9/202/23
We took off on time. Business Class on Swiss Air was very good. The seat / bed was very comfortable. Service was great. Food was okay.
We landed on time and got our luggage. It is such a scenic landing. Our luggage was sitting waiting for us since we picked the slowest immigration line. Transfer was waiting.
Hotel Wellenberg lived up to the hype so far. It's in Zurich's historic section. I took Jennifer Majors' advice and had delicious fondue for lunch.
9/21/22
Almost 12,000 steps today as we had a city tour of Zurich. It was a combination of bus, walking tour, car ferry and gondala. Saw both the old city, the new city and both sides of Lake Zurich. Before the tour we had an excellent lunch at DuPont Brasserie. Great burger and rosti which is best described as an elevated hash brown pan fried in lots of butter. And a wonderful Italian dinner at Positano with favorites being a very good lasagna and fantastic pistachio pie.
9/22/22
We sailed a seven night Rhine River Cruise on the Viking Gersemi departing September 22, 2022. The cruise began in Basel, Switzerland and ended in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
After a nice lunch, we were excited to find out Viking had a walking tour available in Basel. We got our little device and headed into town.
Gabe, our guide, did a great job giving us a taste of Old Town Basel.
We sailed a seven night Rhine River Cruise on the Viking Gersemi departing September 22, 2022. The cruise began in Basel, Switzerland and ended in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Cologne and Strasbourg were my favorite ports. Both cities had so much to explore. They were a wonderful mix of modern and historic. We also had great tour guides in those cities.
9/23/22
Lovely stop near the Black Forest today on Breisch. We did the included excursion - a touristy bus trip that included a short hike and a cuckoo clock.
We also got a pretzel walking through town. We had a special toast with the officers on board.
9/24/22
Great day exploring Strasbourg, France. I checked off my Alsace bingo card:
Munster cheese
Spatzle
Cote du Rhone wine
Pican beer - Beer with a little bit of bitter orange liquor
We had a very fun German themed dinner tonight.
To be honest, I was not looking forward to it because they announced it would be a buffet. 178 people in line for a buffet is not my jam.
BUT. They did such a good job. Appetizers on the table when you sat down.
You could chose a sample plate delivered to you if you just wanted to try most of the items on the buffet including sauerbraten, braised red cabbage and pigs knuckles. .
The best part was that the chefs prepared a gluten free plate for my Mom so she got to try all the same things including gluten free beer.
9/25/22
Today, we visited the small village of Speyer. We toured the outside of the massive Speyer Cathedral. The cathedral was basically a screw you to the Pope by Conrad II in 1030. He built a church much bigger than the local population warranted.
We also go to see some of the "Stumbling Stones". German artist Gunter Demling has layed over 70,000 stones marking where Holocaust victims lived before they were taken to the camps.
9/26/22
So many castles!! We had about three hours of scenic sailing on the Middle Rhine this morning to see them. The weather really cooperated. Sunny and a bit windy but no rain. One of the outer decks had heat lamps which took off the chill. With about an hour left before docking in Koblenz it was lunchtime I had a tasty Asian coleslaw salad as a starter and a pappardelle ragu with a delicious Bolognese. Wonderful al dente egg noodles.
9/27/22
Today was a stop in Cologne. A morning walking tour of the old city included one of the largest cathedrals in Europe. Also saw the "lock bridge" that supposedly has the most locks in all of Europe. Afterwards we had lunch at a local restaurant called Papa Joe's Biersalon and tried some local Kolsch beer.
It is the most common beer in Cologne. If you travel to the Bavarian area of Germany you'll find European pilsners. But Cologne is All Kolsch, All The Time. I have never been a fan of Kolsch when I have had it in North America. Here in Germany, it must have something to do with the freshness. It was very tasty. They only serve in small .2 liter glasses. And of course you can get more. Had some very tasty pork schnitzel, potato salad, bratwurst and a pretzel.
After that we toured the Ludwig Museum of Modern Art. Some fabulous pieces including the largest collection of Picasso's I have seen in person.
Needed some liquid refreshments after the museum so went to Fruh. This establishment was bombed in WW2 and part of it burned to the ground. But they rebuilt. Also tried frikkadellen which is a German pork meatball. It was a little dry but the mustard really helped accent the seasoning.
The Kolsch they brewed onsite at Fruh was just as good as the Papa Joe's. The tradition for drinking it is they put a rally of how many you've had on your coaster. And they keep bringing you more without asking. Our experience was they did tally it but asked if they should bring more. When you are all done, you are to put your coaster on top of the glass. Then your bill is written on the coaster. Sixteen Euros for six beers and the frikkadellen. Very reasonable.
9/28/22
Yesterday we were in Kinderdijk which is in the Netherlands. The fourth, and final country, on the river cruise. We took a small barge to see some windmills. A fascinating demonstration by a fifth generation miller who showed how the windmill can be turned in any direction. I never knew they worked like that. He also showed how they can increase the speed by attaching canvas "sails" to the wings. This windmill was more "modern" since the wings were made from the same material as airplane wings. Their purpose in this area is now redundant since an electrically powered pumping station was added back in the early 20th century. Many still have inhabitants and a few, like this one, are used as museums.
We arrived in Amsterdam and transfers to our hotel: Hotel Esthera.
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