The Main River and Miltenberg October 13, 2010





Our ship, The Viking Sky, anchored on the Main River

  




a street in Miltenberg, a beautiful medieval town

  




Miltenberg

  





a pastry shop!!!

  




The Main (pronounced mine) River

  The Main River is 325 miles long and about 240 miles are navigable. It joins the Rhine just before Frankfurt.  We can no longer go on the sundeck as the bridges are too low.  Our captain told us we will travel 1300 miles and go through some 70 locks as we started at sea level in Amsterdam and in Austria we will reach an altitude of 1400 feet.



approaching one of the last locks





This lock is over 39 feet high!




the lock opening





and away we go!




We spent the morning sailing.  We have passed many vineyards, but we are told there is a blight in the grapes with has been very difficult this year.  From what they say is that it started here, went to the states and the states have now developed a vine that is resistant to the blight so now Europe is getting their new vines from the states. 

In Miltenberg we had viewed homes that were 400-600 years old and had escaped the bombing of World War II.

Until later--Nancy