This guest post is by Dave Tindell.
One of the more memorable vacations Sue and I have taken was a cruise on the Rhine through the heart of Europe in 2006. So, when she told me that we had an opportunity to sail it again, this time on a new ship from AmaWaterways, she didn't have to ask me twice.
Wednesday-Thursday, November 24-25, 2021 -- Wisconsin to Switzerland
The hardest part of any trip is often getting to where you want to go. For us, it was our standard two-hour drive to the Minneapolis airport, then a cross-the-pond flight to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, Netherlands. We had a short layover here before a much shorter flight to Basel, Switzerland, arriving about 6:40am local time on Thursday, which was Thanksgiving Day back home.
After some 20 hours of travel, we were just a little tuckered out when we came aboard. |
But after checking into our very nice cabin and getting something to eat, we were refreshed enough to begin our exploration of Basel, a city we'd visited briefly on our previous cruise. Rhine cruises generally run from Amsterdam to Basel or the other way; travel upriver on the Rhine from here can be difficult, except for smaller craft.
Once we got into the city, it was fun to see the holiday decorations and the open-air market, the first Christmas market we would see in Europe. We'd previously purchased apps from the Swiss government into which we could upload our medical information, such as copies of our COVID immunization records, and sure enough, we had to present them to police at the gates, and remain masked at all times, even though we were outdoors. This would be our first encounter with Europe's increasingly-severe restrictions, but definitely not the last.
Just before entering the market and masking up. |
The streets of Basel were busy, and Christmas decorations were going up. |
The statue is of the Roman officer Lucius Munatius Plancus, who helped Julius Caesar found the nearby Roman city of Augusta Raurica in 44BC. It was the first Roman bastion on the Rhine. |
After our exploration of Basel, we returned to the boat and prepared to set sail. The Christmas market had been wonderful, although we didn't buy anything, and we were hopeful that the markets to come along the river would be even better. We capped our day with a delightful Thanksgiving turkey dinner, our first sample of the great food that would quickly become a highlight of our AmaWaterways cruise. Sue took the opportunity to take some photos of the Christmas decorations we'd discovered in our cabin and around the boat.
Friday, November 26 -- Riquewihr, France
Good weather greeted us for our first stop on the Rhine, the Alsace region of France. This is a picturesque province that has been traded back and forth, usually violently, between France and Germany for centuries, but since World War II it has been solidly French. Our destination was the town of Riquewihr. One of the few Alsatian towns not to sustain war damage, Riquewihr is known for its charming medieval architecture and its wines. We found out that the village's Christmas market would not open till the next day, but we were able to sample some mulled wine at the shop of a gentleman who said he grew up in Thunder Bay, Ontario, not too far from Wisconsin!
We had a great day in Riquewihr, and even scored some new French hats at a Stetson store!
Saturday, November 27 -- Strasbourg
The good weather we'd enjoyed in Riquewihr deserted us by the time we came ashore in Strasbourg. It was cold, about 34 degrees F (about 1 above zero C over here) with rain and wind. Our walking tour of the city was a bust, not even worth photographing. The original itinerary called for a short bus ride to Heidelberg, the German city where I was born, and we were looking forward to that as we planned the cruise, but now the passengers were informed that not only did Heidelberg require the usual vaccination certificates, but a negative COVID test taken within 24 hours of entering the city. And, we were told, time within the Christmas markets would be limited to perhaps 30 minutes.
Needless to say, the Heidelberg outing didn't have many takers. Sue and I had visited the city on our first Rhine cruise in 2006, but we decided to skip it this time, under the circumstances. A few people went, and when they returned to the boat their reviews of the excursion were decidedly negative. There was a rather ominous feeling among the passengers about what was going on. We were all aware of the news reports coming out of South Africa a week or two earlier about a new variant of the virus making its way to Europe, and the governments here seemed to be proactive to the extreme.
Ama did what it could, bringing a musical troupe on board for an evening concert, which was well-received: French musical magic. After the show we retired to our cabin, hoping that the next day, on the German side of the Rhine in Speyer, would be better.
Sunday, November 28 -- Speyer and Rudesheim
Speyer is one of the oldest cities in Germany, tracing its founding to a Roman military camp in 10 BC. Underneath the high altar of the cathedral are the remains of eight Holy Roman Emperors and German kings.
We came ashore under reasonable weather and took part in a walking tour of the town, informative and picturesque, as these always are, but the Christmas market was a bit of a bust, with most vendors having chosen not to challenge the increasingly draconian German restrictions.
Ehrenfels Castle, built in the early 13th century, was damaged in the Thirty Years' War and finally finished off by the French in 1689. |
The Niederwald Monument was built to celebrate the unification of Germany. Kaiser Wilhelm I, fresh off his defeat of France in the Franco-Prussian War, laid the cornerstone in 1871. |
Across the river, the city of Bingen. The river that bisects the city is the Nahe. |
Refreshed by the hike, we came back on board as the boat prepared to sail down the Rhine Gorge. Officially known as the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, this is a 40-mile-long stretch of the Rhine between Rudesheim and Koblenz that is home to numerous fairy-tale villages and imposing castles, about 40 of them, many still showing damage from the Thirty Years' War (1618-48). It's one of the biggest attractions for a Rhine cruise, and it didn't disappoint.
Despite the dreary weather and a citywide requirement to wear masks in public, even outside, the streets of Cologne were busy. |
The Ostermann Monument, depicting characters from the lyrics of Cologne songwriter Willi Ostermann. |
Cologne was a Roman outpost two millenia ago, and this road once knew the tread of Caesar's soldiers. |
The St. Agilulfus Altar, one of many inside the Cathedral. |
The stained-glass windows are some of the Cathedral's most outstanding features. Many were removed during the war to prevent damage during the heavy bombing of the city. |
The Crucifix of Bishop Gero, from the 10th century; it is one of the largest crucifixes in the world. |
Tomb of Archbishop Walram of Juelich, in the Chapel of St. Michael, one of 27 crypts in the Cathedral. |
The only time either of us had to show our credentials was when I stopped to buy a bratwurst. It cost 4 1/2 euros and wasn't as good as a brat from Louie's Finer Meats back home. |
It cost half a euro to use the public restroom in the nearby train station. |
The Maritime Museum. The Dutch have been notable seafarers for centuries. |
Sue bundled up, but it was still chilly. |
Examples of Amsterdam's quaint architecture. |
Amsterdam has more than 62 miles of canals, some 90 islands and 1,500 bridges. |
Marijuana is legal here, but they don't want anybody toking near schoolyards. |
Some of the marijuana-based products widely available in stores. We didn't get any. |
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