It's Sunday and as we sail along church bells ring out across the water. We are now on the River Main (pronounced Mine). German lesson at 10.30 where we learn the basics and I can feel the German I learned 57 years ago stirring to life. It just needs practice: already I have handled "Die Rechnung bitte" for "the bill please".
We are bused to Freudenberg for an Oktoberfest - yes in July - we lucky cruisers are to have an authentic/faux Bavarian experience with sausage, singing, knee-slapping and BEER. I won't be converted to liking beer with that frothy pissy stein but the red cabbage was very good.
A short bus ride delivers us to the old town of Wertheim which has a magnificent castle.
and our guide takes us on a walk through the Jewish quarter. The homes of the 18 Jews killed by Nazis are marked with golden paving stones - a nice gesture - but enough already with German guilt over the Jews. Especially standing up.
Little curving streets all lead to the market place and higher storeys lean together, offset so that everyone can see what's happening in the market place. Not much on Sunday, as the shops are shut.
Using my newly rediscovered German I ordered us two interesting drinks - for them to turn out to be two huge exotic icecream sundaes. I vaguely wondered why drinks were so expensive. Oh well, back to the Translator app.
The best part of cruising is the actual cruising - just sitting on your own balcony watching the river banks pass by and counting the water fowl and fishermen (David). Big excitement: a lock comes up and you sail in millimetres from the dank green sides then you gradually rise out of the dark depths into sunlight and birds and meadow grasses. It doesn't get dark until 10 pm but we are asleep by then.
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