DESTINATIONS CRUISE |GERMANY
FOOD
& DRINKS Bratwurst
E Nuremberg’s sausages are said to be the best of Germany’s wurst. Grab a table at the Bratwursthäusle near the main square and decide for yourself.
ABOVE: The opulent interior of the Würzburg Residence
as we discover on a tour inside an even grander Baroque pile – the Würzburg Residence. Modelled on Versailles, the palace has an entrance big enough for a carriage and six horses to pass through and 360 rooms decorated with mirrors, marble pillars and spectacular frescos.
No wonder the locals didn’t shed many tears when Napoleon invaded in 1803 and handed this part of Germany over to the newly formed Kingdom of Bavaria, separating church and state and bringing an end to the prince- bishop system of governing.
HIDDEN TREASURES In Nuremberg we join a tour of the rock-cut cellars beneath the town, where the Nazis hid priceless treasures from all over Germany, including artworks looted from their Jewish owners. Discovered after the war, the stash included Imperial Regalia from the days when Nuremberg was one of the capitals of the Holy Roman Empire, as well as the oldest globe in existence,
40 4 APRIL 2024
33In Nuremberg we join a tour of the rock-cut cellars, where the Nazis hid priceless treasures from all over Germany
dating back to about 1492. The next stop, Frankfurt, has
a skyscraper city sheen on the surface, but head to the cathedral (Dom-Römer) district and it’s like being transported back to medieval Germany. Or at least, it will be in a few years when the recently reconstructed old town (completed in 2018 with cobbled streets and half-timbered houses) doesn’t look so quite shiny. For the real thing, Rothenburg
is hard to beat. A poster boy for medieval Germany – it featured in the 1968 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang – Rothenburg is enclosed to
this day by 900-year-old city walls. Not that they helped when the Catholic League forces, led by one General Tilly, came calling in the Thirty Years’ War (1618-48) and threatened to burn the place down. According to local lore, Rothenburg’s brave mayor stepped forward to save his town by taking on an unusual bet: to drink a gallon of wine in one go if the troops left it alone. He did, and Tilly’s troops left. I promised you quirky stories, and on this cruise, there are plenty more to come.
TW BOOK IT
A seven-night Classic Christmas Markets cruise from Nuremberg to Frankfurt, departing December 23 on River Princess, costs from £3,699 including flights, transfers, excursions, drinks, tips and Wi-Fi. The cruise runs through December. Note that Nuremberg Christmas Market closes at 2pm on December 24. Others shut on December 23.
uniworld.com
E Rothenburg’s Schneeballen (snowballs) are balls of shortcrust pastry, deep fried and coated in sugar or chocolate. Pop one in your mouth for a sweet pick-me-up.
E Apple wine (known as Ebbelwei) is bigger than beer in Frankfurt. Choose between sweet or sour. An Ebbelwei-Express sightseeing tram trundles around town; the ticket price includes a small bottle of apple wine.
Ebbelwei-Express
travelweekly.co.uk
PICTURE: Congress & Tourismus Zentrale Nürnberg/Angela Ditze
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