From Viking:

Kinderdijk is a village community in the Alblasserwaard province. This corner of South Holland, part of the scenic Waal and Merwede regions, has long been shaped by Rhine Delta waters. Kinderdijk is most known for its 19 remarkably preserved 18th-century windmills. The charming hamlet is located amid low-lying polders, tracts of land reclaimed from the sea by the power of the windmills and enclosed by embankments, or dikes. This legendary place calls to mind the 1865 novel Hans Brinker, in which a heroic boy plugs his finger into a ruptured dike.

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From Viking:

Cologne reveals its Roman heritage in its city layout and the ancient ruins that lie scattered through the town. Cologne’s modern plazas and Hohe Strasse host welcoming shops, enticing restaurants and cologne boutiques. Of note is the city’s 14th-century cathedral, a stunning example of Gothic artistry and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Having survived Allied bombs during World War II, the cathedral’s imposing twin spires are visible for miles and its stained glass windows fill the interior with brilliant colored light. Its steps lead to a platform with astounding views.

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From Viking:

Koblenz is a traditional German city, founded more than 2,000 years ago. This former trading settlement rests on a massif of the Middle Rhine Highlands. Its cobblestone streets, wood-beamed houses adorned with flowers, ancient market square and medieval churches recall the fairy-tale Germany of old. At the “German Corner,” a massive equestrian statue of Prince William I observes the lovely riverside scene. The famed Teutonic Knights set up their first base here in 1216. The Romanesque Basilica of St. Castor, Koblenz’s oldest building, dates to 836.

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From Viking:

The Rhine River flows through one of Germany’s most scenic regions. As you sail its most picturesque stretch, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Middle Rhine, you will pass vineyard-blanketed hills whose steep slopes require vintners to pick grapes by hand, keeping a centuries-old tradition alive. Splendid castles line the banks, all of which have stories to share, and the Lorelei Rock presides at a dramatic curve in the river. This infamous river maiden mesmerized sailors with her song and lured them to their demise at her feet.

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One of the things I was really hoping to do is recreate a photo of me on a river boat on the Rhine adjacent to the iconic Pfalzgrafenstein Castle. I think it turned out well! Continue to the next post if you’d like to see more castle photos.

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Monday morning we found ourselves docked at Speyer. We spent the morning on a leisurely walking tour and enjoyed a lovely dinner of traditional German foods at a local restaurant in the neighboring town of Rüdesheim.

AI-generated overview of Speyer:

Speyer, located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, is one of the country’s oldest cities, with its establishment dating back to a Roman camp in 10 BCE¹. The city is renowned for its Romanesque cathedral, the Speyer Cathedral, which is one of the largest and most significant of its kind in Europe2. Constructed in the 11th century, the cathedral served as the burial site for the Holy Roman Emperor and his family². The city’s history is also marked by the 1529 Protestation at Speyer, which played a pivotal role in the Protestant Reformation³.

In addition to its rich history, Speyer is home to a vibrant cultural scene. The city boasts an impressive collection of landmarks, including the Altpörtel, one of the best-preserved medieval city gates in Germany², and the Jewish Courtyard, which comprises the ruins of a synagogue and a ritual bath dating back to the 1100s4. The city was home to one of the most important Jewish communities in Germany during medieval times, and its Jewish courtyard was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 20213.

1 en.wikipedia.org

2 triplyzer.com

3 en.wikipedia.org

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We were so happy to finally arrive at the boat the day before that we celebrated hard enough to miss the tour of historic Strasbourg. But we did enjoy a wonderful visit to an Alsatian winery, complete with a tasting of many varietals.

Strasbourg: A Tale of Dual Influences

Strasbourg, nestled along the banks of the Ill River, is a city that wears its history like a well-worn cloak. Over the centuries, it has been shaped by the dual influences of both France and Germany, resulting in a surprisingly diverse metropolis.

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With the six-hour delay from Newark we missed our connecting flight to Basel, Switzerland Saturday morning. Viking’s emergency travel reps were cheerful and optimistic but left us to our own devices in finding replacement travel. This was the only blip in otherwise spectacular service—as Viking had booked our travel, I supposed they would handle the re-bookings. (Note to self: next time pad your trip with an extra day at the front of the itinerary to accommodate any travel delays).

Racing to the Lufthansa service desk we discovered a packed waiting area guarded by the “dispenser of the tickets.” Like the deli counter at your local market, the ticket assured that nobody would jump the queue. Despite our assignment of 183 at the “now-serving” of 146, we didn’t have long to wait. Unfortunately, it mattered little; there were no seats on direct flights to Basel for several days!

Second best was an early flight to Frankfurt the following (Sunday) morning with a connection to Basel that afternoon. Hotel vouchers were quickly offered along with directions to the shuttle bus. We would miss the first day of the cruise, but Viking assured us they would arrange car service from Basel airport to the boat docked in Breisach on Sunday afternoon.

It was at this point that Shannon made an auspicious decision—she insisted we retrieve our checked bags instead of leaving them with the airline. The reason shall soon become clear.

The Atomis Hotel Munich Airport by Mercure welcomed us with a clean, comfortable room and well-stocked lobby bar with a motley crew of international travelers. We met an Aussie who turned out to be a German who’d lived Down Under for seven years, a film maker from Canada, a Finn, and two Albanian ladies who tended bar. A lot of beer, Jaeger, and Single Malt was consumed, alongside a credible pepperoni pizza!

Startled awake by my phone notifications at 7 AM I was disconcerted to learn that our flight to Frankfurt had been cancelled leaving us once again stranded in Munich. The horror! Our flight had been re-booked again, but for the FOLLOWING DAY. Yikes! At this point we were happy to have retrieved our bags. Pondering options, we weighed the choices of train travel versus renting a car. The train won out. Hastily we packed, checked out and called for an Uber to the main train station in downtown Munish. An hour later, give or take, we were riding the rails to Zurich, and onward to Basel.

Viking was happy to switch the car service from airport to train station. We emerged from the Basel station bathed in light rain. It took us a minute to gather our bearings, but we eventually spotted the adjacent hotel with the black Mercedes-AMG sedan waiting to whisk us cruise-ward. Our enthusiastic driver expertly piloted the vehicle at speeds approaching 90 MPH on a section of the Autobahn leading toward Breisach (bucket list item checked-off). The Vosges mountains loomed in the distance—we had missed our outing to the Black Forest that morning, but our driver explained the region we were transiting was the adjacent French equivalent. Reclining in my comfortable seat I took consolation in that fact and the realization we would soon be aboard our Viking longboat.

Arriving at the dock we were greeted by a porter and the Cruise Director who welcomed us generously and grabbed the luggage from the car. We had missed lunch service, but the Concierge promised to send some sandwiches to the room after we’d had some time to get settled in and freshened up.

The room was as delightful as promised, including a cold bottle of Veuve Clicquot in the mini fridge that didn’t last a half-hour. We had finally arrived and could relax and start the vacation!

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We boarded our flight to Newark in anticipation of a wonderful week abroad. As we taxied toward the runway, jubilation transformed into frustration as a faulty oil temperature sensor brought the plane to a standstill. After two hours of sitting with nary an update, the plane finally limped back to an open gate.

Bewildered passengers spilled back into the terminal, greeted by bags of snack chips and bottled water. meal vouchers soon followed. Eventually they found a replacement airplane. But not before Shannon retreated inside the comfort of her fleecy Browns jacket.

A little more than six hours after our original departure time, we were finally hurdling over the Atlantic (can an airplane really hurdle?) on the way to Munich.

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