November 3, 2012 - Breisach Germany and The Black Forest
Charlie and I have been to the Black Forest numerous times. At one time, Charlie ran a company for the Germans in Tennessee and their home office was in the Black Forest, specifically in Lenzkirch. We have been to the area in February when there was five feet (yes, you read that correctly) of snow on the ground, and we have been there in September. But, today, we arrived in Breisach to sunny skies and beautiful trees in full color - that is until we were taken up into the Black Forest. When you think of the Black Forest, you think of Grimm's fairy tales, gnomes and ogres or all types. This mysterious forest is where you might expect to run into Hansel and Gretel at any moment.
However, this beautiful area of the world is filled with quaint wooden houses with very steep roofs to keep the heavy snow from causing the roofs to cave in. There are window boxes on the houses filled with beautiful flowers, still in bloom although they have snow last weekend. This is farming-country with fields and fields of corn (used not for eating, but for grain for the livestock and for bio-diesel), vineyards with Riesling grapes, asparagus and cabbages. Most of the farms will have cows for milk and dairy products, chickens for eggs (but not to eat), goats, etc.
At special occasions, traditional costumes with red "bobble" has for the unmarried ladies and black ones for the married ones are the norm. And, of course, there are cuckoo clocks. We traveled up into the Black Forest to a cuckoo clock shop and were treated to coffee and a slice of their famous Black Forest cake, made with chocolate sponge cake and a filling of cream and cherries soaked in cherry brandy.
The Black Forest reminds us somewhat of the Great Smoky Mountains in East Tennessee, complete with smoke on the mountains. This dense area of evergreen fir trees and conifers covers many of the upper slopes of its rolling hills.
We ended our last day on our cruise with a walk into the town of Breisach before lunch. All of the shops close on Saturday at 1:00 pm, and we got into town about 20 minutes before they closed. However, it was a beautiful day for walk into such a lovely area of Germany.
Tomorrow we arrive in Basel, Switzerland, early, and will be off the ship and on our way to Zurich for a couple of days. More later.
Saturday, November 3, 2012
Avalon Visionary Rhine River Cruise - Day 6
November 1, 2012
It's All Saints Day, and in Germany, and this is a holiday. The shops and restaurants are all closed!!! However, we arrived this morning in Mainz. During World War II, more than 30 air raids destroyed about 80% of the city's center including most of the historic buildings. Although there was some damage to the Mainz Cathedral (Dom), it remained almost completely intact.
Mainz was captured on March 22, 1945, by part of the U.S. Third Army, commanded by General George S. Patton, Jr. Patton used this strategic gateway to cross the Rhine south of Mainz to drive down the Danube toward what is now the Czech Republic so that German elements in Bavaria would be cut off and would not have a place to retreat and end the fighting.
Some of the staff at the Gutenberg Museum allowed us to go to through this incredible facility. -Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz, and at the museum we saw an original 42-line Gutenbeg Bible. We also saw the moveable-type printing press that Gutenberg invented and actually saw a page printed on it.
We returned to the ship for lunch, and then took a short drive to Heidelberg. We had been to this beautiful university city a number of years ago and had visited the Heidelberg Castle and ruins. This time, we opted to just roam the streets. Although most of the shops were closed, the streets were bustling with students and tourists who were taking a long weekend. What a great place to sit in a cafe with either a local beer or coffee and people-watch the afternoon away.
It's All Saints Day, and in Germany, and this is a holiday. The shops and restaurants are all closed!!! However, we arrived this morning in Mainz. During World War II, more than 30 air raids destroyed about 80% of the city's center including most of the historic buildings. Although there was some damage to the Mainz Cathedral (Dom), it remained almost completely intact.
Mainz was captured on March 22, 1945, by part of the U.S. Third Army, commanded by General George S. Patton, Jr. Patton used this strategic gateway to cross the Rhine south of Mainz to drive down the Danube toward what is now the Czech Republic so that German elements in Bavaria would be cut off and would not have a place to retreat and end the fighting.
Some of the staff at the Gutenberg Museum allowed us to go to through this incredible facility. -Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz, and at the museum we saw an original 42-line Gutenbeg Bible. We also saw the moveable-type printing press that Gutenberg invented and actually saw a page printed on it.
We returned to the ship for lunch, and then took a short drive to Heidelberg. We had been to this beautiful university city a number of years ago and had visited the Heidelberg Castle and ruins. This time, we opted to just roam the streets. Although most of the shops were closed, the streets were bustling with students and tourists who were taking a long weekend. What a great place to sit in a cafe with either a local beer or coffee and people-watch the afternoon away.
Avalon Visionary Rhine River Cruise - Day 7
November 2, 2012 - Strasbourg, France
Today was overcast when we awoke. As we looked out our window, there were swans swimming on the Ill River, just off the Rhine. We were docked in the enchanting town of Strasbourg on the French-German border. Strasbourg is the capital of the Alsace region of France, but it is influenced by the culture of both countries.
We started our day with a canal cruise into the city where we learned that Strasbourg is the seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. We passed the United States Embassy, as well as the embassies of numerous other countries and nations.
From our canal boat, we saw La Petite France is the former tanners' quarter on the River Ill and is a delightful maze of lanes and streets with gorgeous half-timbered houses all along them. We arrived by boat and took a walking tour to the Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg. Because of bombing during World War II, many of the Cathedral's best exterior sculptures had had to be replaced by copies. The stained glass windows of this church are magnificent and although some of them were destroyed during the War, they have all been replaced. There is a wall of windows called the "Poor Man's Bible" which tells the story of Christ's life in pictures in the windows. One of the most
incredible sites within the church is their astronomical clock. The clock is set on Greenwich Mean Time, and we were able to see it in action. It was amazing.
Strasbourg is a shopper's paradise with department stores and upscale boutiques all along Place Kleber. Alsatian cuisine blends the subtle flavors of French cooking and the hefty portions you'd expect to fine in neighboring Germany. Pate de foie gras (goose liver) or escargots (snails in garlic butter are some of the delicacies in the cafes and restaurants in Strasbourg.
Strasbourg is also known for its kugelhopf, a circular, small bundt-type, semi-sweet cake, and these can be found in all of the many bakeries. Our sweet delights were honest-to-goodness French beignets with a dark chocolate filling. We brought these back to the ship, got a cup of hot cappucino, retired to our cabin and had a wonderful afternoon treat and nap.
Today was overcast when we awoke. As we looked out our window, there were swans swimming on the Ill River, just off the Rhine. We were docked in the enchanting town of Strasbourg on the French-German border. Strasbourg is the capital of the Alsace region of France, but it is influenced by the culture of both countries.
We started our day with a canal cruise into the city where we learned that Strasbourg is the seat of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. We passed the United States Embassy, as well as the embassies of numerous other countries and nations.
From our canal boat, we saw La Petite France is the former tanners' quarter on the River Ill and is a delightful maze of lanes and streets with gorgeous half-timbered houses all along them. We arrived by boat and took a walking tour to the Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg. Because of bombing during World War II, many of the Cathedral's best exterior sculptures had had to be replaced by copies. The stained glass windows of this church are magnificent and although some of them were destroyed during the War, they have all been replaced. There is a wall of windows called the "Poor Man's Bible" which tells the story of Christ's life in pictures in the windows. One of the most
incredible sites within the church is their astronomical clock. The clock is set on Greenwich Mean Time, and we were able to see it in action. It was amazing.
Strasbourg is a shopper's paradise with department stores and upscale boutiques all along Place Kleber. Alsatian cuisine blends the subtle flavors of French cooking and the hefty portions you'd expect to fine in neighboring Germany. Pate de foie gras (goose liver) or escargots (snails in garlic butter are some of the delicacies in the cafes and restaurants in Strasbourg.
Strasbourg is also known for its kugelhopf, a circular, small bundt-type, semi-sweet cake, and these can be found in all of the many bakeries. Our sweet delights were honest-to-goodness French beignets with a dark chocolate filling. We brought these back to the ship, got a cup of hot cappucino, retired to our cabin and had a wonderful afternoon treat and nap.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Avalon Visionary Rhine River Cruise - Day 5
Oct. 31, 2012
We arrived very early this morning in Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Extensive Allied bombing during World War II, destroyed much of Koblenz's Old City. There are some new buildings, but most were reconstructed to look as they did before the war. We did a brief 45-minute walking tour of the city before returning to the ship a leisurely cruise down the Rhine River most of the afternoon.
The Rhine is about 825 miles long, but it is the 40 or so miles of the Middle Rhine Valley that most people recognize as the Castle Road. The narrow gorge is absolutely beautiful this time of year with the leaves on the trees turning. There are fortresses, quaint villages, remote chapels, and vineyard after vineyard on hillsides to add the perfect finishing touches to the Rhine's landscapes. This region of the Rhine has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightfully so.
The river's most famous legend is the 430-foot high cliff, the Lorelei, which legend has it, often caued ships to founder in the trecherous currents at this point where the Rhine narrows drastically. The story goes that a beautiful sorceress cast herself into the river here rather than accepting her sentence of confinement to a nunnery. She was known to be spotted sitting on this rock combing her long hair and singing, luring sailors on the ships in the river to their destruction.
Late this afternoon, we arrived in Rudesheim, one of Germany;s most famous wine towns. As the wine connoisseur, Charlie, has said so many times, the white wines of this area, the Rieslings, are wonderful; the reds are like paint-thinner. We took a small tourist train from the ship up into the town and had a delightful visit at the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments. Rudesheim is also known for is Christmas Market each year, and of course, we had to visit their big Christmas shop to get another ornament for our international Christmas tree. We sampled coffee with a local brandy to warm us as we headed back to the ship.
This was a very busy, yet relaxing day just watching the world go by as we sailed down the Rhine to Rudesheim.
We arrived very early this morning in Koblenz at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Extensive Allied bombing during World War II, destroyed much of Koblenz's Old City. There are some new buildings, but most were reconstructed to look as they did before the war. We did a brief 45-minute walking tour of the city before returning to the ship a leisurely cruise down the Rhine River most of the afternoon.
The Rhine is about 825 miles long, but it is the 40 or so miles of the Middle Rhine Valley that most people recognize as the Castle Road. The narrow gorge is absolutely beautiful this time of year with the leaves on the trees turning. There are fortresses, quaint villages, remote chapels, and vineyard after vineyard on hillsides to add the perfect finishing touches to the Rhine's landscapes. This region of the Rhine has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and rightfully so.
The river's most famous legend is the 430-foot high cliff, the Lorelei, which legend has it, often caued ships to founder in the trecherous currents at this point where the Rhine narrows drastically. The story goes that a beautiful sorceress cast herself into the river here rather than accepting her sentence of confinement to a nunnery. She was known to be spotted sitting on this rock combing her long hair and singing, luring sailors on the ships in the river to their destruction.
Late this afternoon, we arrived in Rudesheim, one of Germany;s most famous wine towns. As the wine connoisseur, Charlie, has said so many times, the white wines of this area, the Rieslings, are wonderful; the reds are like paint-thinner. We took a small tourist train from the ship up into the town and had a delightful visit at the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments. Rudesheim is also known for is Christmas Market each year, and of course, we had to visit their big Christmas shop to get another ornament for our international Christmas tree. We sampled coffee with a local brandy to warm us as we headed back to the ship.
This was a very busy, yet relaxing day just watching the world go by as we sailed down the Rhine to Rudesheim.
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