A Quick Stop In Switzerland Then Back To Germany

Our ship docked in Basel, Switzerland and that was the end of our cruise.  We disembarked and took a cab to Hotel Euler.  This hotel was right next to the train station, which is exactly where we needed to be the following day.

Kenyon started to come down with a cold/bad allergy episode and wasn’t quite feeling 100%.  Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived but we were offered an upgrade to a suite for an additional 30 Swiss Francs.  We took the upgrade and enjoyed a very large room with a very comfy bed.

We made our way into town via tram and walked around a bit.  We also popped into the Spielzeug Welten Museum of Toys.  It was really neat to see so many different looking toys.  They also had a whole floor of costumes.

We boarded the ICE Train enroute to Munich, Germany, which was our final city on our Europe trip.  Riding the train sure is easier than having to go through airport security so I understand why it quick to get around Europe.  It was quite crowded and I was thankful for our reserved seats.  When we decided to take the train vs. plane, we had hoped to see more scenery.  That wasn’t the case on this train and we also realized we traveled north back to Mannheim, which we visited on our cruise.  Maybe on future trip we will see more of the countryside.

We arrived in Munich late in the day and found our hotel quickly because it was again across from the train station.  Hotel Excelsior was our home for the next two nights.  I loved all the hotel locations the travel agent picked for us as they were right in the center of town (minus the hotel on Amsterdam).  The only downside to this hotel…NO air conditioning.  Kenyon had been struggling the entire trip with the heat/humidity and it wasn’t until we arrived in Munch that I started to feel it too.  After all, Munich was 94% humidity and our temps were in the 80s.  I really loved the staff at the hotel and they had a very yummy breakfast buffet, which included pretzels!

We explored on foot the first evening and stopped into a restaurant for authentic German food and beer.  It was a great restaurant.

The following day we bought tickets for the hop on/hop off bus.  Now, I don’t know where the fault lies but the company we chose was terrible.  The past bus tour companies we have been on are City Sightseeing.  This was Grayline and they were not good.  Service was terrible, the tour guides were rude, and there were several stops along the route closed.  I don’t like to talk negatively but I was peeved!  I will say that there was a taxi driver strike going on, which wasn’t the fault of the bus company.  However, to pay for the tour and then find out four stops were closed…NOT cool! 

We were able to make our way on foot from one of the close stops to the BMW Museum, which is what we bought the tickets for.  The museum had a fee and with the taxi strike, there was a risk of missing the bus and not knowing when another was coming by.  So, we walked around BMW Welt (world) and called it a day.

We had one more round of authentic German food and beer!  I really wanted to say that I drank from one of the big glasses before we left Germany.  I am sad we missed Oktoberfest but maybe I’ll get back there again someday.

And, with that…back to reality.

Germany To France To Germany To France

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.

 

 

 

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!

Kinderdijk, Netherlands; Cologne, Germany; & Marksburg Castle

Viking has included daily excursions and also upgraded excursions.  We booked two upgraded ones but other than that, we stuck to the daily included ones.  I did wish we had booked a couple of the dinner/drinks excursions as it sounded like it was a lot of fun.  Perhaps next time.

Our first port was in the Netherlands.  We started early in the morning by boarding a bus and taking a drive through the town of Rotterdam to a farm where we signed up to learn about how cheese is made.  This was an upgraded excursion.  We really enjoyed the small farm and the woman we met, who is also a cheese maker.  It was interesting to taste the difference between “mature” cheese, which is dryer and has a sharper taste, than the young cheese.  The cheese made at this farm is Gouda and is either made with milk or goat cheese.  We learned so much about cheese but I do wish we could have tried more of it.

We loaded up on the bus again and arrived at our included excursions in Kinderdijk...windmills!!  

This was an amazing sight to see and I couldn’t wait until we got a closer look.  The windmills were build to control the dams and they are still working today with the help of a “Miller” who lives inside.  We were able to tour inside of one of the mills and see the Miller, who was wearing his iconic wooden Dutch shoes. 

This was definitely a highlight of the trip.

Our second port was Cologne, Germany.  The major attraction is Cologne Cathedral and it was beautiful.

After lunch we went back out on our own so we could place our lock on the Love Lock Bridge.  I had been seeing this on Instagram and came prepared with a lock.  It was so neat to see the millions of locks.

Our third port and highlight of that stop was Marksburg Castle.  It sat up on a hill and we were able to go inside for a tour. 

It was really neat and is currently available to rent as an event venue.  Have you ever wanted to get married in a castle? 

We sailed down The Rhine for the rest of the afternoon looking at castles along the hillside.  We ended our evening in a town called Koblenz, Germany.  Sadly, the cable cars were already closed, which is something I really wanted to do.