Conclusion

Well, I'm writing this as we're about to pack for the NEXT cruise, but our closing comments on this were that it was fine (and enjoyed Jon and Charlie's company), but we wouldn't do a cruise again - it's just too small and Avalon, while not terrible, was not overwhelmingly good. After looking at some of the Viking Cruise Lines River boats, if that's something you're interested in, I'd recommend you look at them.

Bergs, Bergs, Bergs

So haven't posted in a while. We visited Wurzber, Bamberg and ended today in Nuremberg. The scenery is beautiful - there are a few pictures to show it. In Bamberg we visited some Cathedral which apparently was originally built with a lead and wood roof. It got hit by lightening and burned down. They built a new Cathedral on top of the old one also with a lead and wood roof. Same thing happened - hit by lightening and burned down. They build a third Cathedral on top of #1 and #2. Given my history with the Catholic Church, I was a little concerned about history repeating itself again. I'm actually surprised at how Catholic the country is - I guess I thought it would be more Protestant given Martin Luther and all.

 They were all very quaint - but honestly I'm over visiting  quaint German towns! I think the most beautiful were the ones on the Moselle River - looking out over the vineyards at sunset while cruising down the river really was quite spectacular.

We did get very decadent and have ice cream for lunch one day - the ice cream is pretty amazing. We've also seen these really cute coffee stiring spoons everywhere. We bought a set and thought they would be quite fun.

Germans also seem to really love their window boxes and they do a great job of them.

The staff on the boat, while small compared to other cruises, has been great. The night before we left, we came back to an Elephant in the room (you know, the one everyone knows is there, but no one wants to talk about!)

We drove this morning to Prague. We're both pretty tired so kind of taking the afternoon to snooze and relax a little before we meet my niece Stephanie for dinner. I will say I'm REALLY impressed with Prague. I really had no idea what to expect. You can still see remnants of Soviet domination - but much like East Germany this city appears to have turned itself around. Very modern and very nice people just from the little bit we've been out. It's also a mix of very old with the very new - we're staying in the Old Town area and will have a walking tour of the area tomorrow. We're also going to see Karlstejn Castle and have sceduled an English speaking tour in the afternoon - so tomorrow will be a busy day. Then we head home the next day.

Honestly, we're ready to be home. Things are very busy at the office and while everyone there has been GREAT and really risen to the occassion, it was just a little too soon after the start of our contract for us to be gone this long. Oh well, with internet everywhere we've been able to keep up and see some new and different places.

Koblenz to Rhine Gorge to Rudesheim

We spent yesterday sailing the Rhine valley and ended up in Koblenz. A new experience for us with the small boat is basically double parking. So if there’s not enough dock space, we tether next to another ship, and walk across theirs to get to shore. Koblenz was the first time we did it.

Koblenz is a good sized city and had a really nice downtown area to explore. Jon and I went hunting for an internet alternative since the shipboard one doesn’t work so great as it is satellite based. We were able to get a cheap T-Mobile connection that uses the cell phone system and is MUCH better. Trying to do that in English in a German store was a bit challenging, but it worked!

Ray and I went out for dinner on our own – walked around quite a while before finally finding someplace. Had a GREAT Wurstsalat. When we went back to get on the boat, we got across the one boat and the crew on our boat said the walkway was closed because the other ship was getting ready to leave. The captain basically said to go have another drink and come back in half an hour. Kinda disconcerting as the crew of the boat we were standing on was starting to untie it from the dock. Ack! So we got off, found a dockside bar that was fun and got back on our ship a little later.

Today we were in Rudesheim – kind of a typical Rhine Valley wine town. It was pretty touristy – but we got to see Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument museum – which was actually pretty interesting. Everything from very calliopes to gramophones to little music boxes to crank organs. Ray got to be the organ grinder, complete with hat! One of the most interesting was one that had violins that were mechanized. In order to do the bowing, rather than having something mechanical that went back and forth, they created a continuous circular bow, which was pretty clever I thought. The mechanics pushed the violin up to the bow when it was supposed to play a note. The guy who started the museum and still does most of the restoration work  was actually a social worker with no background in this stuff and just started tinkering to restore some of them. 

Jon being goofy

 Ray as Organ Grinder

 Violins with continuous bows. The circular things in the middle were the "bows" which spun around continuously.

One of the musical instruments that was used at fairs (meaning before electricity - had to be all mechanical) – note the computer in the background which mysteriously the guide had to work before she pressed the ‘On’ switch and when she turned it off. “Ignore the man behind the curtain!” came to mind. Although Ray commented that the computer itself was an antique so maybe it wasn't a fake after all.

Trier and Bernkastle

So today was Trier and Bernkastel. Trier is a very historical city – roughly 2000 years old. There is a large technology university there and the city is roughly  100,000 people + 20,000 students. It’s a regional shopping place and there were some great stores around the town square. Unfortunately since it was Sunday, everything was closed except for restaurants and coffee shops. We had a guided tour (by the same woman with the Arkansas accent). Turns out her husband is from Germany and he is (was) on faculty at the university. She was full of lots of historical facts – too many for me to remember at 8:30 on a Sunday morning – but she was also quite fun. We saw parts of the large wall – actually the gate (Porta Nigra)  - which surrounded the city and is from the original Roman settlement. We also saw the house where Karl Marx was born. You can see it in the picture below. Note the store that now occupies the lower part of his home. Basically, it’s “Everything’s a Dollar” – only in this case it’s “Everything’s a Euro” – I just found the political irony of that hysterical.

We sailed down the Moselle for the afternoon – basically we’re sailing through vineyards. The hillsides are quite beautiful. Then we stopped in Bernkastel where there are remnants of a Castle and a number of preserved half-timbered houses surrounding the marketplace. It was really pretty. Know why they stopped making half-timbered houses? The invention of fire insurance! Seriously – that’s what they told us.

Ray and I napped a bit and then rather than eating dinner on board we had a delightful dinner in town since we didn’t sail until 10:45pm. After dinner we went for a bit of a stroll and then went back to the ship to enjoy a beautiful sunset across the wine country. Unfortunately I missed getting some spectacular photos, but Charlie (one of the people we’re traveling with) got some stunning ones so I’ll be able to add those later.

The boat remains quite nice – internet service is pretty spotty – mostly because we’re in valleys a lot. But other than that, really the service has been spectacular. 

 Bernkastle and view of riverside.

Fortified gate in Trier

 Our ship Avalon Luminary

 A peacock in a pot....was just something by a restaurant that I thought was pretty fun.

Cruise Day 1

Today we took the TGV to Luxemborg, followed by a bus ride to the boat. We had a guide with us who was originally from Arkansas - complete with Southern accent! The boat is quite nice - while small, it has many of the essential amenities of cruising. Coffee bar that's open around the clock, great food, etc. Because it's so much smaller, it's very easy to get to things. We've gotten to know some of the Cruising with Pride group - mostly couple our age and physique (!) - so no drama and no feeling self concious about not having lost weight. Ray and I also both noticed once we got to Germany how much that's clearly our heritage - we look like them (as opposed to France, where they are all tall and thin). Stops tomorrow include Trier and Bernkastel. Trier is where Karl Marx was born and raised and Bernkastel is our first view of a castle ruin. Entertainment on board is nice - even got to watch the movie Mama Mia in English. No real pictures for today, though I'll try to add one of the boat.

Paris Day 2

Once again a rainy day. We slept late (like 10am) and got up and did a little work, then met Steph at her favorite outdoor cafe' for lunch, which is quite near the Louvre. After lunch, we toured the gardens outside of the Louvre, then went to the Orange Museum where we saw several large Water Lilly paintings by Monet. The museum was the original orange grove for the palace, which was enclosed and turned into a museum.

http://www.musee-orangerie.fr/

What was so amazing about this museum was how close you could get to the paintings - you could see the texture and they became truly three dimensional. I explained to Steph how texture responses were part of Rorschach interpretation (ok, wierd connection I know) and their importance in connection with other people - we both commented how being able to get this close to the actual art elicited such a response.

The garden tour beforehand was really fun - actually we toured some yesterday as well. French gardens are VERY precise in their arrangement of color, texture and height - very different from English gardens.

Today was also Ray's birthday (55) - which we celebrated by dinner at a restraunt near the Eifle tower at my niece Anne's recommendation. Quite wonderful. We were going to walk to the tower after dinner - but it was pouring down rain, so we just came home. We can see the tower from our window, and it looks quite mysterious in the rain and fog. Tonight we pack up and go to the ship...boat...whatever. We found out that it's only about 2/3 full, so we're hoping for great service and a relaxing time!

Jim and Ray at some garden or another (actually Luxemburg gardens)

Ray and Stephanie

In one of the ponds outside the Louvre, they sail little sailboats to amuse the children - this one was being pushed around by ducks. It was quite a contraption, but very fun to watch!

Someone mysteriously sent flowers to Ray for his birthday - unfortunately it wasn't me, and we still haven't figured out who it was - but they were a wonderful surprise when we got back to the room before dinner.

Eifle Tower in the Rain and Fog

Paris on Day 1

On Thursday we met up with Stephanie, my niece who's studying in Germany and visited the Museum of Careers and Technology and strolled the Left Bank of the Seine River.

I loved the museum - it had great historical technology which of course I just love. Included was a computer (Commodore 64) that I bought for Steph and her sisters as a children hoping they would learn technology. Now it's in a historical museum. ooof - that hurt. They also had a Cray 2 Supercomputer which was the envy of every computer science grad when I was in school.

The left bank was lovely - unfortunately it's rained the entire time we have been here so we didn't get much time, but was able to look at all of the shops and enjoy the people.

 Ray in front of exhibit about founder of modern chemistry.

Cray 2

Steph on Seine River

Early Musical Instruments - Part of Communication Exhibit.

The jet lag really kicked in that night - we were up until 4am, but did get a good night's sleep once we were able to drift off.

A litte Jet Lagged

Well, our flights were quite smooth and uneventful, except that at JFK we had to out out of and back into security to connect to our Air France flight. A bit hectice, but we had plenty of connection time. We landed and were able to get right into our hotel room and slept for like 5 hours, then hit the town for a bit. We're staying at the Hilton in Paris near the Arc de Triumph. So we're actually staying at the Paris Hilton (get it? Yuck Yuck).

Jon and Charlie had another hotel for the first night, so we met them there and my niece, Stephanie joined us. Had a nice dinner at a local restraraunt that Jon had recommended to him from some friends, and planned our activities for Thursday.

One learning point - having the hotel room immediately available made all the difference in the world - made the rest of that day MUCH better. Going to work on adding that for our trip August.

No pictures for this day - but a bunch for the next day! The jet lag really hit last night - couldn't get to sleep until 4am - trying to get operational this morning!

Happy Birthday to Ray today (July 13)!!

So while I should have been working today, I didn't. I got all of the documents pulled together, got our carry-on restocked, and in general just tried to get in the travel mood. Ray found this map which give a pretty good visual of what our route is. I thought we would be sailing north to south and instead it's east to west for the most part. I was thinking more of the Rhine river. Good grief, I booked a trip without paying any attention to where it went. I see "Europe" and "Wine" in the headings and loose track of the rest!

Itinerary

Day-by-Day Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Paris, France
Welcome to Paris, France’s capital on the River Seine and the “City of Light,” where romance fills the air!

Day 2 Paris
Paris’ famous sights are living history: your included city sightseeing shows you magnificent Notre Dame Cathedral, the unique Louvre Museum with its glass pyramid as a contrast to its ancient architecture, the commemorative Arc de Triomphe, Opéra, Madeleine, Champs Elysées, and the Eiffel Tower, a structural miracle of its age. The city is well known for its colorful nightlife, including some of the world’s most famous cabaret shows. (Breakfast)

Day 3 Paris–Metz–Remich, Luxembourg (Embarkation)
This morning, board a HIGH-SPEED TGV TRAIN for a swift and comfortable journey to Metz. From here, drive to Remich in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, where your river cruise vessel is docked on the Moselle River. Before dinner, meet your crew at a welcome reception. The Moselle River is some 312-miles long, rising in the Vosges Mountains of northeastern France and entering Germany at Trier. The entire Moselle Valley is famous for its beautiful and tranquil scenery. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 4 Trier, Germany–Bernkastel
The venerable Episcopal city of Trier is the oldest in Germany and, some claim, even older than Rome! The famous Porta Nigra is the only surviving fortified gate from the original Roman settlement and still gives access to the town center. See the highlights on your included tour. This afternoon, cruise downstream to the charming wine village of Bernkastel with its well-preserved half-timbered houses surrounding the beautiful MARKETPLACE. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 5 Cochem–Koblenz
Visit REICHSBURG CASTLE, which sits atop a conical hill covered in vines. From here, the views of the little town of Cochem nestled down below and of the river valley are splendid. Cruising the wide, peaceful curves of the river, it quickly becomes obvious that the Moselle is an important wine-growing region. Most notably, the Riesling grape is cultivated, producing a dry to sweet, floral white wine. Situated at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers, 2,000-year-old Koblenz is the cultural and business center of the Middle Rhine region. The Deutsches Eck, located on a tongue of land where the two rivers converge, holds an impressive equestrian statue of Wilhelm I. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 6 Rhine Gorge–Rüdesheim
The dramatic RHINE GORGE is the most beautiful stretch of river. Pass the legendary rock of the Lorelei, where sweet songs of local beauties lured enchanted sailors to their doom. Rüdesheim is the perfect example of a Rhine Valley wine town and SIEGFRIED’S MECHANICAL MUSICAL INSTRUMENT MUSEUM is a real surprise! Enjoy a SPECIAL TREAT, then there’s free time to explore the Drosselgasse and pick up some souvenirs. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 7 Miltenberg
Located on the Main River, Miltenberg is a picturesque Bavarian village that thrived on income from river traffic. Its cultural wealth and affluence are reflected in the beautiful medieval and renaissance houses and the gothic splendor of the Merchant Hall shown to you during your guided walk. This afternoon, learn how to bake a local SOFT COOKIE specialty. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 8 Würzburg
Known as the “Pearl of the Romantic Road,” Würzburg is surrounded by sloping hills covered with vineyards. The magnificent BISHOP’S RESIDENZ is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
(Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 9 Bamberg
Another beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site is medieval Bamberg. Your walking tour takes in the breathtaking cathedral, the Old Town Hall straddling the River Regnitz, and serpentine streets with charming houses and 18th-century mansions. (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner)

Day 10 Nuremberg (Disembarkation- end of tour) (Breakfast)

Optional Extension

Prague, Czech Republic
Transfer from the Luminary and cross the Czech border in the Bohemian Forest and head for Prague, the “Golden City.” (Breakfast)

Day 11 Prague
Prague is a 1,000-year-old city preserved in time. It straddles the Vltava River with domes, cupolas, spires and pinnacles highlighting its skyline. See its best-known treasures such as the Old Town’s Astronomical Clock, once the envy of all of Europe; HRADCANY CASTLE GROUNDS; St. Vitus Cathedral; and the Charles Bridge. Browse the shops for hand-cut crystal or art books. Mix with the locals in Wenceslaus Square or stroll along the Vltava River. Your Cruise Director will have more suggestions for things to do. (Breakfast)

Day 12 Prague
Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (Breakfast)

Trying to get ready

So it's just a few days before we leave and I haven't even started packing or have time to get excited...but did find time to get the blog going. Very excited we're going to get to see my niece Stephanie both in Paris and in Prague.