Elegant Elbe: Day 12
Day 12: Thursday, November 09, 2023 - Scenic sailing and Wittenberg, Germany
The day's statistics:
- Weather: upper 50s, sunny
- Steps: 1,584 Linda; 8,570 Steve
- Miles traveled (approximately): 74
Breakfast was egg benedict with mushrooms and tomato on the side (for Linda) and full buffet (for me, though I went a little lighter
than usual because it was going to be a quiet day) on the ship.
Breakfast plate pictures are scarce, but here is what Linda had for breakfast most mornings.
When we got back to the room after breakfast we were still underway.
The morning was a combination of scenic sailing and prepping to disembark. Preparing for disembarking was the primary goal.
At 10:00, we had a disembarkment talk in the lounge where we were given our instructions for the transfer from the ship to our hotel.
After the two night stay in the hotel, like at the end of the COL cruise, passengers were doing one of three things: 1) going home, B) doing
one of the extensions (like we were in Berlin, though Hamburg was another sold out choice), or 4) doing something on their own. We learnt
that on our very last day, our hotel departure was going to be at 4:00 AM, and our luggage had to be out at 3:30 - so it was going to be
a really, really long day. But that was in five days, so we didn't have to worry about that. Yet.
During the talk...
We packed up, though the process was a little slower than usual due to Linda's injury.
Before we knew it, it was already time to head to lunch.
Today we sat with Phylis and Peter, and Randall (sans Loriette due to her not feeling well).
We had a club wrap and a scallop mix from the market fare too.
Linda had orange and carrot soup, pulled BBQ pork sandwich exchanging regualr fried for sweet potato fries, and peach melba ice cream.
I had mixed green salad, fish and chips, and chocolate mousse.
Before leaving from our last meal on the ship, we took a selfie with Joeriel "Joe".
And just before docking.
Today's excusion was Wittenberg Walking Tour.
Linda was scheduled to join the Leisure Group due to her injury and mobility issue. Viking usually / frequently offers a
Leisure group to assist with those that have mobility issues, regardless of what or why. We were all on the same bus, but
the leisure group stayed on the bus longer than the others.
The boat docked right outside a small town. The townhouses by the port had color-coordinated satellite dishes.
We had a fairly short drive into town.
The bus dropped us off near the back of the first Lutheran Church - the actual very first one - called All Saints' Church.
We walked up the side of the church along the road, passed through an archway, and into a courtyard.
We entered the church. We started in an area that was more like a gift shop, then descended a few steps and were in the nave.
The walls were painted to look more like expensive 3D block, and the curtain-effect implies a larger building than there really is.
Stained glass and the pipe organ.
An interesting looking enclosed spiral staircase from the first to the second floor.
And at the front, a couple plaques and Martin Luther's tomb - it seems small because it is believed he is buried vertically.
On the way out, a fellow traveler was tapping me on the shoulder - then they pointed to Linda sitting in the back row as I didn't even see her.
We boarded the bus and headed further into town for a drop-off.
The bus stopped near the Martin Luther University. We got off the bus, and began more of our walking tour.
There were some plaques on buildings in honor / dedication to some famous people.
We walked the length of the road, weaved through a side road and very short path, and found ourselves at Stadtkirche Wittenberg, the oldest
Protestent church, St. Marien.
We went inside. There was a children's choral group that was practicing some songs when we arrived.
We finished up at the church and headed to the square. It was continuing to rain, a little heavier now, and the temperature was dropping.
There was a 3D model of the city. We were shown where the highlights were, and were given about an hour and a half to tour on our own.
Nearby there was a mall that I went to, found a pharmacy, and purchased a wrap bandage for Linda's leg.
I took some pictures, and then headed back to the bus area, as a few others were too.
Pretty much everyone had walked back to the pick-up spot - it continued to rain - and we were all about a half-hour early. Tomas called for
the bus to come pick us up so we could return to the ship a little ahead of schedule.
When we got back to the ship, it wasn't quite time for dinner or for the port talk.
Linda elevated and iced her leg for a little. Then, before heading to the lounge, I wrapped it.
We grabbed a cup of coffee on the way to the lounge for a recap of the disembarkment process, and for the farewell toast.
After the festivities were over, we headed to the dining room for our last dinner.
We sat with Gloria and John.
Linda had Caesar salad, potato & chanterelle strudel, and melon ice cream.
I had saxonian barley soup, roast duck breast, and both the topfencreme and cremé brúlée (because I wanted
the cremé brúlée and this was the last chance to get it).
Today wasn't that busy of a day, but there were still some activities. We relaxed a little, washed up, and went to bed.