Magdeburg Cathedral Magdeburg Water Bridge

The ship arrived at Tangermuende at 12:40 as we were eating lunch. Tangermuende has a thousand year history. It was largely destroyed by fire in 1617, and the present buildings were built after that. The city lost its strategic importance in the mid-17th century. That probably help save it from destruction in later wars, including World War II. Even its medieval walls are mostly intact.

Jutta led us on a walking tour of the town at 2:15. We walked along the Elbe past the 14th century castle (now a hotel) on a hill above us. Then we walked up the hill and through a gate in the town walls. Most of the buildings we saw when we reached Lange Street, the main street through the oldest area, dating from the 17th century. The traditional half-timbered (fachwerk) and stucco style dominated.


We walked the length of the old walled town, passing St. Stephan's Church (1623), and the Markt Platz with the unusual red-brick old Town Hall (1430s) that looked like a cathedral. Our guided walk ended at the New City Tower and gate (c. 1300) in the old town walls. Here Jutta left us on our own.
 

Squeezed against the wall next to the gate, Jane and I found an old inn set up to look like it might have appeared centuries before. Each of the several public rooms had its own decor and furnishings.


Leaving the inn, we walked back down Long Street. As we came to the Markt Platz, I spotted a bank with an ATM in a locked service area. I wanted to get more euros, but my card wouldn't open the door. I saw that there was another bank a few doors down, so I walked over there. That ATM notified me that my card had expired. Sure enough, when I checked the expiration date on the card it was September 2013. I wasn't desperate for euros and figured I'd deal with it later.


We continued on to St. Stephan's Church and went inside for a few minutes. As we approached the place where we had first come up from the river, we noticed the arched entrance to the grounds of the Castle Hotel and went in. The castle was burned by Swedish troops in 1640 and then was neglected for centuries before being restored. Except for the Alte Kanzlei (Old Chancellery), only fragments of the original 14th century buildings remain. But the restored structures blend in very well, and the expansive grounds are beautiful.


After exploring the grounds, Jane walked down the stairway to the river level below while I went to get a closer look at some of the towers and lookout points. I found the one closest to our ship and watched Jane as she walked along the river to the ship. That was at 4:30 and I was back on the ship a few minutes later.

In addressing the problem of my expired ATM card, when I used a credit card to pay for the tips to the ship's crew, I tried unsuccessfully to charge an additional amount in return for cash. I also asked Jutta if there was any way we could charge her tip, but there wasn't. I had intended to tip Jutta in euros but, since I didn't have enough, I had to use dollars. We always carry at least a couple hundred dollars in cash when we travel overseas, and usually return home with most of it. But now the bulk of that was set aside for Jutta. We had just enough cash left to get us back to the U.S. if we used a credit card when ever possible for the rest of the trip.

We had the final port talk at 6:45, accompanied by the traditional farewell drink. The Captain's dinner followed, and afterwards the passengers exchanged farewells with the crew. We were up until 11:00 packing and filling out the critique of the cruise.