We finish packing our bags and say goodbye to the crew of the Viking Embla! Boarding our buses for a 2.5 hour ride to Nuremberg.

We started our visit to the city with lunch at the Ratskeller (more sausages) featuring world famous Franconia hospitality.  This made us appreciate the Viking crew all the more.

It was interesting to learn about the fortress at Nuremberg.

It occupies very high ground and its moat is dry.  Approaching the front gate, we find an inclined bridgeway which then bends to the left.  Anyone attempting to ram the gates would have an uphill run with any momentum lost in the turn. Leave your battering ram at home! This also would leave attackers exposed to a wall full of archers and more.

More dangers would be behind the first gate. Walking through the tunnel, you could find death coming through the ceiling’s several “murder holes”.

The old castle walls are thick and the towers were made round to defect trebuchet and cannon fire.

Following the walking tour, we explored the city, finding a cafe…

… and a church …

Re-boarding the bus, we rode past a complex that Hitler  had constructed during WWII with a stadium and Zeppelin fields.  He held enormous Nazi rallies there even though construction was never completed.

The courts building hosted the famous Nuremberg Trials due to their size and proximity to the jails.

We were soon welcomed by the crew of the Viking Aegir.

Our new stateroom was indeed identical and our bags were waiting for us.  We were literally at the geographic high point of our journey and would begin our passage down through the Main-Danube canal.