After experiencing a wonderful Viking river cruise adventure from Paris to Normandy in November, 2016, we both vowed to do it again on another European river. We found a good deal through Eby Travel and booked the Rhine River Getaway leaving from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. Our cruise included round-trip airfare from West Palm Beach to Amsterdam and then from Basel, Switzerland back to West Palm Beach.
The Rhine River is lined with picturesque castles and towns, and is dotted with quaint cobblestoned villages … this sounded "right up our travel alley". And this trip didn't disappoint -- we had a terrific time over the Easter holiday.
Day 1 - April 17 to 18 - Traveling from West Palm Beach to Atlanta to Amsterdam and doing a little sightseeing in that glorious city.
Our tickets read KLM but we actually flew on Delta, their sister airline which was fine with us.
We arrived in Amsterdam mid-morning and immediately noticed this marvelous tulip shop as soon as we left our gate. It's tulip time in the Netherlands and we could hardly wait to see
We proceeded down to baggage claim and were met by a Viking representative as soon as we exited...Viking handles everything for you as soon as you step off the plane. The nice representative checked our names off his list and immediately escorted us to a shuttle and drove us directly to our ship, the Vidar.
Here are a few views of beautiful Amsterdam from our shuttle....the first picture includes our first look at a Holland windmill.
Our guided walk took us down quaint streets and a shopping area of souvenir shops and yes, we started spending our euros!
One important thing we wanted to do in Amsterdam as soon as we arrived was to find an area with tulips and take a small video wishing our Aunt Mary Alice a happy 100th birthday. Her children and grandchildren plan to put together a video for her of family and friends celebrating her big day, Our search for a display of tulips wasn't as easy as we thought it would be, but we finally found a large concrete bowl of the gorgeous flowers with a nice background of the central station and our guide stopped the tour to film us. What a sweetheart!
Oh...yes....we both got "sucked into" trying on the wooden shoes....we were in the Netherlands, after all!
We had also decided to take a boat tour through the canals of Amsterdam so we said a temporary good-bye to our tour group and easily found a boat leaving soon.
Once our boat tour was over,
we walked back to Central Station and it was only a quick block or two to the Viking Vidar. Our room was ready, our luggage was inside and it was time for a quick stop in our cabin before dinner.
Our room was tiny but comfortable with 2 twin beds, plenty of closet and shelf space, room under our beds for luggage storage. a 40" flatscreen TV, strong shower and heated bathroom floors. We were on deck 1, ("steerage" we called it)...no balcony and a long, narrow window at eye level. If you follow our blog, you know we're budget-minded....and how much time do you spend in your room anway?
We knew we'd be taking in the beautiful views from the top deck so that's where we headed....
A putting green, shuffleboard and a herb garden visited by the chef for his fresh herbs everyday! A relaxing evening enjoying nostalgic tunes of Suited...a local music trio.
We didn't have much free time in Amsterdam and couldn't make it to the huge garden of tulips called Keukenhof Gardens, outside Amsterdam.
Thanks to our new friends and fellow ship-mates, Duane and Jane Mercier from Indianapolis, for sharing their beautiful pictures of the Gardens with us. What would our blog look like without tulip photos in the month of April. We'll be using a few of the Mercier's photos throughout our blog, with their permission, of course. Thanks again, you two!
This is a photo of Duane and Jane on the next leg of their trip throughout other parts of Europe.
And here are their beautiful photos of Keukenhof Gardens -- 7 million bulbs planted by hand with a variety of 800 different tulips....
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Day 2 - April 19 - Rotterdam to Kinderdijk (the UNESCO site with 19 windmills.
We woke up in Rotterdam, and, after getting a coffee and danish at the 24 hour service station onboard, we headed for our favorite place...when pulling into a new port....the top deck...for great port views.
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| This is the 24 hour coffee service station with different kinds of coffee and tea available 24 hrs./day with pastries in the morning and cookies in the afternoon and evening. |
One of the beautiful things about river cruising is how close we dock to most ports. After breakfast, we were in Kinderdijk -- home of 19 windmills.
We simply exited the ship and walked to the windmills.
Kinderdijk is the only place in the world with so many windmills so close together. This area represents the courageous fight of the Dutch against the sea. Constructed in the mid-18th century, this complex hydraulic system was built to harness the power of the wind and reclaim and from the sea, making it possible to settle and cultivate the area, as well as prevent flooding.
And a little excitement while we were in the wheelhouse......
Some tricky maneuvering by the Captain and First Mate...while the Helmsman and Mary K. take over the wheel! A crew member met the ship at this dock and was picked up to join the cruise.
A sweet drink before the official Meeting The Crew....
and a delighted bartender, Milos, with the success in making his first Pina Colada!
More beautiful views, as we peacefully sail along the Rhine.
Day 3 - April 20, Cologne, Germany
Love waking early and taking in the breathtaking morning views.
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| Lots of campers, all along the Rhine, enjoying the Easter weekend. |
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A quick "Good Morning" to front desk, Yoana and Jocelyn, in the restaurant's bar. |
The Vidar made a brief stop in Zons, Germany and then on to Cologne where we opted out of a walking tour and began our own exploration of this beautiful city. The Cologne Cathedral is the most imposing site and was the way we found our
"bearings" throughout the town. The cathedral is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and was spared allied bombs during WWII. The cathedral's twin spires are visible for miles and stained glass windows fill the interior with brilliant colored light.
We enjoyed finding the pedestrian-only shopping street called the Hohe Strasse with its many perfume boutiques -- this is the home of the popular brand, 4711.
And we found one of our favorite shops in Europe -- Hema -- home of many bargains and a shop we just can't pass up.
This photo give you an idea of how close Viking docks in the center of the city. Perfect for walking tours which are included!
And a few more photos of the bustling city of Cologne....
We were intrigued by the signage on many of the buildings through the countries we visited and we kept our Iphones busy, just photographing signs!
A puppeteer on the waterfront!
We were intrigued by the signage on many of the buildings through the countries we visited and we kept our Iphones busy, just photographing signs!
A puppeteer on the waterfront!
Now that we'd entered Germany, it was interesting to note that the country is comprised of 138,000 square miles, nearly 3 times the size of England and slightly smaller than Montana. The currency is the Euro -- the same in the Netherlands and France. We found it very easy to go to our bank before we left home and exchange our dollars for Euro bills -- we were ready for shopping!
We bid a fond adieu to Cologne
And, settled in for another one of the chef's wonderful dinners....
Day 4 -
One of my favorite time's of day is early morning, on the top deck, quietly taking in the awesome views as the sun rises and we sail along, meditating and, on this glorious Easter morning, giving blessed thanks for the amazing opportunity to be right here, right now.
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| Ehrenbreitstein Fortress |
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| Right from our ship to begin the climb to Marksburg Castle |
but we decided to settle in on the upper deck and enjoy the narrated trip along the Rhine with the magnificent castles, narrated by our Program Director Diana
Van Der Tuk.
First, however, a special Easter breakfast.
Our castles' journey begins......
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| Marksbury Castle |
Fascinating vineyards grow on the steep hills along the Rhine....the largest is Bopparder Hamm located in the Mittelrhein and Boppard region.
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| One stop shopping ...The small town church is attached to the local pub. |
We ended our castle tour at the village of Rudesheim where we were able to walk into the small village....with the lovely scent of edelweiss along the path
Followed by the gnarly (a bit spooky) sycamore trees lining the way to the town.
We sat at the first waterfront café we came across, while "enjoying" the most expensive coca colas we've ever had in Europe. 9.50 euros!
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| A word of warning....If you find yourself in Rudesheim, DON'T stop at the first cafe. The menu said 2.50 euros for coca cola. |
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| If you're in Rudesheim, here's the cafe for lunch or a drink...reasonable prices and beautiful surroundings. |
We arrived back on the Vidar in time for a special demonstration of Rudesheim Coffee which was delicious and served to each of us in a beautiful ceramic cup and saucer.
After a beautiful Easter Sunday, we headed back to our stateroom and were pleasantly surprised by the Lindt chocolate bunnies left by sweet room steward, Emilia!
Day 5 - April 22 -
Our early morning view of Heidelberg.
We put on our Vox boxes (for easy listening to our tour guides) and bussed to tour the Heidelberg Castle.
This sprawling, majestic castle overlooks the town of Speyer where our ship was docked. There were some beautiful views from this castle.
And we enjoyed the stories of past residents....especially the one about the lord of the castle (old and portly) who married a young girl and spent his life trying to please her. In order to protect the castle, he installed cannons overlooking his enemies. She didn't like looking at the cannons out of her bedroom window so he ordered the cannons be moved to the other side of the castle....overlooking the "friendlies". Not a good move.
After touring the castle, our bus headed to the beautiful town of Heidelberg where we found a beer garden and enjoyed some liquid refreshment. We toured the cobblestone streets and admired the artistic signs along the way, before heading back to the ship.
When we arrived back at the Vidar, we were invited to a special cocktail party for previous Viking guests. Sparkling wine and wonderful appetizers, thanks to Chef Mario.
That''s the Hotel Manager Kosta Adamakis along with our favorite Program Director, Diana,
A special gift of two Viking crystal shot glasses, with a thank note for, again, choosing Viking, was waiting for us in our stateroom, that evening.
Day 6 - April 23 -
We woke up in beautiful Alsace Wine Country and the beautiful city of Strasbourg, France. Several days ago, we asked Captain Wim what was his personal favorite city along our route and he replied, "Strasbourg" and we definitely agree.
Strasbourg is on the Rhine and has the flavors of both Germany and France. Geographically strategic, it was fought over for centuries between the French and the Germans. The signs are usually in both languages, beer and wine are tremendously popular and there's a common cuisine with dishes like "sauerkraut" in German and "chou croute" in French. The architecture is distinctively German -- almost like Hansel and Gretel.
Our Viking bus was waiting for us in the morning and we were able to spend a full day in Strasbourg. In traveling through the city we noticed huge nests up in the trees and on tops of homes and were told they were stork nests!
These huge storks and their nests are seen throughout the Alsace Region of France. An Alsacion will tell you that a stork never nests on a house where there's been a divorce. On the other hand, if a stork should choose your home, local legend says it will bring luck to your family.
Storks are faithful creatures -- they will return to the same nest their entire lives. The male stork arrives first sometime in the early Spring, to refurbish
the nest he and his spouse left behind. This comes after a Winter migration
sometimes as far away as South America!
We took some time to browse the unique book sale, set up in the Square.
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| The Strasbourg McDonald's is an architectural beauty! |
We enjoyed the many quaint shops and lingered over hot chocolate in an outdoor café across from Notre Dame Cathedral.
We returned to the ship in time for Chef Mario's demonstration of making delicious Flammkuchen ("don't call it pizza") and were able to taste this "flaming cake" consisting of bacon, sour cream, onion, Gruyere cheese and leek. This Flamm can also be made as a dessert using sliced apples, sugar and cinnamon (and we think we'd add grated sharp cheddar, Chef).
Day 7 - April 24 -
In the morning, we were docked at the lovely little town of Breisich and hopped on our bus to Colmar. We selected this optional trip because of all the positive reviews on Cruise Critic -- and what a wonderful idea it was!
First, of course, an early morning look at today's port, Breisich.
And, a view from our stateroom "window".
Off we go to Colmar!
The best roundabout attraction ever, greets visitors to Colmar! Each of the four roundabouts feature a statue reflecting Colmar's history. The first and most impressive is dedicated to our Statue of Liberty's sculpture, Auguste Bartholdi, born in Colmar!
Our Viking bus dropped us off in Colmar and we were then invited to go on a walking tour or on a small train into the medieval village -- yes, we opted for the train, as you can see in the photo above. A good choice! With our driver and sweet, knowledgeable guide, we were able to see much more than the walking tour! Not to mention, the ease on our legs and feet!
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| The smallest house in Colmar. |
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| Note the stork nest on the roof. |
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| Many shops decorated for Easter. |
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Our guide pointed out the Pizza Vending Shop next door to the Pharmacy! Yes, you can actually
push a button to order a pizza and it pops out of a vending-type machine!
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| Mary K and Peggy standing outside the lovely HANSI shop. |
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| The village church had an Easter market -- much like the Christmas markets! |
This is a statue of Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the sculptor/designer of the Statue of Liberty. He's from Colmar and this statue is in a beautiful park. We were touched to see the small Liberty he was holding.
Another optional tour today was to the Colmar WWII Museum. We were busy in the village but our shipmate, Duane Mercier was on the WWII tour and shared some of his photos with us.
Time for lunch and back to the ship.
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In the afternoon, we were invited on a galley tour with Chef Mario. The galley was unbelievably small with a staff of 12 plus Chef and -- imagine -- 2 people prepare all the vegetables and wash all the dishes and glassware! A big round of applause for these hard workers and their delicious food!
We opted out of the Black Forest Bus Excursion and decided to walk into the town of Badische where we were docked. Our friends, Duane and Jane went into the Black Forest and here are a few of their photos:
It was a slight walk from the dock for us to go to Badische where we found a quaint cafe and did our own walking tour through this charming little town.
Day 8 - April 25 -
We met many wonderful people on this cruise - AJ and G from Texas, John and Joan from California, Ted and Sharon from New Brunswick, Millie and Jimmy from Mississippi, Duane and Jane from Indiana.
Souvenirs, goodies and gifts we purchased along the way.
Many of the small ornaments above will be used on our Travel Christmas Trees. We both make it a point to purchase an ornament at every city we visit.
And special "thank you's" to our crew - Captain Wim Spaargaren, Hotel Manager Kosta Adamakis, Chief Engineer Stanel Batea, Executive Chef Mario Zima, Program Director Diana Van Der Tuuk, Housekeeper Manager Dragan Plavsic, Guest Services Manager Ivan Smid and the personable, funny Paul Pintea - Matre D'. Also thank you's to our housekeeper-Emilia, bartender/waiter-Milos.
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