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Luisa took a day off today so we headed to a few points of interest not too far away. There are many towns and villages around. Initially we planned to visit some gemstone caves but were caught in quite a downpour of rain so we canned that idea but did manage a nice walk through the bush.

Over lunch the sun reappeared so we set off to Oberstein Castle, originally built around 1320, now being restored and under the care of a community focused history group, and also ‘Rock Church’, cut into the cliff side between 1482-1484, unfortunately closed when we visited. Quite amazing though.

Prior to bed we had a massive thunder and spectacular lightening storm and downpour. The many vineyards around here will be happy for the moisture. Way more is needed to make even a dent in refilling the rivers.

A very nice chill day.

Just along the road and now back in Germany is Trier city, in the Moselle wine region. Founded by Romans, it contains a number of Roman structures. Among Trier’s many Catholic churches is Trier Cathedral.

Again a bit drizzly and overcast, we arrived in time for lunch and a casual walk around the old town centre. Jonathon rang so we stood under an eave for shelter.

Some of the massive cathedral had been closed ‘due to a substance’ for most of the day and was quite smokey inside.

The significance of Trier Cathedral lies in its 1700-year history as the oldest church in Germany. While in many towns church renovations have been necessary due to damage and deterioration, Trier Cathedral has taken a different approach to its architectural heritage. It is a blend of preservation and transformation, both in its architecture and its interior design where parts of it are very modern. Not sure if I like that ahah. The central part was built in early 4th century of Roman brick and added to over the years.

We couldn’t work out why so many were flocking to a particular area and photographing a coffin like structure. Turns out it was The Holy Tunic (seamless robe of Jesus), kept in a sealed shrine.

A bit dark to see, the modern designed church was very minimalist.

Trier is also on the Moselle cycle trail, so that’s also off the list. A shame about the cooler day.

Just under two hours from here is Luxembourg, which is surrounded by Belgium, France and Germany. It is mostly rural, with dense forest and a National Park, rocky gorges and the Moselle river valley. Its capital, Luxembourg City, is famed for its fortified medieval old town perched on sheer cliffs, so we decided an overnight stay was in order.

It was an easy and pretty drive, passing through small rural villages. The Moselle River is one I’ve been plotting a cycle trip along, so I may need to rethink this now I’ve been alongside.

The most common language heard spoken was French, but the official languages are Luxembourglish, French and German with a few twists in the dialects. Much of the architecture reminded us of France. And there is much history – again.

Walking was the easiest way around so we clocked up a few kms.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1994, the Grund is located in the lower part of the city right in the heart of the old fortress, which was built over nine centuries, but was demolished in 1867 as part of the Treaty of London.

Described as “a village within a city”, the Grund is accessible by foot or lift as it’s pretty steep into the valley and is surrounded by the Alzette River which is crossed by the two viaduct style bridges, plus others including this modern Red Bridge.

We took a little train tour with commentary around this area. A very relaxed feel. It’s gone through many lives and was once a bit rough and included social housing, but is now expensive to live there. Some pretty cute spots and houses, but also amazing to see the massive stone walls and tunnels still existing. A former prison has been converted into a Rest Home.

The weather has suddenly decided to become autumnal and we had a few spots of rain. Our suntans will fade rapidly!

We really enjoyed our time here.

We had a super chat to almost everyone. Anna heading home from the gym before dinner, us waiting for a morning taxi to airport, James and Evie at home with other Aussies at boxing class, HK kids at James’s, so that was easy and Germans walking the dog. Far less time zones to juggle. Thanks Anna for thinking of that.

We flew back to Frankfurt and car number 4. A good choice for the autobahn. Graeme is more than happy.

We met our German family at a restaurant just over an hours drive away in Bad Kreuznach. Great menu options.

We are staying in Nußbaum, a small village about 30 minutes further along.

We’ve had hillside dog walks in the forest and around the vines, picked flowers in a self help field and visited the nearby ruins of a 12th century Benedictine Monastery in the hills. The weather is still hot. 37 yesterday and 32 today despite a thunderstorm and rain in the middle of the night. We enjoyed a nice breeze this evening although a bit hazy as there are fires about 3 hours away.

A nice relaxing weekend. Much needed.

Overnight we sailed to central Amsterdam. Very cool to just hop off and in the ship when we choose. We decided to skip the excursion options of cheese tasting, a canal boat ride and even a short cycle tour, for time in the city. Three years ago we spent 5 nights here and it was wet and cold. Plus the rainbow Mardi Gras was on so there were people everywhere.

Today however, whilst still crowded, was another bluebird day and we strolled around re visiting some old haunts and enjoying time to ourselves.

Bicycles have right of way so you have to be very mindful of looking in all directions. Bikes are parked up all over the place, including many that have been abandoned.

The smell of legal marijuana was prominent and many shops were selling all kinds of foods containing it – I’ll never get used to that smell.

We wandered past Anne Frank’s house and her tiny monument around the corner, forever popular and worth acknowledging.

A quick stroll through the red light district with the ‘ladies’ at the glass windows in the alley is rather sad.

But I do love the architecture of the houses and buildings with their gabled façades. Some of them are on a bit of a lean. Hard to show in a photograph.

A real bonus to have had this day for our finale.

Last views from the top deck as another warm night was enjoyed. We didn’t get the benefit of the musical entertainment in the evenings because we enjoyed being outside for as long as possible.

The cruise was actually great, despite the disappointment of river levels, bus trips and shortened visits, but the crew all did their absolute best to make it enjoyable. Not what we signed up for but nor did the crew. Anja our director went above and beyond. It is the first time in 23 years she’s ever swapped across four ships. Of course our goal was to unpack once, and that was one of the frustrating things. Packing and unpacking took away the relaxing appeal. But we had the choice to cancel and chose to continue. We also met some great people. Win win.

Namedy Castle is a 14th-century moated castle near the Rhine at Andernach that was converted into a palace complex in 1890. The property has been owned by a private family – the Princes of Hohenzollern – since 1907. In 1989, Prince Godehard inherited the castle and restored it with the support of a preservation society. They established a cultural programme that offers arts events – jazz, classical music, theatre, art, dance etc. He died over 20 years ago and his wife has carried on the legacy. She was absolutely charming. Her daughter and granddaughter live in the former stable buildings alongside, and her son has also died. She loves to keep the house full of people whenever possible.

During the war it was used as a hospital for German soldiers and many items of importance were lost and damaged, but they have been resilient. Other than her living quarters we had free rein and enjoyed bubbles, coffee and cake. Quite a special experience.

Of course, no Rhine sailing for us for us, a 90 minute bus brought us here.

We stopped in at the Roman medieval walled town of Andernach, population 30,000 for lunch and free time, receiving €30 each to purchase lunch, as also happened on our last boat transfer. Very generous really. Our bakery lunch and gelato came to about €12 but some people went to restaurants.

The next leg was less exciting. Two 2 hour stints which finally got us to Utrecht in the Netherlands where we boarded the Polaris receiving a warm and lively welcome from the crew. The countryside was so dry, with many crops frizzled up, including young trees being grown for market, lilies, potatoes and grapevines. The odd centre pivot but not operating. It’s very grim. Many solar panels and windmills.

Following a yummy dinner we enjoyed the very balmy evening up on the sun deck and tried to get good photos of the solar eclipse.

The Ostara and Solara ships have six venues, including the outside deck if not too hot – 30 degrees. It’s been too hot!! But finally we got one for our BBQ lunch.

The Bistro is available for all meals – the main dining room.

Salon – early breakfast and light lunch, although the menu seems mostly the same.

The next 3 are invitation only, and everyone gets to go at least once.

Annie’s Table is a relaxed three course set menu with paired wines. Our night was French cuisine. We had shared breads and spreads, then chose duck confit, and crème brûlée. Was ok. Good company though.

Second visit was Italian.

Grüner: is a special wine and cocktail experience with shared plates. A unique hydraulic system raises the venue above the sun deck to gain lovely views.

1927 – the Owner’s Cellar is fine dining named after the beginning of APT in 1927. Five course degustation dinner for 18 guests. It was pretty amazing. Interesting blend of people.

I’m not really a duck fan and wouldn’t usually choose it but it’s good to get out of your comfort zone.

We’ve been lucky to enjoy these restaurants twice each for dinner plus lunch in the Grüner. Different menus each week.

Rüdesheim am Rhein is a town in the Rhine Valley, known for winemaking. We should have cruised along this river and docked but the river level is really grim so we are still on the Maine and bussing.

The first time we came to Germany we stayed in this town on our first night. Charming. A ‘train’ took us up the hill into the village today.

Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet is a museum of automated musical instruments. To date they have collected 418 over 50 years. Was really fascinating.

But the best part of our day was a surprise visit from Thomas and Luisa, plus Wulfi, who still remembers us, and Zenka our latest granddoggo. Such a thrill. It was lovely to introduce them to our new cruise friends too. We only had an hour or so but will see them on Friday for two weeks.

Rüdesheimer coffee – Made with local Asbach wine brandy, which has been produced in Rüdesheim since 1892. Our iced ones contained icecream and cream. Yummo.

Then it was back into our little trains and off in the bus to a very nice BBQ lunch on board.

In the afternoon we walked into Frankfurt along the river bank where many were sunbathing and picnicking on the dead grass. Some lovely big buildings and boats on day trips. I forgot to take my camera with me. One last swim and off to pack. Again!

Our last evening was another visit to 1927, degustation restaurant. Even better than last week. We now leave the Solara and drive towards Amsterdam for our final two nights on Boat number 4!

The county of Miltenberg makes up the southern part of the Bavarian Lower Main River region. The river doesn’t really flow like a river, it is more pond like and can have a stagnant appearance sometimes.

By chance, at 6am we looked out the window and realised we were travelling through Wertheim, where we met up with Thomas and Luisa when he was working there in 2017! Happy memories of dinner in the Castle.

The medieval town of Miltenberg suffered greatly after the 30-years war in the 17th Century and went into economic decline. Because of this the town could not afford to replace its old medieval heart with its half-timbered houses. The old town has basically become a time capsule and so it looks like as if it is straight out of a fairy tale.

The main street is beautiful and runs parallel to the river one block in from the river. There are quaint little stores, cafes, chemists, super markets etc with cobbled streets, but generally flat. The red stone that has been used for building material for hundreds of years is local. The Romans even used nearby quarries for construction of the city of Mainz, some 2000 years ago.

Our guide moved here in 2014 from the US after meeting her German man whilst he was working in the automotive industry in USA but says she hasn’t mastered the language fully yet. There’s still hope for me!

This is another town full of history and facts. Around 9000 population and 800 cruise ships visit annually.

Another beautifully warm day. They still need to have the sides off the boat to fit under the bridges but opened the pool this afternoon for a nice cool down whilst parked up in this pretty town, before setting sail for Frankfurt. Not where we were supposed to go, but at least we’re still on a boat. Quizz night tonight was general knowledge. Hmm. Our team didn’t win. Just as well because the prize was chocolates. We need them like a hole in the head!

Würzburg, with a population of 130,000, is city located in the Franconian region of north west Bavaria. In the 13th century, local bishops were given the status of “Prince-Bishop” by the ruling emperor, Friedrich II. This gave them huge wealth and power through the centuries until the position was abolished by Napoleon in 1803 when he created the “Kingdom of Bavaria”. To thank the Bavarians for helping with his wars, Napoleon gave Franconia to the Bavarians.

We chose to walk to the Fortress today and were the only takers. Other tours went to Rothenburg which apparently had a big Christmas shop. Damn. But was another bus trip. Another group visited another Palace. Exercise was our goal and a steady climb of steps was in order.

Marienberg Fortress is a historic hilltop castle overlooking the Main River in Würzburg, Germany. It served as the home of the local prince-bishops for nearly 500 years and is the main symbol of the city. 

It is just over a year since we stayed here enroute from France to Thomas and Luisa in Hamburg. We had a familiar walk around the township. It’s Sunday, so shops are closed.

After lunch and through the night we began sailing toward the small town of Miltenburg for a short visit before heading towards Frankfurt for bus trips and a new boat to the stretches we can’t cover.

Music and dancing was an option in the evening but many chose to sit up on deck and watch the world go by. The nights are definitely cooler than last week as we travel higher up the continent.