Jewels of Europe River Cruise to Day 15 of Holiday

DAY 12

Not much sleep last night and up at 6.15am to put our bags outside the door as they are being transported to the ship by van. After breakfast Robyn finally gave in and bought another bag. Back to the room to do our final few bits of packing before checking out of the hotel.  Imagine Kay's shock and horror to discover that the three bottles of water she had used from the mini bar cost 21 euros (about $AU30). She was not impressed.  The coach picked us up and dropped us back to Gare Du Nord station for our first class trip to Amsterdam.  The trip took about 3 1/2 hours with stops in Brussels, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Schiphol and Amsterdam. A 20 minute walk to our coach and then a 20 minute coach ride and we were finally at the ship.  How nice it was to finally unpack our bags.  Before dinner we had an introduction by our tour director (very entertaining), a safety talk by the captain and another talk telling us about the ship.  The crew are extremely pleasant.  We even have our own butler. Dinner was a buffet. We were given the opportunity after dinner to tour the red light district and parts of Amsterdam but we were too tired. A decision I am sure we will regret.  We didn't even get a chance to taste the famous cookies in the coffee shops everyone talks about. Oh! Well.

DAY 13

Today we were woken at 6.15am by the butler bringing our early morning cup of tea.  What a life. Zoltan, our butler is a big, good looking Hungarian and like everyone else on board is a delight. We showered, had breakfast then boarded the coach at 8.00am for today's tour.  First stop was a cheese factory.  We were shown how they make the cheeses and then given free range to sample any or all of the cheeses plus various mustards which they have with their cheese. Cow, goat and sheep cheese, young, old, vintage, plain, spiced - all were lovely. 

There are no tulips in Amsterdam except in flower shops.  They are all grown out in the country and we were three weeks to late to see them.  Just as well there were plenty in London.

On our way to our next destination we passed many beautiful houses built on the dykes.  They have approximately 800 cars a year driven into the waterways, many from overimbibing.  They have special training schools to show people how to get out of the car should they end up in the water.  Every car has hammers inside them to smash the windows.

We then went to Zaanse Schans and the windmills which are still used today to produce dyestuff from wood for textiles and stones to process mineral dyes, chalk and abrasives.  They are all wind-powered.

From there we went to a clog making workshop and shown how to make clogs.  They are produced by machines similar to those used for key cutting only bigger. "Herman the German" machine shapes the outside and the French machine (nameless) carves out the inside. It is then finished off with a cutter similar to a cheese cutter. They are then dried out by the wind and later painted. When buying clogs you always should be able to put your finger between the back of your heel and the back of your shoe.  Allows for the thick socks that are worn.  There is always a souvenir shop wherever we go and of course we cannot resist.  We are seriously thinking of leaving our purses behind for a while, either that or pay excess baggage when we come home.

Back to the ship for a midday sailing.  After lunch we had an emergency evacuation drill and we passed with flying colours.

We had a quiet afternoon then went upstairs at 6.30pm for a briefing on tomorrow's events. This seems to be a daily event.  The captain then had an introductory cocktail drinks to introduce his crew.

Dinner was a sit down affair tonight. We had rack of lamb which was fantastic.  Tomorrow we diet.

Kay made it through survival training!

Cheese Factory Amsterdam

Clogs & Clogs



 Various houses on the dyke on our way to Zaanse Schans

DAY 14

Wednesday May 7th

Another early start as we had to be on the coach by 8.00am to visit the city of Cologne (where Eau de cologne originated particularly the well known 4711). Our first stop was the cathedral which we were told was the tallest church in the world.  Magnificent building, some of which was destroyed in the war but has been rebuilt. Unfortunately some of the beautiful stained glass has had to be replaced with more modern stained glass but still beautiful.  It is said that the three wise men are buried there whether fact or fiction, the locals like to believe it.  From there we did a tour of the city including the town hall where we saw two brides as here they have to be legally married in the town hall then if they want to they have another wedding.We then visited an archeological excavation of a Jewish community who lived there thousands of years ago.  There are also ancient Roman  ruins such as in the roman museum near the cathedral.  There they have a beautiful mosaic tiled floor, they discovered and built the museum around the floor, amazing!!  We then had 3hrs free time to explore the town ourselves which was a bit too long, it was very cold and a few showers so after going back to the cathedral where we went inside to yet more amazing statues and paintings, although we couldn't find the monument to the three wise men,  we went and had a hot chocolate with another two lovely ladies we have met,  this went down a treat. Of course we found a few souvenir shops so Robyn was very happy! Say no more!  Back to the bus and ship for a little rest.
At 5.30 we were on another coach for the 90min trip to Marksburg castle for a tour and medieval dinner.  Although the tour of the castle was interesting it was quite dangerous especially for those who have trouble with feet or knees because not only did we have to walk up a steep slope, when we got there there were cobblestones and lots of steps to negotiate which were slippery from the rain.  This wouldn't be allowed in Australia due to oh&s. One of the artifacts was a chastity belt, as Robyn said hope it's not one size fits all, they had very skinny waists in those days. The dinner was fun with plenty of laughter.  A very long but pleasant day couldn't wait to get back to ship and bed!!!!

Cologne Cathedral

Clare, Robyn, Kay and Barbara enjoying a hot chocolate in Cologne.



Section of Roman sewerage system

Views from the ship

Captains tower which goes down when we have to go under a low bridge, only his head sticks out until the last moment.

MARKSBURGH CASTLE

View from Castle

                                  Kay and Barbara helping the entertainers at Marksburg Castle

 Kay in the wine cellar of the Marksburg Castle

 Robyn in the kitchen of the Castle

                                                                                                                                                                   Short doorway even for Robyn

This is the loo that the knights used. They would leave the table from the dining room where they were eating, leave the door open so they wouldn't miss anything and then the black box is the outside where the waste would drop onto the garden for fertiliser. What can I say!

.

This is a genuine chastity belt. I certainly hope one size didn't fit all.

Ceiling of the chapel in Marksburg Castle

                                                                                                   

  Having dinner at the castle with our bibs on.

DAY 15

Thursday 8 May

Up early so we could photograph Marksburg Castle but we missed it.  After breakfast we sat in the lounge to watch and photograph the scenery of the beautiful Rhine Gorge, including the famous Loreley Rock.  After lunch we sailed into port at Rudensheim where we boarded a mini train to take us the 1km into the village.  We visited the Siegfried's Music Cabinet which had an amazing collection of vintage musical instruments. The building this was situated in was very old the roofs were painted in 1559.   Once again you exit through the souvenir shop. Say no more. We then looked in a number of other shops in the village displaying many beautiful cuckoo clocks, beer steins, etc.  We then enjoyed a cable car ride which gave us a great view of the area.  We had a pleasant walk back to the ship.  The ship sailed again at 5pm and at 5.30pm there was a Zither music concert with Tony Temerson.  The zither is a musical string instrument consisting of many strings stretched across a thin flat board and played by strumming or plucking the strings. Similar to playing three guitars at once using your fingers for various sounds.  After dinner Kay partied on and Robyn went to bed. Kay was still in bed by 10.00pm FYI ! 

Sailing down the Rhine Gorge

The Loreley

End of the Rhine into the Main River

Our mini train into the village of Rudensheim

The village of Rudensheim

Siegfried's Music Cabinet

 Miniature music box made with over 170 pieces.

View from the cable car

Kay thought it was wine but discovered it was cordial

 Kay outside the Christmas shop in Rudensheim

  Organ Grinder