Viking Sun Rhine Getaway review August 2014

[mimmy52]

Our guide was enthusiastic about bread.

 

There were many interesting shops and buildings.

 

In Gutenberg Square, there is a statue of who else but Gutenberg. He is holding a page that says in Latin "Let there be light."

 

And turning, we could see the cathedral.

[mimmy52]

The cathedral has only one tower. In the 300 plus years that it took to build it, they discovered the ground was too weak to support a second. It sounds as if even today it takes constant vigilance and repairs to prevent a partial collapse. You just hope you get out before that happens.

 

 

 

 

[mimmy52]

We sat inside with many, many other tour groups while our guide talked about the cathedral.

 

The cathedral is famous for its astronomical clock. I'll post one picture, but if you want to see the really good ones, read Cruisinskier's report. There were so many people trying to see the clock you could hardly breathe.

 

Our guide's accent was strong, and sometimes it took a second or two for it to click on what she said. She described the clock from bottom up, and when she got to the top, she talked about Jesus blessing the applesauce. Which of course made no sense. Click. Jesus blessing the apostles.

 

In Cathedral Place, there was a house with 75 windows. It was the "richest" house because back in the day they had to pay taxes on windows. This was the owner's way of showing off.

 

During free time I wanted to go back into the cathedral, but the doors had been locked. A film crew was inside preparing to film the 12:30 p.m. striking of the clock for a travel show. I loved Strasbourg so I enjoyed walking around during free time. We met in front of the post office and walked back to the busses together.

[mimmy52]

We were given a small, non-alcoholic drink to welcome us back on board.

 

And we were just in time for lunch. If you want lighter fare, you can lunch in the lounge where Chef Matthias himself presided.

 

Fruit and dessert on another table, although there's only one dessert in the lounge.

 

A small part of the lunch buffet in the main dining room.

 

Another section of the lunch buffet. At the time, I didn't realize I was also taking my own photo.

[mimmy52]

For lunch, appetizers were always placed on the buffet. Today's goodies were

vegetable terrine and chive sauce

 

And smoked salmon with mustard honey dip

 

I ordered seminola gnocchi with tomato sauce. There was more of it, but I didn't think to snap a photo until I got to this point.

 

My dessert was chocolate ice cream coupe with carmelized apple wedges. Yeah, no picture. Too late.

[MinotLight]

Another great update! Loving all of your photos. Even though I'm doing a different itinerary your report is getting me so excited for our trip. We booked our airfare yesterday so it feels even more real now.

 

MinotLight, just don't tell me your sister-in-law lives in the Creve Coeur area or I will think life is way too coincidental.

She's in Des Peres.

[Maggie Mae]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review & photos. I leave in three weeks and you are definitely adding to my excitement!

One question, if you have lunch or dinner in the lounge do they serve wine, or is that just in the dining room?

Can't wait to read the next installment.

[mimmy52]

I cannot wait for the next day's entries! Thank you so much for taking the time to post the pictures and information.

 

It appears that you went alone on the cruise (was it your sister that had to cancel?). I travel alone sometimes too. Did you feel safe venturing off into Breisach on your own? What about the other areas like Lucerne?

 

DrivesLikeMario, I don't know how I missed your question before. Yes, my sister had to cancel so I went alone. Fortunately, I've traveled alone before. I had no problem feeling safe in Breisach or any of the other towns and cities we stopped in. There are many other tourists and some are by themselves. I missed my sister most when I wanted to sit at a sidewalk café for a drink or snack.

[mimmy52]

Thank you so much for your wonderful review & photos. I leave in three weeks and you are definitely adding to my excitement!

One question, if you have lunch or dinner in the lounge do they serve wine, or is that just in the dining room?

 

I never ate in the lounge, but I think all you had to do was go to the bar and request wine, so maybe more of a do-it-yourself thing. One day after lunch I went up to the lounge to buy a Coke to take onto the top deck. I wasn't charged because it was still considered lunch time. And the bartender insisted on carrying it up to the top deck for me. Probably for safety reasons, but still made me feel special.

[cruisinskier]

Mimmy, I continue to follow along and am very much enjoying your review and your photos! It is interesting how a review of the same itinerary can be slightly different...every trip / ship truly is unique, and the direction you cruise also changes it up some. And I continue to learn things from your posts!

 

Thanks again for taking the time to do this....and I impatiently look forward to more!!

Jerry

[DrivesLikeMario]

DrivesLikeMario, I don't know how I missed your question before. Yes, my sister had to cancel so I went alone. Fortunately, I've traveled alone before. I had no problem feeling safe in Breisach or any of the other towns and cities we stopped in. There are many other tourists and some are by themselves. I missed my sister most when I wanted to sit at a sidewalk café for a drink or snack.

 

Thanks for answering! I was all set to go on a river cruise by myself two years ago and then had to cancel at the last minute (lost my airfare darn it!). I'm still thinking about taking another one by myself and wanted to know your experience. Sounds like it worked out well for you. Totally understand about those times when you want to just chat at a sidewalk cafe! Thanks again!

[Maggie Mae]

I never ate in the lounge, but I think all you had to do was go to the bar and request wine, so maybe more of a do-it-yourself thing. One day after lunch I went up to the lounge to buy a Coke to take onto the top deck. I wasn't charged because it was still considered lunch time. And the bartender insisted on carrying it up to the top deck for me. Probably for safety reasons, but still made me feel special.

 

Thank you,

Crew sounds very attentative.

[mimmy52]

Cruisinskier, I find that high praise coming from you since your review was so excellent.

 

MinotLight, Des Peres is not so far from me. West County Mall, my shopping area.

[mimmy52]

DrivesLikeMario,

I think the best thing about going on a river cruise by yourself would be that you have more breathing space in the room. Before I left I kept picturing me sitting in the dining room all by my lonesome, although after reading enough reports I realized that was very unlikely. Everyone was nice and I never felt like a sore thumb.

[mimmy52]

There was an optional afternoon tour of Alsace with a wine tasting, but that was an extra cost. Instead I took one of the Viking shuttles back into Strasbourg. They ran three that afternoon, and I took the first one at 2:00.

 

A tour boat on the canal. This would have been interesting but I think you would have had to look into it before the trip in order to know where to get on.

 

I got my chance to go back inside the cathedral.

 

 

But mostly I just walked around Strasbourg. And shopped. There were some great little stores.

[mimmy52]

I did stop in one other church, Eglise St. Thomas.

 

It had one impressive tomb marker and other interesting ones.

 

The church's claim to fame might be the organ that both Mozart and Albert Schweitzer played.

 

I thought the trams were cool.

[mimmy52]

And I stopped for a drink in the sidewalk café that is on the first floor of the house with 75 windows and watched all the action in the square. I took the last Viking shuttle back to the ship. The concierge met us in front of the post office (there were a lot of shopping bags) and walked us to where the bus was.

 

After I got off the bus, I finally was able to get a photo of the entire Viking Sun.

 

We got back about 5:30 so I missed the Flammkuchen cooking demo. Arturo (concierge) said there was time to walk into Kehl since we didn't have to be back on the ship until 6:30, but I was walked out. I talked to a couple who had, and they said Kehl had some good shops. Instead I went up on the top deck but just for a short while since the crew was dismantling everything. We were casting off at 7:00 and going under some low bridges.

 

At dinner tonight, almost everything had mushrooms, although first we had an amuse bouche of bruschetta with red peppers that was very good.

 

My appetizer was Roasted mushroom vole-au-vent. It was delicious.

 

My entrée was Tuna filet smothered in mushrooms (although I think it looks as though the tuna is the one doing the smothering).

 

One of the women at the table ordered Deconstructed Portobello mushroom lasagna, which was interesting. Each item of the lasagna was separate, so she had to put it together herself.

 

For dessert I chose the cheese plate, tonight Munster and Cambozolo. I think I had the cheese plate for dessert almost every night after that.

[Thyme2cruise]

Mimmy52..I am so enjoying your review and pictures. My step mom & I did the Christmas markets on the Rhine 2 years ago & its fun seeing the towns without the Christmas stalls but with flowers instead. We will be doing the Holiday Markets on the Rhine & Main Dec. 7, so reading your review makes me wish time would fly by faster! Can't wait for more...great job, by the way.

[mimmy52]

During dinner, we went through a lock.

 

 

 

After dinner, I put on my jacket and went up on the top deck which had reopened after we went under two bridges. We were headed toward another lock. The wheelhouse had been lowered, and the captain was piloting the ship from controls on the side.

 

Entering the lock. There is another ship in the lock ahead of us and another coming behind.

[mimmy52]

 

The gates are open and we're moving through.

 

 

Not a great picture, but it's the captain guiding the ship through the lock.

[mimmy52]

Looking back, I could see why the wheelhouse had to be lowered. I don't know if that's a road above the lock but the tower would be where lock traffic is directed.

 

And there's the ship that was behind us.

 

After that it was bed time for me.

[mimmy52]

Thank you, Thyme2cruise. It would be a lot of fun to do the holiday markets. Maybe some day.

[mimmy52]

Another day and now we're in Heidelberg, well actually Mannheim.

 

But we're off to tour the ruins of Heidelberg Castle.

 

The bus heads up the hill to the castle.

 

At the top, the view is great.

 

I guess some people walk up.

[mimmy52]

The ruins are extensive. One section belonged to this nobleman, another to that one, another to yet another. I've never been able to retain much of what a guide says. I figure if I come away with one or two things that I remember, then I'm good. So here are ruins, and who lived here when it was habitable, your guess is as good as mine.

 

 

 

 

 

[mimmy52]

Isn't this cute! I can't remember what it's for though.

 

 

The façade of this building had statues of noblemen and kings.

 

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