Castles Along the Rhine

If there were ever a place where I could envision myself a princess, it would have to be the scenic 40-mile stretch of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley that features a stunning, castle-dotted landscape.

Early on the seventh day of our cruise aboard the River Empress, I parked myself in the glass-enclosed Sky Lounge where I could get a birds-eye view of the castles on both sides of the Rhine River. There was a bit of morning fog so we were initially concerned that we wouldn't be able to see anything but the sun quickly kissed the fog good-bye.

As we came upon a castle, our Cruise Director Rik Sprengers told us colorful stories about days gone by. Most of the castles were built during the 10th to 14th centuries from tolls collected by entrepreneurs who set up 15 toll booths along this 40-mile stretch of the Rhine on which we were now cruising without a care in the world. During that time, the river was the only way to traverse this area going north and south so these clever entrepreneurs had a monopoly on the trade route. Judging by the magnificent castles they built from the taxes they collected from the ships that passed through their toll booths, they surely did collect their pound of flesh!

According to legend, two feuding brothers built the Sterrenburg Castle and Liebenstein Castle in Boppard. One of the brothers fell in love with their nanny and married her. While the first brother was away at war, the second brother fell in love with his brother's wife. That's why there are two castles in Boppard with a wall of dispute built between them.

Not far upriver from St. Goarshausen, the fabled Lorelei rock rises 430 feet above the narrowest part of the river, which makes it very difficult to navigate. Rik referred to Lorelei as the Pamela Anderson of the Middle Ages because Lorelei's striking beauty would supposedly distract sailors from their navigation duties and cause them to crash their ships on the rocks at the foot of the cliff.

Rik also told us about the mysterious basket that hung outside Rheinstein Castle. In times of war, the residents of Rheinstein Castle started a fire in the basket to warn castles in the surrounding area of an impending invasion; during peace time, they supposedly put tax evaders in the basket until they starved to death.

And what about the Mäuseturm (Mouse Tower)? Legend has it that the Archbishop of Mainz was eaten alive by mice in this tower as his comeuppance for being a cruel ruler. This paints a really lovely visual, doesn't it?

I don't know how many of Rik's stories were even remotely close to the truth but the fanciful tales surely did complement our sublime surroundings.

Although many of these castles were damaged by either the army of King Louis XIV or Napoleon, several have been rebuilt and are now thriving hotels and museums.

See more pictures of the castles

A Day in Cologne

The most famous landmark in Cologne, Germany is the awe-inspiring Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral) which is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Kölner Dom is one of the most important Gothic churches in Europe and is the largest cathedral in Germany. Although construction began in 1248, the cathedral wasn't finished until 1880. Although the Allied bombings of World War II destroyed almost 90% of Cologne, Kölner Dom survived almost unscathed.


While we were in Cologne we also went on a guided tour of the Römisch-Germanisches Museum (Roman-Germanic Museum) which gave us an insight into the storied past of the Roman city of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (the Roman name of Cologne) and the history of the Romans along the Rhine. The museum was built on the walls of a Roman villa that was discovered in 1941 and contained the world-famous Dionysos mosaic.

Just so you don't think that all my time in Cologne was spent in cathedrals and museums ......while we were touring Cologne's Alstadt (Old Town), our guide, who had an amusing sense of humor, pointed out a statue of a man mooning. This statue was featured on private property so it is anyone's guess what the owner was trying to tell the world. "Kiss my ass" was the first thought that came to my colorful mind.


If you're in Cologne, you must try two distinctive local treats: Kölsch, a relatively light and bitter local beer which is brewed only in this area and Nougatbrezel, a mouth-watering pretzel-like treat covered in chocolate, nougat and nuts. Yum! By the way, I didn't indulge in the Kölsch and Nougatbrezel together so I really don't have any idea if they make a good culinary pair.

More photos of Cologne

Arnhem: Gateway to the Kröller-Müller Museum

From Volendam, we cruised to Arnhem on the River Empress. Our shore excursion in Arnhem was a visit to the Kröller-Müller Museum which is named after Helene Kröller-Müller, daughter of a German industrialist who collected 11,500 art works. Helene's favorite artist was Vincent van Gogh and she acquired 91 of his paintings. For me, the collection of Van Gogh's paintings was the highlight of the museum. We were lucky to have a guide who was knowledgeable about Van Gogh and who could explain how his artistic style evolved over time.

I don't spend a lot of time in art museums but I have always been drawn to the wonderful display of colors and interesting textures of the Impressionist painters. If you are particularly fond of Van Gogh, you will enjoy the collection of Van Gogh's paintings at the Kröller-Müller Museum; it is one of the largest collection of his works in the world.

The Kröller-Müller Museum also includes a sculpture gallery and a 75-acre sculpture garden which contains a unique collection of more than 160 sculptures by world-famous artists. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to really explore the sculpture garden and the weather didn't cooperate much either.

Although we spent about as much time in the bus getting to and from the museum as we spent at the museum it was well worth the trip.

More photos of the Kröller-Müller Museum collection

Keukenhof Gardens and Volendam

During our Rhine River cruise aboard Uniworld's River Empress, we had the opportunity to visit the Keukenhof Gardens and Volendam.

Keukenhof Gardens is located an hour southwest of Amsterdam and is the largest bulb flower park in the world; there are 7 million bulbs, of which 4.5 million are tulips, planted by hand on 70 acres! Given that it is only open for two months each year, we were lucky to be able to visit. Although we were there in late March, which is early in the season, I was struck by its beauty and design. I was told during my visit that the best time to see the gardens is at the end of April. My feeling is that you won't be disappointed whenever you go.

Although many of the tulips and other flowers weren't yet blooming outside in the gardens, Steve and I saw many colorful flowers in all their glory in the Willem-Alexander Pavilion including fiery tulips that I had never seen before, gorgeous lilies, and bright pink and blue hyacinths and hydrangeas. Keukenhof Gardens is also the largest sculpture park in the Netherlands and Steve, who is the photographer in the family, took many wonderful photos of the sculptures framed by lovely garden landscapes.

I was so excited to see so many tulips, I couldn't resist buying a collection of 105 exotic tulip bulbs; in October I expect to receive 15 Angelique, 15 Blue Heron, 15 West Point, 15 Flaming Parrot, 15 Princess Charmante, 15 Prinses Irene and 15 Captein's Favourite bulbs complete with instructions. Maybe I'm being silly but somehow I thought I was buying the "real thing" at Keukenhof Gardens. I can't wait to see how these tulips will flourish in my very own garden.

From Keukenhof Gardens, we took a motorcoach to Volendam, an idyllic fishing village whose early Dutch character has been well preserved.

The high point of my visit was to dress up in traditional Dutch clothing, complete with the high pointed bonnet. When asked whether I wanted to take my photo in a kitchen scene or among fishing nets, I chose the fishing nets because the kitchen would be too much out of character. Steve is the chef in the family and he won't even allow me to go in the kitchen!

After visiting some of the shops, we made our way to the Doolhof, which is a labyrinth of intimate streets that wind through the cluster of cottages nestled along the water. While I was making my way through the narrow streets, I couldn't help thinking about the advantages of a laid-back, uncomplicated lifestyle.

It was windy along the water as we walked to the River Empress which had left Amsterdam earlier in the day to meet us at Volendam. It was gusty enough to turn my cheap umbrella inside out and render it useless. Thank God the River Empress had good-quality umbrellas for our use while we were on board.

More photos of Keukenhof Gardens and Volendam

Holland in Days Gone By

One of the many benefits of river cruising is that there is a shore excursion at each port included in the price of the cruise. As experienced ocean cruisers will tell you, shore excursions can be very pricey. As a Cruise Diva, I can tell you that the major cruise lines make a lot of money selling shore excursions to passengers. So it's reassuring to know that when you're on a river cruise, there will always be a shore excursion included in every port that will at least give you an interesting overview of the city or village that you're visiting.

On our cruise aboard Uniworld's River Empress, our included shore excursion in Amsterdam was a visit to the Anne Frank House and a canal cruise and I enjoyed them both. That being said, Uniworld offered an optional tour to Zaanse Schans which cost 49€ and I was happy that I spent the money to visit this charming village on the banks of the river Zaan.

When I entered Zaanse Schans I felt like I was transported back in time to Holland as it was in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though it's often referred to as an open-air museum, Zaanse Schans is actually a living, working hamlet where the traditional crafts of the region are still practiced.

It was unbelievable but we actually had the opportunity to visit an industrial windmill where peanut oil is being made to this day and to chat with the resident windmill operator. He really did look like a throwback from days gone by. It's too bad I forgot to ask him if he was still having fun. After looking at all of the huge cogs, wheels and machinery in the windmill, I left thinking that it must be the world's most complicated way to produce peanut oil.

After the windmill, we were whisked to the cheese factory where a sweet young Dutch girl showed us how to make Gouda cheese. After the demonstration, we indulged in a Gouda cheese tasting frenzy, trying everything from natural Gouda, Gouda with herbs and garlic, Gouda with cumin seeds and Gouda with pesto.

We were then escorted to the wooden shoe factory where I was lucky to get a front row seat to watch the wooden shoe-making demonstration. Although you might think it's difficult to carve a wooden shoe there were two machines that did it in no time flat. There was one that carved the outside of the shoe from a block of wood and another that carved a hole in the inside of the shoe where you would put your foot. And, of course, there was the opportunity to buy wooden shoes in any color and style that your heart desired. I tried one on but found it to be uncomfortable. The trick is that you need to wear heavy socks and buy a shoe that is one size larger than your normal size.

The most fun moment for me was watching my husband play on a pair of stilts -- by God I didn't know he had it in him!

More photos of Zaanse Schans

Amsterdam is a Trip!

I've always wanted to go to Amsterdam because it had the reputable of being a free-thinking city where people were much more open about sexuality than they are in the U.S. Let me just say that I was not disappointed. I think that Europeans in general are more comfortable discussing sex than Americans but the Dutch take it to a whole new level. I have never seen so many shops selling sex toys, IPod vibrators, magic mushrooms, aphrodisiacs and fancy condoms.

Although Rik Sprengers, our Cruise Director on Uniworld's River Empress, told us that all drugs are technically illegal in The Netherlands, you don't find anybody getting arrested for smoking pot in Amsterdam. In fact, many Dutch openly indulge in cannabis and according to Rik, one can buy up to five grams for personal use at a "coffee shop" and grow up to three plants for personal use. There are also no shortage of shops in Amsterdam that sell smoking paraphernalia. As for me, I'll stick with my glass of buttery Chardonnay when it's time to relax.

Do you suppose that the Dutch inclination to enjoy life has anything to do with the fact that 40% of their country is below sea level?

There are bicycles everything in Amsterdam and it's important to watch where you're going. I had two very close encounters with bicycles that seemingly came out of nowhere. I noticed that most of the bikes lying around were old and rusty and thought to myself that it was a good thing that Amsterdam is flat because these bikes would fall apart going up even a small hill. I later found out that people use old bikes in Amsterdam because theft is a real problem.

The excursions that were included in our cruise were a tour of the Anne Frank House, which was a moving experience and a canal boat tour of Prinsengracht and Keizergracht, two of Amsterdam's main canals which were dug in the 17th century during the Dutch Golden Age. Along the canals we saw stately tall narrow homes built wall-to-wall; the reason they were built so narrow is because people were taxed based on the width of their homes. We learned that the only way furniture could be moved in and out of these homes was with a hoist located near the roof. No wonder people keep these homes in their families for generations -- it would be a real pain in the neck to move!

More photos of Amsterdam

The River Empress -- She's Got Personality!

I can't believe it has been nearly a month since my last posting. I came back from my river cruise on the Rhine and promptly got buried in work. Now it's time to take a breath and report on the River Empress and all of her charms.

This was the first cruise of the season for the River Empress and she has just been through a makeover. Our group was the first to occupy the newly re-decorated staterooms and they are beautifully furnished and cozy. The bathroom is gorgeous but small and very large people will find it difficult to negotiate the shower stall. I fell in love with the L'Occitane hair and body products. There was plenty of closet space for both me and Steve on this seven-day cruise and our large suitcases easily fit under the bed. The bed was comfortable but I would have preferred one duvet instead of two; each of us had our own duvet so it was harder to snuggle with Steve. Given that Uniworld caters to the North American market, I wish there had been more American-style electrical outlets.

The food was excellent and I particularly enjoyed the "Zaanse" Mustard Soup with Garlic Croutons and Chives, the Creamy Carrot-Ginger Cappuccino Soup, Roasted Rack of Lamb and German Apfelstrudel. Regional specialties that were served for dinner during the week were Potato Pancake Lasagna, Dutch Crepe, Kirschplotzer, Rheinischer Herring Salad and Rheinischer Sauerbraten. Good wine was generously poured during dinner; in fact, since my glass was always full it was easy for me to fool myself into believing that I wasn't drinking very much. Our Restaurant Manager, Lajos Palotasi and Executive Chef, Ratislav Bekes, were very attentive to our culinary desires and would often point out dishes on the menu during dinner and in the buffet during lunch they thought we would like.

Our Cruise Manager, Rik Sprengers, was very charming and funny. In the Dutch language, the letter 'g' is pronounced like a guttural 'h' and Rik gave us all sore throats while helping us to pronounce Van Gogh in Dutch and say Good Morning (Goedemorgen) in Dutch. In addition to the free language lessons, Rik gave his guests a personal complimentary tour of Amsterdam's Red Light District. How many Cruise Directors do you know who would do that? He tantalized us throughout the tour by making us wonder how he knew so much about the Red Light District, i.e. how much it cost for the different types of services and how much the ladies had to pay to rent their rooms, etc. It turns out that there is some kind of official "office" in the Red Light District where you can go to inquire about pricing and services. Prostitution is legal and regulated in Amsterdam and the prices are fixed.

Altogther the cruise was a fantastic experience. The crew felt like family, the onboard lectures were fascinating and we never had to wait in line to be seated in the dining room or to embark or debark the ship. It also helps that I was traveling with a fun-loving group of fellow Cruise Holidays franchisees and we were hosted by Uniworld Sales Manager Kathie Weitzman, who was the quintessential gracious hostess. Here is a photo taken on the last night of our cruise:

More photos of the River Empress