Day 12 - Amsterdam

Well, some you win, & some you don't.......have been trying to post Days 10 & 11 for 2 days & can't get them on the blog. Just accept that they were filled with Rhine history, castles, & cold rainy weather!

We docked this morning in Amsterdam about 8am having traveled all night from Cologne. This was about 1/3 of the total length of the trip.

Off the ship at 8:45 am for a canal tour of the city. Weather was overcast & 43 deg! This week has been like the beginning of April in MI :-(  No one is happy!

At 10:30 the coach picked us up  at the dock & took us cross town to the Anne Frank Haus where Louise did the tour while Bubba & Thelma wandered (we'd done the tour before). We walked back to meet Louise & headed out for a walking tour of the city. It was cold (I even wore gloves), but it never rained. 

We stopped for hot chocolate & lunch, then continued to the floating flower market. I was bound & determined to get some tulip bulbs! However, I was thwarted at every stall.....one place only had white, another 2 had none, & a 3rd said it was the wrong time of the year even though there were thousands of bulbs for sale to the locals! From what I can figure out, US & Canada won't allow the bulbs to be imported without being certified for something or other. The Dutch hate the practice & aren't very cooperative about it, so once again I won't be able to bring home authentic Dutch tulips I've chosen myself......;-(  I'll probably live, however.

The city is full of people today, probably because it's Saturday. You can get into Amsterdam very quickly (under 3hrs) from a variety of cities in Germany, Belgium, & France, and I suspect the crumby weather had everyone looking for something to do. Oh, let's rent a boat, float the canals, & drink all day! That's a /fine/ idea!!!

We have limped back to the ship, are taking "a bit of a tip" as our British friends call it, & dinner will be in an hour. Then, it's pack everything up & get ready to disembark tomorrow by 9am. We'll be on our own in a rental car again, so stay tuned.......

Day 11 - Cologne

What a beautiful site to wake up & see the Koln Cathedral out our window! We're right along the walking/running path used by the locals in the early morning.

This is getting to be an old story - the weather is horrible! About 50-55 deg & rainy! Met a local guide at 9am did a general tour of the Old Town with an emphasis on Jewish History. These is  an acrcheological dig going on in the area of the Jewish Quarter & a museum being built on part of the site. In 1937/8 there were 20,000 Jews in Cologne. At the end of the war, around 50 survivors. The guide did an excellent job of presenting the information.

We then toured the massive cathedral where it is said relics of the 3 Magi are housed. It took 600 yrs to complete the cathedral & then it was nearly destroyed in WWII as was 90 % of the city.

More tomorrow, nite folks@

Day 13 - Depart Cruise, Drive to Haarlem, Kuekenhof Gardens, then on to Bruges, Belgium

Up at 6:30 am, shower, finish packing, & breakfast at 8 am. All luggage marked for taxi arrival & out side of room. Time time to spare after breakfast so watched the amazing departure of 1200-1400 people from 11 ships at the dock.

We took a taxi to Schipol to get our rental car, Bubba figured out all the buttons & dials, we set our GPS (now called Hendricka), & took of for the Keukenhof tulip gardens. Stopped in Haarlem for a quick look at the city, & proceeded to the Gardens. As luck would have it, this was the last day for the season, it was sunny most of the time, and we were 3 of several thousand people doing the same thing. Bubba took so many pictures that I bet there will soon be a tulip display in his WC gallery!

Nice to have some sun, sat outside for a light lunch (3pm seems to be our preferred midday meal time)

and then set out for the 2-3 hour drive to Bruges, Belgium. First navigator dozed off, thank goodness for #2!

Day 10 - Rhine Gorge & Koblenz

After breakfast we all gathered on the top deck for our guide, Dragan"s, explanation of the the Rhine Gorge. It was about 2 hours of stories, history, & legends of all that has occurred along the Rhine.

It was pretty cold, so we wrapped in blankets, wore scarves, hats, even gloves. (Reminder to self: /never/ schedule another trip to Europe so early in May!!! This is 2 for 2, cold & wet!!!)

We had been given a printed guide by the ship that identified towns, sites, & history by mile marker numbers, so it has been fun to read & learn as we float by so many towns. Today was the highlight with many castles, lots of vineyards, and included the famous Rock of Loriley.

Lunch was on board....as usual simple lunch of soup, bread & cold cuts is served in the lounge  while full buffet is served in the dining room. Today there were 3 entree  with a variety of soups, salads, & fruits with a pasta, several hot meats, and lovely desserts.

After lunch we arrived in Koblenz where the Rhine and Mossel converge, a point of stragegic importance back to Roman times. The town was badly bombed during WWII with 60 % destroyed. However, once those buildings immediately necessary were rebuilt, the city began restoring the medieval ones. The result is a city of 100,000 with delightful walkways & interesting small alleyways.

We were back on board fairly early after a bier stop to get warm, retreated to our rooms for naps until dinner. We proceeded down the Rhine passing many more villages & several castles.

After dinner the ship's crew performed a talent show which was hilarious. Light on talent, but full of good/silly humor. And, they pulled the passengers out of their seats to dance with them which got the ball rolling. Pretty fun interacting with Brits, Aussies, New Zelanders, etc by doing the chicken dance ;-)

Day 9 - Mainz & Rudesheim

Morning was again too early! Can't seem to get to bed early enough when there is so much to do & new People to meet.

Had a bit of an upset stomach this morning, so stayed behind while Bubba & Louise went on the walking tour of Mainz. Laying low paid off in that I was ready for the afternoon walking tour of Rudesheim, center of the the wine region; It's a lovely town, not very large, and 3 million people a year visit because of the wine.

Toured the Mechanical Music Museum & saw a variety of gramaphones, player pianos, and huge cabinetry. One piece was even made in Chicago!

We stayed in the town for the rest of the afternoon, did some shopping, & found a cute Biergarten with live music....pretty funny to hear Germans playing 60's music - John Denver, Johnny Cash, & some country western. Four American biker types did line dancing to several tunes much to the joy of all.

After Happy Hour at the Biergarten we moved down the steep cobbled street to the restaurant where we had a traditional German Dinner....roasted pork, 4 kinds of sausages, sauerkraut,  potato soup, another cabbbage dish, mashed potatoes, green salad, and apple strudel for dessert. Lots of wine was consumed by lots of Seniors & sillyness prevailed....Comment heard....Boy, I'm sure glad my grandchildren aren't here!  One man learned to drink wine, said his daughter would be proud of him....

And, Louise volunteered for group participation which resulted in her being part of bell ringing group....we told her she had finally made it into Band! They played Eidelweiss on cow bells, what a hoot! We also saw a German drinking tradition that consisted of 5 people lined up & holding a 6-7' board. On the board were 5 small glasses (about a shot) filled with schnapps. The diners all counted to three at which time the board was tipped & all 5 had to "do a shot" at the same time.  Hope Bubba's pictures captured the moment!

Took local mini train back to the dock & headed to bed!

Day 8. Spyer in the morning, Heidelburg in the afternoon

So much history that we Americans know so little of! 

Spyer is location of oldest Romanesque church inGermany, Goethe spent time writing there, & Charlemagne camped there. The first actual citizen uprising or protestation against the Roman church took place in front of this church after Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis and, thus, the origination of the term Protestant......at least according to our guide.

Trying to keep all the princes straight is a challenge, too! As it has been throughout history, wars for real estate seem to begin because of desire for power cloaked in religious beliefs. Heidelburg was our stop after lunch & is full of history back & forth between Bavarian princes, Franco emperors, and various characters in power who the common man didn't like.

Heidelburg castle is awesome! Wished we would have had more time to explore. Sonja, our guide, was full of information, just wish I could remember half of it! So, I bought a book......

Haven't reported on the cruise. We're in agreement that the food selections provide enough variety to meet our tastes, the portions are of  satisfactory size, and presentation is lovely. Have had no trouble with being on the river (yea!) and sleeping has been excellent. All important aspects of enjoying the cruise.

Vineyard tour

Bus tour about 25 miles outside Strasbourg for wine tasting. The Robert Blanck winery.  Been in the family since 1725!  Had maybe 30 huge casks approx 10 ft high.  Oldest cask was. From 1700. He mostly makes white wine, does not sell to stores. Has a small wine bar on premises and people come to him. I of course bought some   Will bring it home if David  and I don't drink it first!!

Today we can see the sun, yeah,!,!

Have met many interesting people, food good, sleep well,  no complaints from me

 To the Bruce family. So sorry about daisy

To the Kris family. Have a safe trip

Strasbourg, France, Day 7

Wake up call was waaaaay too early. Only because the first night on board was so much fun for 2 of us (guess!)

We left the ship  by coach at 8:15am to go in to the French city of Strasbourg right on the border with Germany. Their history goes back to BC & they have been ruled by the Romans, the Huns, the Franks, the Germans, and anybody else interested in controlling the Rhine.

Our canal boat tour (rain & less than 50deg) was first, then we walked to the Notre-Dame Cathedral. This Gothic cathedral was built from 1015-1439 & resembles the larger one in Cologne. The tallest spire is 132 meters. Within the cathedral is the Astronomical Clock dating from the 16th century & is unique in its application of scientific theory. The days of the week, months of the year, astrological signs, phases of the moon are all in sync as well as accurate. It needs to be wound weekly with a series of pulleys.

There was about an hour for shopping & then the group left for the ship for lunch. However, Bubba & Thelma had other plans......the afternoon options were a tour of the Alsace wine region or the Black Forest. Louise opted for the wine tour (surprise), and we decided this probably was our only time in France, so we spent the remainder of the day in the Old Town. Walk & walk some more. 

We were so cold that we stopped for hot chocolate & to get out of the rain, and we ended up ordering pizza for lunch. Funny combination, I know.

We went on to a museum that I would describe as Folk History of the region. Spent a couple hours viewing/reading about the people who lived here centuries ago. Saw very modern application of heating a home, restored rooms of a house, actual pottery, plows, blacksmith's tools, etc. from the early days of the region. Of course I bought a book ;-)

We also walked to the opposite side of town to see an old church.....actually it's name is Old St Peter's because another St Peter's was built later..... restoration is badly needed, but the baroque panels & pulpit were well done & preserved. Very nice stain glass windows. 

Walked back to tourist center to catch a taxi back to our ship for a rest before dinner. Dinner was once again delicious with many options and several courses. We met a mother & daughter from Nova Scotia and had a great time talking about all the places we had been in their province last August.

Bubba's already out cold & we have another big day tomorrow so I'd better sign off. Tomorrow brings us to Speyer in the morning and Heidelburg in the afternoon. Can hardly wait even though the weather isn't going cooperate again!

Lunch time

Carousel on Guttenburg Platz. Yup, printing press invented here. 

The cruise has begun!

What fun already!

Konked right out as soon as the coach started to take us from Zurich to Basel. Many of you are familiar with this phenomenon (and, yes, Ginny, I wore my seatbelt so I wouldn't end up in the aisle ;-)   )

Then we boarded the Felicity, unpacked, had a welcome drink, & went through safety drill. Cruise director has a good sense of humor & that helps. He went over plan for the evening & choices for tomorrow in Strasbourg France: canal ride through the city, some wandering timel Louise is going on a vineyard tour in the afternoon and Thelma will spend time exploring the city. Not too sure what 

Bubba will do.

We had dinner with a great couple from England.....they're good friends, hilarious, and like their wine & beer, too :-)  After dinner we began going through the first of 9 locks. At this point the Rhine is really a canal through France , and we need to navigate this drop. We're anxious to so see what tomorrow bringsl

Forgot to add pics, maybe tomorrow...too tired for the challenge tonight ;-) Maybe in the morning....night, all.

Happy Mother's Day

Sitting in hotel lobby waiting to join tour group.  Lots of old looking folks in here. Wonder were their all going?  Hhmmmmm?  Sun is out ! Yay. Lets get this show on the river.

Bubba

Sat. 5/11. 8.48pm

Hi all. Sitting here watching bbc world news with a cold beer"Hell. quollfrisch", an appenzeller original!

Drive from Lucern to Zurich was wet, but still exciting because I'm driving VW Passat wagon diesel!

very fun to drive.  Lots of cool stuff. I want one. Has its own GPS, an upgrade cuz they didn't have the one we ordered-:). Turned in car 9am, shuttle to hotel Movivpick, check in with comped wine, shuttle bk to flugenhof, train to dn town Zurich and walking tour the city. Very cool.  The Swiss have got their shit together!  They do a pretty lousy breakfast, however.  Coffee?  One little cup,no refills. No bacon, no taters, but good bread.  Water?  One little glass, no refill! Lunch today in Zurich?  $100 for three.

Excellent food-Italian, but 50 cl of Heiniken-$7  but hey, we're on holiday?  Shut up and deal!

The roads are fantastic, great signage, lots of bycyclers of all ages,  Friday was a holiday, so a lot of bikers were out in the mts. Doing the twistys.  all shapes and sizes. great roads in such great shape!

Tomorrow may train back to Zurich in am. We meet with the cruise group at 3 pm then onto and up the Rhine.  Looking forward to resting and not having to pay for every meal-:). And the weather has no rain in the future.  Later. Miss u all (kinda). -)

End of day 4

S o, it poured all  afternoon!  The drive to & from the mall was another experience handled well by Heidi ;-)

After returning to the city we planned our dinner Italian style with yummy cheeses, great cold cuts, and warm bread. Oh, and mustn't forget ample Swiss biere & wine. Louise provided dessert treats of a triple chocolate and a lucious strawberry torte! Carbs ? What carbs ? 

To bed early so we can drive into Zurich tomorrow, return car, & explore some of the city before the late afternoon rain hits.

First Half Day 4

Started out with mist & low clouds so we went shopping! Lots of interesting shops in Old Town. Fun poking around, found a couple good buys, mostly tried to figure out why there were so many locals on the street & not at work........

Afternoon rest / revive time in hotel room with cheese pies, bier, wine, & chocolate . Celebrating Yoda's one year anniversary of heart surgery & seems only fitting that we're in the country of many cows. Wanted to get him an authentic Swiss cow bell to celebrate, but don't think he'll wear it ;-)

Quite rainy now, heard there's a mall nearby, so we'll check it out with the help of Heidi.

Hope all is well on the other side of the pond!

Dinner in Luzern, Italian style

Simple dinner choices tonight.....Bubba = risotto with salmon, Louise = veal scaloppine in lemon sauce w/pasta, Thelma = basil pesto with pine nuts on fettuccine. Rainy evening, too pooped for walk along Lake Luzern. Showers then bed. No decision on tomorrow's activities ......Nite!

Hiking the Alps!

Thelma & Louise did it!  ;-)

Day 3 con't

First look at an Alpine Valley

Day 3 Interlakken

Drove from Luzern after breakfast . Have named the GPS Heidi & she is much more accurate than Agnes of Italia! Stopped in woodcarving center of Brienze for shopping, on beautiful mt lake.

Now in Interlaken for bier & snack. Will drive to Grindlewald even tho it's a cloudy & we won't see the Jungfrau. Miscalculation on weather....could have made it earlier this morning, but forecast was for q

rain. Oh, we'll, we're having a great time anyway ;-)

Luzern, here we are!

Uneventful flight, but verrrrrrrry long! Had trouble sleeping, unusual for me ;-)
45 min drive from Zurich to Luzern only took 2 hrs instead of the 45 min estimate. Held to our tradition that an entry into a city that requires /only/ 3 stops is a success.....Dropped our bags at hotel & went for a bier. Much appreciated by our driver.

Day is gorgeous, sunny & about 75. Having a short rest period before continuing our exploration.
I'll see if another member of our trio will post tonight.
3:15 (1515) pm

Dude we just got carded in Atlanta. -:) I hate this f...in phone !

Atlanta

Arrived on time & headed for a beer & lunch :-)

T-Minus 15 hrs

Yay, Louise, I knew you'd figure it out ;-)

Scrubbed, vacuumed, & packed. Feet up!

Let's go!!!!