This morning we wake up in Wurzburg the capital of Franconia in northwestern Bavaria. We are off the ship at 9.00 am for a tour of the 'Residenze' built for the prince bishop of the Schonborn Family. We are able to tour some of the palace and the frescos and the plaster decorations are to be seen to be believed. Everyday we marvel at how these buildings came to be so many years ago. This palace was partly destroyed during the 30 year war but has been restored to ...

This morning we (Liz and I) wake up with a headache thanks to Glenn's buckets of Baileys. Will be a big day. After cruising all night we are to arrive in Miltenberg but not until 11am. We have a Glass blowing demonstration on board. It is very entertaining. we have opted for the fast walking tour of Miltenberg which involves walking up to a castle to take in the view. -spectacular! Miltenberg was damaged significantly during the wars and a lot of the building hav...

Today was castle day. We cruised through the most famous stretch of the Rhine.Steep slopes covered in vineyards are dotted with castles and picturesque villages such as Boppard and St Goardhausen. We sailed past Loreley Rock which is at the deepest and narrowest point of the Rhine. After lunch we arrive at Rudesheim a world famous UNESCO area of the Hesse Province. Mini trains take us to Siegfried's Music Cabinet. This is a museum of musical instruments and music...

This morning we woke up in Cologne in Germany. We did a walking tour of the town including the cathedral in this photo. We went by coach to Maastricht which is in the Netherlands. This is the home of Andre Rieu and we drive past his castle on the way to the city. Our guide is Sebastian a young German With an unusual Irish accent. Maastricht is a University city in the province of Limburg. it was largely destroyed by the Germans in WWII but has been restored. We r...