Towards the end of June 2011 we began a two week cruise up the Rhine, Main and Danube Rivers. Our travels began in Amsterdam and concluded in Vienna. In between we visited 15 cities and towns, went through 66 different locks, and gained a sense of history from the middle ages through World War II and up to today. We learned of the importance of geography in the development of the human condition and saw firsthand how people lived during the middle ages (1200 - 1500). We saw evidence of the tremendous destruction during WWII and the dangers of a political system gone wrong. We saw magnificent churches, abbeys and cathedrals in the land where the Protestant Reformation started. We enjoyed the trinity of German food -- beer, pretzels and sausages along with Dutch chocolates and apple strudel. And, of course, enjoyed the wine of the region. In summary, we had a GREAT time. Like any trip like this we would have liked to have had more time in each place to explore but it was a great overview of what this part of the world has to offer. For me, history really came alive – both medieval history and WWII history. The impact of geography on the development of commerce and the important role of the church and the reformation were also major themes for me. The similarities (and differences) between this river trip and the river trips we took in China were sometimes hard for me to believe. So much is the same the world over! The geography, the commerce on the river, the development of towns and cities – all of these things seemed very similar between the two places. I was also impressed by the density of the forests along the river and how difficult to penetrate they must have been for those living hundreds of years ago. The vineyards and just general lush green hillsides were quite amazing to this desert rat. We enjoyed the beer and wine and food and are now trying to diet to make up for our sins. While being King is better than being a commoner, life in the middle ages really sucked. It is pretty amazing how far the human race has come in just several hundred years. The imprint of the Nazis and the physical destruction of the country during WWII were also discussed openly by the German people. Much of modern Germany has been rebuilt since 1945. We best not forget the lessons learned from that era.
Day 1 - Wednesday, June 22 San Diego to Amsterdam
We spent the entire day and night in airplanes. We left San Diego at noon and flew to Minneapolis where we waited a couple of hours before we boarded the plane to Amsterdam. We arrived in Amsterdam around 11 a.m. Thursday local time.
[click here for pictures]
Day 2 - Thursday, June 23 Amsterdam
Despite our best efforts we were unable to sleep much on the plane. We were met by one of our tour guides at the airport after going through a rather casual customs process . They just looked at our passports - didn't ask anything about what we were bringing into the country. We were loaded onto a bus (coach) and driven to the ship. We checked in and were shown to our cabin. We immediately went to the dining room for a lunch buffet. Then back to our room to unpack and get settled. We walked around the ship and learned where things were located. Then we decided a good soak in the jacuzzi would be just the thing. It was very relaxing and just what we needed after the long trip across the USA and the Atlantic Ocean. Then it was time for a brief talk in the ship's lounge before dinner. Every night they would give a "port talk" about the place we were in or where were going the next day. Then at 7 p.m. we went to dinner. Dinner took about two hours with all the free wine you wanted included and then we went back to our cabin and CRASHED.
Day 3 - Friday, June 24 Amsterdam
We woke up around 6:30 a.m., got dressed and went to breakfast. LOTS to eat. After breakfast everyone (all 160 of us on the ship) went on a canal boat tour of Amsterdam. There are a series of semi-circular concentric canals that run through Amsterdam. Sort of a Venice of the North. Unfortunately it started to rain just as we were getting on the boat and that made our ability to see and take pictures more limited but we enjoyed the tour and got some sense of what the city had to offer.
After returning to the ship and enjoying a large lunch, we took off in our own to explore Amsterdam. We went to the Central Station (train and bus) and bought two tram tickets and took the tram (electric rail) to the flower mart. We toured the flower mart where the flowers were
indeed beautiful and tulips were popular. We then walked the half hour or so back to the ship. On the way we walked through the Red Light District with the prostitutes in the windows, past "coffee houses" that don't sell coffee - just cannabis, and through a farmer's market on one of the squares. We got lost a few times but that was part of the adventure.We returned to the ship for a short nap and then the ship set sail at 4 p.m. and our Great Rivers cruise began.
Before dinner there was the Captain's Welcome Drink (champagne) in the lounge followed by a short "port talk" about our visit the next day to Cologne, Germany. Then we were off to dinner. Unlike ocean cruise ships, there was no assigned seating and we chose to sit with different people each night during the trip. It was good to meet interesting people from all over the U.S. After two hours of eating and drinking, we headed back to the lounge to watch the river banks go by and enjoy the view. We went through the first of the 66 locks of our journey. It was still light outside at 10:30 p.m. when we retired to our cabin.
Day 4 - Saturday, June 25 en route/in Cologne, Germany
We woke u
p entirely too early (5 a.m.) but relaxed in our cabin and enjoyed the passing view from our large windows. There is a lot of traffic/commerce on the Rhine River.After breakfast we had a German language lesson by our Program Directors (tour guides). We learn how to say Good Morning, Please and Thank You and other useful phrases. We were told how to count to ten and some basic differences in pronunciation.
The ship arrived in Cologne at 3 p.m. and we took a walking tour of the city in the rain. Fortunately the rain paused for a while as we were walking around. A highlight of the tour was the Cologne Cathedral with its very impressive interior (see photos). It would have been nicer had the weather been better but we did enjoy seeing Cologne. We headed back to the ship for dinner. The ship set sail at 11:45 p.m. for our next port.
Day 5 - Sunday, June 26 Koblenz, Germany
We docked at the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine Rivers around 7:30 a.m. After breakfast we took a walking tour of the small city of Koblenz, a quaint picturesque place. We felt like we needed more exercise, so Vina and I walked a lot more around the town after the tour. Since it was Sunday, all of the shops were closed - but the churches, museums, pubs and restaurants were open.
After lunch aboard ship, we went to visit a medieval castle in Marksburg. This was an original castle
built in the 13th century that was never destroyed (as most have been over time). One thing is certain: Life in the middle ages was very hard - even for those in the upper echelons of society. Cold, wet, dirty and smelly seemed to be the order of the day. We have romanticized the idea of living in a castle. It was not pleasant -- one can only imagine how the peasants lived.After our visit to the castle, the group went to a beer garden where we were served the German holy trinity -- pretzels, sausages (white and brown) and, of course, beer.
Then we headed back to the ship for dinner and a musician after dinner who performed Oom-Pa-Pa music and played cowbells. Corny but very entertaining.
Day 6 - Monday, June 27 Mainz
We left Koblinz around 5:30 a.m. and headed up the "middle Rhine" toward Mainz. Along the way we passed 19 castles and many vineyards. I think everyone is familiar with Rhine wine. The weather had turned nice and it was delightful setting on the sun deck and watching the passing parade of castles, vineyards, boats, ships, barges and trains along the shore. We passed many small towns.
Upon arrival we took a walking tour of Mainz. Mainz was one of the first German towns to be created by the Romans and it soon evolved into the capital of Upper Germany. They were having a festival (street fair) for St. Johan. There were booths of stuff to eat and carnival rides everywhere. We toured the cathedral which was built in 975 but a fire in 1009 necessitated complete rebuilding and much of what we saw was finished in 1239. We visited the Gutenberg Museum where we saw a demonstration of the Gutenberg Press and some original Gutenberg Bibles. The effort required to produce these books was tremendous. After we got left by our group, we made our own way back to the ship passing by all kinds of booths selling every kind of thing. Then we got ready to go to dinner in the town of Ruedesheim -- famous for its superior Riesling wine.
We headed off for a wine cellar for a tasting where we tried two different Riesling wines -- one
early harvest and one late harvest. We liked them both but preferred the early harvest as it was a bit dryer. After the wine tasting we headed to the top of the hill and the statue of "Germania" overlooking the Rhine and the Rhine Valley. A true Kodak moment.Then we headed off to dinner at Lindenwirt restaurant where a Oom-Pa-Pa band was playing drinking songs and we enjoyed a traditional German dinner. The beer was good but the wine they served was awful. We had a good time with Vina getting as many people as possible to dance. We headed back to ship in time to watch fireworks from the sundeck. Mainz was celebrating a saint's festival. This was a great ending to a very full day.
Day 7 - Tuesday June 28 Frankfurt and Heidelberg
The ship moved to Frankfurt while we slept. We woke up to a bright sunny day and after an early breakfast we boarded a coach to spend the day in Heidelberg. About one quarter of the city's population comprises students (i.e., 30,000) at its famous University which was founded in 1386. This is the oldest university in Germany.
Heidelberg Castle is the largest castle ruin in Europe and it is quite impressive dominating the city. We toured the castle and saw the great wine barrel, the "Great Heidelberg Tun" with a capacity of 58,124 gallons of wine. We then went to lunch in a nice restaurant next door to a Subway shop. We enjoyed some ravioli type of things stuffed with spinach and minced meat. German food is very "heavy" but we enjoyed it. Then we took a walking tour of the city seeing the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches. Gary wanted to tour a bit of Heidelberg University where they had a nice museum of the history of one of the oldest universities in Europe. We then visited the Great Hall -- you have to see the pictures to get an idea of this place. Gary would
We next visit the Student Prison, where students who misbehaved were sent. Student Affairs work in a very early stage! Graffiti covered the walls and was carved into the furniture. This place was used from 1712 to 1914. Common offenses were drunkenness and illegal fencing. We walked down to Heidelberg bridge before making our way back to the bus and the ride back to the ship. We arrived back in time for the cocktail hour and dinner.
[click here for pictures]
[click here for pictures]
Day 8 - Wednesday, June 29 Wertheim
We sailed all night going through many, many locks as we traveled up the Main River and into the Rhine - Main - Danube Canal. I was surprised at how narrow the river was along the way.
The small town of Wertheim was much like the other places we have seen with a castle at the top of the hill, a Catholic Church and a Protestant Church, and several town squares with shops all around. Wertheim also had a Jewish section.
Grand Circle Travel provides an opportunity to visit local people in their homes. The family home host visits were this afternoon. We had an enjoyable time visiting the home of a single lady with four grown children and hearing her describe her life in Germany today. The drive out to the countryside was picturesque with forests and rolling hillside pasture land and wheat and sorghum fields.
Day 9 - Thursday, June 30 Wertheim/Karlstadt
This was a lazy day. The ship left Wertheim around 3 a.m.(or so we were told - we were asleep) and arrived at Karlstadt shortly before noon. We spent the morning enjoying a leisurely breakfast and then a talk and Q&A by the Captain about the workings of the ship.
Following lunch, we took a walking tour of the small town of Karlstadt. The town was laid out in a square and was one of the very first "planned" towns. Like so many German towns it was built in the 1200's across the river Main from the Karlsberg Castle - now in ruins. We tried to walk to the castle ruins but could not find the path. Karlstadt is a small town - only 15,000 residents. We enjoyed just exploring the town.
Day 10 - Friday, July 1 Tour of Rothenburg then Schweinfurt
Most of this day was spent on a tour of the city of Rothenburg. The ship docked at Gerlochshausen where we got off and boarded buses for the hour and a half drive to Rothenburg. Rothenburg is located along the Tauber River. We visit the medieval village where most of the structures were built in the 12 and 1300's. We took a tour of the Christmas Museum, visited the Medieval Crime Museum (more accurately described as the torture museum) showing criminal justice during the Middle Ages, saw the Franciscan Church and the wall around the city and then headed to lunch.
We enjoyed a rather tasty lunch of pork and schnitzel (noodles) in a sauce -- sort of a stroganoff --at a local restaurant. The weather was not on our side with rain coming on and off. We visited St. Jakobs Lutheran Church and saw the Altar of the Holy Blood.
We board the bus for the trip to Schweinfurt to meet back up with the ship. We were tired and we rested before the port talk and dinner. After dinner, Johannes, one of the tour directors, gave a talk about the war criminals of the Nuremberg Trial.
Day 11 - Saturday, July 2, 2011 Bamberg, Germany
After breakfast, we boarded a bus for the short ride into Bamberg. Bamberg is another typical German town famous for its many breweries and beers. Rauchbier (smoke beer) made from hops roasted over an open fire, is a hallmark of the town. We bought a couple of bottles to bring home for our boys. In Bamberg, we visited the Town Center, the University Plaza, Open Market, Rose Garden and the Bamberg Cathedral. At the Cathedral there was the a golden throne which was described as the Arch Bishop's Throne. Our thoughts went from admiration of the beauty of the throne to revulsion of the idea that the Arch Bishop should have such a flagrant display of wealth.
After touring the city, we return to the ship for lunch and sailing toward Nuremberg. The rain held off until we left. We spent the rest of the day sailing the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal. We toured the ship's kitchen in the afternoon. It is amazing how they are able to prepare so many meals in such a small space.
After dinner there was a passenger talent show. Gary was fighting a head cold and went to bed early but Vina said that she enjoyed watching the show. It is always a bit surprising to discover the hidden talents that people do and don't possess.
Day 12 - Sunday, July 3 Nuremberg
We woke up to a cold and rainy day docked in Nuremberg. After breakfast we enjoyed a brief lecture on the history of Germany since 1933. Such recent history yet so far away. The rise of the Nazi's is/was scary. Germany today is working hard to confront its dark past.
After the lecture we took a bus tour of the old city. We were let off at the old city and saw the "beautiful fountain." The central square and we walked to two different churches -- Church of Our Lady and then St. Sebaldes Church. We watched the church clock change at noon with animated figures moving about and then headed back to the ship for lunch.After lunch we boarded the bus again for a trip back to the city and the "Documentation Center" a museum showing the history of Hitler and his successes and atrocities and the relationship between Hitler and Nuremberg. We visited the parade grounds where many of the Nazi rallies were held in the 1930's. We saw the half finished stadium where the Documentation Center is now located. It will take me some time to digest all that we have seen. How so many good people could all go so wrong at the same time gives one pause.
Day 13 - Monday, July 4 Regensburg
A day of many good things and some changes in plans -- a "Murphy's Law" sort of day. On Sunday evening our ship was delayed for three hours waiting to go through a lock. As a result we were late in getting to the drop off point for our tour of the oldest monastery in Bavaria, a boat ride on the Danube Gorge (reminiscent of the Li River in China) and a visit to the Liberation Hall in Kelheim.
During the night we crossed the European "continental divide" for watershed at 1,331 feet. Prior to this all of the locks we went through were raising our ship. From now on, our ship is being lowered. Vienna - the end of our trip is at 558 feet.
After being dropped off around 9 a.m. we were driven by coach to a wonderful old monastery
and brewery where we toured a magnificent church followed by dark beer and pretzels at the monastery. We then boarded a small ship for a short cruise down through the Danube Gorge -- at the beginning of the 1,776 mile long (appropriate length for USA Independence Day) Danube River. The limestone cliffs carved into the mountainside were quite impressive. The ship dropped us off near the Liberation Hall -- a large round building on the top of a hill. We climbed to the top and had some marvelous views.We were then supposed to meet back up with our ship but it was running behind schedule because of the lock delays. Our buses had other commitments so we were dropped off and we had to wait under a bridge until the River Aria (our ship) came up the Danube about half hour after we got there. Reunited, we boarded and headed for a late (2 p.m.) lunch -- American style -- on the 4th of July. After eating too much we headed out for a walking tour of Regensburg.
The cathedral there and its stained glass windows were quite spectacular -- and we were treated to hear the organ -- I captured some of it on camera. I hope the sound comes through OK.
After dinner, exhausted, we went to bed.
Day 14 - Tuesday, July 5 Passau
We took a walking tour of Passau in the morning. Passau is located at the confluence of the three rivers and as such was an important trade town. The highlight of the morning was an organ concert at noon in St. Stephen's Church. The church was another incredible work of art. The music seemed so appropriate for a baroque church of the 16th century. I hope that my recording capture at least some of what it was like to sit there and hear this mighty organ play.
It rained really hard while we were having lunch aboard the ship but cleared up and became warm and sunny by the time we got ready to head back out. We were told this was typical weather.
That evening we had the Captain's Farewell Drink and Farewell Dinner (filet mignon). We had purchased some bottles of wine when we boarded the ship and we needed to finish off a newly opened bottle -- so we did!
After dinner the crew provided us with a "talent" show -- corny but enjoyable.
Day 15 - Wednesday, July 6 Melk and Vienna, Austria
We docked in the small village of Melk. The main attraction was the over-the-top abbey built on
the top of the hill. The pictures, while spectacular, can't really do justice to the opulence of this place. It was almost obscene. One can't help but wonder at the resources spent on this place and the needs of the common people who funded it. We took the walk up the hill and did a tour of the place.We came back to the ship and began packing up for our return trip home. The ship left Melk and headed up the Danube toward Vienna. Along the river we say many, many vineyards, churches, castles and towns. The vegetation was green and lush. The weather cooperated with the sun coming out and the temperature near 80. This was the highlight for Vina. Floating down the
Danube while listening to Mozart, Beethoven, Strauss being played over the ship's speakers.We docked in Vienna and after dinner boarded a bus for short driving tour of the city on the way to a concert of Mozart and Strauss. The concert was in a smallish hall but very enjoyable. We enjoyed champagne out on the terrace during intermission. We headed back to ship to get about three hours sleep before we had to get up and begin the long trek home.
Day 16 - Thursday, July 7 Vienna to San Diego
Today was the longest and hardest part of the whole trip. Including the time change, this day lasted 33 hours and we were awake for almost all of it. We left the ship at 4 a.m. Thursday Vienna time (6 p.m. Wednesday California time) and arrived at the San Diego airport at 6 p.m. Thursday. Needless to say, after our son Mike dropped us off at home, we crashed.
A great trip!
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