This morning after breakfast (omelets made to order!), Kathy attended a brief talk about our post-extension trip in Basel, Switzerland. Then the ship made a quick stop in Mannheim, Germany, to drop off a few people for an excursion to Heidelberg. The ship continued on as we attended a talk about other cruises with Viking. We were worried it might be a hard sell to sign up for another cruise, but it was just an informative and funny talk by our excellent program director.
After lunch we got off the ship at our next stop in Speyer, Germany, for a walking tour. Our tour guide this time was a little more like a strict professor than a funny tour guide, but we still learned a lot. Above are pictures of the Imperial Cathedral of Speyer, which is one of the world’s largest Romanesque cathedrals and was built between 1030 and 1061.
Above is the Altportel (Old Gate) which is the medieval west city gate of Speyer. It is surrounded by a busy shopping and restaurant area. After our official tour was over we walked past the gate and visited two other churches. The first was another Catholic Church, St. Joseph (not pictured). Then a little farther down the street was the Protestant Memorial Church which features a statue of Martin Luther in the front. The city of Speyer was where Martin Luther’s religious revolution received its name of Protestantism.
Around 5:30 p.m. we walked back to the ship as it was going to be departing Speyer after 6 p.m. There was a Port Talk about our day tomorrow, a delicious dinner featuring Chateaubriand (beef tenderloin), and then a Music Quiz in the lounge which our team of six did not win!
Today was a relaxing day which is good because tomorrow is very full of activities. We are sadly nearing the end of our cruise, so we want to make the most of our last full two days on the ship.