Cazalea takes readers on the sixth installment of their Dutch Music Box and Clockworks Tour, focusing on the cruising experience through castles and cathedrals. This post offers a detailed look at the logistics and sights of a European river cruise, blending travel observations with cultural and horological points of interest.
We were well into the cruise by this time, and since there have been some questions in prior episodes about the ship, I'll focus this time on cruising, coaches, castles, cathedrals, culture and of course clocks.
This was our departure point in Amsterdam. There is a ship on our left (port) side and the terminal on the right (starboard) although the terminology for left/right is fixed by rules of the river. The herb garden and fitness/recreation area are also shown. The ships are NOT suited for exercise, but by the time we went off/on shore every day most of us were exhausted. The grey area is the walking track but we were reminded several times "NO RUNNING" both for safety and the fact that heavy footsteps reverberate through the cabin ceilings.
Here's the only "gym". No room for wheelchairs and strollers, especially when the room service is taking place with carts and such.
Typical mooring arrangement shown here. Coaches could be 100 feet or 200 yards away (meters).
Our cabin shown here. We had a
Veranda which means a place for chairs. The other side of the ship featured cabins with
French Balcony which means the door slides open but you can't step outside. I believe there were 2 fancy suites to the rear, and 4 or 6 2-room suites top deck on the French Balcony side.The rooms below us were for crew only, I think. Plus equipment, laundry, kitchems, etc.
The coaches were gleaming white, painted or wrapped in Viking livery, and beautiful inside. The drivers were magicians at navigating through tiny streets in ancient villages.
Sometimes alternative transport was arranged! As in Ruudesheim.
This is Cologne Cathedral. It's on solid foundations, about which they calculate the WEIGHT of the foundations of stone equal the WEIGHT of the stone work above ground.
We had a strictly controlled time slot for our group(s) to go through - there are gents in red robes who are not monks but "bouncers" who keep the tourists under control.
Gold chest containing relics from the Holy Land, possibly "The Three Wise Men/Kings"
We walked back to the ship, which involved rain, hail, sleet, turn-umbrella-inside-out winds. All in a mile. No photos as I was protecting the camera.
The cathedral from our stateroom balcony at midnight when we cast off.
View at dawn from the river.
The bridge of our ship is hydraulically lifted and lowered as necessary. Likewise the awnings, railings and radar masts on either end of the top deck.
Messy Cabin with sunlight pouring in. Tricky energy-saving switches on cabin and balcony doors turn off the A/C and heat when you leave the door open.
There's lots of traffic on the river, which makes the day go by quickly.
Here's our captain, docking the ship from his side station. This vessel has no "prop" to speak up, but rather thrusters in various places that allow it to go sideways, backwards and forwards. And thus no "Wheel" to steer with.
The Rhine isn't all castles and clock towers and cathedrals. It has commercial industry too. Here, the world's largest concrete and asphalt plant (my assessment). It went on for about 3 miles. All but 6 of us (civilians) had disembarked and gone on a 6-hour Heidelberg tour.
German river police boat?
This is a Romanesque cathedral in Speyer (I think).
Massive side vaults can be seen by the scale of people at the end
An imposing facade.
There was no shortage of romantic castles along the Rhine.
We visited this one. No wheelchairs, no strollers, no dogs. Can you imagine being a knight on your horse making it up this slope?
View from the top. Yes, we took a coach most of the way up. Otherwise we would have expired mid-climb. As it was, we were huffing and puffing most of the way. That's our ship in the foreground.
The well-kept castle is the ONLY ONE along the Rhine that was never taken in battle. It's now run by an historical society. And some people live in it (not these rooms though). Imagine! Population only 8-12 in medieval times.
Used as a prison in early 20th century.
Museum of armor.
Blacksmith and armorer's shop.
We caught a ride back down to the ship. This was the most difficult of our day trips. Others were much longer, but this was very tricky to navigate. "Pour burning oil on them" unlikely to be said, due to the fear of burning one's own castle down while heating the flammable oil ... and where would you get enough wood and oil?
Monument to the
The Lorelei Rock (click to read about it)
Mid-river toll booth in ancient times. Now tourist destination and empty inside. Apparently for rent if you have a revenue-producing idea ...
A bit remote, but surrounded by castles and vineyards and history.
You are not far from any of the sights.
I think we'll stop here. Please come back for the next episode and lots of music machines and video.
Cheers,
Cazalea
