Live from GCT Romance of the Rhine & Mosel

We started our river cruise on Monday and are having a great time. I look forward to writing a full trip report when I get home, but will also try to share a few highlights as we go along.

Tuesday highlight - Going up on the sun deck in the late afternoon as we started to cruise from Basel to Strasbourg. The weather was mild, the setting sun painted the sky with color, and we went through the first lock in the twilight. Beautiful.

Wednesday highlights - The optional Alsatian highlights tour in the afternoon with a lovely drive, tour and tasting at Bott Freres winery, and then time in Riquewihr. There were also touching observances of Armistice Day / Veteran's Day on board the River Harmony and at the other places we visited.

Thursday highlight - Having a free morning in Strasbourg to wander around, photograph the canals & intriguing architecture, and do a little shopping. There were gray skies when we set out but these quickly changed to blue skies dappled with white clouds.

More later on Basel, Strasbourg, and Baden-Baden. And I will try to share some photos when we return home.

Next up - Speyer tomorrow, then Boppard.

Thank you for your posting of the GCT. We are very interested in your daily activities and how you feel so far about GCT. How is the river level?

Sapphire, I took that cruise 2 years ago and it was one of my all-time favorite river cruises. Enjoy!

Hugueys, we are about to head out on our tour of Speyer so keeping this short. Very impressed with GCT.

Hello Sapphire73,

good to here you are sailing along and having a great time. I read the River Harmony is an older ship and smaller than the huge modern cruise ships. More comparable to CroisiEurope.

Looking forward to your impressions of the ship and service on board.

Enjoy the castles!

notamermaid

Friday highlight - GCT arranges for everyone to be invited into homes in Speyer for cake, coffee, etc. and a visit. Our group of 6 very much enjoyed our home visit. And other passengers were enthusiastic about their home visits as well.

Next up - cruising through the famous stretch of the Rhine and touring Boppard.

Saturday highlight - Viewing the castles on a lovely morning from the sun deck of our ship. It was windy and cool but sunny. The castle commentary started at 8:15 am and the light was good for photos.

Next up: Cochem

Sunday highlight - Exploring the lovely town of Cochem. We started with a tour of the Reichsburg Castle, then walked through the town. Many of the (tourist) shops were open on Sunday, and we sampled sausage and various mustards with our group.

So far, the weather has been cooperative. Highs in the 50s and able to sit out on our balcony most evenings. But rain is coming our way.

Next: Bernkastel and then Trier

Loved Bernkastle. We had an included wine tasting in a wine cellar just a short walk from the ship. It was the unltimate wine tasting: Pour your own! No limit! There dozens and dozens of different wines that could be sampled.

Yeah... that was a nice stop.

Thanks for the updates. Got a personal message from our upcoming program director with GCT. It is so nice to get a welcome letter with last minute updates (nothing yet about low water levels causing delays, yeah!)

Have all my clothes picked out and now just working on alternate plans if river levels fall even further.

Monday highlight - Walking tour of Bernkastel with time to shop, a winery tour and tasting, and free time to go back into town after lunch. Some climbed up to the castle on the hill. (Rain held off until we were back on board.)

Next up: Trier and then Zell and optional Luxembourg tour.

This whole region is so picturesque. We visited Trier in September as a day trip from Mainz. On our way home we drove the Mosel for a stretch, to Bernkastel. That castle up on the hill is very pretty! Had I known you could climb to it, I might have stopped to stretch our legs before the drive home... :)

Hope you are enjoying your day in Trier. Nice Roman ruins and the museum is interesting too. The city is compact and easy to get around on your own. Just hearing about your stops is enough to make me "vacation-sick." We miss it there!

Hello jpalbny,

to make it worse, i.e. the "vacation-sickness", here is the link to the english wikipedia entry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernkastel-Kues

Sorry!

Indeed a very nice section of the river Moselle, I have never been up to the castle, though. :o

At present, it is undergoing repairs and the inside of it is closed, but you can still walk up to it. The tourist website of Bernkastel says it takes 30 minutes to walk up to.

Enjoy Zell and Trier, Sapphire73.

notamermaid

notamermaid, now you have really done it! Our favorite New York winery was founded by a man from Bernkastel, Hermann J Wiemer.

We feel very much at home when we visit this part of Germany. And we do miss it very much when we leave... I always get the feeling that I'd like to live there. My grandfather's family originated in Baden-Württemberg.

I don't speak German, but I wonder if the word "Sehnsucht" could describe how I feel?

Tuesday highlight - Visiting Trier - even though it was raining and a bit windy. I have seen Roman ruins before, but the ruins in Trier were an impressive sight.

We decided to eat lunch here (rather than go back to the ship) and enjoyed a delicious luncheon at the Weinstube called Zum Domstein. Then we retraced our steps to get a closer view of the Imperial baths, visit the gift shop of the museum nearby, and go inside the basilica. We also did a little shopping along the way. Everyone is getting ready for the Christmas markets and there are Christmas ornaments and other decor in the shops now.

Next up - Zell and the optional tour to Luxembourg

jpalbny,

"Sehnsucht" is made up of two ideas "sehn" is a sort of root for the English equivalent of "longing for" and "Sucht" standing alone means "addiction". Combined the expression turns into "desperately longing for ..." or "desperately wanting to have a person close to you that is (currently) absent", so, yes, if you are close to that sentiment, I do need to apologize. Sorry.

Sapphire73,

great to hear you enjoyed Trier very much. Yes, the first Christmas markets apparently open this Friday, are closed on Sunday (church holiday) and reopen on Monday, while others open next week.

notamermaid

Thanks for the updates. Got a personal message from our upcoming program director with GCT. It is so nice to get a welcome letter with last minute updates (nothing yet about low water levels causing delays, yeah!)

Have all my clothes picked out and now just working on alternate plans if river levels fall even further.

I'm Nosey. Who is your PD?

His name is Bjorn Goemaes and he is from the area around Brussels. Any one out there sailed with Bjorn? Funny stories?

I am reading and appreciating responses but may have to wait until we are home to respond....

Wednesday highlight - Visiting the American cemetery in Luxembourg. We were given an excellent explanation of the battle of Bulge, insights into Patton, and time to honor those who gave their lives and are buried there. Very moving.

It was also moving to see flowers left at the doorway of a building attached to the French embassy when we were touring the city of Luxembourg.

Next up - Bonn

His name is Bjorn Goemaes and he is from the area around Brussels. Any one out there sailed with Bjorn? Funny stories?

Not a name that rings a bell . . .

Tuesday highlight - Visiting Trier - even though it was raining and a bit windy. I have seen Roman ruins before, but the ruins in Trier were an impressive sight.

 

We decided to eat lunch here (rather than go back to the ship) and enjoyed a delicious luncheon at the Weinstube called Zum Domstein...

Sounds like a great day! Hope you will post some pictures after you come home and have the time to do so. For now, keep on enjoying your trip, and don't worry about all of us who wish we were with you. :)

Jpalbny, I will definitely post pictures at some point as photography is one of my hobbies.

Thursday highlight - Great tour of Bonn this morning. At one point, our program director invited a university student (passing by) to tell us about his experience at the university. Also saw Beethoven's house, a memorial of the book burning in the square, and the Christmas market. (Sadly, it is closed until tomorrow.)

We had partly sunny skies this morning and rain this afternoon with mild temperatures (54 F).

Next - Nijmegen and touring the Liberation Museum.

Friday highlight - The Liberation Museum and stories from the two guides volunteering there.

Next - the windmills at Kinderdijk

Saturday highlight - Seeing the windmills at Kinderdijk. It was chilly and rained during our canal boat ride, but I managed to get some photos before and after the rain. And I enjoyed walking alongside the windmills with hardly anyone else in sight. One of the advantages of coming here in November.

Next - Antwerp!