Day 13, April 8
On Cruise - Rothenburg
Dock in Würzburg. Bus tour to Rothenburg castle village.
Inside the village wall - note the narrow ledge for the defending archers.
We love the window boxes
and other plantings (although this photo doesn't do justice to the vine)
The large entrance is for carriages, the smaller one (just clears the head) for pedestrians. Ground floor is for animals, people live upstairs.
Narrow and crooked streets
But even this tiny village boasts an impressive town hall
And the clocks for sale are probably more impressive.
That door to the right is a normal access door to another room, not a small cupboard.
That door to the right is a normal access door to another room, not a small cupboard.
and a whole shop full of cuckoo clocks
As we were walking around the castle perimeter, Lexi noticed a large bird gathering what she thought was food. It had so much in it's beak that it dropped half the load as it swooped past us and up to the rooftop.
Turns out that the material in the mouth was a collection of sticks to build the nest
(and, yes, I'm loving my new camera with great zoom!)
View from the castle wall
Countryside en route back from Rothenburg
Back to cruising - wheelhouse dropped to clear a low bridge
Backing out of our berth in Würzburg is quite a challenge. Very little room to spare and a bend in the river to boot.
Marienberg fortress
A very impressive piece of engineering.
The long weir is so level that water flows over it for the entire length.
Just playing with my zoom again.
The old lock preserved so we can see how they did it in "the old days".
A low bridge
Locks
These photos are not of the same lock but demonstrate the elements.
The lock is behind the right hand arch, the other arches lead to the weir. As we approach the bridge, it seems that there is not enough room either under the top or between the sides.
At this point we are travelling upstream, the lock gate is still closed and we are waiting for the lock to empty so we can enter.
The lock is empty and the gates start to open
Fully open, now we can enter
A wide angle view
OK, we actually do fit through here!
and out the other side
Letting the water out of the lock so it comes down to the same level as our side.
The birds enjoy the sun undisturbed by our presence.
Now that the lock is drained, we can enter
Outside taking photos, I was aware of much cawing. Looked up and noticed all the nests!
Now that we are in the lock and the gate is closed behind us,
water is let in to fill it and lift us up to the new level, slowly at first ...
...but with ever increasing rush.
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