Our next few
ports took us across the border of two different countries…that is how quickly
you can get across Europe! Okay, it
might not be that quick each time but along The Rhine, you jump in/out of
different countries pretty quickly.
Our ship
made a brief stop in Mannheim, Germany where we got off the ship and made our
way to Heidelberg, Germany. This
highlight of this stop was Heidelberg Castle and the amazing views surrounding
it. Unlike Marksburg Castle, you didn’t
go into this one. The history and beauty
was amazing.
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| This cat was chillin' by the castle |
We had a
little free time in Heidelberg before boarding the bus and driving to the town
of Speyer, Germany. Kenyon and I popped
into a recommended pub so I could get a pretzel and some beer. The dark beer was amazing and was actually
really sweet. It was also 10% alcohol by
volume! Thank goodness I didn’t drink a
large one.
Once we
arrived in Speyer, we walked around town for a bit and then boarded the ship
for dinner. We woke the next morning in
France.
Strasburg,
France was gorgeous. People…I’ve never
really been a France person and other than seeing the Eiffel Tower, I haven’t
thought about visiting. But, this trip
might have changed my mind. The
buildings surrounding the town were like being a storybook. It was just simply out of this world.
From France,
we went back to Germany…but only temporarily!
Our ship docked in Breisach, Germany and our included afternoon tour
took us by bus into The Black Forest.
But, we had an upgraded morning excursion that took us by bus back into
France to the town of Colmar. Just like
Strasburg, Colmar is adorable. This town
is known for the man who created the Statue of Liberty and her presence is
known all over the town.
Also, France
has a special relationship with the stork bird.
This bird is encouraged to nest each year, where they mate for life and
have an average of five babies a year.
They migrate to warmer climates in the winter but always return to the
same next each year. It is quite amazing
to see the stork next perched high above the rooftops. We were told they can get so heavy it can
cause damage to some buildings.
We took a
small train trough through Colmar and then had some time to explore on foot
where I was able to get a photo of the smallest house in Colmar. I can’t believe somebody lives in this house.
We boarded
our bus again and drove back to the ship for lunch. Our afternoon included excursion was an hour
and a half bus ride through The Black Forest to the land of cuckoo clocks, glass
blowing, and cake.
I had been
waiting for this stop the entire cruise because I really wanted to buy a
authentic German cuckoo clock. The decision
was tough, but I got it! I will wait to
share more about my clock once it arrives in the USA so I can get better
photos. It is perfect and I can’t
wait. I had it shipped home so I didn’t
have to carry it back and I also saved on their added taxes that way.
We also took
part in a demonstration of a Black Forest Cake being made, which the secret
ingredients are Brandy and sour cherries.
It was delicious!
Our time was
short as we had to load up on the bus and get back to the ship. This was our last port stop. We spent the evening saying goodbye to the
new friends we made and packing up our luggage.
Cruising the definitely the way to travel.
I’ll fill
you in on our last two cities including a visit to a new country…Switzerland!
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