European tours usually entail numerous hotels, with frequent packing and unpacking of luggage. "I did one of those 'Bags out at 7 am' coach tours and don't ever want to do it again," said Canadian Betty Hoover. "Cruising is a much more leisurely way to see Europe."
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| Bernkastel and Mosel River in Germany |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Hoover cruised with Journeys by Jerry Van Dyke. The family-owned tour operator based in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada charters the beautifully renovated MS Crucevita for Holland and Belgium waterways, Rhine, Mosel, Main and Danube River cruises.
The MS Crucevita (formerly the Da Vinci) has room for 113 passengers, but Journeys by Jerry Van Dyke restricts the number to 90 to give everyone more space. The non-smoking riverboat has only two decks, so passengers can remain on the sun deck even when the Crucevita passes under low bridges.
Rhine cruise
For the 16-day Amsterdam to Basel cruise, we boarded the Crucevita in Amsterdam, Holland, where we had free time to explore the city. All-inclusive fares included return flights, airport transfers, tours, meals (both onboard and on full-day excursions), wine, beer, soft drinks and juice with dinner, Wi-Fi, tips and taxes.
Cruising the Rhine was endlessly fascinating. We sipped cappuccinos, on the sun deck, as journey manager Heleen enlightened us about the 1,230-km river's commercial importance and traffic. Barges carry not only containers, coal and crushed stone, but also cars, bicycles and baby playpens for the owners' families.
In Düsseldorf, guides led us on walking tours of the city known for its fashions and the world's longest bar. Lively beer houses line the cobblestone streets. We joined the locals at outdoor tables, sipping glasses of Alt, the light-tasting Düsseldorf dark beer.
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| Passengers on river cruise view Cologne Cathedral. |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Cologne Germany
Soaring Gothic spires greeted us as we approached Cologne. Inside the cathedral are dazzling stained glass windows and, according to legend, the bones of the Three Wise Men.
Cologne is famous for Kölsch, a top-fermented beer, served in tall cylindrical glasses. In the Old Market Square, an accordionist entertained imbibers with polka tunes.
We shopped for bottles of fragrant cologne. Originally created as an aphrodisiac in the 18th century, the floral essence still carries the city's name today.
Koblenz Germany
The MS Crucevita cruised to Andernach, the following morning, while we rode a cog railway to the mountaintop ruins of Drachenfels castle for panoramic views of the Rhine. Next on our agenda was Linz, one of Germany's prettiest towns. Crimson geraniums adorn Hansel and Gretal houses lining its crooked cobblestone streets.
Because the ship cruised only during the day, we didn't miss the sights. The policy also enabled us to spend evenings in town. In Andernach, we strolled around the medieval walls to wear off hearty dinners of sauerkraut, bratwurst and smoked pork.
The Rhine and Mosel meet at Koblenz, where we cruised by a monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I. Now called the Reunification Statue, the landmark protects three pieces of the former Berlin Wall.
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| Reichsburg Castle and boats on Mosel River in Cochem |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Mosel River cruise
As the captain skilfully manoeuvred our river boat within a hand's width of three successive lock walls, Heleen noted: "You need eyes in the front and back of your head to see all the attractions of the Mosel."
Castle ruins dominated dizzyingly steep terraced vineyards and winemaking villages. Church bells resonated from medieval steeples. Cyclists, trout-fishermen and campers waved as we glided by.
In Cochem, we toured the 11th-century Reichsburg castle and sampled Rieslings made from the surrounding vineyards. After dinner and dancing on board, we enjoyed a romantic riverside walk below the illuminated castle.
Trier Germany
Bernkastel, with its top-heavy half-timbered houses, bear fountain and outdoor cafés, was a highlight of our 200-kilometre Mosel journey. So was Trier, the oldest city Germany, with its landmark 2,000-year-old Black Gate.
Trier's UNESCO-protected baths, basilica and amphitheatre provided fascinating glimpses of Roman culture. A colourful flower market brightened the city's marketplace.
The Crucevita celebrated its passage through the picturesque Rhine gorge with lunch on the sundeck and legends about the Lorelei maiden who lured ships aground.
Rudesheim Germany
Our visit to Rüdesheim began with a private tour of the Siegfried's Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum. The elaborate collection plays everything from Strauss waltzes to folk tunes.
Evening oom-pa-pa music enticed us into open-air wine taverns along the narrow cobblestone streets. We sipped the town's specialty — hot coffee flambéed with Asbach brandy and topped with mounds of whipped cream and grated chocolate. On our pillows that evening, we found tiny chocolate bottles filled with Asbach brandy. It was one of the many little surprises that passengers enjoyed during the cruise.
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| Black Forest dancers with pompom hats |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Black Forest tour
While the ship transited several Rhine locks, we visited Germany's Black Forest on a coach tour. In an open-air museum, we watched a woman spin wool and a waterwheel-powered mill grind grain, just as it did in 1609.
Lunch of venison, red cabbage and spatzle (egg noodles) was in the medieval dining room of Hornberg Castle. Its hilltop location offered 360-degree views of the town and valley below.
Dessert was Germany's best Black Forest torte, at Café Zum Kruz. The generous portions were thick with whipped cream and boozy cherries.
After shopping for cuckoo clocks, we returned to the ship for a performance of traditional Black Forest dances. The women's 200-year-old costumes featured 1.5 kg-hats covered with 11 wool pompoms — black for married women and cherry-red for single women.
Strasbourg France
With its artists, elaborate cathedral, outdoor cafés, and joie de vivre, the Petite France area of Strasbourg resembles Montmartre in Paris. Tour boats ply the Ill River. Storks feed chicks in rooftop nests.
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| Cobblestone street and multi-colored houses in Alsace, France |
| Photo © Barb & Ron Kroll |
Half-timbered homes, here in Alsace, are as colourful as lemons, oranges, plums, limes and raspberries. Window boxes overflow with pink geraniums, purple petunias and yellow pansies. Add ornate wrought iron signs, turrets, drawbridges and statue-filled fountains, and we felt as if we were walking though a book of fairy tales.
Glasses clinked as we sampled superb Alsace Riesling, Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer wines during lunch. Passengers followed the Route des Vins, with its lush vineyards, back to the MS Crucevita, now docked in Basel.
Switzerland Alps
"Words can't describe what we saw today," said Gail Wilkins, from Toronto, about our cog railway trip to Kleine Scheidegg. The train climbed past jade lakes, wooden chalets and glaciers that frosted craggy peaks like meringue.
After lunch, we walked through meadows of wild yellow buttercups, soaking up the beauty. It was a postcard-pretty ending to our trip.
"I knew I'd like river cruising, but I didn't realize I'd enjoy the day trips so much," said Frank Relf, of Ottawa. "River cruises are such a luxurious and tranquil way to see Europe," added Katherine Coutts, from Calgary.
We agree.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
European river cruises: www.jerryvandyke.com or phone 1-800-265-8174
