Gems Along the Rhine

One of my favorite trips while on a Rhine River cruise on Uniworld’s S.S. Antoinette was the stunning drive through the villages and countryside of the Alsace Wine Route. Our guide was Veronique Herbreteau, who kept us entertained with stories of Alsace traditions of people who put a broken wheel on their roof for the storks to nest and of women who put a little heart on the roof to tell the world they were looking for love. We noticed crosses on the highway, which were there for the laborers who didn’t have time to go to church.

We stopped for lunch at Riquewihr, a picturesque medieval French village oozing with charm. We were greeted by the local baker who offered us samples of irresistible macaroons. Shortly thereafter, we came upon “Au Vieux Riquewihr,” a brasserie offering tarte flamblée and white asparagus, two regional delicacies that I absolutely had to try with a glass of Riesling from a local winery. I was feeling so mellow that I could have sat at the table all day soaking up the sun. In France, dining is an experience to be savored in a relaxed environment where you are never rushed, unlike here where many of us just eat and run.

I was disappointed that we didn’t visit a winery along the Alsace Wine Route. For my European wine tasting experience, I had to wait until we reached Rüdesheim. Nestled along the rolling, vineyard-covered hills of the Rheingau is Schloss Vollrads Vineyard & Winery, which dates back to the 14th century. At this historic and spectacular setting, I expected the local “wine expert” who led our private tour to be more sophisticated and knowledgeable about wines. Instead, she was in her early twenties and dressed like she had just come from a college campus. We had the opportunity to taste three wines: Volratz dry, Kabinett semi dry and Spatlëse sweet. They were all good wines and reasonably priced.

Rüdesheim is also home to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum. This is one of the most unusual and amusing museums I’ve ever visited; it has a display of over 350 mechanical music machines that play most of the instruments in an orchestra. I must say that the “orchestra in a box” concept was new to me and can imagine that these music cabinets were a great source of entertainment 100 years ago. One of our fellow river cruise passengers had a heck of a good time pretending to be an organ grinder. Perhaps he missed his calling?

On this trip, we also visited Strasbourg, where I climbed 330 steps to the terrace of Notre Dame Cathedral to get some great panoramic photos of the city. The highlight of the trip was my visit to the Rotary Club of Strasbourg – Ouest. It is always fun to mix and mingle with the locals and I only regret that we didn’t have more time to visit. The speaker was a professor at a local university who presented the French perspective of the Royal wedding. And, yes, the wine did flow.

More photos of Gems on the Rhine.

Experiencing the Celebrity Silhouette

Last November, Steve and I were invited to the U.S. inaugural of Celebrity Silhouette along with over 2,000 other travel professionals on a cruise to nowhere sailing from Cape Liberty, New Jersey. This was a two-day party that gave travel professionals the opportunity to experience Celebrity’s newest ship which exemplifies Celebrity’s concept of “modern luxury.” And what a party it was with the Martini Bar at the center of the universe!

Although embarkation at Cape Liberty was a fiasco and it was a painful experience getting signed up for Internet access, I quickly forgot about these inconveniences once I got settled in. The first order of business was to attend the Celebrity Silhouette naming celebration. Although Celebrity Silhouette was officially named in Hamburg, Germany last July, Celebrity did a wonderful job in Cape Liberty to re-create the celebration for us in the United States. Richard Fain, Chairman & CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd., Dan Henrahan, President & CEO of Celebrity Cruises, and Michelle Morgan, CEO of Signature Travel Network and Godmother of Celebrity Silhouette were there to give a presentation. The highlight of the event was when all of the ship’s Greek officers came up on the stage to sing the Greek National Anthem.

The Lawn Club is truly an innovation. It is a mini country club on a ship complete with real grass where you can play bocce and croquet, practice your putting, enjoy a BBQ, and relax with your favorite drink.  I spent a little time lying on the grass and soaking up the sun. If you prefer to relax indoors, try The Hideaway, the solarium or the library.

Dinner at Murano, one of Celebrity Silhouette’s elegant alternative restaurants, was an unforgettable dining experience. Not only was it delicious, it was entertaining as we watched our two waiters, who were located at both ends of our table, vie to see who would prepare our lobster with the most flair. Entertainment didn’t stop at dinner. In the Silhouette Theatre, we watched breathlessly as the performers balanced a ladder on their nose, swung through the air on a hula hoop and entwined their buffed bodies in exotic positions. It was one of the best shows I’ve seen at sea.

More photos of the Celebrity Silhouette.

Christmas in Hawaii

This Christmas, Steve and I decided to spend time in our timeshare at the Kaua’i Marriott with our family from Sweden. You know the old song, “I’m dreaming of a warm Christmas.”  Before flying to Kaua’i, we spent two days in Honolulu where we celebrated Steve’s 71st birthday at Roy’s in Waikiki. Roy’s is one of our favorite restaurants for their wonderful selection of Hawaiian fish and I can tell you that their famous Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé is as divine as ever.

The highlight of this trip was spending time and catching up with Steve’s nephew Bruce, his wife Tove-Lise and their daughter, Isabelle. We spent five days swimming in both the pool at the Kaua’i Marriott and the ocean at Kalapaki Beach and enjoying the variety of restaurants on property. For excellent Italian food, I recommend Café Portofino. Be sure to try the Scaloppine Piccata – you won’t be sorry. The owner, Giuseppe Avocadi, is from San Remo and he is delightful and attentive. You can’t beat the ambience since Café Portofino overlooks Kalapaki Beach which is mesmerizing at night with the tiki torches lit.

Our biggest adventure was when Bruce, Tove-Lise and I decided to go ziplining deep into Kaua’i’s lush green interior. We were lucky to be able to do it since Christmas week is the busiest on the island and we had no advance reservations. It was just one of those things we decided to do at the last minute. We used Kaua’i BackCountry Adventures and I highly recommend them. The guides were both concerned about safety and entertaining. I still can’t forget our guide Chris’s vivid description of what he would need to do if we got stuck on the zipline and didn’t catch the rope he would throw us (envision hairy, sweaty legs while being rescued and I think you’ll get the idea). The three of us had a lot of fun descending a mountain via seven ziplines and flying over the tops of bright green tropical plants. It wasn’t as scary or thrilling as jumping out of a perfectly good airplane but it was fun, the scenery was gorgeous and I did get a couple of adrenaline rushes from it.  Ziplining videos

We have owned our timeshare in Kaua’i since 1998 and this was the first time we had been back since buying Cruise Holidays in Bellevue in 2007. As nice as it was, I find cruising to be a better value (Hawaii is pricey!) and more exciting. We were lucky that our timeshare has an oceanfront view so we could watch the cruise ships come and go from Nawiliwili Harbor.

More photos of Honolulu and Kaua'i

Out on the Town in London

I can’t believe it has been 17 years since we were last in London! After debarking the Queen Mary 2 in Southampton, we got on a motor coach arranged through Cunard for the 1 hour and 45 minute ride to Victoria Station in London. From there we took a taxi to the Grosvenor House, a swanky hotel located on Park Lane in Mayfair. In this area of London, you can easily drop ₤65 (approx. $100) every time you open your wallet.

The first thing I wanted to do after we arrived was take a walk to Harrods since this has to be one of the world’s best places to window shop. I can’t afford to do anything other than window shop. We walked through the door only a half hour after Harrods opened and it was already teeming with people. I found a pair of men’s loafers for ₤5,300! For that price I would insist they have a heater and massager built into them.

Although Steve and I are not generally beer drinkers, we discovered two great beers during our time out on the town. One was Innis & Gunn, an oak-aged beer brewed in Scotland; we discovered Innis & Gunn while sitting at the bar waiting for our table at the JW Steakhouse, one of the restaurants in the Grosvenor House. Steve also thought the chips (French fries) at the JW Steakhouse were the best he ever had and asked the waiter for the secret sauce. The secret sauce turned out to be cooking the chips three times. You normally don’t make eye-opening culinary discoveries at hotel restaurants so the JW Steakhouse was truly an exception. Regarding the other great beer we discovered – it was called Crafty Devil, which we enjoyed on Halloween night at the Salisbury Pub in Covent Garden before going to see Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Palace Theatre.

London is a wonderful city to get out in the fresh air and walk to see the major sights. However, if you only have two days like us and still want to see it all, take a ride on the London Eye. The London Eye is the most intricately designed Ferris wheel that I have ever seen. It’s the tallest cantilevered observation wheel in the world, rising 135 meters above the London skyline and you can see for miles. We happened to board it at 4:30pm which was ideal because we saw the city both in the slowly fading light and at twilight. I bought the 360° mini guide and had a great time identifying many of the buildings and pointing them out to Steve so he could take some great photos. What a team!

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Never a Dull Moment on the Queen Mary 2

You might wonder what you would do if you were on a seven-day transatlantic cruise from New York to Southampton. After all, there are no port stops on the way. Surprisingly enough, days speed by as there is plenty to do on the Queen Mary 2 including films in the Planetarium; the Cunard Insights Lecture Enrichment Program; Bridge classes; performances by the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art; the Canyon Ranch Spa & Fitness Center; computer classes; afternoon tea; dancing classes; wine tastings; and darts competitions.

Even in seven days, there isn’t enough time to do everything. After breakfast, I would typically walk a brisk nine laps (3.3 miles) around the teak deck (Deck 7) to get my blood flowing and walk off the over-indulgence of the day before.

I particularly enjoyed the two presentations in the planetarium: Passport to the Universe and Cosmic Collisions. I used to go to the planetarium in San Francisco frequently as a child and didn’t realize how much I had missed it until I went to the presentations on board the Queen Mary 2. After watching galaxies collide, the problems I’ve been wrestling with seem small in comparison. We humans are but a small part of an enormous universe. I think it’s important to cherish what we have but let’s not take ourselves too seriously in the process.

I also heard an interesting art talk about artistic inspiration in the Clarendon Fine Art Gallery. I didn’t realize that Vincent Van Gogh wanted to be a preacher but was expelled from preacher school because he was too enthusiastic. Van Gogh apparently had incredible mood swings that were over the top and repelled people, including his dear friend Paul Gauguin. After living with Van Gogh in the south of France for a period of time, Gauguin left because he could no longer take Van Gogh’s intensity. Van Gogh cut off his ear in the hope that Gauguin would come back.

The biggest surprise for me was how much I enjoyed Carmen in 3D. I’ve never been an opera fan but watching a performance in London’s Royal Opera House on screen at the Illuminations Theatre on the Queen Mary 2 while wearing 3D glasses was entertaining. It was nice to have the opera, which was sung in French, translated at the bottom of the screen.

About the food – it was good in the Britannia Restaurant (main dining room) but not great. On the Queen Mary 2, where you dine depends on the stateroom you’ve booked and there are four different dining rooms: Britannia Restaurant; Britannia Club; Princess Grill; and Queens Grill. I don’t know for sure but I would imagine that the food is better in The Grills. If you don’t happen to be staying in the Queens/Princess Grill stateroom categories and want to have an exquisite dining experience, go to Todd English, the alternative restaurant on board. I had the Love Letters truffled potato appetizer, which was delicious.

More photos of the Queen Mary 2.

The Queen Mary 2

 I’m now enroute across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 and there are days on this classic ship that I feel like a member of British high society during the 1930s when an ocean voyage was the only way to get from New York to Southampton. I’ve been spending some of my leisure time enjoying scones and clotted cream served by white-gloved waiters at afternoon tea, dancing at the Black & White Ball in the Queens Room, and taking power walks on the teak deck around the ship on Deck 7 with the wind rushing through my hair.

Sailing away from New York Harbor past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty with the New York skyline in the distance was truly my most moving sail away experience. I thought about my father who arrived in New York Harbor from Genoa on the SS Dulio in 1927.

Before getting on this cruise, I had made it a point to upgrade my wardrobe because I had heard that the Queen Mary 2 was very dressy compared to most other cruise ships. On this seven day cruise, there are four formal nights. Although ladies need to wear a dress on these evenings, it isn’t necessary to invest in an expensive beaded gown that would feel like an anchor in your suitcase. And the vast majority of people were dressed very casually in the morning and afternoon. If you don’t feel like dressing up for dinner, you can always go to the King’s Court, the Queen Mary 2’s rendition of the Lido Deck. I’m going to have to convince my fellow Northwesterners, most of whom don’t like to dress up, that this cruise isn’t as stuffy as they might think. It is a distinctively British experience but it isn’t outrageously stiff and formal.

Half of the passengers on the ship are British, and although I haven’t met all 1,200 of them, the ones who I have met are warm, friendly and witty. Most are retired but I’ve met some traveling with children. Many have done the transatlantic crossing more than once.

On day 1 of our voyage, the weather was beautiful. It got progressively worse on day 2 and on day 3, the outside decks were closed due to strong winds. Instead of taking my daily walk around the deck, I had to resort to the gym for my exercise. According to the Captain’s Log, the waves were from 7.5 to 12 feet and although we all could certainly feel the rocking motion of the ship, it wasn’t rough enough to knock anything off shelves or tables. In fact, the rocking motion must have put a lot of people to sleep because as I was taking a tour of the ship, I could see that many had found cozy spaces in front of the windows and had apparently dozed off while reading a book. The Commodore Club on Deck 9 is a particularly good place to watch the waves crashing against the ship because it is located forward on an upper deck. At any rate, the Queen Mary 2 is an ocean liner that was built to handle conditions in the North Atlantic so it has been pretty much a smooth up and down ride.

I’ve been really impressed by the speed of the satellite Internet connection in the middle of the ocean. The bandwidth is even good enough for me to check my voicemail using Skype. So if you’re concerned that you will be cut off from the world while taking a transatlantic voyage, you don’t have anything to worry about.

More photos of the Queen Mary 2.

Four Spectacular Days in Switzerland

Before we boarded Uniworld’s S.S. Antoinette in Basel, Switzerland, I thought it would be fun to plan a four-day pre-cruise adventure by land to see some of Switzerland’s gorgeous countryside. I don’t know about you but when I think of Switzerland, mountains and lakes immediately come to mind and that was what I was bound and determined to see. Although Switzerland is a small country, you really can’t cover it in four days so I had to make a decision about what section of this gorgeous country we were going to see.

Knowing that we were going to end up in Basel, I focused on the northwestern part of the country. As I started doing my research, I quickly realized that buying a four-day Swiss Pass would be an excellent investment as it would entitle us to free travel throughout the Swiss Travel System with a few notable exceptions.

We landed in Geneva and spent a day exploring the city, including Geneva’s Old Town and the shore of Lake Geneva. Not wanting to spend a fortune for dinner (our dollars didn’t buy us many Swiss francs and a very ordinary dinner could easily cost at least $100), we found a cozy little restaurant called Fifty-Fifty with a convivial atmosphere. We met a Brazilian couple, David and Daniela, sitting next to us who lived in Geneva and struck up an interesting conversation with them. Before long, the owner was offering us a glass of the house limoncello.

The next day we were off to Montreux to catch the GoldenPass Line, one of Switzerland’s classic scenic train routes which goes from Montreux to Lucerne. Our plan that day was to take one train from Montreux to Zweisimmen and catch another train from Zweisimmen to Interlaken. However, due to a bridge undergoing renovation, we had to get off the train at Château d’Oex and bus it to Zweisimmen. Yes, even the super precise Swiss Travel System hiccups once in a while.

In Interlaken, we stayed at the Hotel du Lac, a charming hotel located between Lake Brienz and Lake Thun that has been run by the same family for generations. Our corner room had a gorgeous view of Lake Brienz. The cream of asparagus soup I had at the hotel restaurant was very tasty.

Our primary reason for coming to Interlaken was to visit the Jungfrau region, where majestic Mt. Eiger, Mt. Mönch and Mt. Jungfrau make their presence known. The $64,000 question of the day was how far up this Alpine massif were we willing to go given the weather conditions. Our Swiss Passes would get us from Interlaken (elev. 567 feet) to Wengen (elev. 4,180 feet); to go any higher we would have to start shelling out Swiss Francs – lots of them. At Wengen we decided to bite the bullet and pay an additional 84 Swiss francs and take the Wengernalp cog wheel railway to Kleine Scheidegg (elev. 6,762 feet), where the views of the Eiger north face were spectacular. We spent over an hour breathing the clean fresh air, photographing the stunning landscape and appreciating Mother Nature at her finest.

As much as I had wanted to board the Jungfrau Railway, Europe’s highest-altitude railway which runs partly through a tunnel hewn out of rock to Jungfraujoch (Top of Europe, elev. 11,333 feet), it was obvious at Kleine Scheidegg that we would see nothing but fog if we took the trip. If our Swiss Passes would have allowed us to do it without paying an additional 250 Swiss francs, I would have done it in a heart beat just to experience this pioneering masterpiece among mountain railways. However, for 250 Swiss francs, a view of fog just doesn’t cut it.

From Interlaken, we took the GoldenPass Line to Lucerne, where we spent two wonderful days. In Lucerne, we particularly enjoyed strolling across the Chapel Bridge, the oldest wooden covered bridge in Europe and walking on the walls of Old Town Lucerne where we savored some beautiful views of the city. The highlights of our visit, however, were the trip to Mt. Rigi (its name stems from the Latin “Regina Montium” or “Queen of Mountains”) and a boat ride around Lake Lucerne.

We started our venture on a boat from Lucerne to Vitznau and transferred to the cogwheel railway that led to the summit of Mt. Rigi (elev. 6,000 ft). The weather was gorgeous and the views of the Swiss Alps and Lake Lucerne from the top of Mt. Rigi were breathtaking. It was everything that I imagined Switzerland to be and more! I’ve never been fond of German food, but the bratwurst and fries I had for lunch at the summit sure hit the spot. We then walked partly down Mt. Rigi to catch the cable car from Rigi-Kaltbad to Weggis.

Rather than returning by boat directly from Weggis to Lucerne, we decided that there was still a lot of Lake Lucerne to explore so we opted to take the five-hour boat road all the way around the lake to discover its idyllic bays and romantic inland lake fjords. Lake Lucerne and Lake Tahoe are both beautiful but Lake Lucerne is surrounded by Old World European elegance. I happened to strike up a conversation with a Swiss woman who was traveling with her father and he pointed out the location of a secret munitions factory in which he worked during World War II. We then cruised by Tell’s chapel, where according to legend, William Tell leapt from the boat of his captors during a storm and escaped, allowing him to assassinate the tyrant Gessler and initiate the rebellion that led to the foundation of the Old Swiss Confederacy. God knows how many other interesting stories I could have uncovered about Lake Lucerne if I had spent more time.

After four days of unpacking, re-packing and running around to catch trains, buses, boats and cable cars, I was ready to board the S.S. Antoinette, my floating boutique hotel which would take me down the Rhine from one fabulous destination to another.

More photos of Switzerland