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Day 6:
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Marksburg Castle & Brewery
$85 per person
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Join us on an optional excursion to one of the most beautiful castles standing on the hills that line the Rhine River, Marksburg Castle. The only 13th-century castle unchanged by war or reconstruction, it offers an unprecedented glimpse into the daily life of the time. Walking through the three towers and the connecting rooms, you will fully feel what it was like to live in a castle. You'll climb a stone staircase leading to the romantic bed chamber (the only room heated with a stove), see the great hall with its enormous fireplace (large enough to grill a steer whole), and take in a commanding vista from the east bank of the Rhine as you stand atop the towers.
Then make a discovery of a different nature as we stop in at a family-owned brewery. Here we will try a bratwurst mit kraut and a home-brewed beer as we mingle with the locals at the beer garden.
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Day 10:
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Rothenburg
$90 per person
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Disembark during a stop in Gerlachshausen for a full-day optional tour of Rothenburg. This lovely old town sits on the Tauber River and boasts undamaged 14th-century city walls and beautifully preserved fortifications. During a guided walking tour, you’ll see stately towers and imposing burghers’ houses. After an included lunch, you have the afternoon free to make your own discoveries in this charming town before transferring to meet the ship in Wertheim.
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Day 12:
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Documentation Center
$60 per person
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In 1998, the city of Nuremberg held an architectural competition for the design of a Documentation Center on the former Nazi Party rally grounds. During your tour here, you’ll visit many of its fascinating historical sites, including the massive stadium where Hitler held his notorious Nazi rallies. The designers had to fit the new building in to the Nazi Congress Hall, while dealing with the site's intimidating architecture and ominous premise. Today's optional tour features the museum design that won this competition, which features extensive contemporary exhibitions on the Nazi Party and World War II.
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Day 13:
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Bavaria: Baroque & Beer
$80 per person
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Delve deeper into the Danube's scenic splendor this morning during an optional excursion from Kelheim to the Weltenburg Monastery, a Baroque edifice of stucco, polished marble, gilt, and painted ceilings. There, you have the opportunity to reflect in the cool stillness of the abbey—Germany's oldest, founded at the beginning of the seventh century by the Abbot Eustasius. The compound also houses the world's oldest monastic brewery, and you'll have the chance to sample some for yourself during your tour. Later, you board a smaller river craft for a ride through the beautiful Danube Gorge, the river’s narrowest and deepest stretch. Your ferry ride takes you back to Kelheim, where a motorcoach waits to take you to Liberation Hall.
Please note: This optional tour will not be offered on departures featuring Oktoberfest.
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Day 15:
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Melk Abbey
$60 per person
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This magnificently ornate structure has a long and storied history. Strategically situated on a steep, cliffside perch, Melk Abbey's earliest incarnation was as a Roman border post. Later, it served as a tenth-century Babenberg fortress. It became a Benedictine monastery in 1089 and earned a distinguished reputation for medieval scholarship. Its library includes more than 70,000 books and 2,000 manuscripts, chiefly from the ninth through the 15th centuries. The Abbey houses a remarkable cherub-filled library of thousands of books and manuscripts, and 365 windows—one for each day of the year. The interior of the Abbey's church is another highlight: a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and gold, it boasts a magnificent carved pulpit and shimmering ceiling art.
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Day 15:
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Musical Vienna
$85 per person
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Vienna without music wouldn’t be Vienna. So, subject to availability of tickets, you may want to enjoy an unforgettable optional evening in one of Vienna’s famed concert halls. You’ll hear enchanting performances of some of the most wonderful melodies of classical Austrian music.
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Day 3:
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Melk Abbey
$60 per person
|
|
This magnificently ornate structure has a long and storied history. Strategically situated on a steep, cliffside perch, Melk Abbey's earliest incarnation was as a Roman border post. Later, it served as a tenth-century Babenberg fortress. It became a Benedictine monastery in 1089 and earned a distinguished reputation for medieval scholarship. Its library includes more than 70,000 books and 2,000 manuscripts, chiefly from the ninth through the 15th centuries. The Abbey houses a remarkable cherub-filled library of thousands of books and manuscripts, and 365 windows—one for each day of the year. The interior of the Abbey's church is another highlight: a kaleidoscope of red, orange, and gold, it boasts a magnificent carved pulpit and shimmering ceiling art.
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Day 6:
|
Bavaria: Baroque & Beer
$80 per person
|
|
Delve deeper into the Danube's scenic splendor this morning during an optional excursion from Kelheim to the Weltenburg Monastery, a Baroque edifice of stucco, polished marble, gilt, and painted ceilings. There, you have the opportunity to reflect in the cool stillness of the abbey—Germany's oldest, founded at the beginning of the seventh century by the Abbot Eustasius. The compound also houses the world's oldest monastic brewery, and you'll have the chance to sample some for yourself during your tour. Later, you board a smaller river craft for a ride through the beautiful Danube Gorge, the river’s narrowest and deepest stretch. Your ferry ride takes you back to Kelheim, where a motorcoach waits to take you to Liberation Hall.
Please note: This optional tour will not be offered on departures featuring Oktoberfest.
|
|
Day 7:
|
Documentation Center
$60 per person
|
|
In 1998, the city of Nuremberg held an architectural competition for the design of a Documentation Center on the former Nazi Party rally grounds. During your tour here, you’ll visit many of its fascinating historical sites, including the massive stadium where Hitler held his notorious Nazi rallies. The designers had to fit the new building in to the Nazi Congress Hall, while dealing with the site's intimidating architecture and ominous premise. Today's optional tour features the museum design that won this competition, which features extensive contemporary exhibitions on the Nazi Party and World War II.
|
|
Day 9:
|
Rothenburg
$90 per person
|
|
Disembark during a stop in Gerlachshausen for a full-day optional tour of Rothenburg. This lovely old town sits on the Tauber River and boasts undamaged 14th-century city walls and beautifully preserved fortifications. During a guided walking tour, you’ll see stately towers and imposing burghers’ houses. After an included lunch, you have the afternoon free to make your own discoveries in this charming town before transferring to meet the ship in Wertheim.
|
|
Day 13:
|
Marksburg Castle & Brewery
$85 per person
|
|
Join us on an optional excursion to one of the most beautiful castles standing on the hills that line the Rhine River, Marksburg Castle. The only 13th-century castle unchanged by war or reconstruction, it offers an unprecedented glimpse into the daily life of the time. Walking through the three towers and the connecting rooms, you will fully feel what it was like to live in a castle. You'll climb a stone staircase leading to the romantic bed chamber (the only room heated with a stove), see the great hall with its enormous fireplace (large enough to grill a steer whole), and take in a commanding vista from the east bank of the Rhine as you stand atop the towers.
Then make a discovery of a different nature as we stop in at a family-owned brewery. Here we will try a bratwurst mit kraut and a home-brewed beer as we mingle with the locals at the beer garden.
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