Sunday, October 15

We've been up since 4:00 Lucerne time for our trip home!

Vern and I left the hotel by 6 to go to the airport and Dawn and Al by 7:00. 

We had a direct flight and arrived in Newark at 12:43 and home a few hours later. 

Dawn and Al flew from Zurich to Paris to Atlanta. They are on their way home from the Atlanta airport as I write this. 

It was an awesome trip with wonderful friends!  

We hope you've enjoyed this blog as much as I've enjoyed writing it. 

Thank you for being part of our memorable journey!  Until next time.....

Saturday, October 14

Today was another very busy day!  We were on a tour from 9 this morning until 9 tonight!  It was a wonderful experience that started with a scenic boat ride on Lake Lucerne.   The boat took us to get on board the world's steepest cogwheel railway to the spectacular Mt. Pilatus.  Some of the mountains that look like they are snow covered are actually glaciers. 

After an hour of taking picture after picture of the breathtaking views of the Alps, we descended the mountain by gondola and cable car.

We went by bus to the sprawling Einsiedeln Benedictine Abbey.   It was extremely ornate with a boarding school attached that boards between 400-500 children. 

We continued to a local dairy farm where we got up close and personal to cows. It was very interesting. 

From there, we went to a cheese producer and helped to make cheese. Then we enjoyed a cheese fondue dinner. 

Friday, October 13

 We left by bus from Basel this morning.  Basel is on the corner of Germany, Switzerland, and France.  I had one foot in front of the other and my hand was touching the window of the bus. Does that mean I had a body part in each country?  

We drove through mountain tunnels, industrial areas, government subsidized farms, rolling landscapes, and orchards and 1-1/2 hours later were in Lucerne. 

Some things we learned from our bus and walking tour guides today--

--Every resident of Switzerland must have a fall-out shelter. 

--Fruit does not get exported. It goes into making schnapps. 

--7 presidents in Switzerland from different areas and they all must agree

--Lucerne is the Heart of the alps

--Swiss people are very reserved and think Americans are loud and overly friendly!  We tried to behave ourselves!We see snow capped alps from our beautiful 5 star hotel!  It is amazing!

Hotel

Vern walking up steps instead of taking the elevator!

Night view from hotel. 

Thursday, October 12

We spent some of the morning getting our things organized for our ship departure tomorrow morning. 

We also walked around the town of Breisach. It was a quaint area with macadam streets, but cobblestone walkways and parking areas.  Homes come right up to the walkways. 

It is so surprising to us that so many people in Europe still smoke. There was even a cigarette vending machine!

After a delicious lunch, we got on a bus to go to the Black Forest. It was 1-1/2 hours each way and many hairpin turns!! We were all disappointed that we only had an hour at the destination. However, the ride there was filled with information by our guide. We passed wine-producing villages with the vineyards growing in terraces on the mountainside. Once we arrived, we watched a demonstration of cuckoo clocks and had a lesson on making a Black Forrest cake. No samples!!  The clocks were beautiful!!

Dinner was extra special tonight. We sat there for 2-1/2 hours. 

We've met new friends from Tampa and have really enjoyed their company. We'll be sad to say good-bye to them tomorrow. They are on a different trip extension than we are. 

Wednesday, October 11

More about yesterday.....

After our tour and exploring in Strasbourg, we came back to the ship in Kehl. 

We had a cooking demonstration by our Chef Peter. He made Flammkuchen and, of course, a sample for everyone!  It's similar to pizza. I have the recipe and it seems very easy. I hope to try it!!

And, because we don't stop eating on this cruise, we had a German buffet dinner!

All types of sausages (Vern was in his glory), red cabbage, snitzel (veal and chicken), spaetzel, bread filling balls, potato salad, and of course sauerkraut were all part of the menu!

The waiters and waitresses were dressed in local garb. 

Local beer was overflowing!

After lingering over dinner, Dawn and I wrapped ourselves in blankets to go out on the deck as the ship went through a lock. It was interesting to watch!  It was so different from going through the lock in the Panama Canal!

And, a picture going through.....

And, now we're ready to continue.....

Wednesday, October 11

I had a very difficult time posting last night and finally it went through today. 

So, I decided to start a little earlier today. I'm thinking too many pictures hold it up!

We are in Kehl, Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The right bank is France. 

We left the ship and went by bus for a walking city tour of Strasbourg with its cobblestone street, wooden houses, and picturesque canals. 

In Cathedral Square, we saw the magnificently restored Strasbourg Cathedral towering above merchant houses.  One of the finest of Europe's great Gothic cathedrals, it's 465 foot tall spires make it the tallest medieval building in Europe. We admired the Gothic rosette window, beautiful red sandstone portal, and the remarkable astronomical clock!

It has been an awesome day so far and the first day without rain!  Yippee!

Tuesday, October 10

First of all, what a great time last night!  Great dinner, wine, and dancing!  Al even got up and was doing a jig!

We arrived in Mannheim this morning, journeyed to Heidelberg by bus, went on a guided tour of Heidelberg Castle, walking tour through town, and some free time to shop. 

We also enjoyed some yummy pretzels while in the town. 

We were then bused to Speyer where the ship was waiting. 

We had a great time after dinner at the music quiz in the lounge!

Another busy day!

"Chow for now" as our Program Director on ship would say!

Monday, October 9

We got off the ship in Koblenz for a shore excursion of Marksburg Castle. It is a beautifully preserved, 700 year old hilltop fortress. Spectacular views of Braunschweig, the Rhine, and surrounding countryside from its 550 foot perch. 

We got back on the ship in Braubach. 

The next 3 hours, we enjoyed spectacular views as we sailed through one of Germany's most scenic regions. We sat on the top deck on deck chairs. A few drops of rain here and there, but we are getting use to that now!  We passed vineyard-blanketed hills, splendid castles, towns, and dramatic rocks along tall banks. And, most impressive was the Lorelei Rock, at a dramatic curve in the river. This river maiden mesmerized sailors with her song and lured them to their demise at her feet. 

Cocoa, alone or with rum, was served on the top deck while we enjoyed the sights!

Back in the lounge, we learned how to make Rudesheim Coffee (coffee, warm brandy, and sugar) and had coffee and tea time. 

We have just docked in Rudesheim and have some time before we go into town for a festive dinner, traditional music, and, I suppose, lots of beer!  I know it will be late when we return, so I wanted to let you all know about our day!

I hope you all are have a great day across the pond!

Sunday, October 8

This morning we did a walking tour in the historic city of Cologne. It is crowned by Northern Europe's Largest Cathedral. It is majestic and spectacular!  Construction began in 1248, continued in several stages over 7 centuries, and finally completed in 1880. There was some damage during WWII. It is still being repaired. 

90% of Cologne was destroyed during WWII. 

This afternoon we went to a chocolate factory on a cute little tram. We didn't take a tour but we did buy candy!

A bridge near the ship is very unique--couples write their names on locks, put the locks around a rail, lock it, and throw the key in the Rhine. They are pledging their love forever. Ahhhh.,,,,,

Dinner was delicious, as usual, and since we couldn't decide on a dessert, we were brought two! Here's a pic of my pork tenderloin and 2 desserts!

We have to keep walking A LOT to walk off all this food we are eating!  Yum!

Saturday, October 7

The rain and temps of between 51 and 56 degrees didn't stop us from having a great day!

After a wonderful breakfast, we bungled up for our shore excursion to see the Kinderdijk Windmills in South Holland. We walked across a dyke to a network of 19 remarkably preserved, 18th century windmills and ingenious flood-management devices. Families actually live in these windmills and are required to keep them in working order. 

When we came back to the ship, it was time for safety instructions. 

Lunch, nautical talk,  "All Things Dutch" presentation, and Dutch teatime took up our indoor afternoon!

Dinner was delectable!  

Picture of the peanut butter, chocolate, caramel dessert!   My mouth is watering as I write about it!

We entered Germany at 9:00 this evening and then had a German lesson!  Oh, my, I should have tried to learn more from Libby!

Gute Nacht

Friday, October 6

Got on the ship safely at 3:15.  Only 4 decks including the sun deck. 186 guests on the ship. It is beautiful and elegant!

Forgot to take a picture of our delicious dinner at 7:00!  We enjoyed so much talking to Dawn, Al, and another couple from Oklahoma. 

Then we enjoyed dancing to a Retro group!  

The ship will be leaving the dock at 11:30 pm. 

Another tiring day!

Good Night!!

Friday, October 6

We will be leaving the hotel shortly for the boat/ship and wanted to share some thoughts before we leave. 

Coffee Shops -- almost everything sold in them have marijuana in it.....coffee, cookies, etc. I'm not writing this because of experience!  Don't worry, kids, we haven't changed that much!!!!  

Marijuana and prostitution are not legal, but everyone just turns their backs to it and it's tolerated. People say, "the more laws you make, the more you have to make"!

TV -- Programs we saw were in English, but close captioning is in Dutch. All commercials were in Dutch. 

Many homes have bike ramps so

people can take their bikes in and out of their homes. 

Sky was blue this morning, Dawn and Al saw a beautiful rainbow, so we thought it was safe to do some exploring!  Hmmm....Walked about a block, large black cloud, wind, and a hard rain came.

Wet again!!!

However, when the sun came out, we found a cute little cafe along a canal and had scones and tea for the ladies. The men enjoyed coffee and pastry. 

We took some new roads on the way back to the hotel!  Along all of our walks in Amsterdam, we crossed charming canals, colorful umbrellas, people enjoying outdoor eating, young people walking back and forth to the University, lots of people smoking (not only cigarettes!!), and crazy people on bikes and motorcycles!  Fun to explore!

Hotel

Scone for lunch, Marla!!!

Thursday, October 5

Back again with a few comments. 

Walked around Red Light District--recommended by 3 people--don't really know what to say about it. Use your own imagination!

Also, found out why all the wind and rain....Hurricane Maria!  No comment!

Thursday, October 5

Oops!  The last entry was sent by mistake before I finished. I'll catch on to this blogging by the time we get home!!

Dutch pancake!!  Yum!!  It was a huge plate and the pancake took up the whole thing!

After lunch, we had tickets for the Anne Frank House. Dawn ordered them 2 months ago!  It was touching and some-

thing I wouldn't have wanted to miss. 

So far today, we have walked 11,000 steps!  I need to walk off that pancake!!!