Series: 2015 Europe

We left Brisbane at 0230 this morning on an Emirates flight to Singapore, Dubai then on to Amsterdam. Each leg was 7-8 hours and stopovers 1-2 hours. I think this was easier than the last trip to England with a long 14 hour leg direct to Dubai. It was nice to get off the plane and stretch the legs and then it was time to board again. Last leg was only half full so we had 4 seats! We landed in Amsterdam at 1940, cleared customs, then caught a cab to our hotel in the middle of the old town. We were both tired so a cup of tea then off to sleep.

We awoke Friday morning to blue skies and a forecast of 27 degrees. We wandered through the old town with its “dancing houses”, canals and 800,000 bicycles. Bikes rule here so you need to keep alert!

The weather had all the locals out in all manner of vessels cruising the canals with shirts off. After lunch we visited the Resistance Museum that told the story of Amsterdam people during the war. Well presented and very interesting. Saturday morning we headed to the Amsterdam museum where we learnt that all of Amsterdam is built on piles to support the buildings in the soft sand (14000 under the Royal Palace). The houses dance (tilt) when the piles start to sink. The history to Amsterdam from its beginnings, through the Golden Age when the Dutch were a trading power to present times are depicted through informative exhibits and massive paintings.

Saturday afternoon we boarded our home for the next week, the Avalon Tranquility II. We are going to cruise up the Rhine to Basel in Switzerland. The ship is brand new and we are looking forward to a week of fantastic views, gourmet dining and making new friends. Our friend Jane who is also cruising had a bad start to the trip when her flight from Birmingham was cancelled! Jane and her friend Michelle eventually made it to the ship at 2000.

Sunday morning we were off on a canal cruise to get a new perspective of Amsterdam, then a trip to the Maritime Museum in the afternoon. At 1700, we dropped our lines for an overnight passage that would take us into Germany. No watches to stand and so little motion that you need to look out the panorama windows to see we are moving!

We took 23 hours to sail from Amsterdam to Cologne. Leaving at 1645 we went through much of the industrial areas at night and then watched the kilometre marks on the river count down during the day while we enjoyed the beautiful food prepared by chef Michael and his team.

We passed through our first lock today. This one had a bit of room to spare but some are 38 feet wide while our ship was 37.5 feet!!

As the twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral came into sight we started to get excited about our first tour ashore. There were walking tours at all towns and we found the locals very informative and proud of their history.

Unfortunately the Roman History museum was closed however we could view the spectacular mosaic floor discovered when they started excavating under Cologne.

We had left Cologne at 2300 and awoke beside the town of Koblenz. One of the advantages of a cruise is that you are usually moored right in the centre of the town.

A guided walking tour showed us the highlights of Koblenz  including this cheeky statue.

All aboard by 1030 then we sat up on deck to view the 25 castles of the Rhine Gorge. Some were in ruins while others had been partially or fully restored.

This was the only day we sat on deck and took in the views! There was a lot of traffic on the river which was very narrow in parts.

They have a triangular light system that tells the captain where ships are on the river although no doubt this has been superceded by AIS to some extent.

During the Second World War, the Allies said they would not bomb German castles. The Germans therefore camouflaged railway tunnels as castles so they would not be destroyed.

Our afternoon was spent at the amazing Museum of Mechanical Music in Rudesheim. Pictures cannot do this visit justice so I have uploaded a couple of short videos.

The above amazing machine incorporates violins and pianola.

We awoke to find ourselves moored in the centre of Mainz, famous for its Gutenberg Museum where we saw two of the 180 bibles printed by Gutenberg in this town. Only 48 are thought to have survived with only 21 complete copies. A complete copy is now thought to be worth $25 million.

Our afternoon was spent in Heidelberg, a 1 hour bus trip from the ship, with Heidelberg Castle an amazing highlight. The town is built on the Neckar River and the castle sits high on the hill overlooking the town.

This was another castle ruined during the Thirty Years War which ended in 1648. Lightning and fires caused further damage in the 18th century.

The parts that remain are spectacular!

We were bussed back to Mannheim where we rejoined the Tranquility II and set sail for Strasbourg. Entertainment tonight was a crew show that had us all laughing.

We arrived in Strasbourg at 0730 and boarded a canal boat for a cruise of this old city (the only French town we visit).

A spectacular cathedral sits in the centre of the old town which is actually an island. It is considered one of the best examples of Gothic architecture and was certainly impressive.

It contains beautiful stained glass windows and an astronomical clock which was finished in 1843 and replaced a previous clock from the late 16th century.

In the afternoon Warren and I split up for the optional excursions. I went on a bus tour of the French countryside in the Alsace region which included a wine tasting.

Warren travelled to the tunnels of the Maginot line. This line of fortifications was constructed by France in the 1930s just inside the borders of Switzerland, Germany and Luxembourg. It didn’t go along the Belgium border however and this is how the Germans invaded France during WW2.

We awoke Friday morning to find ourselves back in Germany at Breisach.

Our morning was spent on a bus trip to the Black Forest and a trip to a local Cuckoo Clock makers shop.

Adolf Herr and his son had visited the ship the night before and gave a talk and demonstration of wood carving. Michelle and many others purchased cuckoo clocks and we all enjoyed Black Forest cake for morning tea.

We spent the afternoon wandering around Breisach before we departed for our final leg of the trip to Basel.

We have spent the last 8 days cruising up the Rhine River from Amsterdam to Basel. We have sailed from The Netherlands, through Germany and France to finish in Switzerland. Most of the travelling has been late afternoon or evening so you awake each morning at a new town. The Avalon Tranquility II was a beautiful ship with friendly staff and wonderful food.

I think we saw a lot more of Germany than by other means and it was nice not having to pack up every few days. It was a bit hectic and it would have been nice to enjoy time on the ship more during the day.

It was a great way to celebrate our birthdays and especially as it was with our great friend Jane.

We departed the Tranquility II in Basel and headed to our hotel for the night. We caught the trams up to the center of town and admired the Rathaus (Town Hall).

We enjoyed our last dinner with Jane and Michelle as they were heading back to England while we were off to spend a week in Switzerland, starting with 2 nights in Lausanne. We arrived after a comfortable 2 hour train trip to discover our fantastic room at the Angleterre and Residence.

We spent an enjoyable afternoon visiting the Olympic Museum on Jane’s recommendation.

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On Monday, we caught a ferry across Lake Geneva to France and the town of Evian (famous for its mineral water).

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