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NECKAR/RHINE
CRUISE
BAD
WIMPFEN –
KOBLENZ
SATURDAY
BAD WIMPFEN
We
meet in Frankfurt
and
transfer by motor coach to Ms Charlemagne moored in the town of
Bad Wimpfen
.
There is a welcome reception and afterwards, you will be shown to your
cabin with time to settle in before dinner is served at 7.30 this evening.
SUNDAY
BAD
WIMPFEN – EBERBACH
After
breakfast, a visit to the town of
Bad Wimpfen
.
This small fortified town dominates the river and was the ancient
Imperial residence of the Hohenstaufen in the 13th c.
The town has a picturesque ensemble of half timbered houses that we will
discover along the winding streets. We
return on board for lunch and in the afternoon, a pleasant cruise to Eberbach.
Here the
Neckar
rejoins the massif stone of l’Odenwald
and flows between the lush wooded areas where we can see the roofs of castles.
Charlemagne will arrive into Eberbach this evening, it is an agreeable
touristique town.
MONDAY
EBERBACH-HEIDELBERG
This
morning, a visit to Michelstadt, existing since 741.
The town in famous for its numerous half timbered houses,
the Rathaus (town hall) and the synagogue dating from 18th c,
one of the very few to have survived the nazi period.
Also famous, the Einhardsbasilika which was built on the initiative of
Einhard a member of the court of Charlemagne in 821.
We return to Charlemagne by the romantic road of Odenwald.
Lunch is on board and an afternoon cruise through the narrow straits of
the
Neckar
, full of
chateaux and small villages. Well
known is Hirschhorn with its fortified spur and Neckarsteinach where there are
four chateaux. We arrive into
Heidelberg
in the late
afternoon.
TUESDAY
HEIDELBERG-WORMS
This
morning, we will visit Heidelberg.
This important site of
German romanticism has inspired numerous poets seduced by the natural
beauty of the town and its ruined chateau built on a hillside.
We will have a guided visit of both the city and chateau, this is the
pearl of the
Neckar
route and
is far from being a just a museum,
today it has a vibrant university and the students bring lots of life and
animation. During lunch on board, we
will leave our mooring in Heidelberg
and cruise
to Mannheim, a large
industrial town, this is where the Neckar
and the
Rhine
join.
We continue our cruise on the
Rhine
to Worms
one of the three Imperial residences along the
Rhine, it constitutes one of the
settings for the saga of Niebelungen.
WEDNESDAY
WORMS-MAINZ-RUDESHEIM
This
morning, we cruise to Mainz, a city at
the confluence of the
Rhine
and
Main
rivers and
established in 39 B.C. by the Romans. The
roman cathedral confirmed the power of the German kings but has less fame than
Gutenberg who invented the printing press. An
afternoon cruise along the famous vineyards of the Rheingau to Rudesheim where
we find the world renown Drosselgasse rich in wine bars and the mecca of
reisling with an incomparable atmosphere.
THURSDAY
RUDESHEIM-BOPPARD-KOBLENZ
This
morning we navigate in the heart of the Rhine valley, known as the Romantic
Rhine, full of idyllic villages, chateaux, some ruined and all impressionable,
together the Lorelei, the legendary rock which has become the symbol of
this passage. At Boppard, we stop
for a small stroll along the riverside and during lunch on board, we continue
our cruising towards Koblenz.
After lunch, a guided tour of Koblenz, a city at
the confluence of the
Rhine
and Moselle
rivers.
We visit the basilica of St Kastor and the monumental statue of the
emperor Guillaume 1er. There will be
free time in the city before our Farewell Gala dinner this evening.
FRIDAY
KOBLENZ-FRANKFURT
This
morning, after breakfast, we return to Frankfurt
by motor
coach, arriving around lunchtime.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ITINERARIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT
ANY TIME DUE TO WATER LEVELS, LOCK CLOSURES OR CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
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