December 7 Last Day in Amsterdam

Please note: the satellite internet on our cruise ship is very spotty. So I’m posting now December 7-16.

We had a walk through Amsterdam as far as the dam, the main square with church and city hall. Mary satisfied her final culinary wish: fries with mayonnaise and satay sauce AND bitterballen. These are balls of very soft potato with a little meat, crusted with breadcrumbs and deep fried and served on a stick.

Then we made our way to our Viking River ship, the Sigrun. We were greeted by a women in a red and white Norwegian sweater who brought us to our little cabin. We were well prepared from our railroad hotel for the compact size, but impressed with the understated luxury and bright modern decor. A handsome young man named Alexander appeared at our door and told us to contact him if we need anything.

We enjoyed some wine and cheese and then put all our stuff away in the many drawers and closets. An orientation, safety drill with life jackets and a 3 course dinner followed. It’s 10 pm and we’re in our cozy beds, ready to set sail for Dordrecht.

December 8 Dordrecht and Cruising the Rhine

Mary and I decided to do our own walking tour in Dordrecht. We walked through quiet streets in search of the 12th century cathedral. The streets were narrow and cobbled, closely lined with neat houses and shops. Along the canals, the houses were up to 4 stories tall, resembling those in Amsterdam. But it was so quiet! Only a few tourists from the Viking ship and fewer locals on bikes were out and about. In spite of the rain, we enjoyed our walk.

The red brick cathedral has an imposing tower and fine bells.

I’ve seen many flocks of large birds. I can identify coots, swans, cormorants, brant geese and gulls. At Efteling I saw an English robin and an adorable great tit.

On the way home, we stopped at a cafe so Mary could try genever, a local gin that you drink with a beer chaser.

We cruised up the Rhine for a long afternoon and evening. Relaxing in a comfortable chair, I enjoyed watching industrial areas and long commercial watercraft, as well as windmills and herds of cattle through the Netherlands. The Rhine is up to a quarter mile wide and a greenish gray color. I asked about the water level: it may be a foot lower than usual. The grassy areas are brilliant green, and in some areas leaves remain on trees.

December 9 Düsseldorf and Cologne

We followed our guide to the small Christmas markets in Dusseldorf and sympathized with his effort to kill time while we waited for 11am when the gates opened. I was underwhelmed with the offerings in the stalls, but we took our guide’s advice and tried a roasted pork and onion (and mustard) sandwich. Oh. Delicious to savor on a sunny midday on a bench alongside the Rhine with a mug of rose gluhwein.

Cologne was another matter. Friday night and everyone was out. The market was so packed that it was almost impossible to walk. Fun to see the locals back to enjoying their Christmas tradition! as a contrast, we were able to enter and walk around the great cathedral of Cologne. It was not particularly visible from the crowded square but cavernous inside, peaceful with organ music and flickering candles.

December 10 World Heritage Rhine

Our morning started early with our favorite guided tour. Since I’m not walking normally and Mary is nursing a sprained ankle, we signed up for the “gentle tour” of Koblentz. With only 6 of us in the group, our guide Karin (age 82) eschewed the microphone and took us on what felt like a girlfriend trip shopping. A native of The area, Karin told us about how her mom moved to the countryside during the war and then enrolled her in the French school where the post war troops sent their children. Her dad wasn’t released from Russian POW prison until 1955. This woman had seen a lot; she was so cheerful and fun, a model of fitness for her age. Our short shopping journey felt like an insider visit.

We cruised through the Rhine area with the castles. Just as interesting as the many castles upon the hills were the adorable little towns on the Rhine, the many trains buzzing along the banks and the vineyards on impossibly steep inclines.

This photo is from one of the many towns along the World Heritage Rhine. It’s a church attached to a pub. The number is the kilometers from the source in Switzerland.

Our final stop was Rudesheim. Mike and I enjoyed this little town on our trip in 2019… the town of the vineyard walk and the singing sommelier. On this Saturday night, it was packed. Mary and I enjoyed our walks along the quiet riverbank, the adorable gluhwein cups and some brautworst.

December 11 Mannheim to Speyer

We welcomed a Sunday morning sleep in. We ate breakfast watching our approach to Mannheim with sun lighting up the snow and fog into a strangely industrial beauty. Who knew that the John Deere factory was in Germany! Mannheim also claims to have invented the bicycle and the automobile

Our guide pointed out a music hall with busts of Beethoven and Mozart. She told us the “Mannheim Roller” is a name for a crescendo…that Mozart learned here as a boy. She also claimed that the practice in the string section to bow in unison was invented here.

Today the market clustered around the central feature of the town square, an enormous water tower. Sunday morning at the market was mellow and most enjoyable. Our guide pointed out the modern museum where we found an excellent gift store and coffee shop.

I have really enjoyed seeing the many facets of the riverbanks. Some areas are park like, with paths, trees, green grass and dog walkers. I’ve seen a number of camping areas with caravans (camping trailers) and even shacks. It’s fun to think of walking for miles along the Rhine but you would be stopped dead by the huge factories, tanks, pipes and other huge industrial stuff.

Speyer is a very old town with a charming center. We liked this market best. There were some hand made and unusual items, medium crowds, festive atmosphere and lightly falling snow.

Tonight we learned why all the churches have been dark. Germany is conserving energy in anticipation of shortages this winter due to boycotting oil and gas from Russia.

December 12 Strasbourg

We docked in Kehl, Germany, and took a “panoramic” bus ride to very old Strasbourg, town of crossings; rivers, roads and trade. Strasbourg is today the headquarters of the Council of Europe, the leader of human rights advocacy on this continent. The buildings where this work is done are modern, huge and symbolic. One building looked like a ship; another was unfinished to remind us that there is still work to be done.

My dear friend Claire came to Strasbourg from Reims to see us! We met in the Suzanne restaurant to catch up and enjoy a French lunch. She’s an old hand in France and guided us through the markets, helping me purchase some candied apricots and lovely hand embroidered table runners. Without her, I would not have known that the nuns in Madagascar supervised their parishioners in this needlework.

The cathedral was dominant, medieval and very tall. Inside is an astronomical clock that includes the Christian holy days, the Zodiac, the locations of planets, phases of the moon, time, date and day of the week, and the phases of the human life. I was so interested that pagan, religious and Christian ideas of time were all represented.

December 13 Freiburg and Breibach

This has been a great day. In the morning we bussed to Freiburg, a very old town (as in Roman) nestled within the Black Forest. A light snow had fallen so the trees and hills were dusted white. And it was below freezing cold. The city was getting going when we arrived, prosperous looking citizens walked the streets lined with high end shops.

Our guide pointed out troughs about 18” wide and a foot deep along the streets. They are ancient “little rivers,” tiny tributaries emptying into the Rhine. Today the water was turned off due to the low temperatures but normally water flows freely along the troughs. In the past, the streams carried all kinds of waste but today the water is clean. In the summer, people cool off with their beers and their feet in the water. Children float little wooden boats down the streams. We found some of these little sailboats in the market.

We explored the Christmas and chocolate aisles in a local supermarket and attended an organ concert in the cathedral which has 4 organs. The magnificent low tones reach inside you, vibrating your bones.

Our ship was docked in Breibach and we were able to stroll right into town in the afternoon. This town was small, very well organized and practically empty. We walked up to St Stephen’s church for a great view of the town and nearby forested hills. A coffee with strudel in a cafe with the locals completed a lovely afternoon.

December 14 On Our Own in Switzerland

Saying goodbye to the comforts of the Viking Sigrun was bittersweet, as the last two days were really fun. At 9:30 a taxi was waiting for us, and brought us to the train station in Basel. In a sporting goods store, I found a really nice Swiss backpack to carry all my chocolate and other souvenirs.

Mary is an old hand at taking the train to Adelboden, where she lived one summer volunteering at the Girl Scout Chalet. She knew exactly what todo. First we rode a very nice train to Spietz where we transferred to an 11 minute ride on a commuter train to the delightfully named Fruitigan. At that station awaited a bus with a luggage wagon attached to the back. This quiet Mercedes bus wound up narrow streets to our destination, Adelboden.

I had started coughing on the bus and put on my mask for the 30 minute drive. The lovely Adler Hotel was only steps from the bus station. We delighted in our large room with a breathtaking panoramic view of the Alps from our balcony. But I was still coughing and chose to nap rather than take a walk through the charming town. Mary said I should take a Covid test. The Covid line appeared immediately after I put in the swab. Ugh.

So we had to reconsider our plans. The hotel has been wonderful, sending up meals, extra linens and an electric kettle. They extended our stay when we sadly decided we needed to cancel our scenic Glacier Express ride through the Alps.

December 15 Adelboden

This was a day of rest. I had little energy and spent the day coughing and blowing my nose. The view out the window emphasized that if I have to have Covid, this is a pretty good place for it.

December 16 Adelboden

It snowed last night and the mountains are totally whited out. We decided to go to the doctor. I made the phone call and set up our appointment for 11:30.

The clinic (right above the bus station) in Adelboden is a very nice and reassuring experience. Upon arrival we filled in some paperwork and were quickly ushered into an exam room. The nurse took our histories and vitals, gave us the Covid tests and apologized that we would have to wait 15 minutes. My test immediately showed Covid. Mary’s remained negative. The doctor, a young woman in glasses, took her time examining us, then gave the diagnosis. Covid for me, with no complications. No Covid for Mary, and no other sinus or ear infections. She explained that there is no quarantine requirement in Switzerland so just wear the mask, wash the hands and take it easy. She gave us nose spray and Advil.

After more apologizing that we had to pay, we settled the bill for 304 Swiss francs ($327) and went on our way. I had the energy to visit a souvenir shop and check out the town. Definitely feeling better today.

So I’m going to call my disease “walking Covid.” I feel better today and can partake of the normal tourist world as long as I wear a mask. My medications are Tylenol, nose drops, lots of fluids, rest and cough drops. (Here in the land of Ricola there are many delicious flavors including cranberry and elderberry). My senses of taste and smell are intact so I can enjoy cheese and chocolate if I have the appetite. Mary and I are wearing masks in the room so hopefully I don’t pass it to her. Fingers crossed, I think I’ve gotten off easy. Resting up today for our train ride to Zurich tomorrow.