Connie went to Russia on May 23 and I went to Williams Island on the 26th (see other entry). Michael and Beth arrived in St. Petersburg on May 29 for the St. Petersburg to Moscow cruise with Viking.
I think both had a good time with this introduction to Russkiland, but I will let Connie's and Beth's Facebook pages cover that.
While they were doing that the first week or so of June, I was preparing for a TG board meeting, catching up from being gone for a week, and trying to get ahead- both at my office and at the house.
The night of the board meeting, Connie's Mom fell in her assisted living apartment and broke her hip (other side, pretty much the same break). Luckily Phil was planning on coming to Virginia to take Mormor to the beach for the next week. That plan changed and Phil came a couple of days early to spell me.
Phil and I made another plan for him to take me to the airport to save some parking, but right as I got home for the final bit of packing, I got an email from United saying my flight was cancelled. Luckily Dan Smith's cohort Rosemary got on it and found another connection. I had to dash to the airport to make it, but in the end got to Zurich about an hour ahead of the original schedule. And I was there to meet Connie as she came in from Moscow with about 5 hours of sleep on the plane.
We are staying at the St Gotthard Hotel which is a block away from the main train station. On the first night in Zurich, June 10, we had dinner at Hiltl, the oldest vegetarian restaurant in Europe (1898). You pay by the weight of your plate (just by the way, things seem very expensive here even with the strong dollar). After dinner we walked around the area seeing the Grosse Munster, the Wasserkirche, the Fraumunster, the wine merchant zunfthaus, the Rathaus, the Haus Zurich Rudeness, another old guild house on the river, and Limmatquai.
June 11- Thursday
Today we activated our 4 day Swiss Rail passes and took off. Although I started us off toward Interlaken via Lucerne with a vague but unrealistic plan of getting up into the Alps, we made a very interesting short stop in Meiringen where walked and then took the funicular up to Reichenbach Falls, where on May 4, 1891, Conan Doyle tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes in "The Final Problem".
Back in town we visited the English Church which has a Sherlock Holmes Museum in the basement. It has a lot of Holmes memorabilia and a reproduction of 221 B Baker Street. What a great little museum, with a kind docent, and a very interesting Sherlock Museum survey to help a student in England.
Of course, a lot of the rest of the town has the Holmes theme, such as the Adler Hotel. By the way the town is on the Aare River, a helpful crossword puzzle word.
To Interlaken for a dinner of rosti (a cross between hash brown potatoes and Aussie chips at Outback with way too many onions for me) and another walk, and then back to Zurich via Bern (very crowded train- commuters I guess).
June 12, Friday- Stein am Rhein and Schaffhausen, Rheinfall
Today we went north, intending to go to Schaffhausen, the most northerly city in Switzerland, so close to Germany that Allied planes once mistakenly dropped 400 bombs on it. Then I figured out we could go a few stops farther and get to Stein am Rhein which had a good write up about its medieval buildings.
It was a total surprise- old buildings on a town square, a walking path along the Rhein, and, for Connie, an unbelievable Museum of the Nativity. It had crèches from all over the world for sale in the gift shop ( which I saw) and in the museum which Connie visited.
It was a total surprise- old buildings on a town square, a walking path along the Rhein, and, for Connie, an unbelievable Museum of the Nativity. It had crèches from all over the world for sale in the gift shop ( which I saw) and in the museum which Connie visited.
I bought us a little snack at a bakery and then we went back to Schaffhausen. We missed the baroque old part of town because we got interested in getting close to the falls of the Rhine. That is an amazing site with tourist boats pushing as far as they have power into the surging water and then cutting their engines to get the ride downstream a ways. We went down and up and down and up and across to get a lot of different angles on the view, including a walk across the Rhine on a bridge shared by walkers and the train.
The day totaled about 18000 steps. Dinner outdoors at a Thai restaurant called the Blue Monkey, very good but I still can't believe how many people smoke here, in restaurants, hanging around the train stations and walking from place to place.
June 13, Saturday-
For today's excursion we went by boat on the Zurichsee to Rapenswil, at the end of the line, but the boat made a few stops at scenic villages along the way- maybe they are commuter towns or suburbs, or possibly second homes for Zurichers.
On the lake we saw lots of skiers and wake boarders, paddle boards, four person rowing shells, sailboats, and even one of those Hawaiian paddle craft.
Rapenswil was another surprise. Lots of Swiss tourists. The town is known as the city of roses and they were everywhere. We went up to the town fortress built in 1254, and we saw two weddings in progress with the brides eyeing each other jealously. Inside the tower, who knew?, there is a Swiss Polish Museum with all kinds of art, folk art, memorabilia, and stories about the many Polish struggles to be free, all of which struck a chord with the Swiss.
Then it was back to town by train and another yummie veggie dinner at Hiltl. After dinner we needed a little walk around and tried a new direction- on the other side of the train station toward the Landsmuseum. The museum like so many other places we have seen is being renovated, but we walked a way along the river, which flows out of the Zurichsee not into it. The current was pretty swift but a lot of young folks were swimming and we saw a man and a woman trying to go by tightrope from the bank to the bridge we were on. Both made it which was very impressive-they stayed upright in spite of a lot of swing.
Sunday, June 14- Basel
Last night I figured out that Connie has gotten very active on Facebook for this trip. If she keeps that up, this can convert to a pure fishing journal.
Easy one hour trip to Basel. Easy 5 stops to Messe Platz where the Swiss Hotel is (also Art Basel exhibition).
The Swiss Rail passes were good for the day so we took a short trip to Solothurn, climbed the St. Ursula church tower (250 steps) and visited the little Kunstmuseum which has works by Van Gogh, Holbein the Younger, Braques, Giacometti, Cezanne, and Picasso, plus an interesting Madonna of the Strawberries and a William Tell.
We walked around this baroque old town a while more and then did one more stop in Olten long enough to walk over the covered Altebrucke and get some gelato.
Almost as soon as we got back to the hotel, it started raining. Every day so far has been really hot so I hope the rain cools things off.
June 15, Monday- start of Tauck family trip Castles of the Rhine
Leesa and family came in to Basel last night after a miserable flight on an economy air line from Venice. We met up but then all went to bed. We met for breakfast and a few hours in the old part of town until going to the boat Inspire. The main thing we did was to climb the tower of the Munster- about 250 steps, very steep, kind of creepy, but lots of gargoyles to look at.
The Munster crypt had some 13th century frescoes with baby Jesus and Mary. Lots of cobbled steps in the Munsterplatz.
The Munster crypt had some 13th century frescoes with baby Jesus and Mary. Lots of cobbled steps in the Munsterplatz.
The boat is the most plush we have ever been on, and our cabin has more than three or four times the space we had on the Trans Siberian RR. We had Room 317 for future reference.
These ships are so long- ours is 135 meters and that seems to be the standard length. Everything on the top deck folds flat to fit under the low bridges, and right now we have high water from the spring runoff in the Alps plus the recent rain.
These ships are so long- ours is 135 meters and that seems to be the standard length. Everything on the top deck folds flat to fit under the low bridges, and right now we have high water from the spring runoff in the Alps plus the recent rain.
The most we have eaten all trip. Long dinner. Many courses. Will need to significantly cut back starting tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 16- Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus
8 am start and a long bus ride to Alpnach where we all took the cogwheel railroad to the top of Mt Pilatus. This rail has the steepest grade in the world- 48% in some places and has been going more than 125 years. We started at about 1300 feet in elevation and the peak, which is above the let off spot, above the snack bar, and above the hotel on top, is about 7000 feet.
As for weather it was pea soup clouds and down jacket cold at the top.
Coming down we took the gondolas, a 55 person one for half and then transferred to a four person one for the rest of the ride down to Luzern.
In Luzern we had a lunch by the lac feeding the birds and then went on to seek the lion statue cut into the stone on a hill. Mark Twain said it was the saddest looking lion in the world- it commemorates the murder of the Swiss Guard protecting Louis XVI during the French Revolution.
There was a fondue tasting and some alphorns and yodeling and then a quick trip across the wooden chapel bridge which sadly burned in 1994.
On the trip to and from Peter gave us a lot of Swiss history including the full story on William Tell (the second arrow was for the guy who made him take a shot at his son, and he started the cantons getting together to start the Swiss confederation), how Victorinox Swiss Army knives got the name ( the owners's mother was Victoria and the blades were stainless (inoxidizable). Also CH for Switzerland stand for Confederation Helvetia. On the way back I almost won a Swiss Army knife in the bus contest but I voted for an EU office in Geneva instead of the UN.
Birds so far- red crested plochard; mute swan; local cormorant; blackbird; magpie;
Wednesday, June 17- Strasbourg, France
Last night the ship went thru 10 locks. One of them was blocked for some reason and messed up the schedule but we still had plenty of time in Strasbourg to see Petit France, Notre Dame Cathedral (started 1015), Albert Schweitzer's organ, and more time to wander. Gutenberg evidently was here and La Marseillaise was written here.
The local guide told us a bit of the history of Alsace Lorraine, Applesauce Lorraine to Rocky and Bullwinkle, and how it changed the country it belonged to six times. The local food, kind of like a pizza, is a tart flambé , but I had a very nice salad of lettuce, walnuts, cheese on croutons, and olive oil.
Thursday, June 18- Heidelberg, Speyer, and castles-
Our family opted for the trip to the Technical Museum at Speyer and then the cathedral. The museum was great, in spite of the pouring rain. We went inside an Antonov 22, a sea rescue boat, U-9, and a 747. Then we went into the space part of the museum and looked at the space shuttle and saw the Apollo 15 unit.
Lastly for this stop, there is a superb display of autos, trucks, work vehicles of all kinds etc. Individual collectors teamed up to combine collections for the museum.
Lastly for this stop, there is a superb display of autos, trucks, work vehicles of all kinds etc. Individual collectors teamed up to combine collections for the museum.
It is a cruising afternoon, cool and cloudy. I am enjoying watching the barges go by us on the Rhine. I can't believe how much traffic there is, and also how close to each other the vessels pass even in this stiff current.
Tonight the crew on the ship got a break and all the passengers had dinner at Reichenstein Castle near Bingen, home of the robber Knights of the Rhine. Very good, with schnitzel, sauerbraten, and Rhine wine and beer, and Black Forest cake. (Note from 2024- this castle is now shown in the Viking River Cruise ads that show up on PBS TV.)
Friday, June 19- I spy a castle in the Rhine Valley and Koblenz
After cruising from Basel to Bingen, going from bridges we barely could fit under and banks that made it look more like a canal, today we passed thru the Romantic Road part of the Rhine, where there are steep hills with vineyards and castles all along the sides.
We passed Bacharach where Connie and I stayed in 1980 and the Lorelei and the bridge at Remagen.
After the trip Dan Smith helped fill in my knowledge gap on the bridge:
The Ludendorff Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Bridge at Remagen) was in early March 1945 one of two remaining bridges across the River Rhine in Germany when it was captured during the Battle of Remagen by United States Army forces during the closing weeks of World War II. Built in World War I to help deliver reinforcements and supplies to the German troops on the Western Front, it connected Remagen on the west bank and the village of Erpel on the eastern side between two hills flanking the river.
At the end of Operation Lumberjack (March 1–7, 1945), the troops of the American 1st Army approached Remagen and were surprised to find that the bridge was still standing. Its capture enabled the U.S. Army to establish a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Rhine. After the U.S. forces captured the bridge, Germany tried to destroy it multiple times until it collapsed on March 17, 1945, ten days after it was captured, killing 18 U.S. Army Engineers. While it stood, the bridge enabled the U.S. Army to deploy 25,000 troops, six Army divisions, with many tanks, artillery pieces and trucks, across the Rhine. It was never rebuilt. The towers on the west bank were converted into a museum and the towers on the east bank are a performing art space.
We passed Bacharach where Connie and I stayed in 1980 and the Lorelei and the bridge at Remagen.
After the trip Dan Smith helped fill in my knowledge gap on the bridge:
The Ludendorff Bridge (sometimes referred to as the Bridge at Remagen) was in early March 1945 one of two remaining bridges across the River Rhine in Germany when it was captured during the Battle of Remagen by United States Army forces during the closing weeks of World War II. Built in World War I to help deliver reinforcements and supplies to the German troops on the Western Front, it connected Remagen on the west bank and the village of Erpel on the eastern side between two hills flanking the river.
At the end of Operation Lumberjack (March 1–7, 1945), the troops of the American 1st Army approached Remagen and were surprised to find that the bridge was still standing. Its capture enabled the U.S. Army to establish a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Rhine. After the U.S. forces captured the bridge, Germany tried to destroy it multiple times until it collapsed on March 17, 1945, ten days after it was captured, killing 18 U.S. Army Engineers. While it stood, the bridge enabled the U.S. Army to deploy 25,000 troops, six Army divisions, with many tanks, artillery pieces and trucks, across the Rhine. It was never rebuilt. The towers on the west bank were converted into a museum and the towers on the east bank are a performing art space.
At the end of the day we rounded the corner into the Moselle River at Coblenz for our docking for the night.
We had a short walking tour of Coblenz and a lot of free time to walk the city.
Lots of quirky statues. Huge equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm.
Lots of quirky statues. Huge equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm.
This is probably a good spot to make note of the numerous great light German white wines we have been having a taste of at dinner- not just Reislings but many more. Another thing to note is how interesting it is to watch the busy traffic on the river- coal and trash and other barges sitting very low in the water, ferries, cruise boats from other tour companies. And then there are recreational boats-jet skis, rowing shells, kayaks, one wind surfer. A lot of wake being thrown off by the barges for these little craft. Fascinating.
June 20, Saturday- Cologne
Named after Agrippa, the Roman queen who killed Claudius. The main site is the cathedral which is massive and which had its origin in Roman times (a Roman mosaic was exposed after bombing in WWII, which is now visible at the Roman museum to the right of the cathedral). I particularly liked the stained glass windows. The relics of the 3 wise men are supposed to be in the Coln Cathedral.
I guess I knew it but the 4 Apostles each have a symbol- lion, eagle, bull, and _____. One stained glass window in Cologne brought it home. But I still can't remember what goes with Matthew.
I guess I knew it but the 4 Apostles each have a symbol- lion, eagle, bull, and _____. One stained glass window in Cologne brought it home. But I still can't remember what goes with Matthew.
The other part of the day was a disappointing trip to the Carnival Museum which we thought would be interesting to the kids but was just boring since Carnival has no meaning to us.
The rest of the day and night was spent in a push for Amsterdam.
Entertainment tonight was a very funny crew variety show making fun of nationalities and lots of involvement for the children. Our waiter Seni from Indonesia took a liking to Thomas because he has a son of about the same age.
June 21, Sunday- Amsterdam
Canal ride, Van Gogh Museum, babysitting Thomas.
June 22, Monday- Amsterdam
This second photo sums up getting around in Amsterdam, and after you figure our where you are and where you want to go, you need to watch out for trams, cars, bikes, cycles coming from all directions.
Radisson Blue Hotel, long walk to Rijksmuseum, babysitting with Ninjango in German on the TV while L&G went to New Market for a drink etc., canal boat disappointment.
The next day- home.
The next day- home.
