River Cruise Diary – Speyer, Germany

It is Veteran’s Day in the States…Remembrance Day in the United Kingdom. Used to be called Armistice Day. The ship’s staff paid tribute to the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the guns fell silent and the Great War in Europe ended.

The next stop sailing down the Rhine was Speyer, Germany. No more stops in France. Not that spending much time up on the sun deck is easy in this chilly, damp weather, but my main complaint so far would be that we move between towns at night and I miss watching the river valley and countryside scrolling by. Of course, if we had done this trip in the summer, the days would have been much longer and we would see considerably more as we navigated the river.

Speyer is a town noted for its history as a Roman outpost that grew into one of the central cities of the Holy Roman Empire as well as a thriving Jewish community.

At the Entrance to the Old Jewish Quarter, 

Speyer, Germany (11 November 2019) 

Our guide (Amin, an interesting Egyptian Muslim married to a British Catholic woman he met on a tour) took us to the old Jewish quarter. He noted that Jews were invited to settle here in 1084 because their skills, talents and education were viewed as community assets. The area thrived and became one of the more significant Jewish communities in the Holy Roman Empire. Coexistence continued until the population was wiped out in the Holocaust. Amin decried anti-Semitism and was emotional by the time the Holocaust information was noted.

Speyer Cathedral (11 November 2019) 

Another UNESCO Heritage site, the Speyer Cathedral is the largest and one of the most significant Romanesque churches still standing. Begun in 1030 and consecrated in 1061, it illustrates the many features employed before Gothic architecture took off.

Inside Speyer Cathedral (11 November 2019) 

Unlike many ancient churches that have grown or been remodeled over the centuries and added Gothic and other styles, Speyer is still a Romanesque structure with heavy features and smaller windows.

Speyer Cathedral Crypt (11 November 2019) 

The crypt is the oldest part of the cathedral and contains the tombs of early German kings and Holy Roman emperors.

Approaching the Speyer Technical Museum (11 November 2019) 

During our free afternoon, we visited the Speyer Technical Museum. As we walked toward it, there was this frightening image of a 747 WAY too close to the ground…like a scene from a disaster movie. The Museum is as big and full of machines as any counterpart in the U.S. like the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit. Locomotives, U-boats, airplanes, an IMAX theater…the place is extensive.

How to Scratch a 747’s Belly, Speyer Technical Museum (11 November 2019) 

The retired Lufthansa jet is mounted on tall pedestals and you can climb up and into it…and view the jumbo jet from perspectives few can.

Speyer Technical Museum (11 November 2019) 

The extensive grounds are covered with aircraft, naval vessels, old automobiles and all manner of mechanized things…like this old tri-motor passenger plane.

Russian Space Shuttle, Speyer Technical Museum (11 November 2019) 

The floor around a Soviet-era space shuttle was being prepared for a dinner party. Who knew the Ruskies had their own shuttle program? The BURAN program sought to replicate America’s reusable space craft idea but this all happened when the Soviet Union was collapsing and nothing much came of it beyond this prototype.

Another busy, interesting day ended with a fine meal and the evening’s entertainment: a five-woman acapella singing group. Tomorrow, we finally sail the best part of the Rhine in the daytime.