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Emerald Star Cruise Photos

From: Emerald Waterways cruise review: Nuremberg-Trier

Day 2: Bamberg

Around 8 a.m. on Day 2 of our cruise, Emerald Star arrived in Bayernhafen Bamberg, which attracts some 850 passenger-ship visits per year.

The port was located outside of town, in an industrial area. While we ate breakfast on deck, we could watch an electromagnetic crane on the opposite shore loading scrap metal onto a barge.

On Emerald Waterways ships, a buffet breakfast is served in two locations: in the Horizon Lounge (which has electric doors opening onto The Terrace, shown here), and in the main Reflections Restaurant, where the menu is more extensive and you can get omelettes and other egg dishes cooked to order.

After breakfast, we went ashore for the first of our cruise's shore excursions. Bellejour, the German river vessel that we'd seen in Nuremberg, was tied up alongside Emerald Star.

A sign on shore pointed to the waiting coaches and the city center.

A short bus ride took us to Bamberg's modern Konzerthalle (in a newer part of town), where we joined tour guide Konstantin Bilozertsev's group for a walking tour.

The Concert Hall was an impressive sight for a city of 70,000. It's home to the Bamberger Symphoniker and also serves as a convention hall.

Bamberg is a beautifully-preserved city that, to quote our Emerald Waterways guidebook, "could easily serve as a dictionary of European building styles, embracing everything from 12th Century Romanesque to 18th Century Rococo." The entire Altstadt, or Old Town, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

One of our first stops on the walking tour was the Alte Schlachthaus, or Old Slaughterhouse, which has a stone statue of an ox on its façade.

We took this photo of a local sightseeing boat on the River Regnitz from the Untere Brücke, or Lower Bridge.

Nearby, tourists were snapping pictures of the medieval Altes Rathaus or Old Town Hall.

The Bamberg tourist office's Old Town Hall page explains: "According to legend, the bishop of Bamberg did not grant the citizens any land for the construction of a town hall. This prompted the townsfolk to ram stakes into the river Regnitz to create an artificial island, on which they build the town hall they so badly wanted."

The Old Town Hall's trompe d'oeil frescoes are embellished with a genuine 3D feature: a cherub's sculpted leg.

Bamberger Dom St. Peter und St. Georg, a.k.a. the Imperial Cathedral, overlooks the River Regnitz from one of Bamberg's seven hills.

The Cathedral was consecrated in 1237, replacing a previous Dom that was burned down in 1185. It combines Romanesque and Gothic styles and houses the tomb of Pope Clement II (the only papal tomb north of the Alps).

The richly-carved Fürstenportal, shown here, is open only on holy days.

The Alte Hofhaltung or Old Court is another Bamberg Landmark. It's just around the corner from the Imperial Cathedral. During our summer visit, the half-timbered building's balconies were decorated with geraniums.

From the Cathedral, we walked a short distance to Bamberg's Rosen Garden (Rose Garden).

The Rosen Garten is next to the Neue Residenz, a 17th Century McMansion for the Prince Bishops who ruled Bamberg from 1007 until the imperial state became part of Bavaria in 1802.

The garden, which was laid out in 1733, has approximately 4,500 rose bushes in more than 70 flower beds. (The beds are surrounded by linden trees.)

The Rose Garden is pet-friendly, and a viewing terrace overlooks the medieval city center and the Regnitz.

The final stop on our walking tour was the Ambräusianum, which is billed as "the first and only guesthouse brewery" in Bamberg.

We were served pretzels and Rauchbier, a local style of beer that dates back to the 1500s. Beer Advocate describes it as an "acquired taste" with a "smokiness so robust, so assertive, that it tastes of spiced, smoked meat."

In the cruise director's informal survey of passengers after our visit, opinions on the beer were split almost evenly. Some found the smokiness appealing, while others thought the beer had an unpleasant taste of liquid bacon.

When we left Ambräusianum, beer was being delivered (presumably for patrons who prefer smoke-free brews).

We had about an hour of free time after our tour, so we wandered around Bamberg's Old Town.

This photo, taken from the Untere Brücke or Lower Bridge, shows a statue of St. Kunigunde (a.k.a. St. Cunigunde) of Luxembourg, who was Empress of the Holy Roman Empire from 1002 until the death of her husband, Emperor Henry II, in 1024. She was canonized in 1200 and is buried next to her husband in Bamberg's cathedral.

Bamberg's Altstadt, or Old Town, is filled with half-timbered houses. Some are still residences, while others are shops, hotels, or restaurants.

We discovered a Birkenstock shop in this cluster of medieval buildings. Unfortunately, it was closed for vacation.

(Tip for shoppers: Birkenstock shoes and sandals are much cheaper in Germany than in the U.S., even with VAT.)

A narrow street led us down to the River Regnitz.

A sign on a bridge warned: "No winter service, enter at your own risk." We took our chances.

Soon, it was time for us to cross the River Regnitz and work our way back to the Konzerthalle, where a bus would take us back to the ship. In a pedestrian zone off the main road, we saw this attractive square (the Heumarkt) with its plus-size statue, "Lady with Fruit," by Columbian artist Fernando Botero.

As we walked to the buses, we encountered a park with views of the Cathedral and other local landmarks.

Bicycles were parked along the pavement--mostly without locks.

School was still in session, to judge from these girls and their colorful backpacks.

Back at the port, a statue of the Humsera Jetzerdla by Antjepia Gottschalk caught our eye. An English-language label beneath the statue read:

"The Humsera resembles the popular image of the Bamberger gardener women, selling market goods in the common city market grounds--dressed very traditionally. They were known for their good produce and merchandise and their 'big mouth' when negotiating."

• Tip: If you're looking for a souvenir, you can buy a replica of the statue on a keychain or as a small garden sculpture in "contemporary, pop-like colors" at stores in Bamberg, at the Gardener Museum, and at the Tourist Information office.

At 12:45 p.m., the crew of MS Bellejour untied their ship from Emerald Star and made room for us to depart for Würzburg.

In honor of the city we'd just visited, the staff of the Horizons Restaurant had spelled out "BAMBERG" in colored pasta.

We left the Main-Danube Canal behind us. From now until the early hours of Saturday morning, we'd be cruising on the River Main, traversing 34 locks before reaching the Rhine.

We spent the afternoon in our cabin, watching the ship's progress on TV via the bowcam and a position monitor.

We opened the window of our glass-walled cabin and enjoyed a close-up view of locks and other scenery.

At 6:30 p.m., we went to the Horizon Lounge for a Captain's Welcome Cocktail.

This was followed by the daily port talk by Emerald Star's cruise director, Balázs Varga.

During dinner, we enjoyed views of river scenes that ranged from vineyards to stately homes.

We wrapped up the second day of our crusie by sitting on The Terrace as Emerald Star passed through more locks (including Schleuse Garstadt, pictured above).