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2019 European Adventure
  • Maureen's Travels
sep. – okt. 2019

2019 European Adventure

It's off to Europe again to learn more about our wonderful world! Läs mer
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  • Resans start
    20 september 2019
    Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Route for river boat cruise and Switzerland visit
    Friday night selfie waiting for our flight!

    Sep 20 - Heading to Europe!

    19 september 2019, Kanada ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Doug and I are off to Europe again. The plan is to spend two days in Amsterdam, then do a river boat cruise to Basel with Scenic Cruises, then to spend a few more days in Switzerland with the cruise company, but traveling by bus. Check the picture below for our travel route. Then we're going to visit my sister and her husband who live near Heidelberg, Germany, Then we're off to Paris for five days. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit there in 2015 and vowed to return to soak up more of its ambiance.

    Glad to have you along for the ride!    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Our AirBnB - ground floor apartment with a back yard!
    Vondelpark with lots of people enjoying the lovely weatherVondelpark on a warm Saturday eveningOld-style bee hiveSaturday selfie in Vondepark!Love locks on a wrought-iron bridgeNote the pulley system at the peak to lift heavy furnitureFamilies enjoying the kids' playground and splash padStreet performer playing electronic harp - lovely music!

    Sep 21 - Arrived in Amsterdam

    21 september 2019, Nederländerna ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    We had quite a smooth flight into Schipol Airport in Amsterdam. Smooth is always good, given Doug's tendency towards motion sickness. We both agreed that Premium Economy class on Air Transat (which we flew to/from Italy in the spring) far surpasses that of Air Canada.

    We found a "legal" taxi by following the brightly-coloured and numerous arrows on the floor. The airport had a bad problem with "bandit" taxis and launched a successful counter offensive with the signage. In a short while, we were at our AirBnB - a lovely ground floor apartment - owned by Anne. Anne is enjoying a girls' weekend in Valencia, Spain while we are camped out at her place. Her mother, Suzann, graciously met us and gave us the keys and the grand tour.

    We found a nearby grocery store and stocked up on our standards - milk, yogurt, and pre-made salads. Tossed in a couple of Nutella-filled croissants and chocolate-covered digestive cookies to round out the menu. We had yogurt and croissants for lunch and then we both had a long nap. Neither of us slept on the plane so we were both knackered.

    We surfaced, feeling much refreshed, about 5:00 p.m. Since exercise and sunshine are good antidotes to jet lag, we set out to find Vondelpark. It's a beautiful, huge park that was full of people enjoying the glorious warm, sunny day. There were roller bladers, kids on scooters, children playing soccer, a guy practising juggling, couples snuggled closely, and lots of cyclists. This is the city of bicycles - thousands of them. It was so nice to see the park so well used. Not many homes here have a yard, so the park is a great way for people to enjoy the outdoors. We walked and walked, and did lots of people watching. Good, cheap entertainment.

    As the sun started to set and the temperature began to drop, we headed home (thank you Google Maps) and had the salads (excellent!) and cookies for dinner. Doug figured out how to stream classical music from 96.3 FM so we had a bit of culture with our dinner.

    Our plan for tomorrow is a tour of the Heineken Beer Factory, followed by a canal cruise.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    1House boats on a peaceful canal on a Sunday morning
    Upscale way to ferry kids around Amsterdam!Gorgeous stain glass windows in former Heineken FactoryOriginal copper fermentation kettlesSunday Selfie in front of 1000's of Heineken bottles!Game of Guitars!!!Panoramic view of Amsterdam from A'DAM LookoutCool map of continents at A'DAM LookoutFabulous Amsterdam architectureChurch of Our Lady in Amsterdam

    Sep 22 - Exploring Amsterdam

    22 september 2019, Nederländerna ⋅ 🌧 22 °C

    We surfaced about 8:30 a.m. Doug had about 9 hours of solid sleep under his belt. I had about 9 minutes. Sigh.....we have come to expect this on the first full night of our travels. But that's why I bring coffee along. We also brought cereal along for the two mornings we would be on our own. Coffee, cereal and a hot shower put me right for what became a very full day.

    We set off about 11:00 a.m. for FoodHallen, a collection of over 20 small booths, each specializing in a different food type. Doug was drawn to the one with fabulous-looking pastrami and prosciutto; I liked the one that sold delicate little pastries. Fortunately, it wasn’t yet lunch time for us, so we were able to resist both. From there, we headed to the Heineken Experience. Along the way, I had to fire Google Maps before divorce proceedings began. I switched to the Apple maps app which cooperated perfectly and the tension level dropped dramatically. We arrived at Heineken with plenty of time to share, so we stopped for a real lunch. We had crepes - I had ham and cheese; Doug had apple cinnamon with butter and syrup. Both were delicious. The people-watching from our spot on the outside patio was spectacular.

    The Heineken Experience is located in what used to be a brewing plant for Heineken Beer. The plant became too small and has been made into a place to showcase the success of Heineken beer. We found the whole tour noisy and crowded (despite our specific time-stamp tickets) and far too reliant on wild videos and crazy sound effects. The free beer at the end (not for me, thank you) was small reward for surviving the cacophony. There were two good things that we saw - the original huge copper brewing vessels and the spectacular stained glass windows.

    We escaped and sat nearby along the canal, watching the traffic on the water. It was another lovely, warm, sunny day and thousands of people were out in droves soaking up this autumn gift. At 3:30 p.m., as part of our Rock the City combo ticket, we boarded a canal boat. For the next 45 minutes, we marvelled at the incredible architecture that Amsterdam offers. We learned that houses used to be taxed by their width, so the every penny-conscious Dutch built narrow, high (4-6 storeys) buildings to skirt the tax laws. The boat dropped us in North Amsterdam at a place that used to be the headquarters for Shell Oil. It is now a mixed-use building of business and restaurants, with the top floor dedicated as a viewing platform. From there, we enjoyed fabulous panoramic views of the city. If we squinted hard, we could just see England. There were crazy people who paid to sit on a huge swing and fly out over the edge up 20 floors. No thank you for this pair.

    We headed back to south Amsterdam via the free ferry that runs every 4 minutes - full of bicycles and scooters and pedestrians. We noticed many people in running gear. Found out later there was a huge race with over 35,000 runners and cyclists in the city today. What a perfect day they had.

    We bought big take-out salads (they have chicken in them, so, yes, we are getting our protein) and carried on with our observations of Dutch life at the central train station. We hot footed it to the Church of Our Lady and were able to attend 6:00 p.m. mass in English. It was a nice way to thank God for the abundant blessings that He has showered on us.

    It was a half-hour walk home. Should have had a step counter on today. We certainly cracked 10,000 steps and probably even 15,000. And we didn't get hit by a bicycle or a scooter today. Pedestrians rank very low on the priority list in this city when it comes to yield the right of way.

    Our plan for tomorrow is to see a diamond cutting and polishing demonstration in the morning, and then to come back, pack up, catch a tram to the Central Train Station and then walk a couple of hundred metres to the ship.

    I, for one, am going to sleep well tonight!    Läs mer

  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Imperial State Crown of England (replica)Crown of Louis XV of France (replica)Casting of gorilla skull set with 17,000 brilliant cut diamondsReplica of Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh set with 504 diamondsHandle of Japanese sword of Murano glass with 1867 diamonds & 494 rubiesMonday selfie taken on our balconyBeautiful little flower found along our streetStained glass peacock gracing the entry way of this buildingFabulous window shopping in Amsterdam!!

    Sep 23 - Diamonds and the Scenic Pearl

    23 september 2019, Nederländerna ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    The day dawned with overcast skies and evidence of rain last night. We had our usual breakfast and headed out about 9:30 a.m. for a 20-minute walk to Royal Coster Diamonds - no rain to dampen our spirits. Amsterdam has a long heritage of diamond trade and industry – the city has been a major diamond centre since Sephardic Jews introduced the diamond cutting industry in the late 16th century. They came to the area to escape religious persecution in Spain. Royal Coster Diamonds was founded in 1840 and claims to be the oldest still-operating diamond polishing factory in the world. So far there have been no challengers. The company has handled a few historical masterpieces, such as re-polishing the famed Koh i Noor diamond mounted in the Crown of Queen Mary and the Dresden Green Diamond, held in the New Green Vault at Dresden Castle.

    We had booked a tour - to our astonishment, our tour consisted of just the two of us. It was ably led by Josef, himself a career diamond man. We learned about how diamonds were created and where they are found. (Over the past 30 years, Canada has become a major world diamond producer, producing 23 million carats in 2017, valued at $2.6 billion USD.) We learned how diamonds are rated on the four C’s - colour, cut, clarity and carats. Josef described the various cuts of diamonds, especially the Royal 201-facet cut created by Costers. We were able to watch artisans polishing diamonds - a process done using high speed and other diamonds. A diamond polishing/cutting apprenticeship is only 7-10 years if you are considering a career change. He then took us into a special room and showed us unset diamonds and let us examine them under a loupe (eyeglass). Especially lovely was a heart-shaped diamond - one of the most difficult shapes to cut. We toured the show room of fabulous jewelry. Such beautiful items - deciding how to set each diamond is an art unto itself. We also had tickets for the Diamond Museum next door. There, we learned more about mining techniques and about the history of the diamond industry and saw replicas of famous crowns and tiaras. What a cool way to spend a morning.

    How's this for a bit of Girl Power? Between 1991 and 1994 Pauline Willemse, a diamond polisher at Royal Coster Diamonds, polished the smallest diamond in the world. This is a brilliant cut stone with 57 facets, weighing 0.0000743 carats (0.01486 mg). 0.16–0.17 mm in diameter and with a height of 0.11 mm.

    We packed up after lunch at Chez Anne’s AirBnB and trundled down to the tram stop. The tram dropped us off at the Central Train Station about 20 minutes later. We were proud of ourselves for not wimping out and taking a taxi. From there, it was a 10-minute walk to the pier where our home for the next two weeks was docked - the Scenic Pearl. (I’ll get a picture when we are docked tomorrow in Antwerp.) This is our third cruise with Scenic. We did the Tulips and Windmills cruise in 2015 and the Jewels of Europe cruise in 2016. In a delightful bit of serendipity, our cruise director for this cruise is Andreea, who was our cruise director for the 2016 cruise on this same ship. She gave us a huge hug and welcomed us aboard. (Shannon Crane - we both agreed that Andreea is your doppelgänger!)

    We have unpacked and are enjoying some downtime - we haven’t had a lot of it since leaving Grimsby on Friday afternoon. Harry, our butler, has just been to visit. Service is the watchword on Scenic cruises. Good chance to get this writeup done. We have a briefing at 6:00 p.m., dinner at 7:00 p.m. and we sail at 7:30 p.m. Tomorrow, we are doing a tour of Bruges in Belgium, a medieval city famous for its lace making. We have been to Bruges before - its many enchanting characteristics demand a second visit, and perhaps another small lace purchase.

    All aboard!    Läs mer

  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    1A soggy selfie in Bruges!!!
    Another lovely canal in Bruges, the Venice of the NorthA lovely canal in BrugesA tranquil canal in BrugesWhite swans have been in Bruges since the 13th centuryFabulous wrought-iron on this houseChurch of Our Lady in BrugesBelgians will make anything out of chocolate!!!1The town square in BrugesTurn on sound - a delightful carillon interlude

    Sep 24 - Bruges, Belgium

    24 september 2019, Belgien ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Doug had to nudge me awake this morning at 8:00 a.m. I finally had a great night’s sleep. We had been sailing since about 7:30 p.m. last night. These ships are so smooth that you can’t tell that you’re moving unless you watch the horizon.

    At breakfast, we saw another familiar face - Satria - who was our waiter on both of our previous cruises. He recognized us too, so I guess we haven’t changed that much in 3-4 years! Doug is happily watching the shoreline from our balcony right now. We are passing the port area of Antwerp, so there is lots of equipment and ships and cranes for him to analyze. At 10:00 a.m., we have a safety drill, followed by a port talk with Andreea, our cruise director. We have downloaded the Scenic app onto our phones - it gives a running commentary of the nearby sights and will be used by the local guides on our various walking tours. Andreea will explain it too. We leave for Bruges, Belgium (second country of this trip) at 1:00 p.m. after lunch after docking in Antwerp around noon.

    Another familiar face appeared when it came time to board the buses. It was Malinda, our bus driver from the last cruise. She is a wonderfully skillful and smooth driver. Our guide was Rudi. He gave us a running commentary for part of the 90-minute drive to Bruges and then gave us some quiet time to watch the scenery. Belgium gets lots of rain, so agriculture is a main industry, as evidenced by the very green fields that we saw. We learned that it was Belgium that invented French fries and beer brewing and perfected the art of making chocolate. Bruges has a beer factory that sends the beer to be bottled to a plant outside the town via an underground piping system. Digging must be done very carefully in Bruges!

    Bruges is one of the most perfectly preserved medieval cities in the whole of Europe. It is full of tall brick merchant houses, picturesque canals and cobbled streets. It is often called the Venice of the North because of its many canals. Bruges rose to prominence in the 1100s as a hub for the Flemish cloth trade, importing English wool and exporting clothing around the world. Its harbour was filled with shops bringing spices, wine and wealth to the wealthy of the town. The harbour silted up and Bruges lost out as a port to Antwerp. It became a centre of lace making in the 17th century and continues to do a huge trade in lace. It is the home of the famous painter Peter Paul Rubens. In 2000, the old town was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    When we arrived in Bruges, it was raining lightly, but nothing that we couldn’t survive. Rudi led us on a walking tour of the town, and told us about its history, architecture and culture. Bruges is Brugge in Flemish, one of the three main languages of Belgium, the other two being French (think Hercule Poirot) and German. We had some free time after the tour so we found the same little shop where I bought a piece of lace in 2016 - my first initial. It now has a mate with my second initial. Then we scarfed down a Belgian waffle. Then we got trapped in a chocolate store. Bruges is very pretty but is a very dangerous place for the crowds of tourists who enjoy its hospitality every day!!

    We had dinner with a lovely couple from Australia. There are lots of Aussies on this ship - Scenic is based in Australia and so is a favourite of the Aussies.

    Discovered there is a step counter on my phone - we did about 10,000 steps - that’s about 4.3 miles. That should partially offset the chocolate fest we just had.

    We are doing a bike tour of the town of Veere tomorrow. All those gym sessions are hopefully going to allow us to survive!    Läs mer

  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    View of the man-made lake at Veere
    Te Koop = For Sale Any want to buy a windmill?1A cycling selfie!A cow massage - I've now seen it all!A 2-day old calf at the dairy/cheese farmFormer Place of Justice with torture chambers in the basement!Fabulous architecture in VeereWe chose this boat as our favourite at the Yacht ClubThe Scenic Pearl - our floating hotelTurn on the sound for another lovely carillon interlude!

    Sep 25 - Veere, The Netherlands

    25 september 2019, Nederländerna ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    We docked in Veere (pronounced Veer-ah) back in the Netherlands this morning. It was rainy and overcast, but right on schedule at 9:00 a.m., as we were about to start our bicycle tour, the rain stopped and the sun even appeared. There were 11 of us on the tour. With Josip in the lead and Manon bringing up the rear, each armed with a first-aid kit, we headed off on our electric-assist bikes. With my Belgian chocolate-induced guilt complex, I tried to use the power-assist very sparingly. Blessedly, the Netherlands is a very flat country, so there were no hills to navigate.

    Veere is located close to the North Sea on a big inlet and was once a prominent port and wool-trading centre because of its proximity to the supply of high-quality wool for the flourishing textiles industry coming from England and Scotland. However, a vicious storm surge (like a European tsunami) in 1953 caused widespread flood damage and took many lives. In response, a dam was built to block the sea. The inlet is now a man-made lake. Fishing, the main industry of the town, was decimated. The population of the town dropped from 5,000 to just under 1,000. The main industries now are agriculture and tourism. The salinity of the lake is carefully controlled by allowing measured amounts of salt water in, the result being that the lake is now a popular fishing and holiday resort destination. On our last cruise, we toured the Delta Water Works and learned how the dam and its gating system works. The Dutch are world-wide experts in flood control and water management and widely-sought for their expertise in this area of engineering.

    Our bike tour took us through the town with its wonderful gothic buildings and busy harbour and then out into the bucolic countryside. We passed prosperous farms - the main agricultural crops around here are sugar beets, cabbage and asparagus. We stopped at a dairy farm - it is moving towards a fully-automated milking system where the cows self-regulate their milking and the milking is done by robotic machines using lasers for precise placement of the suction equipment. Doug had a tour of such a place near Almonte a few years ago and was able to give add some details. We were able to sample the wonderful cheese that is made right there on that farm. From there, it was a brisk ride back to the ship. In all, I think we did about 15 kms/10 miles. I think that amount of exercise should be built into the daily schedule to combat the fabulous food selection and constant availability on this floating hotel!

    After lunch, armed with an umbrella, as the skies were threatening (again - a common occurrence in the Netherlands), we headed back into Veere for a leisurely stroll. It’s a very pretty town - we walked through it on our last cruise. It’s hard to tire of looking at the unique architecture - nothing like it exists in Canada.

    I’ve hunkered down in the lounge, hoping for better internet reception - it’s turning out to be a vain effort - but at least it’s a different view than from our cabin.

    Tonight is the Captain’s Dinner - dressier attire and a fancy dinner. Doug had fabulous roast beef last night. I’ve been working my way through the seafood selections. Beautifully done each time. I wonder what the chef will offer up tonight?    Läs mer

  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär

    Sep 26 - Arnhem to Nijmegen

    26 september 2019, Nederländerna ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    It was another 8:00 a.m. rising. The soft motion of the this ship is making me sleep like a baby parked on top of a vibrating clothes dryer. One of these days, we are going to be relegated to the "Late Risers Breakfast" area!

    We sailed all night, having left Veere around 4:30 p.m. It's now 9:30 a.m., and we are sailing past Nijmegen on our way to Arnhem. Any of you who have watched the movie, "A Bridge Too Far" will recognize those names. There was a ferocious battle for control of the Arnhem's bridge during the Allied liberation of the Netherlands in 1944. The British and American forces were fought off by the retreating Germans who then destroyed the bridge to hamper the Allied advance. Operation Market Garden was a crushing defeat. The current arched bridge, named the John Frost Bridge in honour of the allied commander who tried to capture it, is a copy of the one destroyed during the war.

    The Waal River that we are on right now is a busy shipping channel. There is a barge loaded with coal passing us right now. Most of these barges have at least one car parked on the rear deck (this one has two) - these barges double as the operators' homes. There is a hoist that can pick up the car and deposit on the road at any port. We saw one barge on our last cruise with a play pen tied onto the upper deck!

    Andreea did an “All Things Dutch” talk for us in the morning - talking about tulips, cheese, wooden shoes and windmills. She gave a special nod to Canada for its role in helping the Dutch Royal Family during the war. Princess Margriet was born in 1943 in the Ottawa Civic Hospital. A federal proclamation declared the maternity ward extraterritorial, ensuring that the new princess would only be a Dutch — and not also a Canadian — citizen. Canada also led the liberation of the Netherlands. From September 1944 to April 1945, the First Canadian Army fought German forces on the Scheldt estuary — opening the port of Antwerp for Allied use — and then cleared northern and western Netherlands of Germans, allowing food and other relief to reach millions of desperate people. Since 1945, the Netherlands have sent 100,000 tulip bulbs to Canada every year in deep thanks for its help during desperate times.

    We should be in Arnhem around 1:00 p.m. The ship will loop back to Nijmegen after doing a refuelling/restocking/pump out stop.

    There are three activity choices for this afternoon - an open air history museum, the airborne museum at Arnhem or a bike tour from Arnhem to Nijmegen (20 km/12 miles). We enjoyed the bike tour (and the associated exercise) so much yesterday, that we decided to try another one. The weather might be our foe today - the Netherlands regularly offers up "liquid sunshine" to its many visitors.

    Arnhem was the home during WWII of Audrey Hepburn who walked the streets with messages for the Dutch Resistance hidden in her shoes.

    Nijmegen is the oldest city in the Netherlands and is built on seven hills, just like Rome. The city dates from 11 B.C. In 1940, Nijmegen was one fo the first cities captured by the Germans. Four years later, Nijmegen was heavily bombed by the Americans, who thought it was Germany. A few bits of the old town survived the war or were reconstructed.

    We are now in Arnhem and have had lunch. We leave on our bike tour in 30 minutes. It's pouring rain. I think we are both certifiably crazy. Will post more after this little adventure!

    The five crazy bike people met up at about 2:00 p.m. with our guide Astrid and her partner Sander who rode at the back of the pack to ensure that no one got lost. Andreea, the tour director, was along for the ride also. Because of the rain, Andreea and Astrid had hatched a hybrid route - we would ride around Arnhem and neighbouring village of Oosterbeek and then rendezvous with the bus at the Open Air Museum for a drive back to the ship. We set off in light rain which stopped almost immediately. We saw a few sights in Arnhem and then rode to Oosterbeek on fabulous bike paths where we stopped at the Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery which contains the graves of most of those killed during the September landings, and many of those killed in later fighting in the area. There are now 1,684 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. The 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem was held last Sunday so all the graves were decorated and there were wreaths of flowers at the monument cross. It was a sombre moment.

    We continued on our journey, through peaceful forests and huge parks all the while on excellent bike paths. After almost two hours, we were back in Arnhem. The rain had stopped, so in a fit of energy, we all agreed to ride the original route of 21 km to Nijmegen. Thank goodness for electric-assist bikes! Off we went. One and half hours later we were safely back at the ship. We estimate that we rode ~40 km/25 miles. It was a lovely ride with really nice people.

    After a hot shower, we gathered with our fellow travellers win the lounge and enjoyed a classical music concert presented by three young people playing piano, cello and violin. Yesterday’s entertainment was a Dixie Land Band. We had dinner afterwards - I had the best salmon I’ve ever tasted and Doug raved about the pasta.

    We are sailing right now and will be in Maastricht (still in the Netherlands) tomorrow morning.    Läs mer

    Se översättning
  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    A sunny selfie - finally!
    Helpoort - Hell's GateTemptation everywhere!Where the Romans originally built a bridge1A most beautiful setting for a bookstore!Where the old Roman wall used to he1Channel on bridge for bicyclesFlower shop owned by same family for over 100 yearsMarket by the town hallOur Lady Star of the Sea

    Sep 27 - Maastricht

    27 september 2019, Nederländerna ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

    This morning we docked about 9:00 a.m. in Maastricht (pronounced Mahs-treech), located on both sides of the Meuse (Dutch = Maas) River, adjacent to the border with Belgium. Maastricht was the first Dutch city to be liberated by the Allied Forces - Sep 13-14 of 1944. The city is well-known for the Maastricht Treaty of 1992 that formed the European Union and paved the way for the Euro.

    The sun is peeking out and it’s fairly warm - a good morning for a walking tour of this interesting city. We set out with Carla to explore. The city began when the Romans built a stone bridge across the Meuse here. The bridge, named for St. Servatius, is still standing, albeit it now has a section that can be raised to allow ships to pass. The city was controlled by many people over its turbulent history - the Romans, the Spanish, the French and the Germans. Maastricht joined the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. All these cultures have left indelible marks on the city.

    The Basilica of Our Lady Catholic Church, built in the 11th century, dominates the city. It houses a beautiful shrine to Our Lady, Star of the Sea. Beneath the adjacent square, the remains of the original Roman settlement were unearthed.

    According to legend, the Armenian-born Saint Servatius, Bishop of Tongeren, died in Maastricht in 384 where he was interred along the Roman road. The Basilica of St. Servatius is an important pilgrimage destination. Located right beside the Basilica is the Church of St. John the Baptist, the city’s main Protestant church since 1632. It has a distinctive red tower - the red colour, until recently, was created using ox blood.

    We walked along the outline of the original city walls to Helpoort ("Hell's Gate"), an imposing gate with two towers, built shortly after 1230, the oldest city gate in the Netherlands.

    This is the hometown of André Rieu - he comes back frequently to put on concerts. Music lovers pack the main square to enjoy hearing their hometown idol.

    We stopped at Bishop’s Mill that continues to grind spelt into flour for the attached bakery using only water power. The smells from that bakery were heavenly.

    We stopped at a fabulous bookstore - Selexyz Dominicanen Bookstore - it’s located in an old Gothic church built for the Dominican priests - and is now a union of the spiritual and the secular. I doubt there is a more spectacular bookstore anywhere. Although the altar has never been removed, this church will never again be used for the celebration of mass.

    Some of the most expensive shopping in all of the Netherlands is here in Maastricht - second only to that of Amsterdam. We stumble across a Hudson’s Bay store - it’s stocked very differently than the stores in Canada. We were relegated to exploring the Friday morning smarket outside the town hall with its riot of colours, sounds, smells and textures. There was everything- meats, fruits, vegetables, bread, clothing, leather goods, fabrics (I had to restrain myself) and of course, cell phone cases.

    It’s now time for a late lunch (1:00 p.m.) and time to set sail for our next destination and our next (third) country of this trip - Xanten in Germany. We will actually have some free time this afternoon. What to do???

    Had clear soup followed by warm strawberry cobbler for lunch. Fabulous. Pace yourself, Maureen.

    No pics yet - internet is simply too weak when we are sailing. Will try later.    Läs mer

  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Horses used to haul buggies - they often lived underground for up to 3 years
    Pit head mechanism for hoisting coal buggies to the surfaceEmployee-designed buggy cleaning systemMore tools for Doug's collection!Former coal mine is used for classical concertsStreet food vendor barbecueSelfie with a cool red car!Duisburg Fountain - way out there!They love Doug in Duisburg!A portable wine bar - Canada needs some of these!

    Sep 28 - Zollverein Coal Mine Complex

    28 september 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    Today began when we docked in Emmerich, Germany - the third country of this trip. The climb up the steep gangplank should have been a clue as to river conditions - the penny didn’t drop until later. Read on.

    Three big buses headed off to see the town of Xanten and to visit the Roman Ruins. We boarded a small bus with 15 others and headed to the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex, a large former industrial site in the city of Essen, Germany. It has been inscribed into the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites since December 14, 2001, and is one of the anchor points of the European Route of Industrial Heritage. It is representative of the development of traditional heavy industries in Europe. The area is now a major arts and culture centre - a festival was being set up as we toured the area. Our guide for the trip was Thorsten whose name means “Son of Thor, the God of Thunder” in Norse Mythology.

    The first coal mine on the premises was founded in 1847, and mining activities took place from 1851 until December 23, 1986. For decades, starting in the late 1950s, the two parts of the site, Zollverein Coal Mine and Zollverein Coking Plant (erected 1957−1961, closed on June 30, 1993), ranked among the largest of their kinds in Europe. Shaft 12, built in the New Objectivity style, was opened in 1932 and is considered an architectural and technical masterpiece, earning it a reputation as the "most beautiful coal mine in the world”.

    Coal, after it is refined into coke, provides the carbon that transforms iron into steel which is used for so many applications - cars, appliances, food cans, roofing, siding, pools - the list is almost endless. As a steel worker for over 36 years, seeing a coal facility was a natural choice for me for today’s activity, and Doug loves all things mechanical so the choice was unanimous. We actually saw an ArcelorMittal site on the bus ride. Will try to figure out which one it was.

    Jütte was our guide at the complex. We traced the route that a lump of coal would take - from being extracted underground (we went only a few steps below ground), to being carted via horse-drawn coal bins to the dumping house, to being sorted by size and finally being sent to the coking plant. The huge machines and iron tracks and conveyor belts made the place look as if the workers were simply on a lunch break. It’s impossible to imagine the conditions that the workers endured - the noise, the noxious fumes, the stone dust that they breathed in, the heat and the oppressive humidity. Getting the “black gold” out of the earth took an enormous toll on many lives and on the environment.

    The plan was to drive to Duisburg and rendezvous with the ship. However, the steep gangplank we climbed in the morning was indicative of low water levels. As a result, the captain had to take extra time to carefully navigate the route to Duisburg and was going to be late in arriving. One of the other buses was needed for a tour on another cruise line, so in a bit of creativity, we got dropped in the Duisburg city centre with some free time to shop and explore and then to go to the ship - with 4 extra passengers who had been on the bus that was needed elsewhere. We got back to the ship about 2:45 p.m. and set sail for Koblenz at 3:00 p.m.

    While in Duisburg, we did what the locals did - eat on the street. Since it was past lunch time, we started with roasted nuts, moved on to French Fries, then had chocolate croissants and pretzels. We could have washed it all down with a cold beer or a glass of wine, but we showed remarkable self-restraint. Not going to need much for dinner tonight! And to Doug’s delight, there were cars - lots of cars - on display by almost every car manufacturer imaginable. Still haven’t found my next car - but we have 5-7 years to do so. There were people dressed up as Avengers (not Emma Peel and John Steed) and people dancing to old time music. The whole town seemed to be enjoying the sunny fall weather.

    I spent the afternoon trying to load pictures. Very little luck. At 6:00 p.m., Andreea gave us an overview of the next week and we made our daily activity choices. Tomorrow, we will be docked in Koblenz and have opted to do a 1.5 hour walking tour of the city. The wine tour bus (not our choice) filled up almost instantly. There are going to be a lot of very happy (and perhaps) sleepy people tomorrow afternoon!

    Will try to upload pics when we are in port in Koblenz.    Läs mer

  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Rhine River Selfie!
    German Corner where the Moselle joins the RhineEmperor Wilhelm Monument at the German CornerHouse decorated with fabulous tile workHow Doug and I are going to look soon.....The Spitting Boy Fountain in Luxembourg - watch out!!!Hygieia, Goddess of Health atop a former pharmacy - how appropriate!St Castor Basilica in KoblenzThumbs up on this trip!Sections of the Berlin Wall - very evocative

    Sep 29 - Koblenz

    29 september 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The ship is now docked in Koblenz. Docking space is at a premium here, so se are “double bunked” along side another ship that docked earlier. We will have to go out of our ship, cross through their lobby, and then go up the gangplank to reach street level. It’s a good way to look at other ships. (Our bunk mate looked very, very nice.)

    Koblenz is located at the point where that the Moselle River joins the mighty Rhine River. We sailed past the slip of land where this confluence occurs while we ate breakfast. It is called the “German Corner”. The site is dominated by an enormous equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhem I (1797-1888), the first emperor of Germany after its unification in 1871. The Rhine Gorge was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002, with Koblenz marking the northern end. We will be sailing the most dramatic part of the gorge later this week.

    We did a walking tour of Koblenz this morning, ably led a lady by the name of Jorai (pronounced "your eye"). Koblenz was founded in 14 A.D. by the Romans at this strategically important point - they controlled the area for 1000 years. Then there was a conquest by the Franks, a takeover by the French and then domination by the Prussians. Much of the town was badly damaged during WWII but has been rebuilt with history in mind. It is a city of narrow lanes and romantic squares, all lined with cafés and outdoor seating. It was Sunday morning, so the entire city was rather quiet, especially since most stores are closed on Sundays. We saw the medieval St. Florins Church and the lovely Church of Our Lady (a very common name for churches I’ve observed) and the Basilica of St. Castor. The town clock has an “Eye Roller” in it - a comical face that sticks rolls his eyes and sticks out his tongue on the hour. A commentary on the legislative processes that he observes, perhaps? And we saw the Schangël Fountain where an impish boy periodically spits water onto the unsuspecting.

    Back at the ship, we watched as the crew “hand bombed” (passed from hand to hand) more food, water, wine and linens. It’s a real team effort to restock this hotel without the use of machines.

    We had free time this afternoon. There was the threat of a huge storm but we decided to chance it anyway. We walked around along the quay side of the Rhine, back into the old section of Koblenz, and then back to the ship along the Moselle side. We walked about 6 miles today. We need to do that every day!

    I sought technical help about all the trouble I’ve been having uploading pictures. There is no solution- the upload speed is dismal, and in a few days, we are going to lose our internet service all together. So, please be patient - I will do my best to keep you up to date on our adventures, but postings could be delayed several days.    Läs mer

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    How's this for a dining room table centrepiece??
    Fabulous mosaic celebrating Cochem's historyThe view from the castle over the Moselle RiverSt. Christopher, Patron Saint of Travellers - watching over us!!Castle Selfie!Steep vineyards are everywhere!Great view of the castle and its vineyards - taken from the cemetery.Very old half-timbered house in CochemBilly Goat Fountain in Cochem celebrates an ancient legend about wine makingBeautiful town square in Cochem

    Sep 30 - Cochem

    30 september 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We are still docked in Koblenz. Our activity for this morning is a visit to the town of Cochem. We drove by bus along the Moselle River, through many pretty little villages. This is the main area for the production of Riesling wines. The river sits in a valley with steep hillsides on either side. Vineyards have been carved out of the forests and look like green patchwork quilts that cling to the hillsides. Reportedly, there is one vineyard on a 65° slope! All harvesting is done by hand - the grape pickers must have incredibly strong legs to cope with the terrain.

    We arrived in Cochem, a town that boasts both a beautiful setting and a fabulous castle. This little town of 5,500 people hosts three million visitors annually! Dorothee led us on a walking tour to see half-timbered houses, the lovely main market square, and some of the medieval defences including Balduin’s Gate. Then we travelled by mini-bus up to Reichsbug Castle that is perched high above the river. The castle was built about 1100 by a wealthy family. Then it was loaned to the archbishop of Trier. Louis XIV’s army captured it in 1689. A wealthy man who made his money in iron and steel bought the badly-decayed buildings in 1869 and restored it to be a summer chateaü for his wife (much younger than he) and their three children. Alas, she ran off to marry a man in Berlin with whom she had eight more children. Her former husband, brokenhearted, died at age 56, only two years after the 10-year rebuilding project was completed. As the song says, “Can’t buy me love…..” Today, the castle is owned by the town.

    See next post for our afternoon explorations....    Läs mer

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    Sep 30 - Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

    30 september 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After lunch back at the ship, we had a couple of hours of free time so we decided to do more exploring. Across the Rhine River is the mighty Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. The medieval castle on this site was razed to the ground by the French in 1799. What is there now was begun in 1817, when the Prussian government made Koblenz into a garrison town. We took a cable car over the river to get to the fortress. This cable car was built for the 2011 National Garden Festival that brought millions of visitors to Koblenz. The UNESCO authorities were aghast that such a structure had been built smack dab in the middle of one of its world heritage sites and they threatened to rescind the area’s designation. After much negotiation, UNESCO backed down and the cable car and the designation can live in harmony - but only until 2026. We’ll see what happens after that.

    The fortress is a huge, maze-like collection of buildings, with a layout designed to discombobulate invaders, and now, visitors. It sits 120 metres above the Rhine and is the second-largest preserved fortress in all of Europe. The views over the river are breathtaking. We could actually see where the water from the Moselle meets the Rhine and creates an eddy of two different colours of water.

    Dinner tonight will be special. We received an invitation to dine in the fancy-schmancy on-board restaurant called Portobellos. (Everyone eventually gets an invitation, so we are NOT special.) As I recall from last time, this will be a 7-course dinner and will likely take almost three hours!! Such decadence.    Läs mer

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    Cycling Selfie!!
    Lovely chapel at old monasteryFormer monastery is now a popular craft breweryFabulous new bridge 160 meters high being opened in a few weeksVineyards! Vineyards! Vineyards!High water marks for the Moselle RiverEvery bit of space is used for vineyardsThe view from the upper deckVillages are tucked between the river and the mountains

    Oct 1 - Bernkastel

    1 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ 🌧 16 °C

    Dinner last night was lovely. We dined with Jane and Phil (fellow cyclists) from near Coventry in England, and Vanessa and John from near Sydney, Australia. Excellent British commonwealth representation, although we inevitably get asked from where in the US we hail. We had a five-course (not seven!) Italian meal, presented and served with meticulous attention to detail and service and copious amounts of wine. We laughed up a storm and got to know our fellow travellers a bit better. We all decided to skip Disco Night in the lounge, but saw lots of others breaking out their dancing duds.

    We set sail from Koblenz last night about 10:00 p.m. The fortress is lit up at night - it was lovely to see its shape disappear into the distance as the captain maneuvered the ship backwards up the Rhine, around the German Corner and onto the Moselle River. We will be sailing all day. The soft hills that we saw along the shoreline yesterday have become mountains, not the Alps or the Rockies kind, but more like the Laurentians. There are vineyards everywhere - it was a delightful view to enjoy during breakfast.

    After breakfast, I bundled up against the brisk breeze and light mist and went to the upper deck. Only half of it was open, so I walked about three miles on a short course to burn off some of last night’s delights. Spectacular scenery to keep me occupied. There are many, many bridges that the ship must pass under on these rivers. The wheelhouse is mounted on four giant pistons that move the wheelhouse up and down to allow, often with only inches to spare, for the ship to pass under. Quite a feat of engineering.

    Andreea is giving us a talk about Witchcraft this morning - some of the most famous European witch trials/convictions/executions occurred in this part of Germany. This afternoon, there is a tour of the Galley. We did this tour on our last cruise, so we are passing on the opportunity. It was fascinating to hear about the logistics of feeding 158 passengers and ~40 crew from a small kitchen. Discipline is paramount and once the waiters have given their orders, ONLY the chef is allowed to speak. Menu planning is an art unto itself, as supplies must be loaded at various ports and local specialities are featured as we pass through that area. Details - it’s all about the details.

    In another fit of lunacy or healthy living, not sure which, Doug and I have signed up to do a 25-km guide bike tour from Traben-Trarbach to Bernkastel. The ship will stop only long enough in T-T to let the cyclists off. We will rendezvous with the sane people and the ship in Bernkastel.

    We survived the bike ride which was led by Jorg, wearing the yellow jersey (like the leader in the Tour de France) and Gunther acting as sweeper/caboose. We started out on a dedicated bike path that followed the bank of the Moselle River. We passed through pretty villages and saw many wineries. We could have reached out and touched the grape vines. The Scenic Pearl chugged along the river beside us for a while. The Dutch and the Germans love trailers/RVs/campers/caravans. We saw hundreds of them parked along the river. We rode through light rain for quite a while, but the sun came out when we stopped about halfway at a little café with glorious views of the river and the steep wineries. Back in the saddle. We did another stop at an old monastery built in 1283. It still has a lovely little chapel, but its main draw now is its brewery. The rain kicked in again as we made the final assault on Bernkastel where we found the ship. It had to shimmy its way over to the bank and get steady before the gangplank could be lowered. I was in the shower two minutes later. Time for dinner now.

    Went to a violin concert at 9:15 p.m. held in the lounge. It was delightful - the violinist was a young lady who played a wide variety of pieces. Well done.

    It’s been an active day. Time to get this write up loaded to the website and then, as my father used to say, “assume the horizontal.” Sadly, still not enough internet strength to allow pictures to upload.

    Tomorrow’s destination - Luxembourg!    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Our sister ship, the Scenic Opal, on her way to Amsterdam
    Golden Lady statue in Luxembourg - Monument of RembranceFabulous organ loft of Basilica in LuxembourgThe only remaining gate from the old city of LuxembourgView of the old fortress in LuxembourgGlorious view from the ramparts in LuxembourgGuard on duty at the Palace of the Grand Duke of LuxembourgLuxembourg selfie!Statue of Duchess CharlotteMade it to the ArcelorMittal global headquarters in Luxembourg!!!

    Oct 2 - Luxembourg

    2 oktober 2019, Luxemburg ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Today dawned overcast and with ample evidence of rain overnight. Someone at breakfast said that he had gone to the upper deck with its carpeted surface. He declared it to be “squishy”.

    Promptly at 8:30 a.m., two buses left for Luxembourg - this would be the fourth country of this tour after the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The other options for today were to do a walking tour of Bernkastel, our docking town, or a trip to Trier. For those of you who don’t know - I worked for Dofasco in Hamilton for over 36 years. About 2006, Dofasco was bought out by Arcelor who was in turn bought by Mittal Steel. ArcelorMittal Dofasco is now part of the largest steel company in the world. ArcelorMittal’s headquarters is in Luxembourg and I hoped to be able to see it, hence our choice of excursion.

    Our guide for the trip to Luxembourg and for a walking tour of the city of Luxembourg was Jens - hands down, the best guide we have had on this trip, and in the top few of all the guides we have ever had. The country of Luxembourg, founded in 963 A.D., covers 998 square miles (making it the 20th smallest country of the world) and has a population of about 615,000. It is one of the wealthiest countries in the European Union - as evidenced by its high salaries and astronomical rents and housing prices. Its main industries are banking/international finance, steel production and EU government and administration. Three European cities offer very favourable tax structures (Dublin, Amsterdam, Luxembourg) which have lured hundreds of companies such as Amazon to establish headquarters there. The main languages of Luxembourg are French, German and Luxembourgish, a sort of German/Dutch amalgam. Many Portuguese, Italian and Spanish immigrants came in the 1960s to provide much needed building and trades expertise. The unions today wield very strong power - all the construction (and there is plenty of it) in the country grinds to a halt for four weeks in the summer when all the workers go back to their heritage country for a visit. The other big groups in Luxembourg are bankers and lawyers - there are thousands of each.

    The drive to Luxembough was lovely - beautiful hills covered in grapevines, trees and bushes adopting their autumn colours of gold and red, the Moselle River wending its way lazily through the valley and pretty villages along the way. And lots of campers/caravans/trailers.

    The City of Luxembourg is one of the four officials capitals of the the European Union. The others are Brussels, Frankfurt and Strasbourg. It is the seat of the European Court of Justice, the highest judicial authority in the EU. The City of Luxembourg with its old quarters and fortifications was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 due to the exceptional preservation of the vast fortifications and the old city.

    During our access into the city, we drove through the banking sector and the judicial centre. Both are full of interesting buildings, most built in the last 30 years.

    After our walk around the City of Luxembourg, Doug and I voted it "the prettiest city that we have visited", beating out strong contenders such as Paris, Rome, Vienna, Venice and Amsterdam. Its setting down in a deep valley and abundant green spaces, coupled with its old world architecture helped it to win our vote. The city suffered bad damage back in the 1500s when all the wet gundpowder that was being dried out got hit by lightning, but fortunately escaped damage during WWII. Jens took us to the Cenotaph, Cathedral of Notre Dame (also known as Church of Our Lady Comforter of the Afflicted), Luxembourg Fortress, the Grand Duke’s Palace, the old Medieval section of town, the main market place and to a lookout point dubbed, “the most beautiful balcony in Europe.” How true - the views of the city were spectacular.

    The threat of rain had disappeared and the sun had come out by this time. We had about an hour of free time, so with map in hand, Doug and I set off to find the ArcelorMittal headquarters - success!!! See the pics when I finally get them to upload. The is the new headquarters - the old headquarters were in a fabulous old building down the street. Doug and I have put Luxembourg on our “must come back again” list of cities. It’s a pretty, unhurried, walkable city full of history and culture. We highly recommend it. Not sure what the hotel room prices are like though…..    Läs mer

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    Memorial in chapel at American Cemetery
    Chapel at American CemeteryCeiling of Chapel at American CemeteryOne of two memorials for soldiers whose bodies were never foundGrave of General George PattonMonument at American CemeteryBeautiful goes of Luxembourg American Cemetery

    Oct 2 - Luxembourg American Cemetery

    2 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C

    Our next stop of the day was the Luxembourg American Cemetery Memorial. It has 5,076 headstones and a wall of remembrance honouring 371 missing soldiers. It is a beautiful setting, lovingly maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission. The most famous person buried in the cemetery is General George Patton. He tragically died in December of 1945 of injuries sustained in a vehicle accident while returning from a hunting trip. His grave is viewed by hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.

    Jens took us home via the scenic route. We stopped at a fabulous look out point which gave us sweeping views of the Moselle Valley, vineyards, a pretty village and the mountains in the distance. There was even a replica Roman ship puttering along in the river. What a mesmerizing view on a sunny afternoon.

    Soon after the Luxembourg delegation returned, we set sail. Next port of call - Rūdesheim.    Läs mer

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    One of over 40 castles on this stretch of the Rhine
    Former toll houseHow the heavy boat traffic is controlled at this tight bend in the RhineThe Lorelei Rock - luring unwitting sailors to their deaths - so the legend goesBronze statue of the seductress LoreleiSharing the Rhine with commercial trafficGermans LOVE to camp by the water!Another fabulous Rhine River castle!Pretty towns with churches line the banks of the RhineCool weather portrait on the Rhine!

    Oct 3 - Cruising the Rhine

    3 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    This morning and the early afternoon are all about just looking. We sailed all night back up the Moselle to Koblenz and back onto the Rhine River. The Middle Rhine Valley was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. Here, the river forces itself into a narrow, winding valley where the scenery is spectacular with its ancient fortresses, many castles, tiny villages with half-timbered houses, jagged cliffs, old growth forests and hillside vineyards. We’re traveled this stretch three times now and it’s just as enchanting as it was the first time.

    After breakfast, we donned several layers and I added my trusty scarf, toque and gloves, and went to the top deck. We weren’t navigating under any low bridges so the back deck which sits three feet higher than the front deck was open. I walked three miles, around and around, but with ever-changing delightful scenery. Doug chatted with new friends.

    Kilometre 555 marks the location of the 430-ft. high cliff, known as at the Lorelei - it is one of the most famous sights of the Rhine Valley. The river narrows to just over 100 metres, and the treacherous currents and underground rocks have often caused ships to founder. Legend has us imagine the existence of a beautiful maiden sitting on the rock, combing her long hair and singing a sweet song that lures distracted sailors to their destruction. The modern bronze “Lorelei” statue near St. Goarshausen is from 1983.

    I retired inside after 3 hours because my phone battery was almost done - have used only my phone for photos on this trip. Doug had bailed earlier because he was cold. We continued to enjoy the fabulous views from the comfort of the lounge. Then I lost him - again. Found him in the gym working out. He may have been the first person to use that miniature gym on this cruise.

    About 2:00 p.m., the ship arrived in Rúdesheim, a town of 10,500 residents that plays host to over three million tourists per year. We are double-bunked again. We watched with amazement as the captain and his crew nudged the ship to within mere inches of the other ship without so much as the slightest bump. The crew ably hand loaded provisions onto the ship and garbage off the ship.

    More about the day in the next footprint.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Carillon Tower in Rudesheim
    Drosselgasse - Party Street in Rudeheim!!!Delightful buildings everywhere in RudesheimWhimsical storefrontBeautiful view from Niederwald MonumentNiederwald Monument celebrating unification of GermanySweeping view of the valley from the Niederwald MonumentMechanical musical cabinet with violinsMusical CabinetLOUD musical cabinet - no volume control!

    Oct 3 - Rudesheim

    3 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    We left about 3:00 p.m. on a little tram car train to go the Seigfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett for a tour led by the effervescent Rita. This is a museum containing the world’s best collection of self-playing musical instruments - from tiny music boxes to street organ grinders to a huge “Mighty Wurlitzer” pumping out carnival calliope-type music at full volume. We have been to this museum before, but it’s easy to visit again. There is no other museum like it.

    We took the nearby cable car that skims over the vineyards and goes to the Niederwald Monument. Made of 32 tons of bronze, this 35-ft tall symbolic figure of “Germania” was completed in 1883 to commemorate the unification of 25 small states into the country of Germany in 1871. The sweeping views from the hill top gave us yet another look at the beautiful Rhine River.

    We came back down on the cable car (had to stand in line in light rain for 15 minutes) then checked out the great Christmas store and then Drosselgasse - one of Germany's best know streets. This street is only about 10 feet wide and is packed with wine-bars, restaurants and souvenir shops. From lunchtime onwards, it’s full of traditional music and songs that follow contain only one theme - "wine, women and song”.

    We walked back to the ship rather than wait for the tram. Had dinner with Jane and Phil again - lots more laughs. Tonight’s after dinner entertainment, in keeping with the party theme in Rüdesheim, was a traditional Germany folk music band - think oom-ph-pah - done with an accordion, a clarinet and and a trumpet. The band played for about an hour, and 5 minutes after they were off the ship, we set sail. Next destination - Mannheim.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    I would look good driving this beauty!!
    Mechanical music player at Technical Museum in SpeyerGiant mechanical music machine - what a concert!F86 Sabre Jet flown by Canadian Golden HawksVery early automobileSubmarine at Technical Museum in SpeyerSelfie in a submarine!!!Doug in machine heaven!!Airplane mounted at Technical Museum in SpeyerSpeyer Cathedral

    Oct 4 - Speyer

    4 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    We sailed all night and arrived in Mannheim around breakfast time. This will be a technical stop - just long enough for the day trippers to board the buses. The ship will then sail to Germersheim - the buses will drop us off there and we will sail onto Kehl.

    Today’s options were to go to Heidelberg which we have visited before and will be seeing next weekend or to go to Speyer to the Technical Museum there. We chose Speyer. Originally, we would have been going to Hockenheim to the Formula 1 racing track. Doug is a huge F1 fan and was looking forward to that, however, the track was closed today for a special event. Speyer was a good substitute.

    Our guide was Nathalie. She told us some interesting things about Mannheim which is located at the junction of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers. The city is home to major corporations including Daimler, John Deere, Caterpillar, ABB, Fuchs Petrolub, IBM, Roche, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, Phoenix Group, Siemens, and several other well-known companies.

    Mannheim is know for several important inventions. Karl Drais built the first bicycle here in 1817. It was here in 1886 that Karl Benz invented the automobile. His wife, Bertha Benz, took the first road trip in a car. She drove 104 kms with her two young sons to visit relatives in Pforzeim, so ladies, we’ve been driving longer than men have! Julius Hatry built the world’ first rocket plane here in 1929.

    The Technical Museum in Speyer is Doug’s idea of a great museum. It is chocked full of motorcycles, cars, trucks, fire engines, planes, helicopters, locomotives, boats and even a submarine that we were able to walk through. There were mechanical organs to add some culture to the place. We gawked and enjoyed the exhibits for a couple hours, and even braved the light rain outside to climb up into planes.

    Then we took a quick walk to Speyer Cathedral, more properly known as the Imperial Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption and St. Stephen. Begun in 1030, the cathedral is built of red sandstone. It has gone through rebuilding several times and is now a mix of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque styles. In 1981, the cathedral was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List of culturally important sites as "a major monument of Romanesque art in the German Empire”. Oddly, it has very little stained glass - my personal favourite in churches.

    We got back to the ship about 1:30 p.m. It sailed shortly afterwards. Today’s lunch had a Bavarian theme - traditional Bavarian food, pretzels, lots of beer, oom-pah music playing and the waiters were all wearing German hats. Tonight is the Farewell Gala dinner. On the menu are lobster, Chateaubriand beef tenderloin and Baked Alaska!! This ship is a floating food trap!!

    Before we get to that dinner feast, Andreea will give us the instructions for disembarkation on Monday morning. (We will all be at a classical music concert tomorrow night.) We are staying with the cruise, albeit by bus, to explore Switzerland for a couple of days. Most others that we have spoken to are heading home on Monday. It’s a real feat of logistics to get everyone where they need to be after one of these cruises.

    Tomorrow's destination - Strasbourg, France - fifth country of this tour.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Strasbourg Cathedral
    Beautiful stained glass in Strasbourg CathedralThe nave of Strasbourg CathedralRose window of Strasbourg CathedralStrasbourg Selfie!The oldest house in StrasbourgStatue honouring Johannes GutenbergUnique architecture in UNESCO Heritage part of StrasbourgSerene canal in StrasbourgWindow shopping is very dangerous here!

    Oct 5 - Strasbourg

    5 oktober 2019, Frankrike ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C

    Today found us in Strasbourg in the Alsace area of France. Situated near the German border, the area blends German and French influences. Strasbourg is one of the de facto three main capitals of the European Union (alongside Brussels and Luxembourg), and as such, is the seat of several European institutions such as the Council of Europe and the European Ombudsman. It is the second-largest port on the Rhine River, after Duisburg in Germany. Strasbourg’s historic city centre, the Grand Île (Grand Island) became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988, the first time such an honour had been placed on an entire city centre.

    At breakfast, Doug enjoyed watching the nearby gantry crane loading shipping containers onto a boat. In an delightful moment of incongruity, two beautiful white swans swam past our ship - such a contrast to the very industrial nature of the river side.

    Our guide for today was Saber, an Egyptian who came here to study Egyptology at Strasbourg University. The weather is cool and drizzly - again. Apparently at this time last year, Europe was in the throes of a heat wave.

    Strasbourg celebrated its 2000th anniversary in 1988 - it began as a Roman settlement. It was a French city, then a German city, back to being a French city, back to being a German city, and since late 1944, has been a French city. Street names are posted in both French and German, often with no similarity of translation. The city is noted for its sandstone Gothic cathedral with its fabulous astronomical clock, and for its medieval cityscape of black and white timber-framed buildings. The city has many bridges, including the medieval and four-towered Ponte Couverts. One area is called the Petite France district or Gerberviertel ("tanners' district") alongside the River Ill and in the streets and squares surrounding the cathedral. The name Petite France comes from the rampant spread of syphilis in this former Red Light District that was blamed on the French. The name has stuck, but not the reputation of the area. It is now among the most coveted areas for apartments.

    Johannes Gutenberg is revered here - in 1439 he invented the movable-type printing press, which started a printing revolution that lasted until the internet took over in the late 20th century. His influence on information and ideas is truly remarkable. Amongst other things. the printing press was a factor in the establishment of a community of scientists who could easily communicate their discoveries through the establishment of widely disseminated scholarly journals, helping to bring on the scientific revolution. Over the 200 years after the Gutenberg’s invention, the wider availability of printed materials led to a dramatic rise in the adult literacy rate throughout Europe. Social structures were never again the same.

    The cathedral is a stunning building - the exterior is a riot of statues telling allegorical tales, laughing gargoyles and carved flowers. The magnificent stained glass windows were saved from Nazi destruction when they were removed and hidden in a cave. The movie, “The Monument Men” tells the story of their discovery.

    We had some free time, so we wandered the many narrow streets, doing window-shopping. The city is full of little boutiques, selling high-end clothing, jewelry, watches and antiques. There are cafés everywhere, interspersed with cheese and wine stores and little bakeries. The only thing we wanted (and could afford) were some cookies. While we waited at noon for our rendezvous with Saber, the bells on the cathedral pealed for 15 minutes. What a delightful concert! Saber led us back to where the buses have to wait - there are very few vehicles allowed into the old city centre.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Dressed up for once!
    Every hallway should have one of theseCherubs abound at Rastatt PalaceHand decorated wall paper - I estimate 600 stitches to the square inchDefeated Turkish soldiers holding up the ceilingDecoration everywhereEven the floors were works of artAllegorical ceiling decorationIncredibly ornate stucco work everywhere

    Oct 5 - Concert at Rastatt Palace

    5 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C

    We had a late lunch - with another appearance by the white swans.

    Dinner tonight is at 5:30 p.m., rather than at 7:00 p.m. because we are all attending a classical music concert known as a “Scenic Enrichment Event”.

    We traveled about an hour to Rastatt with Rudolf as our guide. His daughter was supposed to be the guide, but she had a date, and when she batted her eyes at him, her father caved and dusted off his English, just for us.

    Schloss Rastatt, also known as Residenzschloss Rastatt, is a Baroque schloss in Rastatt, Germany. The palace and the garden were built between 1700 and 1707 by the Italian architect Domenico Egidio Rossi for Margrave Louis William of Baden-Baden.

    The place is a riot of Baroque architecture cornucopia - over the top hardly describes it - gold and mirrors and tapestries and stucco work - it goes on and on. We were treated to wine and nibbles and a tour of several of the rooms of the palace before the concert. The concert was done by a tenor and a mezzo-soprano, accompanied by a pianist. They sang traditional opera pieces and some more modern selections. It was delightful. A bit of culture during our two-week long floating food, culture and history lesson.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    Delightful hillside house
    Delightful hillside view in the Black Forest400 hundred year old mountain house - now a museumHouse made using over 50,000 handmade shinglesEven on a misty day, the views are breathtakingHouses cling to the side of every hill in the Black ForestA thriving town in the Black ForestThey know how to make Black Forest Cake here!Cow Bell Ringing ConcertOur favourite waiter for three cruises - Satria

    Oct 6 - Exploring the Black Forest

    6 oktober 2019, Tyskland ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    Today’s adventure found us docked in Breisack (pronounced Bry-zack) in Germany. The day was another cool, overcast one with a forecast of rain. Bundle up and pack an umbrella has become our mantra.

    After breakfast, we went by coach for about an hour to Freiburg. Our guide, Gerlinda, told us about the Baden area that we were passing through. The land here is very fertile because of past volcanic activity. We passed fields of corn (for animal feed and ethanol production), millet, pumpkins, mustard and tobacco. There are a lot of walnut trees in this area so walnut bread and walnut cake are local specialities.

    Our destination was Schauinslandbahn - a cable car that took us high up into the Black Forest. The Black Forest got its name from the Romans who came here 2000 years ago. The forest is so densely wooded, that from a distance, it looks black, not green, and foreboding and menacing. The area is ripe with tales about goblins and dwarfs and gnomes and witches that inhabit the forest. We traveled up through light clouds and mist to the top. Our activity was a 4-km walk - all downhill - on good trails. The valleys are dotted with little farms and villages, and the fields are inhabited by contented-looking cows and sheep and goats.

    We stopped at a little house called Schniederlihof. The house is over 400 years old, and until 1966, belonged to the same family that made its living selling dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt). At that time eight siblings living in the house, all in their 20’s, finally recognized the futility of making a living there. They sold the house and land to the local community and then moved to the local village. The house is now a little museum that showcases the life of Black Forest farmers. The man who tends the museum is a descendant of the original family. We toured the parlour, the bedroom, the kitchen (with Black Forest ham smoking in the attic) and the barn. We were rewarded for our walking efforts with Black Forest Cake and hot tea. We hadn’t actually burned the equivalent number of calories, but when in the Black Forest…….

    Back at the ship, we actually had to wait a while to board. We had been double-bunked with another ship. It was time for it to sail, so our ship had to pull out, wait for the other ship to sail, and then pull back in. There was our captain again, making sure the gangplank was secure. He is definitely a hands-on captain.

    The entertainment for this afternoon was called “Four Hands over 50 Bells”. It was a duo who played tunes, both traditional and modern, on cow bells. It was a delightful, upbeat show. Promptly on cue, we sailed at 4:00 p.m. Next stop - Basel, Switzerland. That will be the sixth country of this cruise.    Läs mer

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  • Maureen's Travels2019 European AdventureResenär
    How's that for a view from a highway rest stop? It's Lake Guyère
    Sunny selfie at Lake GuyèreGlorious view over Lake Geneva in VeveyGlorious Lake GenevaStick a fork in me!Tribute to Charlie Chaplin in VeveyCharlie Chaplin in his most famous role as "The Tramp"Charlie Chaplin's two OscarsCharlie Chaplin in his later years - his wife Oona behind himChateau de Chillon - a former prison!

    Oct 7 - Vevey

    7 oktober 2019, Schweiz ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    The noise in the hallways started at 6:00 a.m. as many people had early morning departure arrangements. As a result, we were at breakfast much earlier than we had intended. We said a fond farewell to our favourite waiter, Satria.

    Our departure time was 9:15 a.m. The day was, yes, you guessed it, cool and overcast with a threat of rain. Such is life in Europe in the fall. Our guide for the Switzerland leg of this trip is William, an Aussie who has studied German and poetry and is now working as a tour director. We set off from Basel heading south. The light rain couldn’t take away from the lovely views - hills and green fields of corn and cabbage and contented cows. Finally, to our amazement, the sun came out. We stopped in Guyùre for a pit stop at a complex overlooking Lake Guyùre. That is the best view I’ve ever seen from a pit stop.

    William gave us the shortened version of Switzerland’s history. It has no natural resources, other than its beauty. It has had compulsory military service for hundreds of years and began long ago to rent out its soldiers to other powers who needed extra manpower. That is why the Vatican is protected by the Swiss Guards. (Only Catholic soldiers are assigned there.) Because the country is surrounded by mountains and it’s hard to access, it became a place where the wealthy liked to stash their wealth, and so Switzerland became a banking superpower, and today has a stable, prosperous and high-tech economy.

    Switzerland has four official languages - German, French, Italian and Romansh. We were in the French area much of today - it was nice to be able to decode signs with our rudimentary command of the French language.

    Warning - I’m going to be on superlative overload for this Switzerland leg of our trip. The scenery everywhere is just breathtaking. We arrived around noon in the small town of Vevey located on the north shore of Lake Geneva. It’s famous for three things, other than its idyllic setting. It’s the headquarters for Nestlé; it was the home of Charlie Chaplin for many years; and it’s the home of Lavaux Vineyard Terraces - a World Heritage Site - where winemaking has been in existence since the 11th century. William gave us a short orientation walk and then gave us time to explore and find lunch. We had made a couple of sandwiches at breakfast. We found the local grocery store and got yogurt and chocolate. We sat by the water and soaked up the sun and view. Eventually, we had to tear ourselves away and head to the bus (driven by Ivan, not Ivan the Terrible) and head to the Charlie Chaplin Museum.

    Charlie Chaplin grew up in abject poverty in London, and rose to fame in the era of silent films. His on-screen persona, “The Tramp” is considered to be one of the most important figures in the history of film. During the House Un-American Activities hearings of the 1950s, Chaplin was accused of being a Communist sympathizer. He created scandal through his involvement in a paternity suit and his marriages to much younger women. He was forced to leave the United States and settle in Switzerland. He and his wife Oona, daughter of American playwright Eugene O’Neill, lived there and had eight children. He died on Christmas Day, 1977 at the age of 88 and was buried near Vevey.

    The museum showed numerous clips from his many films and showcased items like one of the tramp shoes (the other is on loan for a display in Paris) and his two Oscars. We could have spent a whole day there. There is a documentary out there somewhere about his life - watch it if you can. He was a fascinating man and pioneered many film making techniques. He wrote the song, "Smile" - such a poignant song.

    We had one last stop before getting to our hotel. It was Château de Chillon, an island castle located on the shore of Lake Geneva that was once used as a prison - likely the most picturesque setting for any prison in the world.

    Our hotel in Montreux is the Hotel Fairmont Montreux Palace. It’s an old, elegant place full of marble and beautiful moldings and confusing elevator accesses because it’s built into the side of a hill. William gave us an orientation tour of the town and let us loose for the evening. We found the grocery store (two storey with an moving staircase to accommodate carts and strollers) and got salads, croissants, grapes and milk. We ate dinner by the water as we soaked up the view of the sun setting on Lake Geneva, then strolled along the promenade. There, in the distance, was the Matterhorn. The promenade hugs the edge of the lake and is lined with trees and bushes and flowers, as well as unique sculptures. We have free time tomorrow morning - we’ll be strolling along it again. What a delight. It beat out the Promenade des Anglais in Nice as our favourite promenade.

    With good internet, I booked our train tickets for Friday to go to Mannheim and Monday to go to Paris.

    We are taking a train tomorrow to Château d’Oex. Weather forecast is looking good.

    Will do pictures later. It's been a LONG day!    Läs mer

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