Category: Uncategorized

                        A visit to Cologne, Germany means a visit to the Cathedral, Period. According to our Guide in morning, Ido, the City identifies with the Cathedral so much that the local folks cannot pull themselves apart from it. From the WWII soldiers returning from the war to find it standing there unscathed amidst the ruins of the rest of the city, to the present-day support for all of the ongoing rehabilitation of an almost 1000-year-old building, life in Cologne, IS the Cathedral.

                                    And it is easy to see why.

                                    Thankfully someone invented photography back in the day, because that old adage, “A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words” could not be truer when it comes to this subject. I dare say one could raise that Number to a million and it would still ring true.

                        We started the morning with a Walking Tour of Cologne, which meant that we were going to walk to the Cathedral and receive some tid-bits along the way and return by a slightly different route in order to receive a few more tid-bits then. The tid-bits were as fabulous as it gets, as our Guide is a true Cologne(r) and is as proud as they come.

Remember a few Posts ago I told you about how the Guides do not hesitate to discuss WWII and the Holocaust? Well, Ido is the epitome of these Guides. He would tell a story and then ask us if we wanted to hear more, as in “go ahead, don’t mince any words” and he was true to his word when it came to this. He pointed out various items that kept that era alive and unforgotten as these people have vowed not to let what happened here, under their control, be forgotten. They have accepted the guilt for their older family members and have made it clear that it cannot be forgotten nor just swept under a rug.

                        There were some lighter sides to our tour as he pointed out a few things that the random person would never have seen or understood. For example, Stone Masons. These guys had a sense of humor and with all of the carvings of everything adorning their Cathedral and Public Buildings, there was ample opportunities to “be creative.” There are several folks’ effigies that are carved up on the Cathedral, mixed in with the Saints that look suspiciously like the carver himself…..

Hmmm, let’s see…. There’s St. Peter, John the Baptist, St. John, the Virgin Mary……hey who’s that? St. ‘Bill’ the Stone Mason????

Yup!

Or how about showing us what you really think about the Town Mayor that you’ve been assigned to carve for all posterity?

Stone Masons are still hard at work stabilizing, re-surfacing, and otherwise engaged in the full-time job of keeping the Cathedral from crumbling and decaying. You may wonder how that could happen so I’ll use just one word, and you will understand: Sandstone.

            Now I’ll add a few more, acid rain, an earthquake in 1902 in the Netherlands (oops! did someone say Plate Tectonics? 😊) and rusting old ironworks, all to name but a few issues that face the Cathedral today.

As you look at the Cathedral, you do notice that it is a patchwork of colors, mainly due to the replacement of the sandstone blocks over the years with blocks of similar sandstone and other rock, but nothing identical. Believe it or not, there are masons so specialized that they can cut out an infected block and slide in its replacement without disturbing its neighbors? That is why there is a Permanent Fund and Permanent Organization to facilitate the upkeep and renewal of this grand church. It is planned to be in perpetuity and that is how it must remain, as there is no cure for old age.

I guess it’s about time that I tell you about the Cathedral itself. As you can surmise, there is so much information about the Cologne Cathedral that it is very difficult to curate what is important and what is superfluous. I will do my best to straddle that fence as getting too technical will just make you scream, and I don’t want your neighbors to come running to find out what’s wrong!

            The Cathedral was started in 1248 AD.

            Ok, that’s it, class dismissed.

                        No! No! we want more!

Are you sure? Remember, be careful what you wish for!

                        More! Tell us what happened in 1560!

Ok, hang on….

            Construction was ongoing for 312 years until it all stopped in 1560. Mainly because of the reason that most projects lay dormant…. Funding.

Now it sits for an additional 282 years until someone decided to do something about it and said, “Hey, let’s finish this thing!” Or something like that and then it took only about forty years to get it to what it looks like today. Restoration efforts began in the 1950’s (after WWII) and continue today, as you will soon see. To say that Someone is watching over this place is an understatement, especially when you look at photos from WWII and see that the Cathedral is basically untouched. We could get misty-eyed and say that the Allies did their best to not target and hit the Cathedral, but all the bombings that took place were of the “High Altitude Carpet-Bombing” type missions and everyone will tell you that it is impossible to be that accurate. Theories anyone? 😊

You may ask yourself, why so grand a Cathedral?

The answer is more complicated than just ‘because’.

It is obvious that these grand churches of yesteryear were constructed both for adoration and worship but they were also made by man which means that “we want ours to be the biggest and the best!” It was also a way of ensuring that those Pearly Gates are open when the Big Day arrives for you. BTW, this Cathedral is dedicated, in part, to Saint Peter (how convenient!) it was also constructed because about a hundred years before it was started (like in the late 1100’s) the City came into the possession of the relics of the Three Wise Men, The Magi, or The Three Kings. Now, this is Big Stuff! They were ‘acquired’ when the peeps went to war with Milan and were brought back as ‘Spoils of War’. And…”we need a cool new place to hold them ‘cuz our old one burnt down”

Wait until you see what was made for the relics, only the largest, and most ornate, golden Reliquary from the Middle Ages! Shown here:

I think that I’ll end this one here. Please read on because there is a Note Of Great Relevance posted below. See you upstairs, way up top, in the Belfry so to speak. But I may need a day or two to put it together!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Warning: the next Post will be tied closely with this one and will show images of our ‘Once in a Lifetime, Can’t believe That I’m Here, Hand’s Down One of the Most Bestest Things I’ve Ever Done, Special Tour.’

I am telling you this now because one of the requests made of us was not to share photos of what you’ll see on Social Media. I know what they did not want to happen and that is for some idiot photo op to go viral and cause issues. They said that we could take all the photos that we wanted and share them with friends and family, but please no Public Sharing aka Social Media. So, in my attempt to make sure that I comply with those wishes, I am not going to use any Proper Names of the Cathedral that may popup in an Internet Search. This is not a private Post (Blog), but all of you are known to me and are here by invitation, so you are considered Friends and Family. Get Ready.

                        After the excitement of the Castles and the Meteorological Temps/Wind Event of the morning we were looking forward to our second, yes, second Wine Tasting Event of the cruise. But no worries, we did have a Designated Driver in Franz, our Driver du Jour. We blew into Koblenz like the stagecoach skidding to a halt in front of Miss Kittie’s Saloon. Not really, as these skinny eel-shaped vessels rarely exceed 15 knots on the river and obviously much slower when docking. Meanwhile, Franz is waiting for us as we are docking.

                        Koblenz also waited patiently for us as we needed to have lunch first, the go to the Winery! Koblenz is a moderate sized city, with a fully developed downtown area, a cable car that goes way up across the river to an old fortress turned public space, and it is the gateway to the Moselle wine growing region. As a matter of fact, Koblenz sits at the actual confluence of the Rhine River and the Moselle River.

                        It was late midafternoon by the time we met Franz and his Ultra Bus (most European Tour Busses fit into this category…. All gorgeous!) who drove us up the Moselle River and into another tiny village called Winningen. Here we visited the Weingut Weyh where we met Peter the 4^th generation owner. These folks have been in this business since 1919 and like I mentioned in a previous Post, are extremely proud of their efforts and heritage.

The Moselle Region is probably the most noted for its Riesling’s, a very accepted variety that goes well with anything you’d like to have with it because I am not anyone to speak about what goes with what. I am waiting for the Chocolate and Wine Pairing Event which I am sure is offered somewhere in the World!

                        It seems that around here that the Tastings be conducted down in a Cellar. I’m not sure how much this adds to the authenticity of the event as it is clear to see that not all cellars were used in the production of the vintages, but it is obvious that in this un-air-conditioned part of the world, being underground on a hot summer’s day has its advantages. And…. they do decorate it nicely. Remember, we are Tourons!

                        Unfortunately for Peter, he had to follow the Tasting earlier in the week in France in the Alsatian winery of Albert Seltz…. you remember them, the 14-generation guys? As good as the wines may have been here at Weyh, I could feel that the vibe in the room did not match the one at Albert’s place. So we politely drank what was offered and proceeded to buy some Weinbergspfirsich and some Riesling Senf!

Yum-yum!

Some what???

Yea! What he said?

            We didn’t want to be ungrateful for the experience so some of that really hard to pronounce stuff was procured and stuffed in our bag. Some Euros (courtesy of MasterCard) were exchanged, and we can’t wait to get home and spread some Essence of Vineyard Peaches (jam) and some Riesling Mustard (not at the same time!) on our toast!

                        Back to the bus, back to the ship, and back to Eating! After dinner it was decided to take a ride on the gondola that swung uneasily over our heads as it worked its way up and over the Rhine to an old fortress that sits on top of a hill. Like everything else around here it had its start in Roman times and eventually became the home of the Archbishop of Trier during the Middle Ages. It is called the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and is obviously well situated to guard that confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle.

Over the years and through both World Wars it has had various duties including being a stronghold to preserve archives and valuable historical objects. It is now the home to several museums, a youth hostel, and various cultural events and concerts. Some cool rock band was playing there when we arrived, don’t know their name, but they seemed to enjoy an enthusiastic and well-attended venue. Our goal was to find the side that looked down on Koblenz, the confluence, and of course, our home, the Hlin. It took us a while to find the correct path through the fortress, and we were not helped by the fact that the daylight was slowly receding westward. In fact, we arrived at the embattlement walls just in time to see the sun set… with about 17 seconds to spare. See the attached!

                        This new view afforded us some gorgeous sights that far above Koblenz and of course it all looked spectacular in the night.  We needed to vamoose rather quickly as we did not want to get stranded up there as the last aerial tram was at 11:00. Yes, sunset was just a few minutes ago, past 10 pm, but we are in the northern part of Germany and at these latitudes, that’s what happens! I was able to snap a few cool pics on the way down, seen here.

                        Tomorrow is one of the Highlights of an already memorable trip as we will be in Cologne, the site of the Cologne Cathedral. If you have already been there you will know what I mean, if you haven’t get ready to be unconditionally blown away by this exceptional Gothic edifice. I’ve seen photos, I can’t wait!

                        River Cruise vs Ocean Cruise.

                        It sounds like a WWF Big Match-Up.

                        But it isn’t.

                        It is only because these two entities are way too different to even try and compare them. But they do have one thing in common…. the boats float on the water and bring you to some really cool places that would be hard to get to on one trip if you did not go by boat.

                        I am going to assume that most of you have been on an Ocean Voyage, be it the 7-Day out of Miami to a few Caribbean Gems or the 111-day Behemoth that goes around the World. No matter, the experience varies slightly depending on your Ports, motives, and of course, the Umbrella Drinks.

                        Since we now are on a River Cruise I can speak with (very little) authority and try and give you some comparisons. This will pertain to a Viking Cruise as that is the Line that we are presently on. There are many more, AMA, Tauck, Avalon, Emerald, and Bill’s River Cruises. And when we speak about River Cruises, it’s William’s Cruises, they use Bill’s for their Ocean boats.

                        Maybe that is one of the key points of a difference…… Ocean Cruises are a bit less sophisticated only when it comes to the clientele or passengers. River Cruises seem to be a little more genteel in that department but only whilst aboard. You see, there are no Umbrella Drinks on a River Cruise. No pools either. We do have an Herb Garden that the Chef lovingly looks over on a daily basis but oddly (a juxtaposition) there are no Formal Nights on a River Cruise, attire is “Use Your Heads” don’t come to dinner in your cut-offs please. But nice shorts are allowed. I can’t wear shorts to dinner in the Dining Room on a Princess Cruise.

                        I hope you can sense my quandary here, trying to compare different items that obviously have their differences but not necessarily in the areas that you may expect! Now even I’m confused!

                        The next obvious difference comes in the size of the ship. This affects everything! Nowadays it’s not uncommon to be aboard an Ocean Cruise with 3500 to 7000 of your new best friends. Not on a River Cruise. The most that these boats can accommodate is around 190 passengers and some set out with around 150 or so. This is obviously a much more intimate setting and your familiarity with both your fellow passengers, and the ships complement, has been made easier. There is also no 24-Hour Food available unless you count the Cookies offered by the 24-Hour combination Coffee/Espresso/Hot Cocoa/ Tea/Frozen Daquiri Machine. (only kidding on the Daiquiri part, just checking to see if you were paying attention…. it’s really a seismograph to help with the roving detection of a Plate Tectonic Event!) But the Cookies are real.

                        Accommodations are nice, albeit just a little smaller than what you get on an Ocean Cruise…. Smaller ship equals smaller staterooms, check with your local River Cruise, results may vary, but not by much! When we booked this one the only accommodations left were some of the Veranda Suites. More expensive, but more room too! We figured that since there were four of us that the extra Living Room space would give us some room to play cards, Happy Hour, etc. plus it gave me some room to use for ‘communicating’ with all of you without having to go down to the lounge or somewhere else to write.

                        Dinner and lunch while aboard are at set times, 12:30 and 7:00 PM, and don’t think that you’re going to get that cozy port-side table for two overlooking the Cathedral! Well, you may get that view, but you’ll need to share it with your tablemates because unless you come with a group of six, you will be sharing! Six-tops are the smallest table available unless you go up on top to the Aquavit Café (more on that later). We had the four of us, Rick, Pat, Paula and me and luckily, we teamed up with an awesome couple from Delaware. Rose and Jack (only kidding! No Titanic references on a River Cruise!) Rose and Mike could not have been nicer and were an absolute pleasure to get to know. This is actually part of Viking’s modus operandi, they want you to mingle, and they know that you’ll end up with someone nice (most of the time!) We had most lunches and dinners with Rose and Mike, and we had a good time comparing both real lives and present excursions at our mealtimes. And it seemed that we always bumped into them on shore! Mike even mentioned that he could provide a 50amp service for the motorhome if we ever sauntered into Delaware….. hmm… be careful what you mention Mike! 😊

                        The ship is 135m or 443’ long and only 11.58m or 38’ wide. Remember the ultimate size comparison from the Ocean Cruises, the Gross Registered Ton? The largest being almost 300,000? Well our little slim-line babies come in at little over 3000 tons! Almost a hundred times smaller! But there is no seasickness here as the Rivers rarely get any kind of tumultuous action going !

                        And they are ‘propulsionized’ by some tidy little mechanisms called “Azi-Pods”. These guys are all the rage now and were first introduced into the Cruise Industry back in 2004 on the Queen Mary II. Think of them maneuvering like an outboard motor does. The propellor itself moves almost 360 degrees, so there is no need for a rudder. The “thruster” in the bow is the same sort of mechanism so the captain ‘steers’ the ship with a tiny ‘joystick’ lever and this setup is far more maneuverable because unlike a big ship with a rudder that swings the stern around, this ‘fore and aft’ propulsion configuration is like having four-wheel steering on a car, both ends are used when turning! We know this because we received a Pilot House Tour. It’s not called the Bridge on this kind of vessel; it’s a Pilot House and has been for over a hundred years… just ask Mark Twain!

                        This maneuverability comes in handy on the river because there are tons of traffic on the Rhine! Countless ships and barges ply up and down this waterway like it was I-80 in rush hour. In fact, we went through eleven locks on our way down to Amsterdam and the North Sea. Where we started in Basel the River is roughly 250m or 750’ above sea level. So that means that the river drops that much over 450 miles or about three feet in 2/3 of a mile on average in the navigable places. That’s too much for normal shipping unless you are White-Water Rafting outfit delivering coal downriver! So, the locks and side canals were constructed mainly in the middle of the last century and as you may imagine, these locks are narrow! Most of our Lock Transits are done at night because that’s when most of our traveling is done.

                        Many of the barge/boats are privately owned (and lived on) as you can see their vehicles strapped down on deck, waiting for their own on-board crane to lift them ashore. Kind of like an Independent Trucker minus the water!

                        That hopefully helps sum up a few of the differences and maybe highlights the attributes of a River Cruise, so compare as you may!

 We here at P&D Travel Consultants are always here to assist you in trying to find the perfect Cruise for you! Just call 1-800-Fix-Ruin (oops! That’s our Real Estate/ Castle Finding subsidiary!) well, you all have one of our numbers so call away!

                        The next day (after the Brawl at the Brauhaus) the Captain cast off the lines and headed north/west/down river to our next destination, that being a 40-mile stretch of the Middle Rhine that has about a billion castles sitting on the hillsides above the river. We will see 28 of them. The morning was rather leisurely before we shoved off, breakfast was paced nicely as the passengers awaited the trip down river and the Castles. About 37 seconds after we shoved off, Uma our Program Director and Narrator for this event announced, “On your left you can see our first Castle of the day, a small 13^th century model, the Klopp Castle features….”

                        Coffee spewed out of more than one person’s mouth as everyone ran to get up on deck as one and all thought that the Event started just a little bit later.

                        Have you seen that video on Instagram or Face Book where the ducks are coming outside their hutch and it had snowed and was cold? They march out, look around, shake their heads, and proceed to march back inside saying like “Not today!”

                        Well, that’s what it was like when the passengers started out to go up on deck. Little did they know that the temps had dropped overnight, the clouds had come in overhead, and the winds were blowing directly out of the North, (straight down the river) at about 15 mph. Couple that with our 10 mph forward speed and you’ve got a “Feels Like” wind of 25 mph. Now couple that with the drop in temp and we’ve got a wind chill situation not usually felt in the beginning of July.

But thars Castles to be seen!

                        A few hardy souls braved the climactic situation as they had come somewhat prepared with at least a sweatshirt. I did marvel at Vikings ability to schedule a Wind Event and Temp Turndown simultaneously with the NEED to be outside and up on deck. This ability to ply their Marketing Acumen into sales of windbreakers, sweaters, and foul weather gear should be one for the textbooks. I myself had been looking for an excuse to get this nifty Helly Hansen Wind/Waterproof Red Jacket ever since we boarded. I zoomed right down to the “Gotcha!” Shop and came back up on deck all toasty-like!

Luckily there were four kilometers between the first and next castles so I was able to get back upstairs pronto so that I would not miss anything!

                        So, here they are, in the Order of Their Appearance, complete with names and any descriptives needed. I hope that you enjoy your Rhine River Castles as much as we did!

Just a Note…. I have included several photos of the same Castle when the different angles/distances made a difference when looking at them, mostly for area context and now that I’ve finished loading all of the photos it seems like you’ll be seeing the full billion of them!

The next few days saw us having events together on a single day.

 This “Rhine River Mash-Up” should not be confused with 1956’s biggest selling album, The Bavarian Boys Sing ‘German Regions We Have Known’ , it’s just that due to itinerary scheduling, and the need to cover as much of the Rhine as possible, Viking utilizes both days and nights to the best extent possible. Usually that means Ports during the day, then jamming everyone back on board in enough time to scoot down river to the next Port where the process starts again. But what happens when the fun stuff is at night, and some really cool stuff is on the River during the day? Well, they “mash up” three days and make into one big, long, confusing (to those of us that usually have zero nightlife)

daaaaaay,

night,

daaaaaay – what do you mean the Castles have started already! event,

night

This confusing explanation will soon become apparently simple. And will unfold over the course of several Posts as it would be waaaay too long for one!

                        Short Version:

            Dock in Speyer, one of those great little towns that no one has ever heard of.

            Hurry back to the ship for some Scenic Cruising, but really to get to the second Port in one day, Rüdesheim, where there are several evening events scheduled! Back to the ship….ZZZZZ.

            Next morning, cast off the lines much later than usual because the Rhine River Castles ‘event’ part of the cruise starts this morning like…… NOW! (more on that later) and if they cast off too early the Castles would be inconveniently too early for some (most!) of the losers (oops! I mean passengers) that blasmusiked (oompahed) mit den Bavarian Brothers a little too much the night before.

            Then on to Koblenz for the afternoon and evening.

                                    Get it?

                                    Ok…… here we go, I can hear the crew up on deck getting ready to dock in Speyer, so please have your Ship’s ID and your Tour Tickets handy because they do not wait for you!

Speyer is an example of a simple little town that owes its existence to the fact that it sits on the banks of the Rhine and has so for 2100+ years. We all know that us Humanoids have roamed around for much longer that and we will all assume that Fred, Wilma, Barney, and Betty were all here before all of this ‘recording’ was set down, but/so for our purposes we’re going to start in the Roman times. Around 10 BC the Romans set up a camp here in an attempt to protect the northeast corner of the Roman Empire from the wild Germanic barbarians.

            Barbarians figured a lot into the olde tymes around here but guess who is calling who a barbarian? Yup, if ‘you’ were not part of one of the three great (?) civilizations, Greek, Roman, or Christian, you could be thrown into that mix of humanity called a Barbarian. Hah! That’s like the pot calling the kettle black! It’s fair to say that we all at one time or another have been guilty of being barbaric, but still the name is of a historic origin and will suffice for now.

            After that 10 BC camping trip the place wiggled back and forth among the peeps of the area until about 300 years had passed and then a Bishop came to town. Whatever your leaning is towards faith and religion, there is no disputing the effects of the Roman Catholic Church on world history. The Faithful were scared to death of being sent to Hadestown for all eternity and would do just about anything to keep themselves ‘safe’ (except acting the way they should) so in order to make up for their ‘faults’ they gave lots of money, land, jewels, and other trappings of success to the Church in a way to buy their way out of the Big Negative. Hence, the riches of the Church grew and grew.

            Around 1030 Conrad II, one of the Holy Roman Emperors, started a cathedral in Speyer, now a World UNESCO site. Speyer is also the location of one of the first significant Jewish communities in the Holy Roman Empire and remained so for a thousand years. This is testified by just tracing the Ashkenazi surname of Shapiro whose variants include, Szpira/Spiro, and Speyer. Unfortunately, it is also one of the first sites of a pogrom perpetrated by one of the first armies to head to the Holy Land for the First Crusade. I promised back in the beginning of these Posts some five years ago that I would do my best to keep it “light”, but when History throws something in your lap and it is needed to balance out the equation, then I feel disposed to include the things that, left unsaid, would just leave gaping holes in any complete explanations. I do hope that you will agree. On the brighter side, soon after the Iron Curtain fell in 1989, the Jewish population began to grow again in Speyer and their first service since WWII was held in 1996.

            Another ‘brighter side’ item needs to be mentioned here also. This is our Guides doing, not anything that was coerced….. they did it on their own…. they all did not hesitate to acknowledge what happened in WWII, particularly with having to do with the Holocaust. They took responsibility for their country’s actions and for their grandparents’ complicity with it all and they thanked us, as Americans, for our country’s part in bringing all of that to an end. It is good when the elephant in the room gets identified.

            Speyer was also the site for the Quest for Women’s Shorts. You see, unfortunately the Laundry Gang sort of ‘lost’ Paula’s pair of blue shorts. This was a bit of a dilemma because the packing for this voyage was on the light side (not like an extended ocean voyage) because not only were we to be gone for just fourteen days, but for half of it we had free laundry service that came with our Room Suite. So, being down half of the ‘shorts required’ was on the disturbing side. Besides, those were her fav’s. Nickolay, our Room Steward was beside himself even though it was obviously not his fault. He began his Quest, and he was unrelenting but alas, the Shorts must have jumped overboard as no trace could be found anywhere. The Captain ordered a room-to-room search involving our heavily armed security team. Everyone had to vacate their rooms until the search was completed and many an evil eye was cast in Paula’s direction while the Inspection was being completed. Again, no positive results. The Captain gave everyone onboard a Free Cocktail to make up for the hassles of the Big Inquisition so in the end, Paula became a heroine, and everyone wished for another Search so they could get another Free Cocktail.

            We found a nice store on the main drag that sported women’s clothing and picked out a dandy pair of blue shorts. Problem solved. That evening Nickolay came by with an exquisite box of Lindt Chocolates, courtesy of Viking, as a Peace Offering which was heartily (at least on my part) accepted. It was then that I tried my best to have something go missing from my laundry!

            We boarded the ship around noontime and spent the afternoon up on the Sun Deck on our way to Rüdesheim where we were to have our next excursion, ‘Dine en Rüdesheim’ complete with a great little three-piece band. The restaurant was as authentic as they come, we were outside under the usual coverings that might help if it didn’t rain too much but all was good, and the weather remained under control. The restaurant was located on the Drosselgasse, which has its beginnings way back in the 15^th century when the Port was a bustling trade city. All of the Bier Haus’s were located along this six-foot wide alley that ran up from the waterfront. Today it is still the location of most of the hospitality related business in town. Paula got involved with the ‘activities’ which left me (thankfully) to stay behind and record the moments for posterity. See attached!

                        We boarded the little tram that brought us there and back to the ship we went, everyone again singing ’99 bottles of Bier en de Valls’ as raucously as they could. The Shore Patrol was dispatched to quell the disturbance and threatened to throw everyone in the Brig upon our arrival, but we knew they were only foolin’ cuz we got no brig on board, just a locking closet and we definitely wouldn’t all fit in there!

                        The morning would come too soon, and it was Castle Alley on the Rhine which brings us full-circle here. Next Post will be all of the Castles that we saw, and don’t worry, I shot each one, didn’t miss nary a one of ‘em cuz I was up on time!

Tomorrow…. the Castles of the Rhine!

                        For those of you who find a fine glass of wine enjoyable, I hope that you find this Post the same.

                        For those of you who find a middle-of-the-road glass of wine totally acceptable, read on to discover some of the whys and wherefores of the more expensive vintages.

                        For those of you who, (like me one time!) cannot really tell if the wine has slightly ‘turned’ when the bottle is opened, read on just for the fun of it because I doubt if in this late term of life, we will ever be considered connoisseurs!

                        Our next Region of Discovery is just outside of Strasbourg, France…… it is called Alsace. The Alsatians are lucky that their collective existence is even being discussed here as these folks have been (figuratively and literally) torn limb-from-limb over the past two millennia. I’m afraid that even my “Cliff Notes” versions of the back-and-forth occupations, border haggles, and treaty oops’s would have you all screaming and running for cover. So, let’s just say that the most recent occurrence of this once commonplace phenomena was during WWII when Germany reached across the Rhine and said, “You’re all coming back here, thank you very much.” This small but very important example explains why there are parts of Alsace that retain enough ‘local laws’ to make sure that they retain their cultural independence from the rest of France….for now.

                        For our purposes today, we need to know that vineyards first appeared in Roman times when good ol’ J.C. (No not that JC…. this was Julius Caesar. The other JC wouldn’t have an effect until a few years later!) came here and helped the Gaul’s defend themselves against the “Invaders du Jour” of that time. Now we have the beginnings of the French Wine Industry, and they didn’t even know it yet!

                        I’ll fast forward a few centuries so that A,) I won’t bore you to death, and B.) This Post won’t end up reading like a Wine 101 textbook! (I wonder if anyone offers that Course?)

                        The year was 1935 and the Wino Powers in France decided that it would be a good idea to put some restrictions on what could be called what and the reasons for those decisions. This was the beginning of the Appellation Controlee Commission. Translated it means basically ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ and takes everything into consideration……. environment, soil varieties, traditions, location, vine growth habits, and of course, the grapes themselves (these factors except the grapes) can be incorporated into one little word… “terroir” from terre meaning land.  Terroir is as important to defining different wines as the grapes themselves are. In short, it means that you cannot produce Burgandy wine in any other French Region except Burgandy or Champagne must originate in the Champagne region or you can’t call it Champagne, you may however call it Sparkling Wine. You can’t even call it Champagne if you are producing it in another country. That’s how strict (and serious) the French laws are, and it seems that the Wine Industry, even in other countries , takes them very seriously! The ‘teeth’ that puts the ‘enforcement’ of this procedure is partially found in the Treaty of Versailles (WWI) where that term Champagne was specifically dealt with. Retain this info for use a little later on.

                        Probably just about all of you have been to a Wine Tasting or two in your lives. As you may surmise, some are better than others due to the wine itself, location, sense of humor of the ‘presenter’ or even if it was a sunny day or not! Everyone is producing wines now, local wines are all the rage with some obviously better than others. But I have yet to be at one where the vintner did not think (or at least proclaim) that their (insert wine term) was the best. Most of these folks in this HIGHLY competitive industry are very proud of their varied vintages and with good reason, especially when you understand the work that goes into producing wines that you hope and pray that someone else will enjoy and of course, purchase! And specifically, the History of the individual Vineyard can play a crucial role in its credibility. It takes a bunch of years and money to start up one of these enterprises….

Can you imagine the guy first opening up and having his first group of Wine Tasters come thorough….

“Ah, yes, let’s see now…. Welcome to Bill’s Vineyard….we’ve been in existence for, ah,  three and a half weeks”…….(everyone turns to leave)

 “But wait! our Vines are much older and come from some stock that’s over a hundred years old! “ (everyone does an about-face and returns)

Nope, cannot even imagine that one!

How about this one:

            “Bonjour everyone! My name is Michele, and we are here at the Albert Seltz vineyard that is still owned and operated by Monsieur Seltz’s 14^th generation grandson, Jérémy.”

            Ok. Now you’ve got my attention!

            Yes, since 1576, Albert Seltz and his progeny have been producing wines in the Alsace Region of France. On the same farm and in the same buildings! No matter who controlled the area!

                        By now you’ve probably surmised that we participated in a Wine Tasting on this River Cruise and that would be correct. Fortunately for us, Viking seems to hunt down the best of the best when it comes to either Excursions and /or the Guides themselves. This experience was no exception, and this is coming from me, the Chocolate Milk Connoisseur! In this case I am referring to the estate of Albert Seltz and in particularly their successful petition of that grand august body of pompeux, prètentieux, wine sniffing membre’s du (here it is again) Appleation d’origine Contrôlée.

                        Here we must backtrack just a tad and introduce just one more designation in this complex situation and it is the designate, Grand Cru. This regulated term may only be used by approval of the AOC after extensive research and subsequent agreement is reached that a particular vineyard  (not region) has proven that their terroir is so selective and specific that they, and only they, can produce that variety of vine that meets this further standard. As you may imagine, it’s a big damn deal!

                        So that’s where we went.  We traveled to the tiny village of Mittelbergheim, Alsace, France. Doesn’t sound very French, does it? Welcome to Alsace! The Amalgam of Western Europe! Our bus barely fit down the tiny roads, but it did and soon we were deposited in front of the main gate of the centuries old estate. From here I will refer back to when I described the two different greetings from the two different wineries, the second one of course is our visit for today. Michele greeted us and transported us back in time by ushering us down into the cellars of Albert Seltz where we heard the family story and proceeded to taste their wines.

                        As you may imagine, the afternoon was huge success both for the Imbibers and the Vintners! The only downside was that the bus was not going to risk almost getting stuck again so we had to hike (uphill!) to edge of town and board there. Not particular hard to do unless the local temps were topping out at 97 and the walkers had just consumed ‘several’ glasses of wine!

                                    We all eventually fell asleep on the bus but not until we sang a few rounds of “99 Bottles of Wine on the Wall.”

                                                “Hic!”

                        My ‘Mind’s Eye’ and what it has seen in the Past, only to be truthfully fortified when it comes into the present, is one of my favorite things. The current example is the Black Forest region of Germany. That little part of my brain has worked overtime over the years just trying to imagine what different places around the world look and feel like. I was totally satisfied when we took an excursion there when we called at Breisach, Germany.

                        The Black Forest…. Cuckoo Clocks, Black Forest Hams, Black Forest Cakes (!), Kirsch, and its typical half-hipped roof farmhouse all ensure that this region retains its wonderful identity.

                        The small villages that we wound our way through on our way to The Black Forest all have that medieval feel to them as most of them can trace their roots back that far.

                        But before we could get to Breisach, we needed to board  the boat. This was waaaay different than the boarding process for Ocean Cruises. Ocean Cruises require long lines at check-in, photos taken for security purposes, and a host of other ‘formalities’ that need to be addressed before the Cruise may commence.

                        On a River Cruise it goes like this: “Good Afternoon Mr. Hall, Gilligan here will show you to your stateroom!” and then he shouts over his shoulder to an officer down the companionway….. “Ok, we can shove off now, everyone is aboard!”

                        That’s it.

                        No photos, no questions, no giving up your first-born….. I could have brought a howitzer on with me, and they probably would have asked if I needed assistance with my ‘baggage’. No need to go through a Security Scan, I don’t think that we have any Security Team anyway, unless maybe the Maintenance Crew doubles as Security….. these guys are big, and they don’t look friendly either! There wasn’t even a Lifeboat Drill because…… there aren’t any lifeboats! All you need to do is put on your swimmies and take three paddle strokes, and you‘re on one of the riverbanks!

                        Now, on to the Black Forest! About an hour and a half from our dock on the Rhine, and through the lowlands filled with all sorts of agricultural tid-bits, we arrived at the base of an area that resembled the wooded foothills of any upland region that may come to your mind. The road was windy and maybe uncomfortably narrow, but we were not in the Motorhome, so we were not driving!

                        We rolled into a small, restored village called Drubba Black Forest. It was our “one stop Black Forest “ experience and for the limited time that we had, served our purposes very nicely. Situated as it was at/on the western terminus of the Hollsteig Toll Road gave it an air of authenticity especially when we walked past the old tollhouse on our way to the oldest (ancient?) church in the Black Forest, the Chapel of St. Oswald. It was consecrated in 1148 AD and has obviously seen a lot in its 877 years, including some extremely near-misses from WWII bombings of the very nearby train viaduct. Check out the photo for some more info!

                        The rest of the village is comprised of a variety of buildings where the trades of the Black Forest are all explained, taught, and offered for sale. Finding out that a truly authentic cuckoo clock (especially the larger, more intricate ones) is the product of several craftsmen in several families was an eye-opener. The cuckoo shop here reminded me of one of the western Trading Posts that we frequent when we visit the Four Corners Region. These stores deal with the local tradespeople and sell their works, acting like a middleman of sorts.

                        We also watched an entertaining session on how to make an authentic Black Forest Cake!

So, what makes it authentic?

                                    Does it need to be made in the Black Forest?

                                    No!

                                    Does it need to be made by little old ladies?

                                    No!

                                    Does it need to be made with German cherries?

No!   (probably just fresh ones!)

How about real whipped cream?

Well…yea…. Probably.

Ok, what then makes it authentic???

The Kirschwasser!

The what???

The Kirschwasser!!! ….. the cherry liqueur!!!

            This recipe is highly recommended to give to unruly children that won’t go to sleep! On piece and Zzzzzzz! (You may use cherry syrup instead of the “good stuff” but then it would not be authentic.)

                        After we were finished, George our driver, hitched the horses back up to the bus and we proceeded to go home via the ‘Alte Steige”, the reason that the toll road was constructed in the first place. You see, it has a 13% grade attached to it and the trades’ routes through this area demanded a road through here, as the rest were really just…. ‘mountains un-roaded’ and an ‘improved’ road for that 13% grade was well worth the toll!

George flipped the guy a wooden nickel and away we went!

            Our return to the boat was a little shorter than our way out but still brought us through incredible little ‘dorfs’ and farmlands. Unfortunately (mostly for the residents of this area) the daytime temps have been hovering in the mid-nineties, which is definitely much higher than they are used to. We (the tourons) are used to those kinds of temps, would rather have had them fifteen degrees lower, but can handle them. Unless your next excursion involves walking into town after lunch on board. The walk wasn’t so bad (uphill both ways) it was what we wanted to see while we were there.

            Someone a really long time ago decided to test the Faithful and place a grand cathedral way up on the tippy-top of a giant hill. This way all were tested come Sunday morning, as only the Truly Faithful would get up, skip breakfast, and hike up to Mass. At least that’s what I thought as I was the one elected to reconnoiter the object of our Proposed Siege of the Hill and then report back to the rest of my platoon and we would decide from there.

                        After finishing my mission, plopping down in the chair offered, downing a quenching supply of water between wheezing breaths, the observant others intelligently decided to forgo the mission and retreat back to the safety (and air-conditioning) of headquarters and promptly activate the Emergency Orders marked “Happy Hour”. I can’t say that I blame them. But here for your perusal are the fruits of that ill-fated Reconnoitering Mission.

                        No worries, there will be many more “Missions” to report on in the near future as our Itinerary is as jam-packed as it can get.  Carry on.

The next few are of the Exterior only as photography is not allowed inside.

Hope you enjoyed these!

Our third, and last, day in Lucerne was a busy one. The main event was a guided climb of the Stanserhorn, one of the foremost peaks in that region of the Alps. But before we could attempt that, Paula wanted to visit one of the more notable sites in the city, that of the Lion Monument. In order to do so and still be on time for breakfast and our eventual departure for the climb, we needed to leave our hotel around 6 AM and find our way through the old winding streets of the City. After some ‘guidance’ issues (ask Paula about it) we found this wonderful tribute to about 600 members of the Swiss Guard. These warriors were part of the defense of the Tuileries Palace during the French Revolution. The Monument portrays a dying Lion, recumbent across symbols of the remnants of the French Monarchy, it was carved out of the side of the cliff in 1819. Over the years many a visiting soldier in uniform has had their photo taken in front of it. I must confess that the exquisite details of this Lion, lying in anguish and the perfect setting that surrounds it, making for a rather moving experience.

                        We returned to our hotel for breakfast and the start of the planned activities for the day before our eventual departure for Basel and our embarkation on the Viking Hlin. After breakfast we met our Guide, Aleksandra, who would be with us for the rest of the day. In the lobby we found everything that we would need for this climb, pitons, carabiners, several lengths of colored lines, helmets, and picks, just about everything we’d need for the rest of the day in order to summit the Stanserhorn.

                        We departed Lucerne and proceeded to go under the mountains that are in the rear of Lucerne. Tunnels are everywhere around here! They are obviously a more efficient way of traveling rather than going around everything! Mt. Pilatus (you’ve seen photos of it up behind Lucerne) was the largest of these obstacles in our way and it was fun viewing it from behind as we made our way upward.

                        Everything is vertical around here. Even the stairways seem to be steeper and definitely longer. Everything is a ‘climb’. Even the steps into the bus seem to be steeper than normal! We exited the bus at the base of the Stanserhorn, got suited up and proceeded to walk up through the Alpine meadows on the way to our first goal in this climb, the Funicular Tram.

That excursion lasted only about ten minutes or so and deposited us at our real entry way to the Stanserhorn. This is where it got very technical as our Guide tried her best to explain the workings of the Cabrio, apparently the only one of its ‘kind’ in the world. This marvelous mode of transportation brought us the rest of the way to the top of the Stanserhorn where we ditched all of the climbing equipment, walked around taking photos and proceeded to go inside the nifty Summit Lodge where we had French Fries and bought innocuous souvenirs to mark our intrepid ‘climb’ of the famed Stanserhorn.

                        Ok, please tell me that you really didn’t think that a load of old, overweight, barely able to ‘climb’ onto our bus, tourons were really going to make a “Technical Climb” of a famous Swiss Alps Peak?…… Pfew!….. You had me worried there for a bit!

                        Our decent went much quicker, the ride back to the hotel to pick up our luggage was uneventful, and we were soon on our way to Basel, where the Hlin was waiting for us, floating nicely in the Rhine River.

                                    The next phase of the Adventure had begun.

                        As usual, more tomorrow!

I will need to ask for your forgiveness in advance when it comes to being what I call ‘timely’ with regards to how swiftly these missives get Posted. This trips Itinerary is unlike the ones of the past when it comes to being ‘jam-packed’. You see, there are no ‘Sea Days’ that allow me to catch up with Duties Penned and at least try and be timely. But I will try.

                        Saturday was our first Full Day here in the ‘Land of the Secure’. I remember my first time here in Switzerland, back in 1968, I came here to go to camp with my friend who was stationed in Belgium at the time. To be correct, Chucky was not actually stationed in Belgium, his Dad was CFO of ITT in Europe and as an 8^th Grader, Chucky had no choice but to follow. Anyway, we went to International Ranger Camp in Leysin for two weeks. It was at this time that the USSR decided that it needed some new cuisine, so it marched into Czechoslovakia and made it ‘theirs’. I remember seeing the International Edition of the New York Times with photos of tanks rumbling down the streets. I am quite sure that my parents were not too happy that I was this close to the ‘action’ but , on the other hand, I never felt so safe and secure!

                        We started out on our first full day with a walking tour of the Old City of Lucerne (English/French) or Luzern (German) and it is as charming as many an old medieval city that we’ve found.

                        We want to move here. Now I know that you’ve probably heard me say that previously as we’ve come across some stunning old cities (like Talin in Estonia) before, but this one is quite different. The setting is like out of a storybook, nestled on the shore of Lake Lucerne and nuzzled into a few gorgeous mountains, this place has everything that one may need to be comfortable. A great rail system, an immaculate city, nice folks, some gorgeous watches, and good chocolates (sorry, but the best are still from the French and Belgians). Just a note here concerning the deportment of the Citizens Local….. and this does explain mostly everything when you come to think of it…. no one crosses the street except in the crosswalk and on the green. Period.

                        Our Tour Guide was our very own Catherine who was Viking’s representative /Class Mother of our Pre-Trip Group here in Lucerne. Catherine is one of those rare individuals that truly love their job. And it shows! She is a fountain of information and always seems to be around when needed. This is our first encounter with Viking and if Catherine is any indication of what else we may expect then I am sure that we are in for a grand time! We would love it if she were to be on the rest of the trip when we embark on the Rhine, but her duties as Host for the next group to come along will keep her quite busy.

Saturday mornings in the City are pretty busy as you may expect. The Farmer’s Market is unlike anything that I’ve seen… the quality of the local produce ferried in from the nearby valleys looked like perfect photos of themselves pretending to be fashion models. Either their culling processes allow for them to bring only he best to market or it all looks like this. Either way, it just goes to further explain that Swiss mentality that I mentioned.

                        Back in the day, before there was a ‘country’ of Switzerland, there were a bunch of warring factions that were politely belligerent with each other. But they were small, and the other guys were big, like the Hapsburgs who I am sure that you all recall from Freshman World History (or probably not 😊) So, the little guys got together and formed a union, defeating the Hapsburgs (at least twice) which showed them the power of cooperating with each other, leading to a more formal confederation of their Cantons (read States) and the rest is History. That is definitely the Cliff Notes version of this conflict and by now Mr. Bruchalski, my former World History teacher, is turning in his grave, but hey! I got the basics down pat!

                        Fast-forward a few hundred years and we’ve got a country with as much National Pride as any, and they accomplish this while speaking four National Languages! German, French, Italian, and Romansh.

                        And what???

                        Romansh. Take a look at that word and give the root word.

                        Correct!

 Roman!

And when in Rome we do as the Roman’s do and we speak….. Latin! Latin is the closest language to Romansh that there is, but it is only spoken in a very small region of Switzerland. But now I’ve redeemed myself with respect to good ol’ Mr. Bruchalski because he was also my Freshman Year Latin teacher!

And guess what? English is their lingua franca, or bridge language, or common, or trade, or auxiliary, or link. I’m sure that you get the idea, which makes it that much easier for us who failed Freshman Romansh to move here!

The second part of the day was spent traveling by rail to Interlaken, a wonderful town located a few lakes and towns further up into the Alps. You saw a photo of this excursion at the beginning of this Post. The local peaks include the Eiger (quite famous if you follow mountaineering) and Grindelwald (also famous, but for alpine skiing instead). If you don’t care about either if those activities, then may I suggest Sightseeing and I can promise you that the Sights are well worth the Seeing!

We had reserved seats in the Panoramic First-Class car which whose attributes were amply taken advantage of. Each turn of the tracks introduced us to yet another incredible vista. Another apology is apropos here as I am afraid that photos taken through highly reflective, UV inhibiting, somewhat blueish tinted windows do NOT make for a good representation to you of the sights that we saw. (I think that sentence makes sense.)

            Luckily….. the software program that I use to post-process my images (Lightroom) just last week (yay!) came out with an addition that tries, to the best of its ability, to examine and identify (when asked to) annoying reflections. This is my first encounter with it and so far I am elated! Correcting for the other stuff will hopefully come with more experience on my part. The entire trip I wished for an outside, no windows, ‘Photo Platform’ but alas, my request was not in time for our journey.

            We all agreed that as nice as Interlaken was, that the excursion, to and from, was the highlight of the afternoon!

            I truly hope that you don’t get tired of me expounding the virtues of every place that we see. But I’m afraid that I cannot apologize for presenting to you what I deem as something that is just plain obvious! And if Traveling is not something that nags at your Being, then hopefully some photos “28 glossy photos with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back describing each one” (Sorry, that just slipped in!) and descriptions of places far away will help your mind’s eye conjure up what we are experiencing!

More tomorrow! (Hopefully!)