We have mixed emotions today. Sorry to leave such a wonderful river cruise, but happy to go home.
We said our good byes to the new friends we made. Everyone seemed to be going in different directions.
The Avalon transfer bus took us to the Room Mate (yes that is the name) hotel. We relaxed a bit, had tea for Joe and Dan, cappuccino for Jane and plain old coffee for Bonnie. Not the stuff you get at a "coffee house" but the stuff you get at a cafe.
The transfer bus picked us up and transported us to the Amsterdam airport. Up to the priority lounge for a bite to eat and a glass of beer or wine to await our flight to Toronto. About a half hour before boarding time, we went down to the departure gate as per the boarding pass. Joe looked up at the screen and it said Bangkok! We looked around and felt sure that flight was indeed headed for Bangkok, not Toronto. After some searching we finally found out the correct gate and arrived in time to catch our flight.
Wonderful flight on KLM to Toronto in business class. Lots of room and seats recline all the way for sleeping. We spent the night at the Sheraton Hotel at terminal 3. Laurie and Rob came to meet us at 10:30 this morning and Dan and Jane caught a limo home to Orillia.
Another great experience!!!
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
Touring around Amsterdam
Today is our last full day on the cruise. We sailed into Amsterdam around 6:00 AM this morning.
At 8:45 AM we left for a tour of Amsterdam's many canals.
Lovely scenery as we travelled at a slow pace.
Pictures below are some of the areas that we ventured into on our canal boat.
At 8:45 AM we left for a tour of Amsterdam's many canals.
Lovely scenery as we travelled at a slow pace.
Pictures below are some of the areas that we ventured into on our canal boat.
There are 2,500 houseboats on the canals. Some look very good and others appear to be falling apart.
2,500 is the maximum allowed on the canals and thus the price has risen quite high. The older ones may sell for between 100,000 and 200,000 Euros. The newer ones, near the downtown area, sell for up to 600,000 Euros.
This next picture is a skinny house. The white window is pretty much the width of the house. Taxes are calculated on the house width, so this one pays the least amount of taxes.
We passed the Anne Frank house and I think the house beside the red awning is the correct one.
There is an afternoon tour of the Anne Frank house but we decided to rest up for the "red light district" tour this evening.
I think it is time for a couple more pictures of the canals as we continued our city tour.
As you no doubt know there are many marijuana shops in Amsterdam. While it is not really legal, it is tolerated. The places that are called coffee houses do not serve coffee, but you can certainly light up a "joint" in these shops. If you want coffee you head to a cafe.
What do you think this one is?
Amsterdam has dozens of excellent museums, about 7,000 classified building on 90 islands linked by 1,200 bridges spanning the canals on either side of the Amstel River.
Amsterdam has a vibrant, yet laid back atmosphere and apparently, an outrageous nightlife that we will experience tonight.
After lunch, Bonnie, Jane and Dan headed to the cabin to do some packing. Joe decided to walk to the old downtown area to get some more pictures.
The next 3 pictures are the main street in Amsterdam, which I believe is called Damrak.
In Amsterdam there are people all over the place walking around but mostly biking.
The people riding bicycles are all over the place. They do not stop for pedestrians, cars or red lights.
If you are walking, you need to be constantly on the lookout.
Because the bikes are so numerous, they are parked all over the place as you can see.
Tonight we head for that outrageous nightlife (aka the red light district). Some of the guys (no names) were asking the cruise director if there was a senior discount.
Off we went to the famous red light district. Our guide, Martin, who was excellent, warned us that anyone taking pictures of the ladies could be thrown in the canal.
Perhaps that is why our pictures are of the canal area in the red light district and not the ladies.
It was extremely interesting to see the windows with the ladies trying to persuade you to come in to her "parlour".
The pictures below are canal pictures in the red light district.
Off to bed as tomorrow is a big day. We head home at 6:00 PM Amsterdam time and arrive in Toronto at around 7:30 PM Toronto time.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Cologne and more sailing on the Rhine
We landed in Cologne (Koln to the Germans), this morning and after breakfast went on a walking tour ending at the mighty Cologne Cathedral. The walk was reasonably slow and we made it to the cathedral.
This cathedral is in Gothic style. Gothic style with its pointed arches, replaced the round forms of the Roman architecture.
Once up at the cathedral, we discovered a numerous shops, patios and most of all, people, as you can see in the street scene.
Bonnie managed to buy a pair of Harem pants, a blouse and a necklace, before we insisted she return to the ship, as lunch and wine were calling us.
As you all know, today is Canada Day. When we went to the dining room for lunch, the crew had set up a Canadian Flag at the entrance and baked a cake with the Canadian Flag outlined with strawberries.
We had a lazy afternoon on the ship and gathered in the lounge for the disembarkation briefing.
A sad time as the cruise has been so enjoyable that the time just flew by.
The farewell Gala Dinner was remarkable with lobster, beef and for dessert, Baked Alaska.
The next couple of pictures are with our waiter Mihai who looked after us for the entire voyage.
A couple of pictures in the lounge.
Off to bed, as we arrive in Amsterdam early, and leave on our canal trip at 8:45.
This cathedral is in Gothic style. Gothic style with its pointed arches, replaced the round forms of the Roman architecture.
Once up at the cathedral, we discovered a numerous shops, patios and most of all, people, as you can see in the street scene.
Bonnie managed to buy a pair of Harem pants, a blouse and a necklace, before we insisted she return to the ship, as lunch and wine were calling us.
As you all know, today is Canada Day. When we went to the dining room for lunch, the crew had set up a Canadian Flag at the entrance and baked a cake with the Canadian Flag outlined with strawberries.
We had a lazy afternoon on the ship and gathered in the lounge for the disembarkation briefing.
A sad time as the cruise has been so enjoyable that the time just flew by.
The farewell Gala Dinner was remarkable with lobster, beef and for dessert, Baked Alaska.
The next couple of pictures are with our waiter Mihai who looked after us for the entire voyage.
A couple of pictures in the lounge.
Off to bed, as we arrive in Amsterdam early, and leave on our canal trip at 8:45.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Rudesheim, Germany on the Rhine
We returned to our room after our champagne breakfast to prepare for this mornings shore excursion.
Our cabin steward, Dimas, had a surprise for us as you can see.
A dog made out of towels and Joe's sunglasses.
Our morning tour of Rudesheim included a visit to Siegfried's Museum of Mechanical Instruments.
This museum ranges from the quaint to the downright bizarre collection of musical oddities of the 16th century. All the instruments actually work.
A couple of them follow.
Following the museum, we hopped over to the Rudesheimer Schloss Hotel for coffee tasting. This is a brandy based coffee with whipped cream, sugar and chocolate sprinkles. Delicious.
Pictures of the coffee house and Bonnie and Dan at the coffee house.
Our cabin steward, Dimas, had a surprise for us as you can see.
A dog made out of towels and Joe's sunglasses.
Our morning tour of Rudesheim included a visit to Siegfried's Museum of Mechanical Instruments.
This museum ranges from the quaint to the downright bizarre collection of musical oddities of the 16th century. All the instruments actually work.
A couple of them follow.
Following the museum, we hopped over to the Rudesheimer Schloss Hotel for coffee tasting. This is a brandy based coffee with whipped cream, sugar and chocolate sprinkles. Delicious.
Pictures of the coffee house and Bonnie and Dan at the coffee house.
Rudesheim is such a pretty little town that is summed up by the untranslatable German word, "Gemutlichkeit" which roughly means "cozy good cheer".
There are many wonderful shops on the street as well as beer and wine patios along the route.
Of course we have a couple of street scenes.
The Rhine River may be 825 miles long but the 40 or so miles of the Middle Rhine Valley between Bingen and Koblenz epitomize the romantic notion of the river. This narrow gorge has spectacular scenery including fortresses, castles, quaint villages, remote chapels and of course, many, many vineyards.
The next few pictures will show you the some of the views in this area.
It was a very relaxing afternoon on the sky deck as we slowly sailed through the Rhine Gorge.
This evening we had a performance by a string trio playing classical music.
Off to bed to prepare for a big day at Cologne, Germany.
Monday, June 29, 2015
Miltenberg on the Main River
We cruised through the night on the Main River as we headed to Miltenberg, Germany.
The picture below is the river as we neared Miltenberg this morning.
You are all probably wondering what the difference is between a "berg" and a "burg" in Germany.
There is Nuremberg and Rothenburg. Well, the difference is that a berg is in a mountainous area and a burg is in an area with a castle.
We docked about 9:00 AM and the walking tour of Miltenberg started at about 10:00.
The town has 9,500 inhabitants and only 1 street. But what a long and picturesque street it is.
Of course you know that we will have some street scenes of the town.
These streets have numerous shops and outdoor cafes for coffee, wine or beer. Of course they have plenty of German desserts as well. Miltenberg is located on the Main River (pronounced Mine) between the Odenwald Forest and the scenic Spessart region. I am sure you all know exactly where it is now.
I think we need a couple of more street scenes.
From the Main Bridge you can see the panorama of the town as shown in the picture below.
I feel a little remiss that I have not (as far as I can remember) told you much about our ship.
The ship is called the Impression and was built in 2014. It is 443 feet long and 39 feet wide. This is the largest a ship can be to cruise the river owing to the size of the locks and the height of the bridges.
When we go through some of the locks we have literally, 1 foot on each side.
We have 83 staterooms and 47 crew members.
The ship has all the amenities you would look for including a sky lounge, 2nd lounge, whirlpool, hair salon, laundry service and a deck game area. It also has (for some of the fitness nuts) a gym.
We really lucked out on this cruise, as a group of about 50 people cancelled out at the last minute. That means we have 89 passengers and 47 crew members. We are really getting the royal treatment. Also the Avalon Impression is fully booked for the rest of the summer. Talk about good fortune.
A couple of pictures of the lounge area of the ship.
It is hard get a picture of such a long ship, but we did. Here it is.
All that being said what do you think the word of the day is? You are correct. It is "Impression"
Our onboard entertainment for the afternoon was Tomy Temerson.
Tomy Temerson is a zither player. He is one of only 5 professional zither players in the world.
For you non musical folks, a zither is a stringed instrument and Tomy's zither has 42 strings.
Here we are having a wonderful time in the lounge after another amazing dinner. Joe is either in the washroom or taking the picture.
The evening concluded with a hilarious performance by the crew.
Songs, dances and comedy skits had us laughing all the way to bed.
Tomorrow its off to Rudesheim, Germany and later the Romantic Rhine Gorge.
The picture below is the river as we neared Miltenberg this morning.
You are all probably wondering what the difference is between a "berg" and a "burg" in Germany.
There is Nuremberg and Rothenburg. Well, the difference is that a berg is in a mountainous area and a burg is in an area with a castle.
We docked about 9:00 AM and the walking tour of Miltenberg started at about 10:00.
The town has 9,500 inhabitants and only 1 street. But what a long and picturesque street it is.
Of course you know that we will have some street scenes of the town.
These streets have numerous shops and outdoor cafes for coffee, wine or beer. Of course they have plenty of German desserts as well. Miltenberg is located on the Main River (pronounced Mine) between the Odenwald Forest and the scenic Spessart region. I am sure you all know exactly where it is now.
I think we need a couple of more street scenes.
From the Main Bridge you can see the panorama of the town as shown in the picture below.
I feel a little remiss that I have not (as far as I can remember) told you much about our ship.
The ship is called the Impression and was built in 2014. It is 443 feet long and 39 feet wide. This is the largest a ship can be to cruise the river owing to the size of the locks and the height of the bridges.
When we go through some of the locks we have literally, 1 foot on each side.
We have 83 staterooms and 47 crew members.
The ship has all the amenities you would look for including a sky lounge, 2nd lounge, whirlpool, hair salon, laundry service and a deck game area. It also has (for some of the fitness nuts) a gym.
We really lucked out on this cruise, as a group of about 50 people cancelled out at the last minute. That means we have 89 passengers and 47 crew members. We are really getting the royal treatment. Also the Avalon Impression is fully booked for the rest of the summer. Talk about good fortune.
A couple of pictures of the lounge area of the ship.
It is hard get a picture of such a long ship, but we did. Here it is.
All that being said what do you think the word of the day is? You are correct. It is "Impression"
Our onboard entertainment for the afternoon was Tomy Temerson.
Tomy Temerson is a zither player. He is one of only 5 professional zither players in the world.
For you non musical folks, a zither is a stringed instrument and Tomy's zither has 42 strings.
Here we are having a wonderful time in the lounge after another amazing dinner. Joe is either in the washroom or taking the picture.
The evening concluded with a hilarious performance by the crew.
Songs, dances and comedy skits had us laughing all the way to bed.
Tomorrow its off to Rudesheim, Germany and later the Romantic Rhine Gorge.
Sunday, June 28, 2015
Wurzburg to Rothensburg
Today we land at Wurzburg, Germany, a small city on the Main River.
The picture below is the Main River on our way to Wurzburg.
Bonnie, Jane and Dan decided to stay on the ship for this excursion. Joe headed for the bus, parked metres away. As we settled in the bus (Joe, Robyn, John, June and Sonja), we looked to the right and realized that our curtain was left wide open. There was Bonnie, sleeping away on the bed, not realizing all on the bus could see in the window. Bonnie woke up and saw people right outside the window and the curtains open. She was not amused!
This city has been rebuilt from being reduced to smouldering rubble in the allied air attacks. The main feature in the town is the "Residenz of Worzburg". This is the Prince-Bishop Palace and is quite ornate.
We could not take pictures inside the palace but the next ones are the palace from outside and the surrounding gardens.
Next is a couple of street scenes in Wurzburg. Today was Sunday and all stores were closed.
A short (25 minute) walk back to the ship and onboard for another fantastic lunch.
The afternoon excursion was to Rothenburg described as one of Germany's absolute must see.
They are right.
There are numerous narrow streets off the square, Churches, and shops for anything you need. And open on Sunday. We had a couple of hours of free time in the city centre. It was our luck to have a marching band from a high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan performing on the square while we were there.
Shopping for the girls, beer for the guys, band playing in the background, what could be better.
Pictures below show the square, including the band, and a couple of more (wait for it) street scenes.
Wonderful country and the cities are so beautiful.
For those who care about these things, we have now gone through 50 locks. Only 18 to go.
Back to the ship for our "Chef's Dinner". Another fantastic meal that included specialties from our top chef Michal.
John came up with our word of the day and it is "Teutonic".
Why teutonic you may ask, well the short answer is "ask John".
This word seems to relate to the German people as much as any word we could imagine.
It especially describes the Franconian people to a tee.
After dinner it was up to the lounge to listen to Stefan on the piano and keyboard.
Bonnie and Joe actually danced tonight to a slow moving song.
Thanks to Sonja for the picture.
Tomorrow its off to Miltenberg, Germany. See you all then.
The picture below is the Main River on our way to Wurzburg.
Bonnie, Jane and Dan decided to stay on the ship for this excursion. Joe headed for the bus, parked metres away. As we settled in the bus (Joe, Robyn, John, June and Sonja), we looked to the right and realized that our curtain was left wide open. There was Bonnie, sleeping away on the bed, not realizing all on the bus could see in the window. Bonnie woke up and saw people right outside the window and the curtains open. She was not amused!
This city has been rebuilt from being reduced to smouldering rubble in the allied air attacks. The main feature in the town is the "Residenz of Worzburg". This is the Prince-Bishop Palace and is quite ornate.
We could not take pictures inside the palace but the next ones are the palace from outside and the surrounding gardens.
Next is a couple of street scenes in Wurzburg. Today was Sunday and all stores were closed.
A short (25 minute) walk back to the ship and onboard for another fantastic lunch.
The afternoon excursion was to Rothenburg described as one of Germany's absolute must see.
They are right.
There are numerous narrow streets off the square, Churches, and shops for anything you need. And open on Sunday. We had a couple of hours of free time in the city centre. It was our luck to have a marching band from a high school in Grand Rapids, Michigan performing on the square while we were there.
Shopping for the girls, beer for the guys, band playing in the background, what could be better.
Pictures below show the square, including the band, and a couple of more (wait for it) street scenes.
Wonderful country and the cities are so beautiful.
For those who care about these things, we have now gone through 50 locks. Only 18 to go.
Back to the ship for our "Chef's Dinner". Another fantastic meal that included specialties from our top chef Michal.
John came up with our word of the day and it is "Teutonic".
Why teutonic you may ask, well the short answer is "ask John".
This word seems to relate to the German people as much as any word we could imagine.
It especially describes the Franconian people to a tee.
After dinner it was up to the lounge to listen to Stefan on the piano and keyboard.
Bonnie and Joe actually danced tonight to a slow moving song.
Thanks to Sonja for the picture.
Tomorrow its off to Miltenberg, Germany. See you all then.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)