. The Congress Hall was never completed due to the building of it being interrupted by the beginning of WWII. It does have the feel of the Coliseum in Rome. Spent over 2hrs listening to all the information. All the museum is in German but they give you audio guides which translate for you. For the rallies, there were 60,000 tickets available...over ½ million people applied for tickets.

Due to lack of time we didn't get the chance to walk around the rest of the grounds that made up the rally grounds. We jumped on a tram & train to the Justice Building where the Nuremburg trials were held in 1945 where 24 men were put on trial for their crimes against humanity. It was the first time that people were held accountable for actions in a war and they could not claim it was their duty to the state. 19 were convicted and were given various terms including death, life in prison and other prison terms.

We were able to view Courtroom 600 which is where the trials were held. The court had to be enlarged for the trials due to the amount of people required to be there and has since been changed back as it is still used for current trials. Again, a lot of information to take in, probably too much in one day. If you had the time you would be best to do them over a couple of days.

Back on the train and we popped out where the Christmas markets were so we could see them lit up at night. So glad we did because they always have such a magical quality at night, but boy were they packed. After a few photos, we headed back to the hotel for dinner. If we had known about the quality of the meal, we would have stayed in town and eaten and enjoyed the markets. Was a buffet with only choice of 2 hot dishes where the meat was way too overcooked and a pasta dish that was just edible. The only good things was the lovely fresh bread. Definitely not the quality it should have been.

Met a few people that would be on the cruise but most people headed back to their rooms as a lot of them had flown in that morning. Back in our room, I realised the one good thing about staying in a hotel was the bath. Perfect!!

This morning after breakfast we boarded the bus and with a local guide that know his history we had a tour of the city. First they drove past the Kongressshalle where we were yesterday but then took us to the Zeppelinfeld Fields, the one Nazi building that they actually completed and this is where the rallies were actually held. However, there was such a frost and fog today it was hard to really see it. The guide had some pictures to show what it looked like during the rallies. Part of it has been demolished due to the concern it was going to fall down. While the guide finished up, I ran up the steps and went to the podium where Hitler stood and gave his speeches. Quite eerie to be there and it being so quiet.

Driven through other parts of town and different buildings pointed out. 90% of the town was destroyed during air raids in the war. We stopped at Kaiserburg Palace which was started in the 12th century and had a look at the outside and from here we walked down into town where our tour finished. We had about 4hrs to explore before getting back on the bus for our drive to Passau.

There is over 200 market stalls here and I have read that town officials do check out the markets to make sure they are not selling mass produced items from China, etc. They also have a competition for the best decorated stall. We bought a few small items before heading over the Kids Christmas Market. It was only small but they had a beautiful carousel and mini ferris wheel for the kids. It was definitely a place for the kids to run free.

We had lunch at one of the stands. I had the famous Nuremburg sausages with sauerkraut while mum had the Nuremburg sausages on a bread roll. We then checked out St Sebalduskirch which holds the remains of St Sebald in a beautiful shrine. The church was also destroyed during the war but they removed a lot of the items including the stained glass windows prior so they were able to save them.

On the bus and first experience on the autobahn. Buses and trucks are limited to 120 but no limit for the cars. We had a Uniworld staff member on board and she told us that basically the Audis, Mercedez and VW's own the left lane. Still a frost out and the fields did look beautiful all covered in white and the trees also. Shame we couldn't get some photos.

Checked in and shown our room and then after our emergency practice (walk to the lounge area and get your name checked off) and a talk by different members of staff it was time for dinner. Had a lovely meal and now it is time for bed. They are bussing us back to Regensburg tomorrow for the day as that was our next stop on the itinerary.