This September, my husband and I are headed to Basal, Switzerland for an adventure of a lifetime. Bill turns 50 in December and I wanted to celebrate the milestone in a big way. What better way to celebrate turning a half-century old than taking an adults only food & wine river cruise down the Rhine River.
Our cruise starts in Basal, Switzerland. Bill and I are flying in a couple of days early to acclimate to the time change and to see a little of Switzerland. Our plans are still up in the air, but we are thinking of spending our first-day touring Basal on our own. I was told we must try the fondue. On our second day, I am looking into day tours of Lucerne. I hear it is quite beautiful.
The actual cruise starts on a Monday. This a river cruise on the AmaMora River Cruise ship. The AmaMora is part of the AmaWaterways company. Adventures by Disney has leased their ships out for certain sailings. Did I mention this particular cruise is adults only?
For the first couple of days, we will dock in Strasbourg, France. On day 1 in France, we will venture to Riquewihr, where we will participate in a walking & tasting tour. Riquewihr is known for its beautiful architecture and Reisling wine. It is a full day tour, and I am so excited to explore this picturesque town.
On our second day in Strasbourg, Bill and I chose Alsace Canoeing. We have never been canoeing before, so this should be interesting! In the afternoon we head back to the ship for a French Macaron Making Demonstration. Who wouldn’t want to learn how to make these little beauties?
Our next stop will be Mannheim, Germany and a full day tour of Heidelberg Castle. I recently shared an article on this tour. You can check it our here.
Day five, we find ourselves in Rudesheim, Germany. We will have a private tour of Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Cabinet Museum, a gondola ride to Neiderwald Monument and a visit to Rüdesheimer Schloss. Rüdesheimer Schloss is a wine hotel and restaurant.
In the afternoon, Bill and I have chosen to ride bikes along the Rhine River. Now, my husband loves riding a bike. I have not ridden one since I was a kid. I plan on practicing this summer. LOL!!
Our next adventure takes us to Cologne, Germany. Here we will do a walking tour of Cologne and a chocolate museum. I really hope we get some samples. Later on we will go on a pub crawl through the city and in the afternoon have some beer, sausages and pretzels. Not a bad way to end our time in Germany.
Our last stop on this fantastic cruise is the city of Amsterdam. There is just so much I want to do and see here, that we will be staying an extra day. First up is a canal cruise through the city.
Upon finishing the canal cruise, we head over to the Van Gogh Museum where we will attend a painting workshop. Later that day we will head out to the countryside for Clog Decorating in Zaanse Schans. I can’t wait to make myself a pair of wooden clogs!
The next day we disembark the ship, but as I mentioned, Bill and I will be staying a extra day. We have decided on a city tour in the morning and Anne Frank’s House in the afternoon. We will finish the trip with a nice meal somewhere in the city. If you know of a good place, let me know!
I hope you have enjoyed this preview of our adventure to come. I plan on posting photos along the way and coming back with an in depth report of all that we see and do. I can’t wait to share more with you all. 86 days until we leave, but who is counting?
Our adventure last summer came to an end on the Spanish island of Majorca. We spent some time in the cities of Soller and Palma. Palma is the capital city of Majorca and is famous for its beaches. Soller is a typical Mediterranean town with narrow streets, cafes, open markets and beautiful architecture. Upon arrival to Palma, we rode a bus over to the Palma Railway Station. There, we boarded the Ferrocarril de Soller, an electric train. This vintage train leaves the capital of Palma and heads north through plains, the Sierra de Tramuntana mountain range, verdantwoodlands and a valley of orange groves en route to the city of Soller.
The ride to Soller took about an hour or so. Once we arrived, we took a walking tour of the city. Like all our other excursions, in addition to our Adventures by Disney guides, a local guide was there to provide the history and highlights of this city. Eventually, our tour lead us to an olive oil experience and tasting at Tafona Can Det. Tafona Can Det is a family owned business dating back to 1561! The olive mill has not changed much and the way the oil is produced has stayed the same. The family feels if it were to move to a more modern continuous production, it would lose its high quality.
We watched a short video on the history of the mill and then saw how the oil is made, beginning with the olives being washed and ending with with a delicious meal. We were able to sample the delicious oil, along with breads, meats and freshly squeezed orange juice. It was amazing. We were given a bottle of olive oil to take home and an orange or two for the road. Once we finished our tour of the mill, we enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the center of Soller, Plaza de la Constitucion.
When we arrived back to the center of town, we headed to lunch at La Vila Hotel. It is a quaint hotel with a beautiful garden in the back. This is where we enjoyed our traditional Spanish lunch.
Our course, like every other meal on this trip, it ended with gelato from a local gelato cafe.
After lunch, we had some time to shop and take in this charming little city.
Soon it was time to head back to Palma. Instead of taking the electric train back, we took the Soller Railway. This was a trolley that ran between the two locations and made numerous stops along the way. It reminded me of the green line in Boston.
Once we were back to Palma, we were treated to this view.
It was a great way to end our vacation. I hope you have enjoyed following along our European vacation. I have loved reliving the memories and look forward to sharing more trips with you all.
