October 28 on the Rhine

It’s taken me a couple of days to warm up to the Emerald Destiny, our long boat on the Rhine. Although our cabin is austere, it’s well designed and comfortable. We put all our clothes and stuff in drawers, on shelves and in the closet, and hid our suitcases under the bed. The bathroom is efficient and has a shower with reliable hot water and plenty of room to turn around. A neat little desk opens up to reveal multiple plug ins for our phones and iPads. We are on the bottom floor of the ship. I think part of the room is below the water line. Here is the view from the window (which is at eye level when I’m standing up.) I’ve peeked in the upper level staterooms; they are about the same size but they have floor to ceiling windows.

Today we finally explored the ship and made two excellent discoveries. We found the small indoor pool area at the back of the ship. The enclosure was warm and humid, and there is a self service espresso machine in there. The place was deserted this morning.

At the very front of the ship, we found seats at a forward facing bar. We discovered that less elaborate meals are served up there, and that the trip organizers and “celebrities” hang out in this area.

The trip leaders are lively and flexible. I’m impressed with Matthew, the owner and organizer of this Earthbound Expeditions cruise. He appears to take a genuine personal interest in us. The passengers are nice and I’ve enjoyed many pleasant conversations, although most are older than we are. The friendly crew bring us whatever we ask for. Someone washed and folded our clothes yesterday. Chocolates appear on the pillows at night.

The food is abundant but not as good as we’ve gotten used to on this trip. Each night the chef provides a regional dinner so we had pork and cabbage tonight. I took a chance with black pudding for appetizer and it was salty but good.

Sleeping in our little stateroom is wonderful. The king bed is perfectly soft, with nice sheets and a big pile of pillows. The quiet rumble of the engines and the nearby lapping water put me right to sleep.

Best of all, the Emerald Destiny dropped us off at two ports of call in Germany! I’m German on my mother’s side, and today was my first time ever to visit the Motherland. We toured the huge cathedral in Cologne this morning, and the house where Beethoven was born in Bonn this afternoon. I felt at home walking around these smaller towns, like I fit in among “my people.” I bought a slice of plum cake in a bakery to compare with my great aunt’s recipe that I bake every fall when the plums are ripe. Aunt Em’s cake stood up.