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Thursday 17th April 2014
We woke this morning to feel a gentle thump and looking out of the window realised we were in another lock, quite a narrow one, we could have touched the walls on both sides and the boat only just fitted. It was quite dark but only because we were low down in the lock and had the dark grey concrete walls blocking out the early morning sun. It's amazing how quickly the water level rises and the gates open and our boat passes through, very interesting watching the crew in action and how efficiently they all work together. We are now on the Main River and have a total of 34 locks to navigate our way through
After breakfast there was about a dozen or so of us on top deck we were warned to all sit down and remain seated while we went under a particularly low bridge. The ships bridge lowered, as we approached the bridge I didn't think we would get under, everyone instinctively got lower in their seats, as the bridge seemed to be only inches above our heads.
This morning we have Ittigs Hans, who is a 7th generation glass maker, coming on board to give us a demonstration of his skills. I thought OK that will be alright, but I was so impressed by his work and the amazing works of art he could produce.
After lunch we are going for a walking tour around the historic town of Miltenberg. It was lovely walking around the ancient town in the warm sunshine. We again had our own personal guide and had been split up into groups of about 20, which enables the guide to keep track of everyone. Miltenberg suffered badly in the 30 year war and could not afford to replace its old medieval heart with its half-timbered houses, and so is stuck in time looking like something from a fairy tale. It's very touristy but certainly interesting and pretty to see, as it nestles at the bottom of the hillside next to the river. We had some free time to wander around the town before meeting up with the coaches taking us to our boat that had moved on to the next little town of Freudenberg.
As we get further into our cruise we are both amazed how well we are being catered for and how well they have everything organised for us. You can go at whatever pace you feel comfortable at and the staff are brilliant, I haven't heard a single person complain about anything only saying how great everything is.
The picture above is of vines growing on the steep hillside, it's amazing just how steep the hills are, most of the tending of the vines is manual labour intensive.
Chat again soon.
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