Wurzburg

SUnday 5th August

Woke up to realise I had lost a filling in a back tooth, p'ed off as I went to such trouble with tooth on the other side fixed up before I came so I had no trouble while away, ha.  Tongue already raw, but did not stop me from tucking into decent breakfast as VERY important to keep up strength while on tour! Breakfast fruit & yoghurt, poached egg & crispy bacon, and blueberry pancake with caramel sauce.  I hope this keeps me going til lunch!

Straight onto the bus at 9am & we headed for Lohr, the home of Snow White & the 7 dwarves, The fairytale goes that a young girl lived with her widowed father, who remarried evil stepmother. Girl ran away to Spessart Forest where there was a community of little people - this part is true - who raised the girl. The spessart forest , very tall straight timbers, supplied the pylons for the construction of Amsterdam. In Lohr we visited a museum which houses the mirror from Snow White .  Later free time included the "Festwoche" - typical German summer festival,  lots of beer & meat - there were rotisseries going flat out with with chickens, ham hocks etc, which appeared to be served whole & the minimum beer size was 2 pints.

Vapour trails near Hmburg, could be busiest airport in Europe?

Lovely exhibition of toilets in Lohr

Funny mirror in Lohr musuem, even this did not stop me eating

Lots of these signs around,

Morning tea Lohr, poppyseed strudel

Few provisions at the beer Festival Lohr

Of course I indulged

Also saw in the Lohr the date over the doors of the halftimbered houses. The houses are constructed in such a way as to be movable and the date relates to how long the house had been on the site & indicated if the merchant had been successful & had been able to continue trading in the same spot.

Staggered back to the bus & rejoined the boat which had sailed from Karlstadt to Wurzburg , off for another excursion after lunch, which I sat out after the beer & German sausage from the Fest - not really necessary. We fronted up to the residence of the Prince Bishop of Franconia - called  Prince Bishop's Residence -looking at the front, modeled on Versaille, built between 1720 & 1744 & having 360 rooms, & most incredibly lavish, if I remember correctly even more so that Versaille.  Really quite sickening, this parasite was a winner in both arenas, Church & State, & money gained for 17 % tax, & river tax. Frescos on the ceiling by Tiepolo appear to be as bright as the day they were painted, & have not been restored apparently. Also lots of v v ornate stucco work, OTT!!

Wurzburg Palace, very like Versaille

S & I enjoying our winetasting in cellars of Wurzburg Palace

Anna, the Austrian Tauck tour guide

After our guided tour we went into the cellar beneath the palace, yes poor old Bish was catered for in that department too, had a wine tasting of 3 local wines,  names too long to remember, but all very nice.

Back to the boat in time for tea, again a gastronomic extravaganza - Lemongrass Ginger Cappucino soup, Vol au Vent of King Prawns with asparagus, Roasted beef tenderloin with port wine sauce & dessert - Pumpkin seed parfait.  Had to roll to the loung after all that to be entertained by German Om-pa-pa band

This doesn't match, but it was the best lambs fry I have ever tasted

Main course

Dessert - chocolate tart