Journeys With Rosemary
Enchanting Rhine Cruise
May 26 - June 3, 2015
Enchanting Rhine Cruise
May 26 - June 3, 2015
Everything came together to make this an amazing cruise--beautiful boat, excellent food, dedicated crew and awesome cruise manager. The majority of our group started out with a couple of pre-trip days in Amsterdam. After an overnight flight, several of us arrived together at our hotel in the morning and soon ventured out in search of a coffee shop. We found one close by with a nice selection of beverages. When we went to order, we were told we needed to purchase something to smoke as well. Oops, forgot about the brown cafes! This was an "Amsterdam experience" and we continued on to find a "regular" coffee shop. During the rest of our stay here, we went as a group to both the Van Gogh Museum and the Anne Frank House. In our free time, members of our group visited the Red Light District, The Royal Palace, various museums, churches, shops and eateries. We went to a traditional Dutch restaurant one night where some of us enjoyed plates of herring, a local specialty.
We spent the first day on the lovely AmaSonata docked in port. We were delighted that our group was assigned the color purple for the cruise and, as such, we enjoyed a canal cruise and city tour that highlighted Dam Square, Rembrandt Windmill, and the city center. While enjoying our first tasty lunch on board, we "set sail" for Cologne, Germany. There we had a walking tour of the old town that culminated in a visit to the famed 13th century cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site. That evening we had a private welcome cocktail party in the lounge where we were formally introduced to one another. After a delicious dinner, we took an evening walk around Koblenz, Germany, a charming town at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers.
We spent the next afternoon in Rudesheim, Germany--some of us touring the town, then enjoying free time; some doing a wine tasting, others taking a gondola ride and still others doing a bicycle ride. That evening some of us visited the mechanical music cabinet museum, while the rest enjoyed a yummy Rudesheim Coffee at a restaurant in the Drosselgasse. a lively, narrow cobbled street dating back to the 15th century that's the center of food, drink and entertainment.
Next we docked in Mannheim, Germany and had the choice of visiting Heidelberg, a university town, with its castle and Hauptstrasse, a long pedestrian shopping street; or hiking the Philosopher's Way with scenic views of the city and Neckar Valley; or touring Speyer with its old town, 13th century gate tower and cathedral.
Back on board, at the Captain's Dinner, several from our group who were repeat cruisers with Ama were invited to dine at the captain's table.
Next we visited Strasbourg, France, the only place we encountered a little rain. While some again (brave) bicycled and others hiked, most took the city walking tour which ended at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. A lot of us stayed inside it to witness the daily astronomical clock show at 12:30.
The following day we docked at Breisach, Germany. We could choose a tour of Riquewihr, France, a walled city with lovely buildings dating back to the 15th century (and great shopping) or a pair of walking tours in Germany, 12th century Freiburg and Breisach.
Too soon, our wonderful cruise came to an end in Basel, Switzerland and we bid auf wiedersehen to 5 of our travelers. The rest of us toured Basel with its Munster Cathedral and medieval town hall.
We continued on to lovely Lucerne, stopping on the way to visit the Lion monument that commemorates the Swiss Guards who died in the French Revolution. We did a walking tour of old town Lucerne's cobbled streets, visiting Chapel Bridge and enjoying views of the lake. Most of our group went on the Swiss Mountain tour, taking the cogwheel train up Mt Pilatus and the gondola ride. En route to our final stop, Zurich, we took a boat ride across gorgeous Lake Lucerne, then drove around part of the lake.
In Zurich, we toured the picturesque old town. Highlights were the town hall and the churches of St Peter (largest clock face in the world) Grossmunster, and Fraumunster (Chagall windows). Some took a tour to the Rhine Falls, loveliest waterfalls in Europe, and the charming town of Stein am Rhine, one of the best preserved small medieval towns. That evening we said our farewells at the group's wine reception at our hotel. We returned home with lots of new acquaintances and fond memories of the loveliest areas of Germany, France and Switzerland.
We spent the first day on the lovely AmaSonata docked in port. We were delighted that our group was assigned the color purple for the cruise and, as such, we enjoyed a canal cruise and city tour that highlighted Dam Square, Rembrandt Windmill, and the city center. While enjoying our first tasty lunch on board, we "set sail" for Cologne, Germany. There we had a walking tour of the old town that culminated in a visit to the famed 13th century cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site. That evening we had a private welcome cocktail party in the lounge where we were formally introduced to one another. After a delicious dinner, we took an evening walk around Koblenz, Germany, a charming town at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers.
We spent the next afternoon in Rudesheim, Germany--some of us touring the town, then enjoying free time; some doing a wine tasting, others taking a gondola ride and still others doing a bicycle ride. That evening some of us visited the mechanical music cabinet museum, while the rest enjoyed a yummy Rudesheim Coffee at a restaurant in the Drosselgasse. a lively, narrow cobbled street dating back to the 15th century that's the center of food, drink and entertainment.
Next we docked in Mannheim, Germany and had the choice of visiting Heidelberg, a university town, with its castle and Hauptstrasse, a long pedestrian shopping street; or hiking the Philosopher's Way with scenic views of the city and Neckar Valley; or touring Speyer with its old town, 13th century gate tower and cathedral.
Back on board, at the Captain's Dinner, several from our group who were repeat cruisers with Ama were invited to dine at the captain's table.
Next we visited Strasbourg, France, the only place we encountered a little rain. While some again (brave) bicycled and others hiked, most took the city walking tour which ended at the Cathedral of Notre Dame. A lot of us stayed inside it to witness the daily astronomical clock show at 12:30.
The following day we docked at Breisach, Germany. We could choose a tour of Riquewihr, France, a walled city with lovely buildings dating back to the 15th century (and great shopping) or a pair of walking tours in Germany, 12th century Freiburg and Breisach.
Too soon, our wonderful cruise came to an end in Basel, Switzerland and we bid auf wiedersehen to 5 of our travelers. The rest of us toured Basel with its Munster Cathedral and medieval town hall.
We continued on to lovely Lucerne, stopping on the way to visit the Lion monument that commemorates the Swiss Guards who died in the French Revolution. We did a walking tour of old town Lucerne's cobbled streets, visiting Chapel Bridge and enjoying views of the lake. Most of our group went on the Swiss Mountain tour, taking the cogwheel train up Mt Pilatus and the gondola ride. En route to our final stop, Zurich, we took a boat ride across gorgeous Lake Lucerne, then drove around part of the lake.
In Zurich, we toured the picturesque old town. Highlights were the town hall and the churches of St Peter (largest clock face in the world) Grossmunster, and Fraumunster (Chagall windows). Some took a tour to the Rhine Falls, loveliest waterfalls in Europe, and the charming town of Stein am Rhine, one of the best preserved small medieval towns. That evening we said our farewells at the group's wine reception at our hotel. We returned home with lots of new acquaintances and fond memories of the loveliest areas of Germany, France and Switzerland.