08 Jul 2015

Leaving on a jet plane for Paris and then flying on to Basel, Switzerland where we board our River boat The Melody and begin our journey. . Join us as we meander down the Rhine and Mosel rivers, visiting five countries along the way.

Most of you know when we travel…it’s always an adventure…so buckle up, com’on along and we hope you enjoy the ride!

09 Jul 2015  Switzerland  

We made it to Switzerland and met our program director Steven. He seems like a lot of fun and is very personable. (By the way Rosa and george…Steven remembered the both of you)!!!Met a group of folks from Canada and we enjoyed having lunch with them. Bob the only man in the group is a hoot and he’s very quick with the one liners.

Lunch was a buffet and the food was delicious. They also give you wine at lunch and dinner.

After lunch we all walked around Basel. Not much going on in Basel without taking the tram, but it was a beautiful day for walking around with our newfound friends. We will do the touring on the tram tomorrow and go into town with our guide.

We walked to the end of our pier and took a photo of the monument where the borders of three countries meet. Germany, Switzerland and France.

Before dinner we had a Port Talk in the Lounge where we received info about what will be happening tomorrow.

Had dinner with two ladies and then the hotel director Jennifer joined us at our table. She ordered two outstanding wines for us all to enjoy and brought the chef out to meet us. We commended him. The chicken cordon bleu was outstanding. We enjoyed our conversation with Jennifer and she promised to meet us again for drinks. So far a very enjoyable start to our trip.

10 Jul 2015 Switzerland

Today we joined our program director for a guided tour through Basel. We took a tram ride into the market to begin our walk.

Switzerland is a neutral country but it is unique in the fact it has enough nuclear fallout shelters to accommodate its entire population. “Every inhabitant must have a protected place that can be reached quickly from his place of residence” and “apartment block owners are required to construct and fit out shelters in all new dwellings”, according to articles 45 and 46 of the Swiss Federal Law on Civil Protection. In 2006, there were 300,000 shelters in Swiss dwellings, institutions and hospitals, as well as 5,100 public shelters, providing protection for a total of 8.6 million individuals – a coverage of 114 per cent. The Swiss military can even land jet fighters on highways in the event of an invasion.

And other nations might want to invade Switzerland for the chocolate alone. The nation consumes 23 lbs of chocolate per person each year in contrast to USA who pale at 10 lbs per person per year. China is beginning to get on the chocolate wagon and their consumption of the confection was almost nonexistent but is recently starting to grow.

Basel has over 9000 university students and some of them live in apartments that are along the main roads. It is definitely a college town with lovely cafes, flower markets and bakeries that sell delicious looking breads. The average incone per capita is around sixty thousand dollars.

Novartis the drug company has a main building in Basel.

There are water fountains throughout Basel where the water comes out of a faucet into a large cistern and very safe to drink. People were filling up water bottles from them.

We saw apartments that had the name of a family from years ago etched into the concrete and also the number of the building as well as the year it was built. Apparently Napoleon introduced the numbering system of the homes.

There is a ferry that crosses the Rhine. Ferry men are prestigious people and your father had to be a ferryman for you to become one. When a baby is born, the mother will put the babies feet into a clay material and then she will place her fingers around the imprint. Then the mom takes this mold to the ferryman and he places his two thumbs into the mold. The clay hardens and it becomes a keepsake.

We visited a beautiful church, the Basel Münster, which was built between 1019 and 1500 in Romanesque and Gothic styles. On the eastern side were statues of elephants. The man who sculpted them had never seen an elephant, but made the statues according to descriptions from people who had seen them.

Within this beautiful church are amazing stained glass windows and on the floor near the pulpit is a glass window with a dragon painted on the stone underneath. Legend has it that if you walk over this glass three times your sins will be forgiven. I guess the trick is to sin as much as possible and then go to Basler Munster and walk over the dragon three times. Lol! I walked over three times so I’m good to go for awhile.

We walked through town and stopped at the Romance kissing corner. Legend has it that if you kiss your true love here…your love will last forever. Bridal couples have their wedding ceremonies and then always head over to the kissing corner. Of course, I kissed my true love there.

One of the spectacular artworks in Basel was done by an artist named Jean Tinguely who passed away this year. “He designed a fountain in 1977 placing some amusing machine sculptures in an enormous pool of water on the site where the stage of the old city theatre was once located. The Swiss artist had black asphalt poured into a shallow basin before placing these low power-operated, water-spouting objects in it. These nine iron eminences are in constant motion and “talk” to each other just as did the mimers, actors and dancers who once performed at this very spot”.

We returned to the boat and enjoyed a delicious lunch…again dining with new people. Everyone is fun loving and we are having a great time.

There was a port talk this afternoon and a local came onboard and told us all about Switzerland … The government, housing, employment, her life etc. She said the divorce rate is over fifty percent. I guess those couples forgot to go to the romance kissing corner!

We went to the captains welcome dinner and dined on five courses…one of which was roasted veal. After dinner watched as the boat traveled through one of the many locks on the journey. Then off to do some dancing and then to bed. We have an early morning tomorrow.

11 Jul 2015 Strasbourg, France

We are now docked on the river Ill in Strasbourg, France. Bright and early this morning we took a tram to go to the center of Strasbourg. What a beautiful and quaint town.

The highlight of the tour was the Cathédrale de Notre-Dame of Strasbourg, a masterpiece of the Gothic era. The magnificence of the structure, the altar, the statues and the breathtaking stained glass windows were awe inspiring.

We also saw the famous Strasbourg astronomical clock which is located in the cathedral. This excerpt is taken from the Internet.

“This clock was remarkable both for its complexity as an astronomical device and for the range and richness of its decorations and accessories. As well as the many dials and indicators – the calendar dial, the astrolabe, the indicators for planets, and eclipses – the clock was also well endowed with paintings, moving statues, automata, and musical entertainment”.

After visiting the cathedral we went on a boat ride through the canals of Strasbourg. The tour lasted for over an hour and a half and followed the River Ill around the Grand Île, which is the center of Strasbourg.

We passed through the colorful La Petite France area and navigated thru two locks. We had lovely views of the beautiful French architecture and also passed thru the European District, home of the European Parliament.

After lunch we boarded a bus and went to Alsace. Along the way we saw vineyards and rolling hills and absolutely charming homes. Some of the homes, to show whether or not an eligible woman or man lived there, had hearts or bottles of wine on the peaks of the roof. We passed Vineyards that had large crucifixes at the roadside. The crucifixes were placed there so that the vineyard would be blessed with a prosperous and fruitful season.

It was once thought that the vines had to be replaced every 20 years. After 20 years the production of the grapes diminishes greatly. Upon further discovery however they found that the grapes that were on the vines after 20 years were much more robust in flavor than the newer vines. So now the vines are left to continue to grow and produce grapes. The quantity might not be as much but the quality is certainly there. Of course vintners do continue to plant new vines regularly, in addition to preserving the old.

We arrived at a popular tourist attraction ~ the quaint town of Riquewihr. This beautiful little town is known for its historical architecture. Many of the buildings in this village were built in the 1500’s,1600’s and 1700’s. Riquewihr is known for Riesling and other great wines many of which are produced in the village. Riquewihr looks today more or less as it did in the 16th century. It is officially one of the most beautiful villages in France. We walked the cobblestone streets and enjoyed seeing the cafes and listening to the music that was playing in the square. They also have amazing macaroons and we treated ourselves to a bag which I’m positive will be consumed before we arrive back in the states. Our tour guides treated us to wine and we enjoyed a glass while sitting under a huge Linden Tree.

We saw graves in the town that looked like children had been buried there. But in actuality adults were buried there and they were buried in the embryo position – all curled up so therefore the grave was very small.

On our way back to the cruise ship we visited Munster in Alsace. The town of Munster has a dual population: humans live in charming medieval houses; white storks and their half-ton nests rule the rooftops. Yes – half ton nests!

In the 1970s the white stork population had dwindled down to a mere 12 birds. Though flocks of the white storks resided elsewhere in the world, they had all but disappeared from the region most closely identified with them. Today, one of the most successful repopulation programs of its kind has restored the beloved white stork to the Alsace and Lorraine region, with at least 600 pairs nesting this year on the roofs and treetops of its picturesque villages.

As you can imagine, some of the residents in the town are not happy that storks are building nests on the rooftops. The weight of the nest can be detrimental to the roof, not to mention the white poop that inevitably builds up. But the stork is said to bring luck to a home where they nest, so I guess that is worth the inconvenience.

Munster is not only the home of storks. It is also the home of Munster cheese. Unfortunately, we didn’t get an opportunity to sample any. We made our way back to the cruise ship and we enjoyed amazing French cuisine replete with escargot and pork Wellington.

Our guide mentioned that a laser show would be taking place at the Cathedral this evening. Allan and I decided that we would like to take the tram back into town at 10:15 pm and see it and eight of our friends decided to join us. One of the other tour guides also accompanied us and it was well worth the trip. The laser show was choreographed to music and the show was spectacular. We were so happy that we made the trip into the town because it was an opportunity to see something we probably will never experience again.

Most of the ship was asleep by the time we returned, so we treated ourselves to a hot chocolate and went off to bed. It was an end to an absolutely unforgettable day in France.

12 Jul 2015  Baden baden   Speyer

I forgot to mention that before we left for the laser show last night, a local couple came onboard and regaled us with French songs and accordion playing. They were very good and considering the accordion is an instrument that most people don’t want to hear…the music was excellent.

We spent a leisurely morning enjoying Sunday breakfast of eggs Benedict and just relaxing before eating our next meal…lunch. I hope the counter at delta doesn’t charge us extra on our return trip with the added poundage that we will be most assuredly be carrying on our bodies.

Let me take a few moments to tell you about our river boat. The crew is amazing. Very accommodating and from the second day the wait staff remembered our names and what our preferences were. Very impressive. The ship is immaculate and the food is delicious. There is an upper sun deck and a lovely lounge to retire to when one just wants to read…or knit in my case.

At night we have been joining an Asian group of folks who love to dance so I have been enjoying doing the electric slide and the Lindy with them. Unfortunately allan injured his foot the first night in our cabin and has not been able to do much dancing. It is getting better so no worries.

We have enjoyed meeting many people but we met a group of Canadians whose company we enjoy and the feeling must be mutual as they insist we join them each night for dinner. They also happen to be assigned to our tour guide so we are with them quite a bit.

Bob, who was a superintendent in a school district in Canada told me he woke up in the middle of the night last night and since he couldn’t get back to sleep, spent some time thinking of a title for the book they all think I should write…about my adventures over the years. LOL! (And Val and Mike…Bob might be my new agent. They love the jokes I’ve been telling. I’ll be here all week folks. HAHA!!!).

After lunch we boarded our bus and drove through the Black Forest. The forest is comprised of dense spruce trees which, because of their density, make the forest seem black. There is a restricted timber industry in the forest and for every tree that is cut down, a new one must be planted to replace it.

The forest is part of a national park although some private homes do exist there. There are animals found in the forest…lynx, wild boar and very occasionally, a deer will be sighted. Two unusual specimens reside in the forest: the Baden worm and the Black Forest fox. The Baden worm can get to be over six feet long…I guess a real find for fishermen and the fox is not a fox but rather a horse that is used to carry timber through the forest.

The Black Forest is known for smoked ham which is smoked using beechwood. Schnapps is also made here…most especially cherry, pear, and apple.

The Brothers Grimm wove their fairy tales with their dreadful endings here inspired by this dark yet magical forest. The forest has a majestic quality and as we drove up the mountainous road we were able to appreciate its beauty up close and personal.

We then drove to the town of Baden Baden in the foothills of the Black Forest. Baden Baden is perhaps the wealthiest town in Germany. It is known for its hot springs that were originally utilized by the Romans. During the 19th century, the town became a mecca for celebrities and famous people like Queen Victoria and Dostoyevsky who were drawn to Baden Baden because of the luxury hotels and the hot springs. In later years, Ernest Hemingway and U.S. Presidents found their way to this idyllic spot.

We watched elite women strolling by dressed in fancy hats, high heels and lovely dresses as they entered into the high class hotels or high priced stores.

We found a biergarten and enjoyed some dark beer, sausage, German potato salad and a soft pretzel while we people watched. The sausage was outstanding as was the potato salad and the beer was delicious.

We had dinner back on the ship…something we really didn’t need. I ordered Filo pastry stuffed with a ragout of ham and leek, risotto with clams, German beef roulade and a cheese platter for dessert. Waay too much eating going on.

The program directors performed some skits for us after dinner and we had a quick German lesson. Then it was off to bed to dream of the Black Forest and its magical spells.

13 Jul 2015 Speyer, Germany

Today we woke up bright and early and joined thirty other fellow travelers to attend a church service to listen to the nuns of the church sing. Our guide said that the nuns at the church sing beautifully and that it would be a very special “must hear”. We were wondering if they would be singing “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria” from the Sound of Music (haha) so of course we had to go. The Kloster St. Magdalena church was beautiful, however, it was actually just a catholic mass where the sisters did indeed sing, but it was not a performance as we all thought it would be. We came back to the ship, had a quick breakfast and then off again for the guided tour of Speyer.

Our first stop was the Imperial Cathedral of Speyer. The cathedral has maintained its overall form since the 11th century, despite substantial damage due to many wars. The building is balanced with two pairs of tall towers and is indeed the major landmark of the city.

In front of the cathedral there is a large stone cup that was filled with wine whenever a new Bishop was instituted. The townsfolk were invited to partake of the wine which was offered all day long. Unfortunately, since it was free wine…it became a free for all at times and people were crushed while trying to get their wine. Pretzels are sold all over Speyer. The pretzel is the symbol of the holy trinity and in fact, one of the statues on the front of the cathedral depicts a woman holding a pretzel.

The town is very quaint with many half timbered homes. These homes were cheaper to build than their stone cousins. The first floor of the home was usually stone and the second floor was made of half timbers which were filled in with hay, straw and…manure! Yikes!!! The wood used was usually oak timbers. The problem with using straw, hay and manure to fill in between the wooden timbers was that it was very flammable. The kitchen was always on the first floor that was made of stone…but the smoke always wafted upwards to the other floors. This was obviously not the greatest for the folks living upstairs..but it helped to keep insects out of the home.

On the timbered area of the home, you could see an emperor chair motif. If the chair was a complete one, it depicted wealth and the more “chairs” in the front of the home showed wealth indeed. It also meant the home owner was taxed more. Some homes only had half chairs.

On the evening before Epiphany, teens would go to homes and offer to place the date and the initials C, M, B over the door for a small fee. The initials stand for the names of the three kings…Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar…however according to the church, the initials mean Christus Mansionem Benedictat meaning “Christ bless this home”.

There are beautiful shutters on many of the older homes. The purpose of the shutters is not for storm protection as not many big storms come through the area. The purpose is threefold: To protect from robbers, to keep the sun out in summer, and to keep heat in during the winter.

There are huge stone buttresses on some corners of buildings and these were placed years ago to protect the building from when the carriages went by too close to the corner of the building.

There was a municipality maypole in the center of town which differs from a personal maypole. The municipality maypole is a way for businesses to advertise. The personal maypole is when a young man falls in love and takes a piece of spruce tree and plants it in his lovers backyard. The girl would see it and know someone was in love with her.

This afternoon we had a home hosted visit. Anyone who wanted to participate in the home visit was assigned a family and no more than eight people went on the visit. The families get a small compensation for hosting…certainly not enough to make it lucrative. They do it to learn more about people from other cultures and to share their own culture with us as we were able to ask questions and to find out more about them.

Our German home visit was shared with four others from our ship and we met Crystal and Bernard. Their home was quite lovely…very spacious and sunny. They had a large backyard where they showed off their many flowering plants and herbs. Bernard was a gym teacher and geography teacher who recently retired and he also does beautiful calligraphy, makes boomerangs and collects them. Crystal is still teaching and specializes in children with disabilities and works to integrate them into the mainstream of elementary school.

Bernard baked an amazing raspberry tart and a chocolate cake where red wine made up 1/8th of the cake. My kind of guy! We had tea and coffee and then Crystal asked if we would like to try some wines from a local vineyard. Of course we said Yes! The white wine was delicious and I wish we could have gone to the winery to purchase some to bring home.

The couple chatted about their lives in Germany and their family. They were very hospitable and they loved the gift that we brought to them. (A potholder, two placemats with Pennsylvania motif on them and a grocery bag for carrying veggies, etc that we bought from Wegmans, with beautiful photos of vegetables on it. Crystal said she shops for veggies all the time and it will be wonderful to carry the produce in).

The visit was much too short. We said our goodbyes after about an hour and a half and then got back on the bus and we all shared our experience. It was a lot of fun!

14 Jul 2015

Last night Jocelyn and Bob (our Canadian friends) and Allan and I decided to skip dinner onboard and instead, go into town where a Pretzel Festival was going on. There was no charge to get in…you just entered into a huge area filled with arcades, rides, pretzel stands, biergartens, and food stands of every kind…from pizza to Mein Thai (which I thought was rather clever).

We walked through the carnival and then found an area that was serving food so we sat down amid loud laughing and music. As we waited for the waitress, we tried to decider

the German menu. We figured anything ending in a “wurst” couldn’t be bad…but the menu still was pretty untranslatable. To make matters worse, the poor waitress was one of two and was very hassled. She arrived at our table to take our order and when she realized we didn’t speak German…I thought she was going to cry!! We finally gave her our beer order and we were still trying to figure out the menu when I told Jocelyn to ask the people at the next table if any of them spoke English. One young girl said she did…but then realized, translating the menu into English was beyond her capabilities.

As we sipped our beers, someone else joined them at their table and they explained our plight to him. Between us all…with hand gestures and lots of laughs..we got him to understand that all we wanted was brat wurst.

Before we knew it…the man had gone off to where they sold brats in another food area and came back with four on delicious bread and ceremoniously placed them on our table. We thanked him over and over and paid him the money we owed him and then enjoyed some of the best sausages we’ve ever had.

Our Canadian friends and Allan and I talked for quite awhile, sipping beer and getting to know each other better. We got up to leave and said danke to the German who fed us and wished them all farewell and slowly walked back to our ship. (Which might be due to the amount of beer we consumed. HaHa!).

It was a great evening.a local Biergarten tomorrow.  

This morning after breakfast we went on the top deck for a beautiful cruise down the Rhine complete with commentary by one of the tour guides from the bridge.

The castles, churches, and villages were amazing to see. The lush countryside, with vineyards cascading down the steep mountainsides were all truly sights to behold. The villages looked like you could pick them up and save to place under your Christmas tree and the churches with their tall steeples as silhouettes in front of the blue gray skies were magnificent. It was chilly on deck this morning, but with hot chocolates and jackets, we were comfortable.

We passed by the famous Lorelei rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine. According to legend, a siren sat on the cliff above the Rhine and combed her golden hair. Unwittingly, she distracted shipmen with her beauty and song, causing them to crash on the rocks. Our program director Steven came out dressed as the siren…enticing the men and providing some great picture ops.

We arrived in the town of Boppard and went on a walking tour. We walked along the waterfront where beautiful flowers and even some grape vines graced the walkway. Boppard is the birthplace of Michael Thonet, born 1796. He wasn’t only a carpenter but also was a furniture manufacturer. Thonet experimented with wood, steam and pressure. He invented the famous bentwood furniture known for its lightness which was in stark contrast to the massive wooden furniture of the time.

We also stopped by the Carmelite church which was a monastery. The Carmelite monks gave away everything they owned…including their shoes and they always walked barefoot…even in the winter. Outside the church is a chapel of the Madonna of the Grapes. The statue has been walked through the streets for the past six hundred years and adorned with grape vines to assure a fruitful year.

We decided to stay in town for lunch and we both ordered an amazing dish that I can’t even begin to pronounce no less spell..but trust me, it was delicious. Then we also shared a frikadellen…which is a pork meatball. My grandma used to make them so it brought back memories.

Boppard is known for the Riesling wines. Steven our guide pointed out a shop that sold Riesling ice cream so of course we had to sample it. I also had the bitter chocolate cone. Both were delicious.

Food is very reasonable here. Our lunch…including the ice cream cones…was all of eight dollars and sixty cents!!

This afternoon we took an optional tour to the Marksburg Castle. Marksburg Castle is the only hill castle on the Thine that has never been destroyed. It has been lived in for over 700 years. It was quite a steep walk all around the castle and the walkways and stairs were stone and quite uneven. It was very interesting to see the furniture, kitchen, bedroom, and garden. Of interest was the “out house” which hung outside one of the rooms…from the second story. All of the “honey” went right down to the outside…and stayed there until the spring rains came each year to wash it away. Yikes!!!!

Tonight we walked to another Biergarten and had a fun evening with our friends. Steven our Program director and our hotel manager Jasenka sat with us as well and allan and I treated them. We all enjoyed talking and telling stories from where we live and stayed until 10:30.. Our waitress Zorica kids with us everyday and tonight at dinner, some of the tables were looking over at our table and wondering what all the laughing was about. (I think the Canadians and Allan and I are getting the reputation of party animals and that’s why the staff like us. What’s not to like??? Haha!  

15 Jul 2015

Today we sailed to Cochem on the Mosel River. Once again, a quaint and beautiful German town with colorful homes and with windows adorned with flowers in window boxes on almost every facade.In the morning we took a tour of Reichsburg Castle, believed to have been constructed in the eleventh century. The castle was burned to the ground by King Louis XIV of France. The castle was finally restored by an entrepreneur who converted it to a summer home for the wife he adored and their three children. Unfortunately, his wife had other ideas and fell in love with another man, left her children and never once saw the new home. She divorced (unheard of in that era) married her lover and they had nine children, which my guide said, was probably her punishment. LOL! The husband was so distraught from the loss of his love and the humiliation of it all in society, that he only lived another two years. The children inherited the estate including the castle and for many years used it as a summer home themselves. Right now, the town of Cochem owns the castle and is very involved with its restoration. Only the tower is the original part of the castle today and is over 1,000 years old.

In one of the rooms, there was a locked door that led down to the woman’s chamber. But there was no keyhole for a key to unlatch the door. How to get the door open by the man who wanted to pay the lady a visit? Our guide said the hint was in the carved lady on the door who was rather buxom. One of our tourists poked the woman but that didn’t open the door. Another man suggested that the bosom be “caressed” and viola…the latch opened. (I am proud to say that the man offering the caressing solution was none other than…my husband. Who knew????)

The castle was filled with magnificent furniture that was intricately carved and the sun streamed through beautifully stained glass windows in every room. There was no wallpaper on the walls…everything was hand painted including the ceilings. There was a balcony that overlooked the Mosel River and the view was stunning.

After seeing the castle, we walked through the town of Cochem. We paused at St Martin’s Church where there is a plaque on the outside wall to remember Crystal Night during the war, when the Nazis broke the plate glass of Jewish shops and broke the crystal chandeliers in the synagogues. The other side of the plaque honors the Jewish people who were forced to leave Cochem during the war, and never returned. There is a rooster atop the church that usually signifies that the church is Protestant, but in this case, St Martins is Roman Catholic.  

After the guided tour, Allan and I went off on our own and enjoyed a Turkish Döner Kabap, a sort of shish kebab in pita bread, that has now become the German national fast food. OMG…delicious. They slice the lamb off of a huge hunk of meat that is being cooked on a stick. The pita was soft and light and the sandwich was filled with red cabbage, onion, and a spicy garlic sauce. Yummy!

On the return to the shop our guide told us to pause on a staircase by the river and take a picture of the castle in the distance. There is a weathervane witch on a home by the staircase and if you get the right angle, it looks like the witch is flying over the castle. I think I captured it.

After that, we went to the mustard store and tasted about twenty different mustards…finally deciding that the Riesling wine mustard was the one to buy.

It was all aboard late afternoon and before we sailed, ice cream and cake was served in the lounge. It looked delicious but I didn’t have any. Still stuffed from lunch

16 Jul 2015 Bernkastel, Germany

Last night after dinner, the Captain gave an interesting talk about sailing and about this ship in particular. He said it was one of his favorite ships to sail in as it has a charm of its own with all the wood and beautiful cabins, etc. He also said that the newer ships, with all the computers, sometimes fail miserably during a cruise…whereas this ship is always dependable. The Captain is very young…41 years of age…and he has been a Captain for ten years. Really amazing. After his talk, Allan and I stood and chatted with him for almost forty minutes and he told stories of the ships he has sailed and some of the close calls he has been in. He was very impressed with Allan’s comprehension of some of the physics that he was mentioning. He told Allan that Allan was the only guest he has ever spoken with who actually comprehended what he was talking about in terms of thrust and wave motion influences. That’s my guy! (Thanks to Ned O’Connor, Allan’s physics teacher in High school. )

The weather has been amazing everyday so far. Not too hot…a breeze and plenty of sunshine. Our guide Steven said that last year at this time, it rained everyday for this tour…so we are lucky indeed.

Today we sailed into the town of Bernkastel, Germany. Bernkastel is the twin city of Kues and the area is a well known wine region on the Mosel. The town has several squares…each one prettier than the one before. As a matter of fact, every German town so far has been amazingly clean, filled with fresh flowers and…romantic. Strolling through the streets and peeking inside the shops, bakeries and restaurants is a wonderful experience. On our walking tour today, we passed a building that used to be the train station and is now a restaurant where Harley Davidson bikers frequent when they come into town. The funny thing is…their signature meal is quiche! So much for a hearty meal for burly bikers.

Vineyards are growing up and down the extremely steep slopes of the countryside. The vines are planted into the slate of the mountain and this slate provides the warmth for the roots of the vines and also gives the wine, in some cases, its aroma. Since the grapes are growing on such a steep incline, the grapes at harvest time must be picked by hand. German students and migrant workers are hired at harvest time  to hand pick the grapes. Some vineyards have a monorail type system that allows equipment to be transported up and down the mountainside. There is no irrigation system on these hillsides as it is not needed. You would think that erosion would be a problem on these steep mountainsides, but to the contrary, the roots of the vines prevent this…sometimes burrowing into the slate and dirt some twenty feet.

We passed a building that had a basket tethered to the third story with a pulley system that would allow the basket to be raised and lowered. Steven said that years ago, the building was an orphanage and if a mother didn’t want her new born baby, she would place it in the pillow lined basket and the ladies in the orphanage would hoist the little one up and take him/her inside. That was one legend. The next legend was more practical. It was said that an elderly lady lived in the building and could no longer go up and down the stairs to walk her chihuahua, so she used the basket to lower the dog so he could tend to his bodily functions.

We visited a winery and had a tasting of four wines grown in the region. They were very good…and apparently we are able to purchase them in the U.S. We tasted a Pinot Noir, a Riesling Spatlese Trocken, a Riesling Spatlese and a Riesling Auslese. All but one were a little too sweet for my taste. They also sell wines under the label Berncasteler Doctor…from a doctor who cured a man with wine. (Legend has it that the sick man drank about three gallons a day of the stuff and after having been sick for years…was finally cured of his ailment. My take on this is that the guy was probably so drunk he didn’t know if he was sick or not. I guess drinking that much in a day would cure you of anything…except of course cirrhosis)!

One of the vintners of this winery during the war, built a wall over a part where bottles of wine were stored so that the Nazis would not take the wine and either drink it or smash the bottles. Years later, after the war, the man who subsequently purchased the winery met a man in town who asked about the hidden room. This man knew about the room as his grandfather had helped build the secret enclosure during the war. The vintner had no clue..and went back to his winery and with a sledge hammer, broke down parts of the wall…until he did indeed find the hidden stash of wine. The wine is still there…some of it going back to 1921. In 1986 one bottle was auctioned off at Christies for a pretty penny.

It is amazing to me that no matter what street you walk down…you can always see vines of grapes strung over the windows, cascading down light poles, and gracing doorways. The vines probably don’t produce much in the way of grapes, but they are beautiful to see.

Steven then took us on a tour of a local supermarket and we saw pigshead in a jar. The Germans spread this on their morning toast. I believe in our country it’s called headcheese. Yuck!

Allan and I stayed in town to sample German pizza…delicious. And we also treated ourselves to the cookie named Americana…a soft cake-like cookie made with butter and iced with a delicious glaze.

Upon our return to the ship we learned how to fold napkins and make towel animals. Then, It was a tour of the galley. The head chef is so tall, his hair grazes the ceiling of the kitchen. The food has been excellent and the menu choices, while limited, are varied and usually are indigenous of the country we are in.

Allan went off for a massage and I went for high tea. We are looking forward to the Bavarian dinner buffet tonight.

17 Jul 2015 Trier, Germany

We took a bus into Trier and our guide Steven shared some interesting facts. Many of the homes in Trier have been built over ancient Roman ruins. However, if a person comes across ruins while building his home, he is hesitant to share this knowledge and many times does not, because the construction of his home would immediately be stopped while the authorities figure out the date of the ruins and whether they are important enough to preserve. many times, construction could be halted permanently.

There are four types of high schools and the students must take a test to determine which school they belong in. If you don’t score very well, you go to the high school that specializes in trades. If you do a little better on the exam…you go to the school for administrative teachings. If you score well..you go to the high school that will allow you to continue your studies at university, and if you score tops…your education after high school will be to continue for advanced degrees.

The parking garages have an interesting and practical feature. There is an electronic sign outside that tells you how many parking spaces are still available, so you don’t have to drive in only to find out…no more spaces left.

After arriving in Trier, we did a walking tour with a local guide who was so boring we thought we might scream. We all wished that Steven would have taken over as we missed his wonderful and informative commentary. I won’t bore you with the details of the guides talk, but the places we visited were beautiful to see.

1. Porta Nigra. . The mighty Porta Nigra is nearly all that remains of the old Roman fortifications except for some stretches of the city wall. It is said to be the largest city gate north of the Alps

2. St. Peter’s Cathedral – The imposing fortress like Cathedral has its roots in Roman times. It was built in sections, rather than in one single construction. Absolutely magnificent inside.
3. Hauptmarkt – The focal part of town
4. Constantine Basilica – If there is one building in Trier which will give you an idea of the impressive building skills of the Roman Empire it is the Konstantinbasilka.
5. The House of the Three Kings – It was built in 1230 but the outlook today comes from later reconstruction. The name of the house stems from the 17th century. From the beginning there was no entrance on the ground floor but on the first floor only. That was because at the time of building, the city wall was not yet finished so the inhabitants in every house had to defend themselves. A ladder or a wooden staircase that could be pulled up had to be used. The old entrance is visible beside the windows.
6. The Jewish Quarter – Named for the four Jewish families that settled in Trier, in 1235 CE. These families had their four small houses built here, one next to the other. Building adjoining houses allowed them to construct a common escape tunnel, leading to the St. Gangolf cathedral, to be used if there were any threats being made against them by any unscrupulous villagers. There, the local Bishop offered them protection.
7. Stumbling blocks – These memorial-stones (so-called Stolpersteine or stumbling blocks) commemorate: Erna Reinhardt, Hilda Reinhardt, Maria Reinhardt, persecuted or murdered by the Nazis.  

Local teens , from a town of 1600 people, came to perform for us this evening. They were too cute for the room. At the end of their performance …they all went into the audience and asked folks to dance. Of course, one young man, eighteen years old came over to me and asked me to dance.

Last night I got up with a few others and had to take a small bottle of liquor, put the cap on my nose, extend my arms out , put the bottle in my mouth tilt my head back and drink the contents. The stuff was pretty potent…but quite tasty.

I’ll be here all week folks!!!

18 Jul 2015 Zell, Germany

What a fabulous day!!!! We decided not to take the optional tour to Luxembourg and we are so happy we made that decision. We are in the quaint town of Zell and one of the tour guides, Rebecca, gave a guided tour for those of us who remained behind.

We walked thru Zell and as luck would have it, today is the once a year Long Table Festival where all the restaurants and shopkeepers set out tables on the Main Street right down the middle of the street and you can sit down and have something to eat and drink. Wunderbar!!!

We went for a walk along the River Promenade which afforded a beautiful view of the Mosel and the homes along the way. Our first stop was the former synagogue. In 1850, the Jewish community established a small prayer hall in a section of an old, local castle. Later, as more Jews settled in Zell, the community decided to build a new synagogue but construction was halted with the outbreak of World War I. The interior of the synagogue was destroyed on Pogrom Night (November 1938), but its exterior was not torched for fear of damaging the castle. The Jewish community was dissolved in 1939. Those who did not manage to escape Germany perished in the Shoah. Restoration of the synagogue building was completed in 2003; the site now serves as a memorial. There was a Torah on display and also gilded stumbling blocks in memory of some of the Jews who perished. Also, on a clay book, the list of the Jews from the community who were killed in concentration camps were listed. Our guide Rebecca is Jewish and she sang a song Shabbat Shalom for us.

Today in Germany, the school children, as part of their curriculum, are taken to a concentration camp to have them realize the atrocities that took place in history in the hopes that the young people will remember and learn how hatred is an atrocity as well.

We walked through the streets and our guide chatted with a German couple who were enjoying a bottle of Riesling. They spoke little English…but the man offered her a taste of his wine…which she did drink. They were very friendly..despite the language barrier.

We walked along and saw the Black Cat fountain that many wines in the area are named after…and the bottles are even shaped like a cat. From there we walked up to the cemetery which afforded a glorious view of the town, the river, and the vineyards. One can appreciate from that vantage point how steep the mountainside is where the vines are growing.

After the guided tour, Allan and I went off to find something to eat…and who do we see still sitting at the table where we left them? The German couple…still drinking wine! We of course stopped and sat with them and ordered frikadellen with potato salad and of course, Riesling. Well…the man didn’t speak much English as we knew, but we did find out he was once a professional soccer player and won many tournaments and played in world tournaments as well. His name is Dieter Baumanns and he has travelled to New York and Chicago to play in his younger days. He showed us pictures of his days as a star soccer player. We shared photos of our families and he even offered me his wine glass to sip his wine, which I did and enjoyed as well. (I can hear the collected gasps of my boys!!)

Dieter said when at the Mosel River…you drink wine, but throughout the rest if Germany, you drink beer. I’ll drink to that!

We then went up the street to have apple strudel that was soooooo delicious, then on to a winemaking museum and then back to the ship for a little rest before our afternoon bonus activity.

In the afternoon we took a covered wagon ride pulled by a tractor up to the top of the mountainside for a birds eye view of Zell…drinking wine along the way. For most of the ride we were so close to the edge, I thought we would surely plummet over.

The driver ave a very interesting talk about the Riesling wine area, how the grapes are picked in October, and how helicopters spray for mold. There are four million vines in Zell and each vine produces one bottle. Another fabulous day in wine country.

July 19, 2015

Today we are in Bonn, Germany, birthplace of Beethoven. Founded by the Romans, Bonn was the provisional capital of West Germany from the years following WW II until Germany’s reunification in 1990. Today is Sunday and all the shops are closed, but it was still lovely, since the streets were empty.

A large student population lives near the University of Bonn and as we went on our morning tour, we passed a church near the campus, whose bells were tolling telling people that the church service would be starting. During WW II the university suffered heavy damage. An air raid on October 18, 1944 destroyed the main building. The university was re-opened on November 17, 1945 as one of the first in the British occupation zone. Currently, University of Bonn is ranked 94th internationally.

We passed the home where Beethoven was born and then walked on to see the Altes Rathaus or City Hall. The impressive Rococo style building dominates the market place and has been witness to very important events. In 1962 both Charles de Gaulle, the French President and one year later US President John F. Kennedy delivered an address here. Steven our guide had us place our cameras on the ground and told us to all pose on the steps. Then, he patiently took a picture with each and every camera for us. This guide is amazing!!!!!!!

Then, thirteen of us decided to take a train into Cologne, Germany by ourselves. The tickets were 11 euros for a one way ticket…but if you had a group of five, you could get a round ticket for a total of 25 euro for all. Quite a savings. 5 euro round trip per person!! Since we had thirteen of us, we purchased three tickets, but our tickets were never collected either way on the train.

The highlight of Cologne is the Cathedral. This magnificent structure took over six hundred years to complete and renovations are constantly going on. The cathedral suffered fourteen hits by aerial bombs during WW II. Badly damaged, it nevertheless remained standing in an otherwise completely flattened city. The twin spires were an easily recognizable navigational landmark for Allied aircraft bombing. Words can’t begin to describe it, so I will let the photos speak for themselves.

Afterwards we went to a brauhaus for lunch…sausages again that were delicious and of course beer. In these places, if you don’t put your coaster on top of your beer glass when you are done…the waiter will just keep filling the glass up and charging you for it. After lunch, Allan and I went on our own to walk around and people watch. We stopped at a small cafe for apple cake and cappuccino and were treated to a classical music concert by some street performers. When you go into a cafe, you point out what dessert you would like and you are given a ticket with the number of your dessert on it. When the waiter comes he looks at the ticket and brings you what you picked out. Pretty neat.

We walked back to the train station to catch our train back to Bonn, but we were given misinformation from both the train schedule and the person at the ticket booth about what track our train would be coming in on. So after waiting on the wrong track for awhile, we finally got on the right train. (The train that came onto the wrong track we were waiting on was going to Paris. Oh well…we had to get back to the ship. Perhaps another day on another tour…oui??? ).

July 20, 2015

This morning we woke up in The Netherlands and after breakfast, we went on the walking tour. The walking tours are very informative and everyone is able to hear the guide since earphones are provided to each guest. The guide speaks into a microphone so that we can all hear what he is saying through our earbuds.

There is a festival going on this week in Nijmegen and they were partying last night in the streets. Since The Netherlands is very clean, there were sweepers this morning cleaning up already for the new day of partying. There were urinals around the streets the men can use right out in the open. There is no “wild peeing” going on, since if caught, a fine must be paid of 150 euros.

We walked thru a residential district and noticed the mailboxes with stickers on them. This is how the residents control junk mail. They put a sticker on their mailbox depicting either…”no newspaper OR junk mail”, or a sticker that says “no junk mail but newspaper allowed”, and some mailboxes had nothing which meant that they were willing to receive anything sent to them. Years ago you could purchase stickers and kids as a prank would put them on the mailboxes that had no sticker on them. (Our guide Steven confessed he was one of those kids). However, now you must show proof of your address before you are able to purchase a sticker.

We walked on to a memorial commemorating the over 400 Jewish residents of Nijmegen who were murdered in the Holocaust. The square is named after Kitty de Wijze who died in Auschwitz on December 15, 1942 and there is a statue of her in a gated area. Steven, who comes from The Netherlands, said he is embarrassed to say that even though with the popularity of the diary of Anne Frank and the Dutch supposedly sheltering the Jews during the Nazi realm, that really isn’t true. Many of the Dutch betrayed their Jewish friends, classmates and neighbors to the authorities so that they could receive the little bit of monetary compensation from the Nazis and also to get into their good graces. The monument was very poignant with not only the statue, but also a tombstone with a beautiful saying on it that our guide read to us. “Talk about the war and I will weep. Talk about the war 100 times and I will weep 100 times”. In the square are also bronze plaques with the names of the hundreds of Jews from Nijmegen who perished during the holocaust.

There are no drugs in The Netherlands that are legal..however, soft drugs like marijuana are “tolerated”. They are sold in shops all over. The philosophy is that it is safer to buy the drugs in a store rather than go to a dark alley for a shady deal. Also, the government puts a tax on what is sold in these stores so it also makes out pretty well. The marijuana is always mixed with tobacco as it is very potent; it is never smoked pure.

Ecstasy became a big problem in The Netherlands and kids were dying after consuming pills in discos that were very potent and deadly. Now, when they go to the discos, they can show their ecstasy pills to the policeman at the entrance, and he can test it and tell you if it is indeed a safe form of the pill. Even though the kids use the soft drugs, drug use in The Netherlands is by far less than most other European countries.

Dutch universities for the most part are public. The Dutch government gives each student a monthly stipend and transportation money. If the student doesn’t graduate in five years, all the money is then considered a loan and must be paid back.

In Dutch families, the children are ousted from the house at the age of 18. The kids then usually find other kids to live with and share apartments together. When the last child is ousted…the parents throw a big party to celebrate. The children can come back to visit…usually bringing their laundry, and the parents give them food to take home…but they no longer are responsible for them monetarily. Wow!

We walked on to the market square where years ago, anyone thought to be a witch was put to death. How did one find out if one was a witch? If the person in question, either male or female, weighed less than 110 pounds (they were weighed publicly at the weighing station in the square) they were thought to be a witch because they were light enough to fly on a broom. Witches were then placed in chains and thrown in the river. If they drowned, they were proclaimed innocent, albeit too late…but if they survived and were able to swim to the other side…they were indeed a witch and were sometimes caught again and killed. Yikes!

We passed the Blue Hand Pub which got its name from the fact that fabric was dyed blue indigo down the block from the pub and the workers all had blue hands. When they got paid once a week…they went to the pub to drink beer and all the mugs had the blue imprint of their hands.

Allan and I forgot to take our boarding passes with us this morning when we left the ship. The boarding pass is really just a calling card with your name and cabin number written in hand on it. You always have to remember them…because when the ship sails, if your boarding pass is not accounted for…they will track you down…first by calling local hospitals and then police stations. However, the system is a little skewed since, had the ship left when we were still out and about…having forgotten our passes…the ship would have sailed without us, thinking we were onboard. On the big cruise ships, you have to have your boarding pass scanned before leaving the ship and scanned again upon your return. This boarding pass system on Grand Circle is the only complaint we have and we will suggest that it perhaps it could be changed. (Only because we really were happy that we weren’t on the shore waving good-bye to our ship as it left to cruise down the Rhine thinking the Leslies were safely onboard!)

After lunch two of the program directors took a group of us on a spontaneous sampling tour throughout the town because of the festival in town. First stop..a thin waffle like cookie with caramel inside. Second stop…licorice – both sweet and salted. Third stop – a taste of sausage. Fourth stop – a glass of beer at the Blue Hand Pub. Last stop was a typical coffee shop in The Netherlands, that sells pot. We had a wonderful time…if you get the gist!

All in all..another amazing day on the Rhine!!!

21 Jul 2015

I forgot to mention that yesterday, on our spontaneous tasting tour, we also stopped at a herring stand and Steven took one of the fish and put it right down his gullet. Lovely. (Yuck)! Needless to say, I passed that stand up.

Today we are in south Holland…a provence of The Netherlands. Most people think the country is Holland, but it is not. The country is The Netherlands and two of the twelve provinces in the Netherlands are called Holland.  

We started our morning tour in Kinderdijk, along canals where windmills are. The windmills are still inhabited by millers – sometimes their parents were millers, but others must pass a course in order to work the windmill. The windmill sails have to rotate at least 60 thousand times in a year and there is a person who monitors this and if you fall behind, you have to work to get back on track. The outside of the windmill must be kept as originally built, but you can do anything you would like inside. There is usually a bedroom, living room and now a kitchen inside and also floors above the first floor that can be used as bedrooms as well. Years ago, there was a kitchen house quite a distance from the windmill to prevent fires. The inhabitants pay a small amount in rent. Most of the mills were built in the early 1700’s and there are about one thousand windmills left in The Netherlands.

The top of the windmill rotates around, depending on the wind direction. The miller, using a huge wheel similar to a ships wheel, steers the sails and places them where he wants them and then secures them to concrete “mushrooms” to keep them in place. When someone dies, the top sail is placed at the eleven o’clock position on a clock and when there is a birth, the sale is placed at the one o’clock position. Fire is a major problem because if the sails pick up too much speed the friction can cause the mill to catch fire and since it is made of wood or thatch, it usually burns down. There is also an emergency brake to stop the sails from spinning, but usually the mill will still burn because of the friction.

Steven spoke about the Christmas tradition in the Netherlands, which is quite different from ours, thankfully. St Nicholas doesn’t have elves, but has black slaves as helpers. He comes by horse and puts candy in the wooden shoes left outside. Then at some point during the night, a bag of toys will be left for good children. But if you’ve been bad, no toys are left and instead, the child will be placed in the empty bag and taken away to become a black slave. Merry Freakin Christmas little ones!!! Yikes!!! As you can imagine, Steven said, this tradition is quite controversial, not only in that it scares the little ones into being good say child psychologists, but it is also extremely racist. No duh?

Steven showed us an authentic wooden shoe. Contrary to popular belief, the shoes are not painted with designs like we always see. Rather, they are left unpainted because they only lasted about three months and new ones would have to be carved. They are made out of the willow tree and were much cheaper than the leather shoes of the time.

After lunch, we boarded the ship again and sailed to Willemstad, named in honor of William of Orange a beloved ruler. It is a beautiful town surrounded by water and we walked along and watched the yachts and sailing ships go by. Willemstad has always been used as a defensive location because of its position in the waterway. The town was fortified by mountains of earth rather than brick walls because a wall would crumble when hit by an exploding shell, but the earth absorbs the shock and remains.

Willemstad is a rich city with many millionaires because the town won a government run lottery. The government had the towns play their postal codes and Willemstad won some years ago.

Because the town is surrounded by water, it has suffered severe flooding over the years, the most devastating in 1953 when more than 1800 people lost their lives. The Dutch said “never again,” and constructed the Delta Works. The Provence was once a collection of islands, but now through the Delta works, the islands are connected and protected by a series of dams, dikes and bridges.

We walked down rosemary street where the prostitutes used to work. It is so named for the rosemary that grew there and the girls made rosemary water to sprinkle on themselves to smell more enticing. Prostitution is legal in The Netherlands. Also, gay marriage has been recognized since the seventies and abortion is also legal during the first trimester.

Allan and I walked hand and hand down lovers lane and by doing so our love will last forever so the legend says. Many people get married in the church at the end of the long walk and then walk hand and hand down the walk so their marriage will last.

When we arrived back to the ship one of the guides asked if we would like to be interviewed by the local newspaper. We said of course and a young man interviewed us. Too bad we won’t see our names in print in the local paper as we are leaving the Netherlands for Belgium tonight.

Tonight was the Captains Farewell Dinner replete with filet mignon and baked Alaska. Afterwards we were treated to a show put on by the staff which was a hoot. Synchronized swimmers behind “water”, singing, skits and just a lot of goofy fun.

22 Jul 2015 Antwerp, Belgium

Today for our last port on our amazing trip, we are in Antwerp, Belguim. No we are no longer on the Rhine but on the Schelde river.

Belgium was conquered many times over the centuries. The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French and German. A number of non-official, minority languages and dialects are spoken as well, including Flemish.

There are many bicycles in Antwerp and you can rent them all over. The first half hour is free and then you start paying.

We rode the oldest escalator in Belgium which is made of wood. It takes you down to where you can cross the river on an underground pathway. We just rode the elevator and then came back up.

There are many lights throughout the town with a statue of Mary being illuminated by them. This is because there was a tax on lights…but you were exempt from the tax if it lit up a a statue of Mary, the patron saint of Antwerp.

It is claimed that fries originated in Belgium and that the ongoing dispute between the French and Belgians about where they were invented is highly contentious, with both countries claiming ownership.

The fries story here in Belgium goes like this: Small fish from the river were caught throughout Belgium, fried and enjoyed by all. But when the river was frozen and fishing became hazardous, they cut potatoes in the form of the small fish and fried them instead. Therefore, Belgians believe they invented the fried potato. Myth or truth we don’t know but one thing is certain: do not refer to fried potatoes as French fries here in Belgium. The people here eat their fries with mayo rather than ketchup and we sampled sone hot off the press swimming in mayo Yikes! Ketchup is much better.

We sampled some delicious Belgium chocolate which is rather expensive. Think we will stick with the Lindt chocolates instead.

The artist Peter Paul Rubens hailed from Antwerp. His home is located here, but his artwork is only displayed in the cathedral in town…not in his home surprisingly. It is said that Rubens had many apprentices and that he only painted the hands and faces on his artworks and the apprentices did the rest.

We went back to the ship to pack and have lunch and will just rest until tonight’s dinner. We bought some Delft Christmas tree ornaments to give to our Canadian friends as a thank you for “adopting” us on the cruise. Hopefully they will think of the great time we had together whenever they decorate their trees.

It’s been an amazing trip…one of the best we’ve ever had. The crew could not have been more accommodating and our program director Steven was amazing. Our waitress Zorica took such great care of us…calling me a “gentle soul” and giving Allan the royal treatment.

It is a vacation we will remember for years to come. Tomorrow we are off the ship at six am to catch our flight back to the states.

Thanks for coming along with us as we cruised and romanced The Rhine and Mosel Rivers.