Day 8, May 5, 2018.  Saturday.
A 90 minute bus ride to Rothenberg ob der Tauber, one of Germany’s last remaining walled medieval towns where we had a walking tour. Lunch at Glocke Restaurant consisted of bratwurst, sauerkraut, mash potatoes and beer, delicious.  Fortunately, some in our party were not sausage fans so I ended up with 4 brats.  After lunch a 30 minute bus ride on the Autobahn was a bit disappointing as half the ride was speed limited due to construction and the other half the bus driver refused to go faster than 100 kph.  We were passed by many but I did not witness anyone opening it up since there is no legal speed limit.  Upon arriving in Wurzburg, Germany, we toured the Bishop’s Residence which actually puts Versailles to shame.  Poor tithing flock!  Of course, the opulence means its another UNESCO World Heritage site.  Walking time 3:17, 13,352 steps.

Day 7, May 4, 2018.  Friday.
The morning was spent at sea as we left the Rhine and entered the Main River (pronounced “mine”). We arrived in Miltenberg, Germany, for an afternoon walking tour of the city.  The primary street is pedestrian only and beautiful weather made for a very pleasant stroll.  We discovered an interesting tidbit that a six pointed star (a la Star of David) is the  German symbol for beer.  After the tour we had some free time to explore and climbed up to a hilltop castle for a spectacular view of the city and river.  A Franconian dinner (even though we are in Bavaria) on the ship included potato soup, roast pork, red cabbage, dumplings and of course, 3 desserts was excellent.  We really must start limiting the desserts but the urge to try everything is overwhelming and results in overeating at every meal.  Walking time 2:26, 10,019 steps.

Day 6, May 3, 2018.  Thursday.
We arrived in Koblenz, Germany, and toured the Marksburg Castle in the morning.  The Marksburg is a 700 year old hilltop castle which is the only castle never destroyed in battle or war.  Included was a display of historical armor and a torture chamber.  The afternoon was spent cruising on the Rhine River viewing castle after castle and vineyard after vineyard on a beautiful sunny day with temps in the 60's.  Even got in a little putting on the 4 hole putting green on the ship’s sundeck.  We were told the Germans love their RV's and there were loads of RV parks along the Rhine.  We also entered several of the 68 locks on the rivers we will pass on the way to Budapest.  Also in the afternoon was Rudesheim Coffee and German treats.  We had a special 6 course Italian dinner at Manfredi’s on the ship’s Aquavit Terrace topped off with the staff singing to us in celebration of our anniversary.  Walking time 1:31, 7,412 steps.