Rhine Getaway Day 8 - Basel, Switzerland to Home Sweet Home

We are back home. The flights from Basel to Amsterdam (KLM) and Amsterdam to Portland (Delta) went off without a hitch. It seems like they went really fast, and I SLEPT probably six hours total between them. SO YAY!   When I was awake, I watched a movie called Yesterday. So cute! I also listened to my audiobook: Into Thin Air because I am leading a book club discussion tonight. 

We came in an hour early to Portland. The only bugaboo was that only two of the eight Global Entry kiosks were working. So, it was actually longer to go through that line since we were first off the plane and could have gone to the regular immigration kiosks that were working. So much for paying extra money to expedite things. :)

Today, I am going to do a little comparison between our last cruise (Grand European Amsterdam to Budapest, 15 days) and this cruise (Rhine Getaway, Amsterdam to Basel, 8 days). 

Things We Liked Better on this Cruise: 

- PROGRAM DIRECTOR: Nancy was superb. As I mentioned in the previous post, her narration of the Romantic Rhine castles was so lovely. The program director from the last cruise was a stressed-out curmudgeon at times (refusing to even narrate for those on top of the boat when only one person wanted to stay inside). That director got more relaxed toward the end of the trip but after Nancy, I realize how terrible the last one was by comparison. 

- BOAT: This boat was a four-month-old longship. The last one was their oldest ship in the fleet that would be retired after its trip back from Budapest to Amsterdam. The longships are beautifully decorated and spacious. The old ship did not have even enough room in the lounge to house all the people on the ship. The dining room was also very crowded.

- AQUAVIT TERRACE: Even though it was cold, we sat out there during the castles, and it was lovely being in the bow and having lunch service out there. There is also an inside eating area. We never ate dinner there because it was dark at that time, but I bet that it is a popular place to eat dinner in the summertime. It is much smaller and more intimate too. 

- THE CAPTAIN: Funny and polite. The last captain was very shy. You could tell he hated having to talk in front of people. 

- LOCAL MENU OPTION: There was a special menu that had the dishes from the place we were visiting. That is new since our last cruise and based on passenger feedback. We especially liked the Dutch menu.

- VERANDA DECK: We like spending time in our room, and this allowed us to still sit outside and enjoy the view. We are Oregonians. So we did not mind the cold. George had his quiet time out there almost every single day. We paid extra for this, and we feel like it was worth it. 

- NO SLOPPY DRUNK PEOPLE: Last time, we had a "party" group that did not come together but found each other and could be quite disruptive at times. They dragged throughout tours because they were so hungover from partying the night before. No such people this time. 

Things We Liked Better on Our Last Cruise

- ITINERARY: Most of the places we stopped at on the Grand European put us right in the heart of the city whereas, on this cruise, we docked in a smaller, less interesting town and were bused to the interesting cities on the tour. So this meant much more time on buses and in transit versus just getting off the boat and being there. This meant less time in the cities, and I always felt like 1-2 hours to explore the city was not enough time. 

Cologne was an exception to that as we were there until very late that evening both times, but even with that, now they bus you from a smaller city (Zons) and the boat eventually meets you at Cologne. That is a change from our last itinerary where we just walked off the boat into the heart of the city. We also like the Danube River better than the Rhine. As one person on our trip put it, it is magical, and I would have to agree. 

- FIFTEEN DAYS VERSUS EIGHT DAYS: We realized this cruise was too short. Fifteen days was much more time to enjoy Europe. Relationships had more time to form on the last cruise too. 

- LESS STAFF: There were many more waiters and waitresses in the dining room last time. There was also a concierge who would give you directions to things to do in the city. I think it was a big mistake to get rid of the concierge. 

- FEWER CHEESES: One of my favorite things about the last cruise was the vast selection of about ten local kinds of cheese at breakfast that changed with the area we were in. This time, there were the same three kinds of cheese every time.

- NO RHINE BOOKS: Last time, we had a book about the Rhine River that pointed out all the different things we were seeing on the way. I did not bring mine from last time because I assumed we would get another one. Of course, Nancy did narrate the most important part to us. Last time, I was the narrator (read from that book) for the people up on deck since our last director refused to do it. 

LIKED THEM EQUALLY

- FOOD: Excellent presentation and taste. I had a better strategy for eating this time so I did not gain as much weight. (Eating a very light breakfast off the buffet upstairs and only eating the heavier cooked meal twice.)

- PEOPLE: They were interesting and reciprocal in conversation. While there were still older people, there were many younger people this time. Eight days was not long enough to get to know 180 people. Last time we had fifteen and 148 people. I really like getting to know others and people on both cruises were much more relational than our Rick Steves Tour in France last year. 

- SERVICE: Even though they had less staff, the staff we did have was wonderful. It just took longer, but we did not mind. The person who took care of our room was EXCELLENT, by the way. 

- AMSTERDAM, KINDERDIJK, COLOGNE: We loved going to these places again. We got to see things we missed in Amsterdam last time. Biking the windmills was such fun in Kinderdijk, and we did two of the same things we did last time in Cologne (climbing the tower and going up to the Cologne Triangle) and loved them just as much. We also did a few new things (like eating Picasso Chocolate, oh my). The only thing that was not as interesting was going to Marksburg Castle again, but there wasn't really much to do there unless we paid that extra money for another excursion in Koblenz (This should have been on the "did not like as much category." Last time, we docked right in Koblenz very early. If we had done it this time, we could have gone into the city and toured around there and only had to pay for a taxi ride of 45 Euros to where the boat had moved on to at Marksburg Castle. As it was, it would have cost us about 100 Euros to go from Marksburg to Koblenz and back. I cannot complain though because I had spent two days researching Koblenz only to find they do not dock there. When I told the customer service this, they gave me a credit for my trouble.) It was fine to see Marksburg again, but you could not see the Rhine because of the fog. The rest of the day was a repeat, but seeing the Rhine castles in the fall was amazing. The colors just popped! It was a totally different experience than seeing it in the spring. So I didn't mind doing that again!

- FALL versus SPRING: The weather was so much colder, but I didn't mind because of the beautiful fall leaves everywhere we went, and we are Oregonians, by golly. We go out in any weather, and I had just the right clothes for it this time. While it was warmer last time, I thought it would be much warmer. Consequently, I did not bring the right clothing so I ended up being colder in the spring than in the fall! I didn't mind the light rain that only happened on one tour (Heidelburg) for about fifteen minutes. We had more rain in a downpour in Nuremberg on our first cruise. I also liked that the fall afforded us less crowding because there were fewer people visiting the places we went to. 

Personally, I did better emotionally on this trip. Not that I did not have a great time last time, but I am not as much of a people-pleaser now. I didn't need to "fit in" with others. I didn't feel excluded (something I used to struggle with) when people wanted to sit with people and were saving seats in the dining room (actually 1/3 to 1/2 of the boat included pre-established groups of 4-10 people - something that did not happen last time. The only groups last time were four Oregonians and three New Yorkers, both of whom we hung around with at different times on the trip).

I kept on reminding myself that my primary reason for being there was not to make new friends but to be with George and to celebrate our 30th. He was my focus, and that was all the relationship I needed. Anything beyond that was the icing on the cake. As it was, we met some really lovely people on this trip. I think we will stay in touch with the Atlanta gang. 

George only had one negative interaction with another passenger, He YELLED at George because George moved his chair back unknowingly making it so that this man could not see the screen (that had nothing on it by the way). I had my back to him and heard a man yelling and did not know why. It was pretty weird. There is a way to say that nicely, but I don't think this man knows how to be very nice.

Thankfully, we were never on any tours with this man but I observed him frowning on many occasions.  Actually, there were many more unpleasant individuals on our last cruise, but we had no negative interactions but just observed them. This man's wife was also not a happy person. She complained through the entire tour of the Marksburg Castle (thankfully her frowning husband must have stayed on the boat for this tour because he was not with her), but it did not bother me (and would have five years ago). 

That was probably more information that I needed to share, but there is growth in me, and I am happy about that.

I am also pleased I was able to get meaningful time with God every day and also connect with him amid our activities. 

All in all, it was a GREAT trip, and I cannot believe it is over!

Rhine Getaway Day 7 - The Black Forest, Germany and Colmar, France

Hiking in the Black Forest of Germany

I am up really early for our flight out. I will have to make this very short as we need to get our luggage out our door at 3:30am and leave for the airport at 4:30am to catch a flight from Basel to Amsterdam and Amsterdam for Home Sweet Home!

Yesterday was another wonderful day. I had an excellent night of sleep and went to the ship's library for great time with God before anyone was up. I have really loved this little travel devotional, God is With You Wherever You Go. Yesterday's was about taking in each moment instead of trying to capture it on your cell phone camera. There was a little exercise to take five minutes out of your busy day of activity that always accompanies vacations and just breathe it all in - experience the sunset sort of thing. Then to just listen. Isn't that a great exercise for every day and not just on a vacation?

Anywho, had breakfast in the dining room (most days we grabbed lighter food from the Aqua Vit Terrace buffet and brought it back to our room to eat on our veranda) with the cutest couple in their 80s, Dominique and his wife (her middle name is Ann, but I cannot remember her first name). Dom was in the Navy and in the waters near Cuba encountering Russian ships during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Say what? LOVED his stories.

We boarded buses at 8:30am that took us on a scenic route up to the snow-covered highest point (4,898 feet) of the Black Forest of Germany.

Charming Village at the Top of the Black Forest

 It was so beautiful. Our end point brought us to chalets where some could go to the assembling of a cuckoo clock, but we went on a hike up the Ravenna Gorge. 

Then, we went to a demonstration of how to make a Black Forest Cake that was excellent! 

After busing back and lunching with more wonderful people, Frank and Janine from Massachusetts, we went to the charming Alsatian town of Colmar, France. We had Laura, the same guide from our Black Forest tour. She is a 30 year old English woman who moved to France when she was five years old because her parents wanted to have a different life for her twin sister, Rebecca, and her brother. We called her "Laura the Explorer" (because Dominique misheard her and thought she was Dora the Explorer). 

Laura the Explorer - Our Guide

She gave us a detailed, one hour walking tour. Colmar is home of the creator of the Statue of Liberty. So this replica is the first thing we saw as we entered the city. 



Laura told us about  a fun tradition that dates back centuries called "The Blessing of the Chalk." During Epiphany (January 6), Catholics mark their homes with chalk signifying that their homes are homes where Christ lives. Usually, families gather around the front door of the home, saying a prayer before a family member makes a mark on the doorpost. Then they pass it on to the next family member to make the next mark. The "CMB" refers to the names of the three Wise Men traditionally referred to as Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. It can also stand for the Latin phrase Christus mansionem benedicat, which translates to "May Christ bless this home." The numbers preceding and following symbolize the year with crosses in between. This is what having a guide to a city does for you! We would have never noticed this if not for "Laura the Explorer"! 

The Blessing of the Chalk

Tiniest House in Colmar - No Ground Floor = No taxes! 

The Unterlinden Museum was CLOSED! BUMMER!

My only critique of this tour is that she did not take us to the quintessential part of Colmar: "Petit Venise"! I have no idea why. When you think of Colmar, you think of those iconic buildings lining the canal. As it was, we walked down there by ourselves because we knew it was there but wish we could have done it for the tour as we did not have much time to walk along there because we were on a mission to taste a flaming Apple and Calvados Tarte Flambee!

Here is the video link on Instagram in case the embed one does not show up: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5DT3hYnyEs/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Tarte Flambee with apples and calvados!

A post shared by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Nov 19, 2019 at 12:17pm PST

YUM!

I think I like the savory Tarte Flambee better than the sweet, but this was something I had to try because of the flaming presentation!

We also tried two of the famous Alsatian wines, Gewurztraminer (ladies wine) and Muscat. I liked the "Ladies Wine" better! 

After this, we went to the Dominican Church to see the famous Virgin in the Rosebush. Alas, it was closed. :(

Then, we found some Cremant D'Alsace (and I had to say that about three times until the French-speaking person behind the counter knew what I was saying - must work on my French pronunciation) and Sylvaner. 

We left Charming Colmar as the Christmas lights came on. By Friday, these streets will be CROWDED with people in the Christmas Market.

We came back to pack and celebrate our final dinner with great new friends. We all went around the table to share what we found to be the most life-giving thing about the trip. 

Brandy and Lydia from Atlanta. Mary Ida and Christ had already gone to bed! 

We had a great time and will forever remember our trip down the Rhine!

Rhine Getaway Day 6 - Strasbourg, France

Carol is excited to be in Strasbourg, France!

Our boat docked in Kehl, Germany, but we were up and out the door at 8:30 to bus to the charming Alsatian city of Strasbourg, France. What a gorgeous city. I didn't take as many pictures today so most of them are on our other camera. 

We toured "Petite France" with the sweet half-timbered houses that look almost German. Well, they sort of are. Alsace has been part of both Germany and France throughout history as the Germans have always thought the border should be at the Vosges Mountains, and the French have always thought it should be at the Rhine River. Right now, the French win. 

View the video on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B5AChv0nEbh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

We also went into the center of town where they are setting up for the Christmas Market that starts on Friday.  

After a tour of the town, we went into the gorgeous Strasbourg Cathedral. It was lovely. Again, George got most of the shots while I did the video. As soon as we were done we went up 332 steps to the top of the tower (surprise, surprise - Weavers have this thing about towers).

 

We were able to do a bit of shopping for the famous gingerbread and kugelhopf cake. We got small portions that we hope to carry in our suitcase to our son who turns 25 on this day while we are away (sniff, sniff).

We bused back to the dock at Kehl, ate lunch, and then took an hour-long nap. The only thing we did not do while we were in Strasbourg was eating Tarte Flambe (French name)/Flammenkuechen German Name. The place that was supposedly the best was closed, and we did not enough time to look for another restaurant before the bus went back to the boat. We could have stayed in town and waited for a later shuttle, but we were just TOO TIRED, and we knew that the chef was going to teach us how to do it at 5pm. So, we opted for coming back to the boat, eating lunch, and taking another nap! 

After the nap, the sun came out, and we decided to go to a tower (What? Another tower for the Weavers? How could it be?) and climb up to get a view of the Rhine, Vosges Mountains, and the city of Kehl.

 

After this, we walked a charming little path to the charming city of Kehl.

 

After this, we were given a demonstration on how to make Tarte Flambe, and here is my first taste:

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Flammkuchen

A post shared by Carol Weaver (@carolfoasia) on Nov 18, 2019 at 8:41am PST

George went to a mandatory meeting about disembarking (no way is this already over - and surprise that I would not want to go to a MEETING), and I blogged this post. 

Wonderful Program Director, Nancy

Wonderful Atlanta Peeps, Brandy, Mary Ida, and Chris

After the meeting, we had a fun German Feast with the staff dressing in German outfits. It was fun and festive. We ran into our Atlanta friends who went on the seven-hour "Taste of Alsace" tour where they went around with a foodie and a wine expert (called a "sommelier" for you wine people). This is one we really debated long and hard about, but we are not big wine people. The Atlanta people said they thought about us while they were doing it. That was so sweet. I wish we could have done it with them because they are such great and kind people. Brandy said, "I feel like we have known you already" or something to that effect. Anywho, we lived it vicariously through them. :) And I think I was SUPER tired and really needed an afternoon to rest, reflect, and then we just went for that great walk and hike up to the top of the tower. So, we made a healthy choice. 

After this, we just could not do the dancing activity for the evening and fell fast asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow. I think it was at 9pm!

Our last full day is going to be a trip through the Black Forest. We have an option to go to the cuckoo clocks or go for a hike up Ravenna Gorge. Guess which one the Weavers are going to take?  It probably will be a no-brainer if you know us well. THE HIKE!

I am going to put the pictures from our Fuji camera. I wish I had been transferring them over to here, but I just got around to doing it this morning. :) Enjoy these at the end:

We Climbed This Tower - 332 steps

Strasbourg from the Tower