Allegro on the River Elbe – 3. ‘All aboard’ and Tangermunde

We ate a typical GDR lunch in Potsdam; Dumpling, boiled pork and sauerkraut washed down with the local beer. The dumpling, I remembered better, as suet pudding. My mother used to boil it in a cloth, either plain, in which case, we ate it (the pudding-not the cloth) with treacle poured over it or, she added copious amounts of raisins to the basic mixture, which resulted in, what we  used to call, “Spotted Dick”!

After lunch, we mounted the coaches  (strictly segregated into blue and red groups) and drove to Tangermunde where the good ship “River Allegro” was a-waiting. The captain and his officers were assembled on the gangplank to greet us and welcome us aboard! And a welcoming sight, it was! (Regretfully, I didn’t have my camera ready at that moment).

We passengers  were only 97 strong so it didn’t take us long to get settled into our cabins. In the early evening, we gathered for the Captain’s welcome Drink, at which, the captain introduced his entire crew. Following the introduction, the Captain’s Welcome Dinner was served. Kim and I and a few other selectees, were detained for an individual chat with the Captain followed by dinner at his table.

The next morning we all trooped ashore for a walking tour of Tangermunde, a thoroughly charming 1,000-year old town which, fortunately, escaped the ravages of war entirely.  With its streets of half-timbered buildings and statuary, it reminded me of the few remaining Tudor villages of Britain.

Click on the pictures for detail

MS River Allegro looking isolated on the narrow waters of the Elbe

The Captain and his senior officers

Cabin steward’s greeting

Pre-dinner drinks

Hotel Manager, Alex, entertaining ladies at his end of the Captain’s table

Martina, leader of the Red Group, at dinner

Suited up for the walking tour of Tangermunde

Guardian statue on the dock

The following pictures show, mostly, the charm of a bye gone age in building style  . . . .

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Tudor  film set? . . . . .

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A martyr commemorated

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Head shop!

Middle-age spread

Notice the stork’s nest on the right-hand tower. (one of dozens)

This is a relic of the GDR–the “Peoples” car (Made of paper, we were told)

Olde-world post box

Peter guiding his Blue flock.

This old lady needs a little work!

Slipping away to Wittenberg

To be continued