Leaving Tomorrow! Avalon Paris to Amsterdam

We leave tomorrow (Monday, August 29) for our fifth river cruise. This time traveling with brother and sister-in-law. Hope to post and blog from trip. Looks like we'll hit Bernkastel just right to join in their wine festival with fireworks on Saturday!

FuelScience

We leave tomorrow (Monday, August 29) for our fifth river cruise. This time traveling with brother and sister-in-law. Hope to post and blog from trip. Looks like we'll hit Bernkastel just right to join in their wine festival with fireworks on Saturday!

 

FuelScience

Have a great trip!

Have a great trip, looking forward to your review. Hope you have a great clear night for the fireworks.

Have a wonderful trip and enjoy the festivities in Bernkastel.

We had a great wine tasting event in this city and brought a bottle of Riesling home. Riesling Kabinett, Bernkasteler Doctor, Dr. H. Thanisch

FuelScience,

so great to hear about the Bernkastel-Kues coincidence. You have hit a little "river cruise jackpot" with that one: http://en.bernkastel.de/events/wine-festival-of-the-middle-moselle.html

I am sure you will have an amazing time.

This is the winery H2Otstr has mentioned: http://www.thanisch.com/en/

In Düsseldorf I recommend window shopping on the "Kö", that is the Königsallee. If you feel like spending lots of money have a look inside the shops...

If you happen to have time to sit in the Deutsches Eck beer garden in Koblenz: I have been told the drinks are fine but the food is not so good.

Safe travels and enjoy the current good weather.

notamermaid

FuelScience,

 

so great to hear about the Bernkastel-Kues coincidence. You have hit a little "river cruise jackpot" with that one: http://en.bernkastel.de/events/wine-festival-of-the-middle-moselle.html

 

I am sure you will have an amazing time.

 

This is the winery H2Otstr has mentioned: http://www.thanisch.com/en/

 

In Düsseldorf I recommend window shopping on the "Kö", that is the Königsallee. If you feel like spending lots of money have a look inside the shops...

 

If you happen to have time to sit in the Deutsches Eck beer garden in Koblenz: I have been told the drinks are fine but the food is not so good.

 

Safe travels and enjoy the current good weather.

 

notamermaid

Thanks! I've never been to Dusseldorf, so I'll definitely check out the Ko! We won't be stopping at Koblenz! Avalon doesn't give details, but I've been monitoring the itinerary on marinetraffic.com, and apparently we leave Cochem around lunch time and sail past the Deutsche Eck early in the evening. The ship docks a little way downriver at Engers for the night. On Monday morning we'll sail upriver to Rudesheim and then leave there late in the evening headed for Dusseldorf.

FuelScience

Hello FuelScience,

I hope you have made it in good spirits over the big pond. I did not realize you will not visit Koblenz. I have had a closer look at your itinerary now. You actually get to see all the castles from both directions (unless you go by night for one journey, of course)! I did not find Engers in the itinerary, you are right, the website is not that specific (and it seems not to be in your paper info if I have understood it correctly). Interesting idea to follow the cruise on marinetraffic, ahead of your own. Engers is a small place and what a coincidence that you may be able to provide me with the answer to my curiosity question of "why and when would Avalon want to stop in that village?" It seems a more logistical stop and for that probably easier as Koblenz nearby is a little crowded (perhaps Engers is cheaper as well?). The Avalon Imagery II was christened there in April and for that it was a fine place.

If you are mooring overnight but happen to be able to access the embankment at a pleasant time you will find yourself right by a largish palace. You can have a look at it by looking up Schloss Engers on google images. When you are standing on the embankment and facing the river turn to your right where you will see a bridge. That is the railway line bridge connecting Engers with Urmitz (the Cologne - Koblenz line). It is a sister bridge to the Remagen bridge and the only one of the three "sisters" rebuilt after destruction at the end of WWII. When you look for Urmitzer Rheinbrücke on google images you can see a photo of the original arch.

By the way, the Schloss Engers has a nice restaurant and is a well-known concert venue in the region.

The Düsseldorf Königsallee apparently is so famous that it has its own website (!) with English version: http://www.koenigsallee-duesseldorf.de/en

Enjoy Rüdesheim, such a jolly, music-loving place. The view from the hill is fabulous.

notamermaid

Hello FuelScience,

 

I hope you have made it in good spirits over the big pond. I did not realize you will not visit Koblenz. I have had a closer look at your itinerary now. You actually get to see all the castles from both directions (unless you go by night for one journey, of course)! I did not find Engers in the itinerary, you are right, the website is not that specific (and it seems not to be in your paper info if I have understood it correctly). Interesting idea to follow the cruise on marinetraffic, ahead of your own. Engers is a small place and what a coincidence that you may be able to provide me with the answer to my curiosity question of "why and when would Avalon want to stop in that village?" It seems a more logistical stop and for that probably easier as Koblenz nearby is a little crowded (perhaps Engers is cheaper as well?). The Avalon Imagery II was christened there in April and for that it was a fine place.

 

If you are mooring overnight but happen to be able to access the embankment at a pleasant time you will find yourself right by a largish palace. You can have a look at it by looking up Schloss Engers on google images. When you are standing on the embankment and facing the river turn to your right where you will see a bridge. That is the railway line bridge connecting Engers with Urmitz (the Cologne - Koblenz line). It is a sister bridge to the Remagen bridge and the only one of the three "sisters" rebuilt after destruction at the end of WWII. When you look for Urmitzer Rheinbrücke on google images you can see a photo of the original arch.

 

By the way, the Schloss Engers has a nice restaurant and is a well-known concert venue in the region.

 

The Düsseldorf Königsallee apparently is so famous that it has its own website (!) with English version: http://www.koenigsallee-duesseldorf.de/en

 

Enjoy Rüdesheim, such a jolly, music-loving place. The view from the hill is fabulous.

 

notamermaid

Thanks for the info on Engers. I'll try to find out why we're docking there, but I suspect that you're on target with your comments about docking space in Koblenz and money. We made the trip from the US to Paris with no problems. I did find that we won't be able to enjoy all of the winefest at Bernkastel-Kues. Apparently docking space is in tight supply, and spaces are already reserved. So we'll do the walking tour in the morning and the ship will have to leave at 11:00 a.m. We will travel to Zell and spend the evening there. I'm not too upset. The Moselle valley is so lovely that I can't complain too much about daytime cruising and watching the vineyards pass by. May pick up a bottle of Schwarze Katz in Zell!!

FuelScience

Hello FuelScience,

what a pity about the wine festival. Still, Zell is a good alternative and you can get that famous wine, as you have said. I hope you are currently enjoying the landscape on your way to Zell and that the rain will hit the Moselle after your visit to Cochem tomorrow! Quite a bit of wind and rain forecast for tomorrow evening.

notamermaid

Hello FuelScience,

 

what a pity about the wine festival. Still, Zell is a good alternative and you can get that famous wine, as you have said. I hope you are currently enjoying the landscape on your way to Zell and that the rain will hit the Moselle after your visit to Cochem tomorrow! Quite a bit of wind and rain forecast for tomorrow evening.

 

notamermaid

Yes, there were a lot of food vendors setting up when we were there this morning. We're just a few km from Zell. Just passed Reil. We'll have a wine tasting at Zell to replace the one that was scheduled at Bernkasel-Kues. We'll see how the morning in Cochem goes. We'll tour the city and leave around lunchtime on our way to Engers.

FuelScience