Promised Recap of River Cruise on the Rhine

 The worst part about travel to Europe is getting there. Airline travel is not what it used to be, even 25 years ago. You're crammed into the smallest space possible. There isn't even room anymore for my carry-on and my purse, which I have been sliding under the seat in front of me for all my adult life. My carry-on had to go in the overhead, and that left barely enough room for my purse. We were on United. I didn't know I would be wishing for that itty bit of leg-room when we got on the return flight eight days later.

But....Amsterdam. As we flew in I saw all the canals, but at that time, didn't know what they were for; I would soon learn. My first impression was that it was so flat and feature-less it reminded me of my hometown, Corpus Christi, and the surrounding wetlands there. We found the boys in the Amsterdam airport, and we caught our shuttle to the ship. Boat is really a more correct description, or even barge. They call them longships so I guess I will too. This was our second Viking cruise so we knew what to expect. The rooms are small but adequate. We had a balcony this time, which we used once.

The boys had booked us a reservation to a famous tulip farm and we barely had time to shovel some food into our mouths before our Uber arrived. The drive there was chaotic and traffic-bound, but we made it just in time for our reservation. What we all had forgotten about was that it was Good Friday. The place was absolutely packed with humanity. Soon forgotten, however, when we laid eyes on the spectacular tulips gardens that awaited us. We had to have been there at the peak time. It was almost overwhelming is was so fabulous. 

When we got back to the ship our rooms were ready so we had showers and got dressed for dinner. Two two best things about a Viking River Cruise are the food and the service. The staff onboard these ships are outstanding, as is the food. The third best thing is these ships only hold 125 people roughly, so there are no long lines for anything, no sitting in crowded places with strangers. We grabbed a table for four and that table was ours for the duration. 

The next day I finally learned what all those canals are about, and how carefully the Dutch people manage their water, since they live below sea level, it is a necessity. We drove through a polder, visited a cheese factory, and saw some centuries old windmills. Our guide was fantastic, funny, and really made the excursion memorable. 

The Netherlands turned out to be one of the highlights, as was Cologne, Germany where we had a fantastic Kölsch lunch of pork knuckle and potatoes. Another highlight was Strasbourg, France seeing the storks in their trees, walking through the old town with all the half-timbered building. I had been there before, and liked it even better this second time. A last real highlight was a drive through the Black Forest to the cuckoo clock factory, watching a glass blower at work, and a demonstration of how to make a Black Forest cake. All super fun and all great memories. 

We got sick, both Wayne and I, but it was allergies. Europe was in bloom and a crisp wind was blowing. The Viking staff tested us daily for Covid so we knew we were safe. We love the Viking cruises, but hate the travel days equally. The trip home was murderous, Lufthansa packed us in even tighter than United had, the only saving grace was Lufthansa serves better food. If we weren't such cheap-skates we would have sprung for Business Class seats, or at least Economy Plus. I'll remember it for future trips.

Onward...