I, Speyer - Mar 22, 2023

Speyer--our next stop--is one of Germany's oldest cities.  It was founded in 10 BC by--you guessed it--the Romans, and like the other cities, this one has a huge cathedral dating back to 1030 AD.  This is the first  place we saw on our walking tour.

But first, a sunrise.  We had been having a good many cloudy days.

Sunrise along the Rhine

View of Speyer Cathedral from the Apse

Heidentürmchen (Heath Tower), a remnant of the medieval town's fortifications.

Mount of Olives

Cathedral Entrance.  It is huge.

Inside looking at the altar

Once again, we left our guide after the cathedral part.  Maybe there's a pattern here, but we got away from the crowd a bit, and there's always Google when I want to find out something later.  How else do you think I'm writing all this?

We walked down the main street facing the cathedral, Maximilianstrasse.  It's the main drag in town and is mostly--but not completely--pedestrianized.  You still have to watch out.  It runs from the cathedral to the Old Gate.  

Street signs are on buildings in most places.

Along the way was another church, Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Holy Trinity Church).  It is a Protestant church whose foundation was laid on April 22, 1701.  It had, IMHO, a more interesting interior.

Front of the church.

Painted ceiling

Biblical scenes

Alte Münze Restaurant.  We did not eat here.

Looking down Maximilianstrasse

The Old Gate

The town maypole

The last church of the day was the Gedächtniskirche.  This was another Protestant church--the term "Protestant" originated in Speyer--which was very ornate with lots of stained glass windows.  It was completed in 1904.

Outside the church

Stained Glass Windows

Altar

The Rose Window

Church Organ

For those who may be tired of all this classical art.

We saw the people playing "boules", a German version of bocce ball.

This is a Lufthansa 747 on display at the Technik Museum. The guide said they had the old Soviet space shuttle, called the Buran.  I'll get there someday!

This was a long day and I'm not ashamed to say I slept on the bus on the way back.  One drawback to the cruising is that sometimes the ship docks at a location that isn't really close to the main attraction, so you have to be bused to it.  Another drawback can be that these little towns would be nice to explore (we were docked at Germersheim), but there isn't enough time.

Viking Joke #10:  Why did the Viking buy a used boat?  He couldn't a-fjord a new one.