The Secret Garden

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Nantucket Getaway

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A Bar in Amsterdam

This morning we would arrive and dock at our final port, Amsterdam. Those who have meticulously followed this blog for the past ten years may recall that my very first post chronicled my experience roaming about the streets of this delightful city. I chose this itinerary specifically because of this. What an ideal way to conclude our “Disney Adventure” ™ !

Sunrise over the North Sea

Every evening we would receive an information sheet under the door with the next day’s various itineraries and other essential information. I know, it’s a little late in the trip to tell about this now. Oops!

Today’s temps, address of the port in case we get lost, and Cocktail/Mocktail of the day. All very important.

Here you can see how jam packed your day could be if you chose to do so. You can also see how many snacks were at one’s disposal around the clock.

Hour by hour itinerary. We somehow never made the 6:30 am intensive workout.

To start the day we queued up for a guided canal tour. Technically, we were up and out at the crack of dawn, but the sunrise at this time of year isn’t until after 8:00 am.

A picturesque sunrise over the Harbor.

It was such a beautiful, calm morning. We drifted past the house boats and iconic brick homes of Amsterdam. I learned that the multi-storied apartments are built with a forward lean, in order to use a pully to hoist up furniture. Now you know too.

Intercontinental Amstel Amsterdam. Hotel to the stars, so we’re told.
The Rijksmuseum
I remembered this house from my first visit. It looks more like something from Main street USA. I’m told it’s a law office.

After the canal cruise we could choose to visit one of three different museums: Van Gogh, Rembrandt or Rijksmuseum. We chose the Van Gogh. We walked through the Rijksmuseum’s bicycle tunnel which opened up onto a large plaza, the Museumplein.

Oh outdoor, cafés! How I adore you!
Future artist at work.
Why wasn’t this activity on the agenda???

Once in the museum, we separated into groups for a guided tour through the exhibits.

The man himself.
Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”
That’s me touching a priceless painting.

Psych! It’s a replica that’s meant to be touched by visitors. Please don’t go man handling works of art without permission.

The museum was great, though the language barrier between ourselves our guide was a bit high. Her english was certainly a lot better than my Dutch.

Post museum we wandered back out to the plaza for a cappuccino at the very first stand I stopped at on our first trip.

♫ 🎶 ♪ …Memories…. ♫ ♪ 🎶

You may think you know what’s happening in the picture below, but there’s more to this story…

Pigeon feasting on an abandoned waffle.

This poor girl got herself a yummy, sweet waffle, and then was besieged by wasps attacking the sugary treat. She had to surrender the pastry to the hostile insects. Then these pigeons swept in and took the whole thing! Nature at work.

I snapped this artsy pic whilst Jeff was having an epic allergy attack.

After the museum, we were shuttled back to the boat to regroup for the afternoon excursions. We could either visit a charming fishing village or travel to the countryside to see the iconic wind mills and taste cheese. Although these two offerings sounded lovely (I do enjoy a piquant Gouda), we agreed that we would rather go rogue. We wanted to just walk around and seek out the some of places we enjoyed on our first trip together.

A look back at the harbor

We headed into the Old Town of Amsterdam. The weather this evening was absolute perfection.

Entering the magic hour.
We happened by the cafe where I had had the most scrumptious croissants ever!

We had one specific goal and that was to find the delightful, cozy bar in which we lingered almost every evening of our last visit. I had the address but feared it may not have survived after all these years.

It’s still here!!!

Guys, this is the most charming bar on the planet, in my humble opinion.

This space is so cozy and both masculine and feminine at the same time.

It was such a gift to be back here after all these years. We were both feeling so grateful to be able to revisit and reflect on these fond memories. We enjoyed our beverages and reluctantly moved on.

Mr. Jones reminiscing.

We strolled through the bustling neighborhood where we had stayed previously.
The outdoor dining and bars were thick with locals unwinding after work.
Every square foot of available side walk has tables and chairs.
So many shops tucked in everywhere!
Classic row of houses.

The canals. Sigh.

We walked a whole heck of a lot. Really. We were now ready for another stop. We found an outdoor café riiiight on the canal.

We could have sat next to the rail but these folks beat us to it. They do seem to be enjoying the view though. Grrr.
Love a Cap with a cookie!
Popped inside for the loo. This bar ias pretty dang cute too.

I snapped a million photos of the architecture. Here’s five of them.

And we’re walking, we’re walking…

A bust of Eduard Douwes Dekker, pen name Multatuli, who is considered one of the Netherlands’ greatest authors.

One last beer at a café bar.

We put in a record number of steps today. We were quite ready to enjoy our last evening meal on the ship. It was spectacular as per usual.

Pork Wellington Perfection!
A work of art for dessert.

We would be up and out early the next morning for our journey back home. They had a very swift system to get you the heck off of their boat. Coffee, pastry…buh bye.

Tot Ziens, from ten years ago…

In the past ten years, Mr. Jones and I have had more amazing adventures than we deserve. I’m so grateful for every one. That business trip to Amsterdam on which I tagged along was an experience that I could never, ever duplicate. It came after a very long time of thinking…”Maybe Someday”. This voyage, however, was one for the books, or the blog as it were. Thank you for following along. I hope you enjoyed the journey.

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Homesick for Cologne

This day in Cologne Germany started pretty rainy and gloomy. We were grouped up and sent off with a local guide for a walking tour, beginning at the site of the historic Fischmarkt Köln. Here we were greeted by these candy colored buildings.

This sure brightened things up.

This city was full of contrasts. The grandeur of the church of St. Martin looming over the nursery colors of the Market buildings was a striking.

The design of the church you see was largely conceived of during the 12th-century, but was reconstructed following heavy bomb damage during World War II. Unlike most of the little towns and villages we have visited previously which had escaped a majority of damage, Cologne was devastated during this conflict. We’ll look more at this later.

We proceeded to the Alter Markt, or the Old Market in the heart of the Old Town.

Not much happening today…

This area is home to the Christmas Market during winter but is perhaps best known for the Carnival which begins at 11:11am on the 11th day of the 11th month. This is when Cologne goes completely bonkers and hoards of Jecken, or madmen, storm the town hall.

Let’s all be thankful we were not here at Kölner Karneval. Amen

From what I’ve read it’s an opportunity to go nuts, drink beer and thumb their noses at authority. Our guide brought us around to a few of the statues in the Market. Further cementing how serious the Colognians take Karnival, there’s a monument in honor of Willi Ostermann, the author of the official song of the festival Heimwih noh Kölle” (Home-sick for Cologne).

The figures on the fountain tell the story of the characters in his songs. They look like a randy crew.

The people of Cologne seem to love to push back against the upper crust. When we were gathered outside of the Cologne Town hall (the Kölner Rathaus) we were instructed to keep our eye on the “Platzjabbeck”, the wooden face sculpture on the facade. This guy opens its mouth and sticks out its tongue when the tower clock strikes the hour. Funny, yes, but it’s got nothing on one of the other sculptures which also dons the building.

The Tower of the Town Hall includes 133 statues of people related to the history of Cologne. The medieval building, almost destroyed in the Second World War, was finally reconstructed in 1975 followed by the completion of the replicated statues in the late 1980s.

 Cologne’s inportant patrons and saints of the city Adorning the facade.

Amazingly, this reconstruction included this obscene carving hidden beneath the statue of Archbishop Konrad von Hochstadenthe. Be prepared to clutch your pearls.

My Word!

Apparently Archbishop Konrad was very unpopular among the good people of Cologne due to the tax he implemented on hops, indirectly taxing beer. According to my research, such mocking statues were tolerated by the local authorities under the condition that they were not clearly visible. They were placed high up on buildings, in dark corners, or underneath bigger statues like with our self-fellating friend above.

While most of the city of Cologne was destroyed by bombing during World War II, ironically, beneath it still lives the remnants of the first century Roman city that preceded it. Over the centuries buildings and roads were just constructed right over the ancient foundations. Even as recently as the 1960s there was little regard for the historical significance of these structures. Beneath the Cologne Cathedral is a functional parking garage that was just wedged in around these ancient Roman ruins.

The Romano-Germanic Museum (which was sadly closed while we were visiting) was established in 1974 on the former site of an ancient Roman Villa. They are now responsible for excavating and preserving these treasures.

Partially reconstructed storage chamber believed to part of a wealthy Roman merchant’s house.

During the construction of that 1960s underground parking garage that we talked about earlier, a portion of a Roman road was discovered by chance. The garage entrance seemed more important at the time so the road was moved five meters to the south. The stones were numbered so they could be assembled correctly, but they were made with chalk so the rain just washed the markings away. As a result, the workers just placed the stones any old way. Romans were considered experts in road building so I’m going to assume that this isn’t what they intended.

Mind your ankles.

The Cologne Cathedral is the center piece of this city on the Rhine. You may recall that when we visited Strasbourg, that cathedral just bowled me over. I had never before seen a man made creation so enormous and so grand. This church is actually a dozen meters taller and certainly every bit as stunning as Strasbourg. It only suffered for being the second one we viewed.

Kölner Dom (Cologne Catherdral)

The cornerstone of this Gothic cathedral was laid on the Feast of the Assumption of Mary in 1248 and finally completed in 1880. That’s almost as long as it took to finish the Big Dig. Sorry international readers, that’s some local humor.

Cologne was pummelled during the Second World War and ninety five percent of the city was completely destroyed. Despite fifteen aerial bombings, the cathedral survived intact but badly damaged. Its stained glass windows and artistic treasures had thankfully been moved to a safe place prior to the bombing raids.

I have to be honest with you, friends. I really didn’t appreciate Cologne as much as I should have while we were there. Other than the Cathedral, the city didn’t seem terribly different from other modern centers. The rainy weather didn’t allow us to explore very much and the Roman-German museum (a significant attraction for this city) was closed for renovations at the time. It wasn’t until I was back home researching for this installment that I got a real understanding of this city.

I was completely sobered when I found this footage of a tank battle which took place at the foot of the Cologne Cathedral. This place, right where we stood, was the scene of absolute devastation beyond comprehension. In just 87 years this mighty city has been rebuilt and stands tall and proud.

Please take a moment to watch this astonishing video capturing the Battle of Cologne.

We found a nicely covered patio right outside of the cathedral for a cappuccino and respite from the drizzle. We had a bit of time to pass before our guided pub crawl.

Served with a little chocolate!

Cologne Germany is known for its beer called Kölsch. To be considered such, it must be made within 50 kilometers of the city of Cologne. Kölsch is warm fermented with top-fermenting yeast, then conditioned at cold temperatures like a lager, so I’m told.

Kölsch is traditionally served in a tall cylindrical glass called a “stange,” or pole. As the story goes, these ales are served in small glasses because they lose their flavor as they sit. Instead of waiting for the drinker to order a refill, the servers or Köbes will just bring you another beer and make a tick on the coaster under the Stange. When the patron is finished, they place the coaster on top of the empty Stange and pay for the number of beers marked on the coaster.

We crawled, as it were, over to the next brewery above call Früh. I hopped over to their website and found this description that gave me a chuckle.

The Cölner Hofbräu P. Josef Früh KG has been around for over 100 years. Since then, it has been standing for Cologne hospitality opposite Cologne Cathedral, for over 100 years of Cologne’s history and more than 100 years of family tradition – and above all, for more than 100 years of delicious Kölsch beer.

Quiz: How long have they been brewing Kölsch? Correct!

I had enjoyed so many fantastic Non-alcoholic beers on this trip so far. However, here in Cologne they didn’t seem to have any, or at least not where we went. They instead gave me a drink that’s designated for toddlers.

No sippy cup though.

We made our way back where we began, to the Fischmarkt at the river, and meandered back to the boat for lunch.

An interesting sculpture/fountain at the port.

While lunch was served everyday on the ship, up until today we chose to stay out and about and enjoy the town/city we were visiting. I’m not sure if this was the kind of family style feast served each day, but oh my!

Oompa music accompanied the feast.

After lunch we retired to our room for a rest. Before that, I grabbed myself a cappuccino from this marvelous machine in the lounge. It makes about a zillion different variations of coffee drinks and I had about as many. Being on an “all you care to imbibe” wine cruise as a newly minted non-drinker had the potential to be a challenge. This coffee was a real treat.

By this time the clouds had cleared away. We began our longest leg of the cruise up to the Netherlands. I enjoyed these bucolic views from our balcony while I sipped on my cappuccino.

Time passed…

It was time for our penultimate dinner. On this night I somehow remembered to photograph nearly every course. I can’t stress enough how delectable everything was.

Chateaubriand with Mushroom Butter.

We will be up and at ’em early tomorrow to be reunited with our favorite city, Amsterdam. This will be the grand finale of a grand adventure!

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In Rüdesheim in the Drosselgass

For our second day in Germany we will be exploring Rüdesheim am Rhein. This small town is located on the right bank of the Rhine River in Germany’s Rheingau wine region. Our ship was docked within steps of our destination so no coach rides were necessary. We crossed the street and ducked down a narrow street called Drosselgasse.

Tight squeeze

The winsome charm of this town became immediately apparent. The narrow, cobblestoned lane of shops, wine taverns, biergartens, and restaurants are housed in half-timbered medieval buildings.

At the top of the agenda was a visit to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum. Cabinets? Yeah, I was confused too.

The museum’s namesake, Siegfried Wendel was the curator of an astounding array of self- playing musical contraptions. Most were in poor condition, or even destined for the scrap heap before they were rescued and repaired. Some of the complex music boxes are so tiny that they can fit in the palm of your hand. Others are so huge that they fill up most of a room.

The only way to visit is by guided tour. Our adorable guide provided history and facts about all these machines with robust enthusiasm.

I don’t remember her name. She looks like a Heidi.

The first contraption we experienced was the enormous 1909 Hupfeld Violina Phonoliszt. It’s as big as a Buick and was absolutely astounding to witness.

Here’s a video:

If you’re wondering where the singing is coming from, it’s not a tiny man stuffed in the box. That was our Disney tour guide Danny. He just happens to also be an opera singer. What an over-achiever.

This Gebruder Bruder organ was much more colorful and played calliope music. Most of the mechanics are hidden inside.

Heidi demonstrating how the accordion style music sheets work.

“Heidi” played a record on this gramophone for us. It was Que Sera Sera from Doris Day. Brought me right back to the days of singing in nursing homes. The diamond needle on the arm has to be changed each time it’s played or it will destroy the record.

“Whatever will be, will be…”

This Weber Maesto Orchestrion played a flurry of piano, violin, flute, clarinet, trumpet and saxophone along with xylophone, drums and cymbol crashes. You can see much more of the mechanics in this one.

Video:

I mentioned before that this museum is housed the medieval Brömserhof building. Two of the rooms’ vaulted ceilings are covered in gorgeous paintings preserved from the mid-1500s.

I think my favorite piece would have to have been this whimsical little singing bird box. “Heidi” came around and played it for each of us . You can also hear her adorable german accent in this next video:

I found this Youtube video showing how the mechanism creates this birdsong.

After the museum, we were released on our own recognizance. We wandered a bit taking in all the gorgeous atmosphere. The planters were just lovely. It was surprising how lush everything remained so late in the season.

We were given another “Freebee” to enjoy today. A coupon for a Rüdesheim Coffee. This a local specialty made with whipped cream and brandy. It can be found in any almost café here, but this particular spot is the most popular.

The recipe involves a flambé of brandy, some coffee, and a generous amount of whipped cream with shaved chocolate. I wasn’t drinking alcohol, but we thought maybe it would pretty much be burned off. When we asked the straight faced waiter, he responded with a flat out “No.”

They are always served in this particular cup.

I ordered a cappuccino, and gave my brandy laced coffee to Jeff, but not before swiping the whipped cream and chocolate off the top.

They make a big show of the presentation. Here’s one from the interweb:

When we first set out on this morning is was extremely foggy, but the sky cleared just in time for our next adventure: taking a ride on the  Seilbahn Rüdesheim  Gondolas. The tiny cable cars carry you up over the vineyards and affords the most spectacular view back down to the town and the Rhine River beyond it.

Rheingau is known as Germany’s premier wine-producing region and most famous for its rieslings. I’m sure the vineyards are just gorgeous anytime of year, but the glowing yellow of the just-turning fall leaves were absolutely stunning against blue skies.

Below is a video from the gondola:

Once you’re at the top, you’ll be greeted by the Niederwalddenkmal. This 125-foot-tall 19th century monument was completed in 1883 to commemorate the unification of Germany into a single nation.

Can you tell how gigantic this monument is?
Husband for scale.
The view from the monument.

When we took our gondola ride back down to town, we were quite ready for lunch. On the way we passed the world’s cutest mail box.

Did you get my postcard yet?

While we were bopping around trying to find just the right spot to dine we bumped into a fellow adventurer, Lynn. We had met her and her son Seth earlier on the trip. She was flying solo for lunch so we invited her to join us.

We found a lovely place on a sunny veranda, settled in and started chatting. Most of the folks on this trip were older couples, so Lynn and her twenty-something son kind of stood out. She shared that their family had suffered a great loss. Her son Caleb, Seth’s brother, passed away at aged 23 after a long illness in 2014. Her husband, who was not on the trip, was now also struggling with a serious illness. Because of these challenges they have made it a priority to make time to have adventures together. What makes Lynn even more remarkable is what she is doing right now for other families. While Caleb was battling his illness he decided to start a foundation. We’ve all heard of “Make a Wish” that serves to create a bit of magic for a terminally ill patient, but this would be different. Caleb wanted to give the caregivers, the family, a chance to get away and feel normal, away from the doctors, hospitals and stress just for a week. A Week Away was born. Caleb’s work is still being carried out by this remarkable woman and her team of volunteers. Please do click the link for more about Lynn and this foundation.

Oh, and lunch was amazing too! Jeff got a dainty charcuterie board, while I had a huge hunk of the most scrumptious crispy pork belly and potato dumplings. Not very lady like.

Next on the docket was a wine tasting at the Weingut Adolf Störzel winery. We were shuttled down in to the cellar for a loooong lesson on ice wine.

The host talked for so long that they had to hand off the last tasting as we headed out the door. It was a bit boring, but I’m not the best audience seeing that I didn’t imbibe.

This guy doesn’t know anything about brevity.

Wine tasting aside, the excursions have gotten even more interesting and beautiful as the week progressed. This day in Rudesheim might have been my favorite of the trip, but don’t hold me to that.

Me feeling pure delight.
Tree lined alley back to the boat.

Today we will be “all aboard” earlier that usual. Up to this point we had been docked during the day and moving up the Rhine overnights. Makes sense, but Jeff had mentioned that he pictured sitting on the deck watching the countryside go by when he was looked forward to this trip. Well, today was the day! We all gathered on the sundeck for a guided tour of the Medieval Castles of the Rhine Gorge.

Seems like everyone brought their bottles of wine.
A last look at Rudesheim

There are over forty castles along the Rhine gorge. Most are now museums, restaurants or hotels. The tour was hosted by our cruise director Crystal. She narrated all the castle facts over the loud speaker in real time. I was surprised they didn’t just play a recording. That’s a whole lot of talking.

The map of castles
That’s me enjoying the scenery in my flip flops and parka. The temperature varied.

The castle tour was marvelous and the views just sublime.

Sigh… today was just fantastic. We’ll have one more stop in Germany before reaching our final destination, Amsterdam.

Auf wiedersehen!
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Memories of Heidelberg

This morning we arrived in Germany. We docked in Ludwighafen and took a half hour coach ride to the Historic city of Heidelberg. Once we were off the Autobahn, the bus climbed up and up a windy forested road. We parked after doing a forty point turn on a precarious mountainside road, and still had a bit of jaunt up a steep incline before we reached our first destination.

Hoofing it.

Heidelberg is home to oldest University in Germany Established in 1386. This gorgeous manor which is perched on the Königstuhl hillside overlooking the city is a Frat House. Yup.

There’s probably a game of beer pong going on in here right now.
The students have this exquisite view of Heidelberg

The main event for today was visiting Heidelberg Castle. As I’ve been learning about most places in Europe, it has a loooong history. It’s funny how being from such a young country informs your view of what is considered “old”. To me, the Hanover Mall is old. This castle has been around since the 1225.

Entrance to the Castle grounds.

We were separated into groups of about ten and were each assigned to a period dressed guide who would lead us through the history of the castle. We each had listening devices so it felt as if this thirteenth century Dame was whispering sweet castle information right in my ear.

This dame had a way about her.

We started walking the grounds surrounding the outer fortifications. The castle itself has been conquered, destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout the centuries. However, Lightning seems to have been its harshest enemy. The upper castle itself was destroyed by a lightning strike in 1537 and rebuilt. Then, in 1764, the castle was once again hit by a terrible storm. As the story (which the lady purred into my ear) goes, a lightning strike ignited the entire cache of gunpowder and munitions that was used to defend the castle and the town of Heidelberg. This blew the front of the tower clear off. It still sits abandoned today.

Nature is the harshest enemy.

Our guide remarked that we didn’t look particularly infirm and perhaps we could take a longer stroll for better views of the Neckar Valley.

Is she a ghost?
It was indeed worth the walk.

We journeyed back towards the castle and entered through the gate tower.

Over the Gate Tower there are two Medieval knights that were created in 1535. Between them are two Palatine Lions which once held a now missing coat of arms.

Didn’t do a very good job guarding that coat of Arms, eh?

Once inside Heidelberg palace you can see the knitting together of different architectural eras through the centuries. Almost every prince-elector added a structure of a different style to the Castle.

Like with the ornately carved facade of the Strasbourg Cathedral, the statues here represent the History of Heidelberg.

The top position on the facade is occupied by the “fathers” of the city including Charlemagne and Otto von Wittelsbach. In the second row, select representatives of the first family members to live along the Rhine like the founder of Heidelberg University. Emperors and kings descendant from the House of Wittelsbach are depicted in the third row.

Some of the statues are replicas. The originals are stored away.

The outer terrace

On the castle’s terrace one can see a supposed “footprint” which has a bit of a saucy fable attached to it. Supposedly, a lady-in-waiting was entertaining a knight in a third floor castle bedroom. Upon the discovery of the couple in flagranti, the knight is said to have leaped from the window in desperation. The iron shoe of his armor left a deep impression in the sandstone. One legend says that if your foot fits in the footprint, then you will one day return to Heidelberg. Another says that any man whose foot fits in this hole is a fantastic lover. You can choose your preferred lore.

If you survive your own leap to the terrace you will enjoy the most spectacular view over the city below. I captured a quick video whilst the church bells were ringing:

Before we departed the castle, we descended to the cellar in order to feast our eyes upon the world’s largest wine barrel, “The Heidelberg Tun”. This vat was built in 1751 to store the wine which growers of the region paid as taxes to the ruler. It’s capable of holding 219,000 liters of wine. I say “capable” because just ten years after the barrel was built, it began to decay and spring leaks. It hasn’t contained wine in it since.

 “An empty cask the size of a cathedral could excite but little emotion in me“- Mark Twain

It was time to make our way down to the old Village. We had the choice to either ride the Funicular or trek down the 315 stairs. We had previously experienced one of these elevator/escalator contraptions when we visited Quebec a few years ago. I found it a bit unnerving. To the stairs!

The descent.

It was at this time that the clouds parted and the blues skies finally shone!!!

Hallelujah!

We gathered here at the Kornmarkt. This would be the spot where all the “Adventurers” would meet at the end of the day.

KornMarkt

Our guide cemented this location in our minds by telling us about the Corn Kid. I had missed this internet sensation previously. If you did as well, please click the link so your life will be complete.

Madonna Vom Kornmarkt (Madonna at the Corn Market)

Once you pass through the Kornmarkt it opens up to a larger Marketplace called Rathausplatz where you’ll find the Town Hall for which it’s named, as well as the 15th century Heiliggeistkirche (Church of the Holy Spirit) whose bells we heard ringing out on the hillside earlier. Did you listen? You can go back if you didn’t. I’ll wait.

Rathausplatz
Heiliggeistkirche straight ahead.

Before we explored too much more we decided to plop down at one of the many outdoor cafés for some refreshment. Every place we stopped on this trip had a vast amount of non-alcoholic beers on the menu. Low and no-alcohol drinks are standard fare in Europe.

This was my favorite of the whole trip. It tasted like dry champagne.

Now that we were rested and watered we went about exploring the Old Town of Heidelberg.

The Altstadt (Old Town) is combination of old and new buildings. Most have a restaurant, a café or a shop on the ground floor and either a hotel or apartments above. Narrow streets branch off Hauptstraße, the main road where most of the shopping is centered.

We ducked down one of the narrow streets to the Neckar River where you’ll find the uninspiredly named “Old Bridge”. It’s also a misnomer because it is the ninth bridge erected in the same spot. The first eight bridges were made of wood and were consecutively destroyed by various fire, floods, and storms over the centuries. 

Old Bridge

At the bridge you’re greeted by a Bronze Monkey.

Cheeky Monkey

This piece seems a bit out of place compared to all the other renaissance statuary, but the bridge has featured a monkey at this spot as far back as the 15th century. This current statue has only been around since 1979. It’s meant remind those who crossed it from either side to look over their shoulders at where they’ve come from.

On the plaque below is a poem written about the monkey by the Baroque writer Martin Zeiler in 1632.

Why are you staring at me?/Haven’t you seen the old monkey of Heidelberg/Look to and fro/There you will find many more of my own kind.

The head is hollow so visitors are encouraged take selfies while using it as a mask.

Tradition demanded it.
A statue of the bridge’s builder Karl Theodor. Seems a bit of a Dandy.

Now that we are standing across the Neckar River we can get a full view of the Castle.

Heidelberger Schloss

This medieval bridge Gate survived all the floods and fires. In one tower there are quarters for the guards, the other has a jail to detain “suspicious persons”.

Brückentor

It was getting on time to procure some lunch. We found the perfect spot down a little alleyway. This was an adorable cafe at the Hotel Hackteufel.

The Church of the Holy Spirit to the south.
Bridge tower to the north

We got a beer and a pretzel which came with a pile of radishes and some yummy cream cheese called Obazda. The main dish was a pork schnitzel with most scrumptious potato salad. Jeff proclaimed it was the best bite of the trip.

We spent a couple more hours wandering around and taking it all in before stopping for a sweet at a lovely shop, La Macaronnerie Heidelberg.

I chose a caramel hazelnut tort and, of course a cappuccino.

We headed back to our floating hotel and surely had a loooong nap. Tonight we were scheduled to have a special dinner in the captain’s dining room. This is something every guest has the opportunity to do, you just need to sign up ahead of time.

The Captain’s dining room.

The food in the main dining room had been so brilliant we could not imagine how it could be even better. Well…. it wasn’t. I won’t go on and on about it, but it was just perplexing. Not only did the food suffer in comparison to the main dining room, but dishes were obviously plated hours before we even arrived. The desserts were already lined up on a table as we walked through. Then when our first course arrived it was kind of shocking.

Two watery shrimp in crusty hummus.

The rest of the courses were just humdrum. I guess it just made us appreciate the finesse of the chefs that have been delighting us each evening.

On bus on the way to Heidelberg, our guide shared (implanted in our brains) a song by Peggy March. You may remember her big hit “I Will Follow Him…”. Well, she had another ditty called “Memories of Heidelberg”. You can guess what it’s about. It’s all in German except the titular line but it’s enough to get entrenched in your brain forever. Listen if you dare!

We’ll be visiting another charming hamlet in Germany in the next installment.

Until then…

🎶 ♫ ♪ ..Memories of Heidelberg are memories of you…🎶 ♫♪

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Cathedral Spires

The steely grey skies would follow us to Strasbourg France. It seemed fitting after learning of the tumultuous history of the long fought over region. We started the day once again boarding a coach for a short ride to the city. First on the agenda was a canal boat tour on the ll River.

Our Canal boat. I jostled for a window seat.

Sorry people, I need to get me these here pictures for the Blog!

A local guide gave us the low down on Strasbourg which has a downright dizzying history. We won’t go all the way back to Roman times for this telling, but because of its strategic position in Europe, this “Town at the Crossroads” has long been coveted territory.

The region changed hands FOUR times between France and Germany in just 80 years. It was hit hard during the Franco-Prussian War, becoming part of Germany in 1870. After that, there was a period of harsh Germanization, followed by extreme re-Frenchification after World War I. Then back to Germany under Nazi rule during World War II. After 1945 and there was a strong need to purge all things German. It was fascinating hearing our guide recall how her own Grandmother had to change languages three times.

Next on the docket was a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral. Now, I’ve seen my share of large opulent churches but, nothing like this.

The spire peeking over the city.

When we rounded the corner and entered the square I audibly gasped. Pictures can not portray how massive this structure is. I stood in front and craned my neck way back to try and fit the facade into my camera’s viewfinder.

Strasbourg Cathedral was the world’s tallest building from 1647 to 1874 (227 years),

I haven’t been this Gobsmacked since viewing the Grand Canyon. It’s so hard to convey not only how massive this structure is, but also how intricately detailed it is. Victor Hugo was known to have described it as a “skillful combination of monumental size and delicateness”.

The reddish-brown sandstone from the Vosges mountains gives the cathedral its distinctive color.
The carving in the sandstone facade were just incredible.

Because most people in the 14th Century couldn’t read, all the statuary and Icons on facade was a necessity to tell the story of Christianity to the masses.

Eighty percent of the Church’s stained glass is original. The windows traveled a lot during World War II. They were hidden by the French in southwestern France, then carted to northern Germany by the Nazis. They were finally saved and returned by the Monuments Men, British and American troops dedicated to returning art to its rightful place after 1945. There’s a film about this starring George Clooney that I now need to see. Can’t get enough Clooney.

I’m afraid my photos here were pretty poor. If you would like to see some real pro pictures check out this Column. You’ll see more amazing images like this one below as well as more details about the church, including its next most popular features, the Astronomical Clock.

Now thats a picture! Notice that the six stories high building on the left is completely dwarfed by the Cathedral.

Astronomical Clock is a result of the combined work of artists, mathematicians and technicians. The clock was first completed in 1574. The second clock stopped working around 1788 and stood still until 1838. Then Jean-Baptiste Schwilgué was commissioned to re-build it. For some strange reason he had wanted to work on the clock since his boyhood. For 50 years he studied clockmaking, mathematics, and mechanics. Construction lasted for five years and was inaugurated on December 31, 1842.

What does this exactly does this clock do you ask? Well, it shows the official time, the solar time, the day, week month and year. It has a mechanism that shows the sign of the zodiac, equinoxes, leap years, the moon phase, and the position of the planets. It can even calculate the dates of Easter under the complicated Gregorian rule.

The main attraction of the clock, however is its animated figures which come out every day at half past noon. They rotate around the clock representing the different stages of life: a child, a teenager, an adult and an old man, all parade past Death. Higher up, the apostles have their own parade before Christ. Their journey is accompanied by the beating of wings and the sound of a large cock crowing.

This was really a marvel to see. Honestly you’re going to get a much better view than we did. Because this event happens just once a day, there’s a scramble for tickets and position. A scratchy film is presented on a pull down screen about the history of the clock whilst the people crowd in. Not the best experience. Below is a fantastic 4k presentation that this lady wishes was offered at the church…in a comfy theater.

It was getting more overcast and starting to sprinkle so we decided it was time for a beer and a snack.

How about we brighten things up with some flowers?

We came across this little spot with a few seats under the awning and swaggered on in.

Huddled masses.
Displaying the wares.

We decided to order the aforementioned Foi Gras along with a Flammekueche which our Disney guides had practically ordered us to try before leaving.

Foie gras de canard maison et son chutney de saison

Flammekueche is a French dish with a very German name which makes it perfect fare for Strasbourg. It’s a sort of super thin flat bread with creme fraiche, onions and lardons (strips of bacon). It was worth the hype.

Fed and rested we trekked back out. We had a nice bit of respite from the rain so we took another loop around the city taking in all the charming sights.

This afternoon was a bit confusing as far as the itinerary. There were a couple of wine tours but the timing of the shuttles was a labyrinth of if/then scenarios depending on which tour. We decided to abstain and just go back the the boat to relax. While Mr. Jones took sieste in the room I decided to join the macaron making class that was offered upstairs. It turns out to have been more of a “putting together” rather than making situation.

Macarons ready for assemblage.

As the afternoon wore on the sun started to peek out so I wandered to the top deck for the first time. The space was enormous with tons of seating, lounging and play areas. Even a pool to dip in…but not today.

It was soon time to gather in the lounge for the evening rundown and briefing for the next day. These got more and more fun as the week went on. There were photo contest slide shows and celebrations of birthdays anniversaries etc. A lot of rah rah silliness. Not specifically our cup of tea, but we will participate if forced.

Lounge awaiting the festivities.

It was finally time to eat! I took a snap of the Chef’s recommendations this night. It’s not the complete menu, but gives you an idea of what was available each evening. There were different vegetarian options each night as well as a standard list of options for “picky eaters”.

I only remembered to photograph the beginning and the end of the meal. The trout was exceptional. All the components were well seasoned and so creative. The green sauce is a macha cucumber emulsion. Chef’s kiss!

This will wrap up the France portion of the voyage. Tomorrow we will be cruising on to Germany and meeting up with the sunshine!

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Little Town, It’s a Quiet Village

Today we will be going out on our first excursion! Overnight, our captain cruised us safely to port in Germany. However, today we will be visiting the bordering Alsace region of France. Riquewihr is classified as one of the most beautiful villages in France (we will be the judge of that) but first we enjoyed a lovely breakfast on the boat. We were then rounded up for a forty five minute coach ride to our destination. Our Disney guides regaled us with some history and facts about the area along the way.

The Hotel De Ville greets you at the entrance of the medieval village. This is actually the town hall. Hotel just means “large building” in French. This 1930’s structure doesn’t really give you much of a hint of what lies beyond it.

NOT Cruella’s Hotel after all.

This tiny cloistered village was just stunning. Having spent so much time in “Disney fake Europe”, it’s hard not to think of these buildings as “sets” and not real historical dwellings. There is a Disney connection, however. The village of Riquewihr is said to be the inspiration behind the town from Beauty and the Beast. 

Can you spot Belle?

The layout and structure of this village is unchanged since the 16th Century. The half-timbered buildings, oriel windows, beautiful inner courtyards, elegant fountains and ancient wells are just stunning.

The flower boxes still burst with color in the warm fall weather.

Riquewihr is known as a Winzerdorg or a “wine village”.  The gorgeous vineyards on the mountain slopes can be seen from alleyways creeping down to the gates of the village.

The vineyards were ablaze with color.

It was now time round up the “Adventurers” for a group Sausage and Cheese tasting. You don’t have to ask me twice!

Disney guide Billy checking his watch and cursing the dawdlers.

We were ushered up a narrow staircase to this charming dining area. We claimed our spot and anxiously awaited the grub.

I expected some cubes of cheese and meat in tiny toothpicks but boy was I wrong. The servers brought out huge pewter trays of sausages and gorgeous cheeses along with baked terrine, pickles and warm baguettes.

This cruise was an all inclusive affair that provided three meals a day with much wine and beer. On this day our lunch was presented in the form of cash. We were given a few suggestions for restaurants in the village, but did you guys see all the meat and cheese we just ate? We decided to keep the cash and just wander around this adorable hamlet some more.

Mr. Jones meandering about.

While we weren’t hungry for lunch, I was quite prepared for cappuccino and dessert. There was no shortage of cafés to visit.

Throughout the trip we were given little extras. This day we got to visit one of the many macaron shops in the village and choose a dozen “free” (after having paid $$$$ for the trip) cookies.

Next on the agenda was a wine tasting. We walked on over the the Dopff Winery, just outside the village walls.

This trip is a Food and Wine adventure. I booked the package and then shortly after decided to stop drinking. Timing is everything! There will be many more tastings, but there was also so much to do and enjoy that it really was not an issue. This tasting included Kuglehof! I ate more than my share of cake.

Our guide Melanie modeling the Kuglehof.

It was time to round up the group and make our way back to the coach. It had just started to rain a bit as we were getting ready to head out. The forecast for the entire week was pretty dire, with the rain seemingly following us all the way up the Rhine. I was pleased we got the day in. Back on the ship, we had a bit of down time before dinner. I took a wee video from the balcony:

I mentioned in the last post how outstanding the food was on the ship. We were blown away. I regret that I didn’t take a photo of the menu each night for descriptions. I also neglected to get a pic of each course each night but there will be a smattering of pictures throughout the trip.

This was a proper good first outing. We got a feel for how things would run and how tired we would be at the end of the day. There was entertainment in the lounge each evening. We went down on this first night and were, let’s just say, disappointed in the quality of the act. We decided cozying up in our room and reading/watching movies would be the better choice. All in all it was a wonderful day.

Tomorrow we will be moving on to Strasbourg France where my jaw will be dropping to the ground at the sight of the most amazing structure I’ve ever seen.

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Movin’ Down the River Rhine

This was a trip that I was sure would not come to pass. Way back in 2020, when things were all quite uncertain to say the least, I decided to propose the idea of going on a Rhine River Cruise. To my surprise and delight Mr. Jones said “Sure!”. This acquiescence was most likely because he assumed the world was coming to an end, so he wouldn’t have to pay for it. Despite several surges in Covid, an Eastern European war, and a drought so severe that the Rhine River was essentially dried up just weeks before our October 2022 sail date, the vacation went on as scheduled.

I booked this trip through Adventures By Disney. I had been hearing about this travel guide service for years. It is a bit (okay, a lot) more expensive but my understanding was that it was worth every penny for the excellent “Disney Difference” brand of service. The itinerary included Switzerland, France and Germany, ending in the Netherlands. Amsterdam has a special place in our hearts. Loyal readers of this blog (you know who you are) may remember that my first entry was journaling my time wandering around in Amsterdam while Jeff was on a work trip nearby. It was life changing and spurred my yearning to continue to travel.

We arrived in Basel Switzerland a day before the cruise start date just to be safe. This allowed us to enjoy a full day and a half exploring this city by ourselves. We checked into our hotel and headed right out determined to quash the inevitable jet lag.

The Rhine River, delightedly full of water.
There will be so much beautiful architecture.

I had a short list of touristy things to do in Basel. The first of which was to go to Town Hall. I know, sounds pretty boring but it’s going to be great. The Town Hall is the back drop of a bustling Marktplatz.

The Town Hall

This is a working government building. You can’t go inside without having business, but you can explore the courtyard.

Does this angle make my hjälm look big?

Next, we set out to find Basler Münster Cathedral, which shouldn’t be difficult seeing it’s two hundred feet high and at the tallest point in the city. The church is located on the Munsterplatz which is a plaza encircling the Cathedral. From the front side, there’s one square with a row of old houses in pastel colors, while another square behind the Cathedral offers spectacular views of the Rhine river with whole city beneath you.

Back to the Cathedral. I had read that one can climb the 250 steps via a claustrophobic, narrow staircase to the top of one of the towers for breathtaking views of the city. We decided that our step count was already pretty high so we passed. We did take a look around the sanctuary though.

We were long overdue for a tasty snack. Switzerland can be pretty pricey. In my research it was suggested that the best value for lunch is a bakery. They often have sandwiches and light meals for a fair price. We enjoyed more charming facades as we looked for a bakery with a cappuccino for me and a beer for the Mr.

Swoon!

Another must-do in Basel is to try their official cookie, Läckerli. These cookies have been prepared in Basel ever since the Middle Ages. They are like an extra chewy gingerbread with hazelnuts, almonds, candied peel, honey, and Kirsch. I definitely wanted to pick some up for my mom, who was selflessly dog sitting and taking care of our house. Thanks, mom!

There roughly a gazillion museums in Basel. We had a bonus card from Disney for discounts, but it was so beautiful out that we just couldn’t bear to be inside. We did however swing by the Museum Tinguely. Jean Tinguely was an artist and painter who most often used scrap metal to create mechanized kinetic art. You can check out his creations right outside in the courtyard. Here’s a ‘lil video:

These mechanized creations were intended to mock the “improvements” of the industrial revolution and modern reliance on technology. I just thought they were a winsome delight.

It was time for a libation. Mr.Jones is on a Negroni kick these days so it was serendipitous that we stumbled across a bar dedicated to Campari, the chief components of the drink.

We wandered past another Museum and dipped into the courtyard.

We moved on to a path that winds beside the Rhine River when we noticed these sort of spa pools and a sign with instructions in German.

Help, Google translate!

Jeff seemed to think that it was mandatory to comply with this foot bathing rite. I’ve since read more about it and I’m still just as confused.

A fun and cheap thing to do on the Rhine is to take one of the four ferries across the river. “Wilde Maa”, “Leu”, “Vogel Gryff”, and “Ueli” run from one riverbank to the other without the use of an engine. They are attached to a long wire cable and are driven purely by the current of the Rhine itself. This little trip can save a ton of walking and only costs two Francs. The views aren’t too shabby either.

Once across the Rhine we discovered a lovely river walk of cafés and bars. The sun was hitting the golden hour.

I spy the Münster Catherdral.

Let’s take in some of the atmosphere. A little video for you

These homes can’t get any more charming.

The evening was wearing on and I was wanting something sweet to finish up. We found a very traditional Swiss restaurant and scanned the menu when I spotted strudel. Perfect! The server asked if we were ok with waiting because it takes a while. Um, I guess so. As we waited a long time as predicted, we watched the Schnitzel and Fondue pots pass by. Man, it looked amazing.

The next morning we had our provided buffet breakfast at the hotel. Quite sufficient and tasty.

We had a few hours to tour around before making our way to our River Cruise. We just strolled and enjoyed the views and had a few more beers and cappuccinos.

Our ship arrives! We were cruising on the Amalucia from Amawaterways.

Our boat canoodling with another boat.

The ship was really beautiful. Not extravagant but lovely and impeccably clean. There were no signs of wear and tear…and I looked. Our cabin was spacious and well appointed. I chose a middle level room with a double balcony that was half inside half outside. The bathroom was fairly large…bigger than the one in my first apartment.

All of us “Adventurers” (Yes, that’s what they called us) met up in the lounge for introductions and a briefing on how the trip would unfold day to day.

Imagine a whole lot of excited cruisers here.

After the pep rally from the Disney guides we were sent off to dinner. I’ll say right now that the food on this cruise was exceptional. Each evening there was a five course meal presented with several choices for each course.

Work from the outside in.

I didn’t take any food pics this night. We were sitting with a charming couple and got talking. Plus I was a little self conscious. Worry not. I’ll be taking more pictures as the week proceeds.

All the ladies were presented with rosed to bring to the room.
Turn down service!

We would try our best to get a good night’s sleep (I didn’t) for official start of the voyage. We will cruise the night away and wake up tomorrow in Germany! Er…France. Well, both I guess! See you then.

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Autumn in New York

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