Worlitz

We spent a very pleasant time touring the Worlitz Palace and Gardens, beginning with the old church. The Church Warden was afraid to live in the high tower until the architect spent a night there to prove it was safe.	The palace ground include many separate buildings and we opted for a boat tour of the extensive gardens and streams in order to see more of it.
It was a very peaceful feeling watching the swans and their cygnets gliding along. No ugly ducklings here.	Some of the other waterfowl (about the only wildlife we saw on this tour) had interesting colorations.
The palace itself is not very large but it boasts an amazing view of the grounds.	Another bit of wildlife--a wood duck drifting along.
They called the boats "gondolas" but they were really rowboats propelled by men with VERY strong backs and arms. Our rower spoke no English but no commentary was really needed for the trip.
Then it was on to the (big) ship and our cruise.
They call these ships their "longboats" and we can certainly understand why.	The crew and staff were wonderful. Raining when we got back from an excursion? An alley of umbrellas awaited us.
The most visible (and certainly the most fun) staff were the lounge attendants. One day when Chuck wore one of his favorite T-shirts one of the attendants came over to him and said, "Come with me." "Huh?" said Chuck. "Just take my arm," she said and led him over to the area where there were coffee, tea, and cookies available every afternoon for the passengers. "NOW you know where the cookies are!"