Monday, November 7th to November 8th flight from DFW to Basel
We opted to go in a few days early since Greg nor I had spent time near Basel. Air was included in the cruise price but we paid a fee to choose our flights, wanting to avoid British Air and Heathrow. Going, we were booked on Lufthansa from DFW to Frankfort, then Frankfort to Basel. We tried to upgrade prior to the trip to Premium but it was over $1000 per person. Not happening!
Monday was a very rainy day, probably not the last day that we would see rain. We parked the car at The Parking Spot and was off to terminal D. Checkin at Lufthansa's counter was super easy with no waiting, we had pre approved TSA, so no lines there, and arrived at the gate with plenty of time to spare. They made an announcement that there were premium and business class seats available for upgrading. Greg checked and Premium was now available at a very reasonable price so we jumped on it. I was in a row with 2 seats and no one next to me. Greg was across the aisle with no one next to him. The plane was probably only 2/3rds filled and less than half in Premium. Nice!! When I asked if they had Riesling, the attendant said, "of course". She said it was a very good Riesling from her home town. Things are off to a good start. Dinner was very good but the seats were uncomfortable for trying to sleep. Greg slept a little and I didn't get any sleep. We arrived 30 minutes late but no biggie as we had a 3 hour wait in Frankfurt. They parked the plane on the Tarmac and bus you to the terminal. It is a loooong bus ride. We showed our passports at Customs and headed straight to the connecting gate. We did not have to collect our bags. Flight to Basel was back on a bus, another looooong drive to the plane, and board from the Tarmac again. It was a regional jet but a very nice plane. Flight was only 35 min to Basel. We parked on the Tarmac again but the terminal was right there, so no bus ride. We handed our passports at Customs, collected our luggage, and headed out the door. Our prearranged transfer was waiting for us and we were headed to our hotel, Hotel Spalentor. It is a small hotel but our room is very spacious with minimalistic furnishings. We crashed and took a 2 hour nap.
Autumnfest, which looked like a carnival and market combined, started today and we wandered through there and a few side streets. The festival began over 500 years ago when the Emperor Friedrich III granted the Mayor of Basel the right to hold the Basel Autumn fair. The fair runs through the three-county region and attracts around a million visitors and contains hundreds of goods and artisan stalls, plus food stalls and show booths. It is the largest combined festival (amusement park) and goods fair in all of Switzerland and the Upper Rhine region. And we were lucky enough to experience it!
Upon recommendation of the receptionist at our hotel for true Swiss food we ate at Zum Tell. When we walked in, no one was eating but the tables were all set. The lady looked at us, like why are you here. Strange, but she spoke no English so that was probably the reason for the reaction. We were seated and they did have menus in English so all was good. A different person waited on us and he spoke some English. I had pork Oscar and Greg had venison ragout. Food was good but the sides were exceptionally good. I had roasted vegetables and potatoes au gratin and Greg had Brussel sprouts and spatzeal, which means I had Brussel sprouts. They were yummy.
We headed back to the hotel to call it a night. It was strange to not watch the presidential election returns live.
Wednesday, November 9th
Breakfast was included with the room. We were the only diners when we went at 9:00. The breakfast was pretty good with a nice selection. After breakfast, we headed out, stopping first at the Spielzeug Welten Museum which is a toy museum featuring lots of bears and dolls. Definitely worth visiting but no information in English.
Next stop was the Antiquities Museum. This museum did have information in English and definitely worth visiting. One of the volunteers followed us around like we were about to do something wrong.
We wanted to eat at the cafe but the host spoke no English and the menus were not in English. When we tried to get seated the host just looked at us. Oh, well. Our next stop was The Cathedral which was first built by Bishop Haito in 805. The Cathedral was enlarged in 1019 by the German King Henry II. A new church built in the Romanic style was built in 1220 but almost totally destroyed in the earthquake of 1356. The Cathedral was restored using the same ground plan but with some Gothic elements added in 1363. Towers were added in 1429 and 1500. Attached to the church is a former monastery. During 16th church reformation the monastery was closed down and the bishop expelled from the city. It was open to the public with no admission cost. It was a nice church but we have certainly seen more ornate, impressive churches. The acoustics are supposed to be really good but unfortunately there was not a group practicing while we were there.
The Paper Museum was next on our agenda. The walk to the museum was along the Rhine which was a nice walk.
The museum had a cafe but the door was locked, so on to the museum. It was interesting, with most information in English. There were several interactive activities that were geared to the younger audience.
We walked back toward the Marketplatz, which was uphill with lots of steps! We stopped at one of Autumnfest carnival sites and bought some fries and a drink ($20) We also bought a magnet. The Marketplatz turned out to be a shopping area.
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| City Hall |
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| Public square in Marketplatz |
By this time we were very tired so we headed to the hotel. After resting, we went downstairs and had a couple of drinks. Dinner today was at Apulia, an Italian restaurant. No problem getting seated and they had menus in English. The food was awesome with Greg choosing lamb chops and I had veal roll ups stuffed artichokes. We indulged in a dessert as well, splitting rum cake and pineapple sorbet. The waiter was most concerned about our election and Donald Trump. The news stations weren't just slanted, they were fabricating news and its no wonder the Europeans hate us.
Thursday, November 10th
We woke up a bit earlier but didn't make it to breakfast much earlier. After breakfast, we headed out with our first stop bring the Natural History Museum. They had a special exhibit on Mummies, both animals and people. It was interesting and worth the price (17 francs each). After the museum, we headed back to the Marketplatz, looking for Johann Wanner Christmas store. Supposedly, this is where the celebrities come to buy their Christmas decorations. They had a lot of stuff, but my oh my, they were pricey.
After wandering a bit, we stopped at a grocery store and bought some cheese and crackers to eat at the hotel for a late snack. We ventured back out to look for a couple of bottles of wine to take onboard. Surprisingly, no Riesling to be found. The girls at the front desk suggested a French restaurant for dinner tonight and made a 7:00 reservations for us. We ate at Au Violon. The restaurant was in a hotel that used to be a prison. It was located at the top and a hill and the entrance was tucked into a corner. It was not easy to find but we were successful. I had venison and Greg had guinea breast. Both choices were excellent. I ordered cinnamon ice cream, how could I not try cinnamon ice cream. Food all three nights was very good, with tonight being our favorite. It is very expensive to eat out in Basel with dinner costing around $150 each night.
Some pictures of Basel.
Friday embarkation
We ate breakfast, packed for checkout, went downstairs to checkout and our taxi was waiting on us. 28 francs to go about 15 min to the ship.
Viking Mani
River Rhine from the ship.
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| ferries that will take you from one bank across to the other bank |
Tower right by where the Mani was docked.
We went to the lounge and asked about the beverage package. It was cheaper than we thought and decided that it was worth the money. Ed Pittman, the travel agent, held a reception for our group. We met Marilyn's friend Lana and her family. All nice people. After the reception, the program director discussed the events for tomorrow. Greg and Jim decided they wanted to do the World War II tour. Dinner tonight was a bit disappointing. We both ordered off the anytime menu, I had salmon and Greg had the ribeye. Mine was okay, Greg's was thin and far from prime. He compared it to Golden Corral. Everyone was jet lagged and we all called it a night.
Our home away from home for the next week. We had a Veranda Suite room 320. Lots of room and storage. We had a balcony off the sitting area and a window off the bedroom.
Saturday. Black Forest
We set the alarm for 6:30. Breakfast was at the buffet but found out you could order eggs Benedict or French toast from the menu. Our tour to the Black Forest left at 8:30. Our group was all on the same bus and the tour was good. The bus wound up the overpass, seeing lots of snow and trees turning colors. The stop included a clock demonstration, glass blowing, and Black Forest cake demo. We made our first purchase, a wood carving picture.
After returning, we had the emergency drill, followed by lunch. After lunch, Greg and Jim headed out for their a World War II tour, the optional Colmar World War II tour to explore the battle of the Colmar pocket. During the winter of 1944-45 American and French forces fought to find a crossing of the Rhine against a “pocket” of German troops on the west side of the river. The fighting was ferocious until the Allies finally found a way to cross and defeat the trapped German troops. This battle was famous due to Audie Murphy winning the Congressional Medal of Honor. The first sight visited was Holtzwihr, the place where Murphy held off and overwhelming number of German soldiers while protecting the men of his platoon.
After this location the tour proceeded to Mt. Sigolsheim a
great overview site where the strategy of the battle was discussed. This is
also the site of the French National War Cemetery.
The last stop was the small but very interesting Colmar
Pocket Museum. It has a tremendous collection of artifacts from the battle as
well as displays of weapons and equipment used by the combatants at the time.
| The murals were painted by Martin Schongauer, a talented painter from the area. The murals are some of the largest to survive north of the Alps. They were restored in the 1990s. |
The view from the Cathedral was impressive.
We wandered a bit looking for a winery that was mentioned in the information from the ship. The stores closed at 2 pm on Saturday so we weren't finding much. We did find a wine store carrying local wines that was open. She was a crusty lady, but entertained us, giving us something to laugh about the rest of the trip. The best wine of the region, according to her, was wine from the Pinot grapes. I bought Greg a bottle of Pinot Noir. We headed back to the ship. Marilyn and I went to the Lounge and had a drink then we went back to our rooms. I changed for dinner and Greg returned from his excursion. He said the WWII tour was excellent.
We went to the Lounge for the Captain's toast, followed by the Program Directors talk. Tonight we had chateaubriand and it was very good. The sommelier tonight is Dina and Greg and Jim are enjoying messing with her. Unfortunately, she would rotate tables and we missed her! Before the evening was over, there was wine, port and we finished with 25 year Talisker. Following dinner there was local French entertainment in the lounge. After the singers left, we cast off and the piano player, Buddy, entertained us. We were the only group requesting songs and called it a night around 11:00.
Sunday Strasbourg
After breakfast we boarded a bus for the 20 minute drive into Strasbourg, which was founded in the 13th century and belonged to East Germany after WWII. Along the way, the guide pointed out the buildings for the EU parliament and court. The EU has 3 capitals, Strasbourg being one. We drove through a residential area and then were dropped off for the walking tour. We started in La Petit France which was the tanners area with a canal running down the middle of the area.
We then toured the old town, Guttenberg Square and the Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre Dame which is considered one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe. The Cathedral was first built in 1015 on the site of a roman temple that was built on a hill above the muddy ground. The style started out as a Romanesque church but was destroyed by fire. When the church was renovated in the late 12th century the gothic style had reached the Alsace area. The red stones came from the mountains of Vosges, which are nearby. Because of mass being held there we could not go inside the cathedral during the tour.
We had some free time so we wandered the square around the cathedral, buying our magnet, picture, and a couple of gift items.
The tour met up at 11:40 and we headed back to the bus.
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| Mani docked in Strasbourg |
After visiting the Cathedral we wandered the square.The villages were getting ready for their Holiday Market season, so lots of Christmas decorations going up.
Around 4, we stopped for a drink in a bar
and then let to meet the concierge for the walk back to the bus.
Same routine, drinks before dinner and information from George about tomorrow's itinerary. For dinner I had pork loin and Greg had swordfish, both very good. After dinner, we participated in the trivia contest with Jim and Marilyn but 16/20 wasn't good enough. One team was 20/20. We all called it a night early.
Monday Mannheim, Heidelberg, and Rudesheim
We woke up in Mannheim but the ship left as soon as we were all on the bus to Heidelberg.
In Heidelberg we started the tour at the castle which was first built in 1300. After the description last night we were expecting a long uphill walk but not the case though it is 300 ft above the town of Heidelbery It was a very short uphill climb. Our guide did a good job of taking us through the castle. I had visited the castle when I was 18. Interestingly, the bridge seemed much closer to the castle than I remembered.
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| Tour guide |
Views from the castle
Next, out guide took us on a walking tour of the old part of town. We had 1 hour to explore on our own.
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| Old Bridge, rebuilt in stone in 1786 |
This was a time where we would like to have more time to explore on our own. We could easily have stayed all afternoon. The tour ended and we met the ship in Gersheim. As soon as we were all aboard we set sail for Rudesheim as we ate lunch. This was our first chance to enjoy the scenery in the light of day.
At 3:45 there was a tasting of Rudesheim coffee which contained Brandy from Rudesheim. The tasting was followed by a Viking sell and then the daily briefing. By this time we were docked in Rudesheim and we joined the walking tour through town,
culminating in a visit to a Music Box Museum, Siegfried's Music Machines which displays 350 + musical instruments, jukeboxes, hand-cranked carnival machines and large pianolas, all of which work. The most interesting machines are the orchestrions which are as big as a small bus and plays all the instruments of an orchestra and are very loud. The favorite is the device that plays 6 violins in unison, sounding like a chamber group. It was worth the 7 euros.
After the museum, we walked back through town and down to the ship.
The town was preparing for market with many decorations being put up, some already turned on. A couple of shops were open, but most were closed. Timing was not good here, as we would have enjoyed more time when the stores, restaurants, and bars had been open. Pretty town sitting on the river with lights reflecting on the water and a castle like structure lit up on the hillside. Dinner tonight was not up to par. Greg and Kim had BBQ brisket and both did not eat it. My cannoli was okay. Dessert was untouched by almost everyone at the table that ordered the mousse. We opted to go back to the room instead of going to the lounge.
Tuesday, scenic cruising and Koblenz
Morning was dreary and cold with some rain, what a perfect day for our scenic cruising down the Rhine. Not!! We bundled up and headed to the open deck to watch the castles go by. Program Director, George, narrated as we cruised along the beautiful river Middle Rhine. Medieval noblemen built huge castles to oversee their trade, collect tolls, and defend kingdoms from marauders and men trying to take over land. Today, the river is the home of renowned Reislings, Chardonnays, quaint villages and beautiful scenery.
First castle was Reichenstein Castle, also called Falkenburg Castle, originally built in the 11th century by a robber baron.
Rocks of the Seven Maidens
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Above Koblenz where the Rhine narrows and is the deepest, the steep Lorelei Rock rises from the water. According to the legend, the beautiful maiden Lorelei would sit and sing sweet songs. Woe to the sailor that would pass the rock at night ad was lure to doom, the rapid water pushing him against the rocks.
Marksburg Castle was used as protection, not as a residence for royal families and was never destroyed but heavily damaged during WWII. It was first built in 1117 by the Eppstein family and is now owned by the German Castle Association.
Lunch was followed by a Moselle Wine Tour after we docked in Koblenz. The dock in Koblenz was at the point where the Rhine and Moselle join (German Corner), dominated by a statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I.
The tour took us to see the the terraced vineyards for the Riesling grapes,
followed by a tour of a winery (Richard Richter) with two tastings. Not the best Riesling in my opinion.
The tour continued in the bus to see more landscapes of the vineyards. The very overcast skies dampened the views but still very cool seeing the very steep hillside vineyards.
Basilica of St Castor, a Catholic Church, is the oldest church in Koblenz.
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| Basilica of St. Castor |
Dinner tonight was a German buffet with local German entertainers. A very nice meal followed by music trivia. The Kiowa Warriors came in 2nd place or in reality Greg and Jim came in 2nd place.
Wednesday Cologne
Wet, wet day. Our tour of Cologne started with a really good guide but we were asked to move to another group. New guide was a bit of a dingbat. The Gothic Cathedral is so huge but has a very dark presence. Like the cathedral in Strasbourg, with the all the massive, elaborate carvings on the outside, the inside is more bland. The stained glass windows were interesting and the alter supposedly contains the remains of the three magi in an gold case. The Cathedral is the largest in Northern Europe with two spires. Construction on the Cathedral began in 1248 and was completed in 1248 and escaped the destruction in WWII that destroyed most of the city.
After the cathedral, we headed to the National Socialist Museum, which was suggested by the Program Director. The museum is located in the old Gestapo office and prison.
After this sobering visit, we found a nice German brewery, Colner Hofbräuhaus, and had lunch. I ordered game dumplings on mashed potatoes. Game dumplings is another name for large meatballs. Greg ordered stag medallions with spaetzle. Both choices were very good but we couldn't eat it all. Greg thought the beer (Fruh) was very good. The beer was unpasteurized and served it in small 7 oz glasses, so that it was always cold. They kept bringing new glasses until you said ENOUGH!
After lunch we wandered, looking for souvenirs and seeing the old town area.
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| That's just funny! |
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| The original store of Eau De Cologne |
We had reserved a pedicab back to the ship at 4:30. The driver was right on time, the rain had stopped, and we had a very enjoyable trip back.
Embarkation talk was at 6:30 and we left for our pub crawl and dinner with guide Moe. The beer in Cologne is called Kolsch beer. First stop was a tasting and dinner at Frisch Aus Der Malzmuhle tasting their beer Muhlen Kolsch. Dinner started with a salad and cold cuts followed by the main course of pork knuckle, sauerbraten, red cabbage, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes and applesauce. Dessert was a malt mousse. Dinner was excellent.
Our next stop was Bierhaus en d'r Salzgass where we sampled Paffgen Kolsch. This was our least favorite.
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| Guide Moe |
Last stop was housed in a historic old house overlooking the Rhine. It had actually warmed up and we sat on the patio overlooking the river. They did have heaters going which was nice. Bierhaus am Rhein was not only the most scenic, we thought they had the best beer.
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| Charla |
We were a very jovial group on our ride back to the Mani. As soon as we were aboard, we cast off and headed to the Netherlands. The view of the city and cathedral with the lights reflecting on the water certainly made this the most picturesque night spot.
Thursday Kinderdijk
Lazy morning cruising toward Kinderdijk. We slept in and enjoyed the view from our room.
After lunch, which was much better than previous days, we docked in Kinderdijk which is located wheer the Lek and Noord Rivers meet and best known for its nineteen 18th century preserved windmills. Our tour group was the last one off the ship. It was very windy and cold but not raining. Our tour guide had us standing for long periods of time in the cold but he gave us good information on the windmills. We were able to go inside of one of the windmills. Families who lived in the windmills were required to keep them in working order. Believe I would go stir crazy living in the close quarters.
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| Our Guide |
After the tour we had about 20 min to visit the souvenir shop and then back on board. We were off for Amsterdam by 5 pm. Goodbye drinks in the lounge with the Captain and then our farewell dinner. Dinner tonight was really good. Greg had beef Wellington but it wasn't in a pastry. I had prawns. The soup starter was excellent. We went back to the lounge to listen to music and then off to our room to finish packing.
Friday, debarkation
Our luggage had to be out at 6:30 am and off the ship at 7:30. Airport was very crowded but everything moved smoothly.
