Travel Cruising the Rhine
CLAIRE ISAAC sees some of Europe’s finest fairytale castles with a cruise on the Rhine
It’s raining but that won’t stop my fellow passengers and me seeing what we came for – a run of magical castles lining the banks of the Rhine River.
Standing on the sundeck of the River Empress, rugged up against the elements, we take photos of the historic, centuriesold buildings perched high on hills overlooking the river. They’re magical, and our wonderful cruise director Jessi tells us their stories so we get a real glimpse into each one’s history.
This is the fifth day of our eight-day Castles Along The Rhine cruise – and it’s the most “castle-congested” part of the river. Not that we’ve been slack on the sightseeing – not at all! Starting in Switzerland’s Basel, with its classic medieval old town and impressive red Rathaus (town hall), we’ve sailed up to Breisach, where I tour two gorgeous Alsatian wine villages, watching storks in their nests and buying souvenirs.
We move on to the oh-soexquisite Strasbourg in France, where we tour the old town by canal boat before heading inside the cathedral (and the nearby shopping precinct!).
Then it’s Speyer, Rudesheim and Boppard, all with their own n attractions. Speyer, for example,, has the amazing Technik Museum – filled with planes, space shuttles and other craft!
Next top is Koblenz, where we actually get to head inside fairytale Marksburg Castle, and experience what life there was like centuries ago – it’s a fascinating part of the tour.
All the while our home is the River Empress – and a fabulous home it is, too. My state room is gorgeous – I have a Juliet balcony, the bathroom is full of L’occitane products, and my bed is like sleeping on a cloud… heavenly!
Wine flows freely, as does the conversation. I befriend some Aussies (hi Adeline, Andrew and Bobbi!) and we sit together for each
night’s three-course dinner, which is great as I’m travelling solo.olo.
Tours are well organised – nothingng is compulsory – andnd some days I simply wander around enjoying the scenery.
From Koblenz we cruise to Cologne, where we see the impressive e gothic cathedral. Sadly then it’s time to say goodbye – after a gala dinner to send us all off, we headhea to our final destination,des Amsterdam.Amsterdam It’s been eight days of pure luxury, beautiful sights and oh yes, these amazing castles!