Viking Rhine River Cruise Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

First Viking Cruise

Our first Viking cruise was on the Rhine River. We have previously taken ocean cruises, but never with Viking and never a river cruise. My expectations were high because of Viking’s reputation and price point. I am so happy to say that the cruise met my high expectations. Viking puts much care and attention to detail into the cruise. This post is a summary of our experience.

Our cruise began in Amsterdam on August 21 with a two-night extension of the cruise. It gave us an opportunity to recover from jet lag plus a full day in the beautiful city of Amsterdam.

Amsterdam

We landed in Amsterdam and a Viking representative met us and transported us to our hotel. Additionally, there was a representative on site to answer questions and facilitate transfer two days later to the Mani, our Viking ship. Our time in the city is detailed in Amsterdam, City of Bicycles.

Our Cabin

We decided to get the most basic cabin based upon a recommendation from friends who recently took this cruise. Most of the cabins are basically the same size with the window being the big difference. Those with a veranda or balcony come with a pretty substantial increase in price. The window in our basic cabin was small, but we didn’t really spend much time in the room except for sleeping. I think it was a queen size bed, which works for us. The room was laid out very well with room under the bed for our luggage and plenty of places to store our clothing and accessories.

On Board Entertainment

The entertainment was not a big production like some of our previous cruises. However, the entertainment on two nights was wonderful.

On the first night, The Nostalgic Music Trio, performed music from decades ago. They did a fantastic job on songs from Elvis, The Beatles, and others. Passengers filled the floor with dancing and was a fun-filled evening.

Near the end of the cruise, a lady who is a cellist and opera singer performed. She was accompanied by a piano player. I am sad to say I didn’t get their names, but they were professionals performers and I think they were from Strasbourg. The hour or so they performed was probably my favorite hour of the entire cruise. They were phenomenal. Near the end, the opera singer walked around the room and basically sang around the room to us individually. It was almost it was like being on stage during a live opera. My husband loved her performance too.

Other nights, there was an on board musician playing in the background. Also, they had game nights. We generally retired to bed early, so we didn’t participate. Old folks!

Stops Along the Way

Viking includes an excursion at each port and for most they have optional excursions for additional costs. So, we took all of the included excursions and one optional one, The Colmar Pocket. Below our links to each of those excursions.

Windmills of Kinderdijk

Cologne and a Cathedral

Koblenz Germany, An Ancient City

Speyer Germany

Strasbourg, My Favorite

The Colmar Pocket

The Black Forest

Above Deck

The top deck of the ship has a large area for walking plus an area that is shaded with lots of seats. Additionally, there is a small eating area as an alternative to the main dining room. Above deck was a good place to see the surrounding area and get some fresh air and exercise.

First Viking Cruise Food

The food was very good on the cruise. In fact, it was better than what we have experienced in prior cruises. While there isn’t food available where you can basically graze all day, there were three solid meals a day with many options. Choices for appetizers and desserts were always available for lunch and dinner. House wine, beer, coffee, or soft drinks were also included during lunch and dinner.

Some passengers purchased the additional beverage package that has unlimited drinks, including higher end whiskeys, wines and beers. We didn’t elect to take that package and didn’t really miss it. I’m more of a drinker than my husband and we would’ve had to have bought it for both of us. I did buy one individual drink that wasn’t included and it was relatively inexpensive.

My favorite meal was the night they had a focus on German food. The servers were dressed in German attire and they pulled out all the stops on the food. The food was abundant with lots of options and very delicious.

Overall, the food was excellent and the servers wonderful. There was no assigned seating, so we had an opportunity to meet lots of people and make new friends.

German Night on First Viking Cruise — German Night

The Middle Rhine

One day of the cruise was dedicated to traveling the Middle Rhine. It is considered to be one of the most beautiful areas of the Rhine because there are castles and vineyards all along the way. We sat on the upper deck along with a large portion of our fellow passengers. While traveling, we heard details as to which castle we were passing and a little bit of information about them. It was a beautiful sunny day and it was really cool to see all of them. Most of them were high up in elevation and not really close enough to see a lot of detail .

Stolzenfels Castle below is a thirteenth century castle, but a Prussian king rebuilt in the 1800s.

I believe Marksburg Castle was an optional excursion on our trip, but we didn’t participate.

Fourteenth- century Katz castle sustained damage by Napoleon’s army, but they rebuilt it during the Victorian era.

Katz Castle on Viking Rhine River Cruise — Katz Castle

The castle below is a toll castle. The rulers of the Rhine exacted considerable tolls to allow passage through the river.

Pfalzgrafenstein Toll Castle on Viking Rhine River Cruise — Pfalzgrafenstein Toll Castle

The castle below is next to a vineyard. The only thing we saw more than castles on the Middle Rhine was vineyards.

Gutenfels Castle on first Viking cruise — Gutenfels Castle

The Middle Rhine is wine country. The vineyards are planted on slopes that have an incline from 55-70%.

Locks on First Viking Cruise

Our first Viking cruise included many locks, but we went through most of them during the middle of the night. It was an interesting process and we had ample opportunity to watch it on one of the last nights onboard. Passengers filled the upper deck to watch the transport through the lock.

Transport to Cities

Viking motor coaches transported us from the ship to most of the cities and excursions. They were nice well-maintained. We often had a local guide describing the area and providing interesting details.

We crossed many rivers during the cruise. The Lahn River is in the photo below, but most often we were crossing the Rhine.

Disembarking at Basel

Our cruise ended at Basel, Switzerland. We did not book additional days at the end of the cruise in Basel. That is a regret because we learned from other passengers that the extension at Basel is really worthwhile.

Conclusion on First Viking Cruise

Our first Viking cruise was wonderful. However, I wish we had traveled with them earlier as we are currently experiencing some mobility issues. However, we liked it so much that we have booked a trip for next year.

The Colmar Pocket

The Colmar Pocket is a gorgeous area in the Alsace region in northwestern France. It was the only optional Viking excursion we chose. It was rather expensive, so we waffled back and forth about spending the extra funds. In hindsight, I’m glad we did!

The fighting in the Colmar Pocket was part of the Battle of the Bulge. The battles there were mostly unknown to me, so I was glad to become aware of this important part of history. Lastly, the villages we saw were so beautiful!

Strasbourg was an included excursion in France, which I certainly loved. But, I was happy to also be able to see the beautiful French countryside and villages in the area.

Colmar Pocket Museum

The museum, is located in the small village of Turckheim. They dedicated the museum to the Colmar Pocket battles that occurred during winter 1944-1945. Local residents and veterans donated many of the items in the museum .

American and French soldiers liberated the towns and villages in the area, which was the last stronghold of the German army. In fact, Germany heavily defended the Alsace-Lorraine area. The defense was second only to Normandy.

The museum provides a film about the battles and also many artifacts from the war.

In the uniforms below, the winter uniforms are most noteworthy. The battles in the Colmar Pocket occurred during an unusually bitter winter. There was 3 feet of snow on the ground with temperatures as low as -4 degrees F.

Hitler annexed the Alsace-Lorraine region in 1940. The German army held the area from November 1944 until Allies liberated it on February 2nd, 1945. It was the last battle on French soil.

The Allies had liberated Strasbourg three months earlier. The Colmar Pocket battle lasted twenty-one days in bitter cold and the losses were great. The Americans lost 8,000 lives and the French lost 16,000. Germany lost 20,000 lives and 16,000 were imprisoned.

Colmar Pocket Memorials

The monument below honors American soldiers from the 3rd, 28th, and 36th Infantry Divisions. It sits on a hilltop with a plaque, a flag, and insignias for the divisions. Lightning recently hit the flag and when we were there, they had not replaced it. Our guide was very unhappy that several days had passed without the issue being addressed .

Colmar Pocket memorial in Kientzheim — Memorial of U.S. Soldiers in Kientzheim

The area near the memorial has vineyards as far as the eye can see. The wine of the Alsace region is highly regarded. Most are white wines.

The Vosges Mountains, which are over 1,000 feet high, separate France and Germany and thus made the task of entering Germany more difficult for the Allies.

The only German concentration camp on French soil was located in the Vosges Mountains at an elevation of 26o feet. The Germans opened it in 1941 and sent 54,000 people there. Consequently, a third of them perished.

Ostheim Memorial

The war memorial is actually a destroyed building from WWII in the town of Ostheim. It honors those killed or missing in WWI and WWII. Note the stork nest on the top. The stork is a symbol of the Alsace region and the inhabitants highly regard it.

Colmar Pocket memorial in Ostheim — Ostheim War Memorial

They have affixed a plaque dedicated to the soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division to the monument.

Plaque dedicated to 3rd Infantry Division

Audie Murphy Memorial

Lastly, the Audie Murphy memorial is dedicated to the most decorated soldier in WWII. He earned 28 medals, including three from France and one from Belgium. The memorial is also near where the fighting took place.

Murphy climbed upon a burning Wolverine M10 tank with a machine gun. Though wounded in the leg, he prevented the enemy’s advance by defending three sides for almost an hour. He single-handedly killed over 50 enemy soldiers.

Murphy later became an actor and appeared in 44 films. He was a true American hero!

Colmar Pocket Audie Murphy Memorial — The Memorial

Turckheim

Turckheim is a village that was a site of fighting during WWII and is where the museum is located. It still has 13th century walls that are older than most in the area.

The Hotel’s Renaissance building on the left in the photo below dates back to 1540 and is a historic monument.

The old guardhouse has an interesting history too. It dates back to 1575 and was once a covered market and later the Town Hall. Currently, it houses the police department. The bell at the top was acquired in 1658 and the fountain in 1667. A statue of Mary and Jesus stand atop the fountain.

There was a lovely pastry shop inside the restaurant below.

The Munster Gate was built in the 14th century and has a dark history. Witches were led through the gate to be burned at the stake in the square. The bell in its tower had another function. It warned of impending thunderstorms.

Colmar Pocket Munster Gate — The Munster Gate

Colmar Pocket Church

The present building of the Church Sainte Anne was built in 1839 because the prior one was destroyed by fire. The Romanesque bell tower is all that remains from the original 12th century building. A Turckheim sanctuary was first mentioned in the year 898.

Note the original bell tower below on the right.

The church was empty while I was there, but it was beautiful and peaceful inside.

It is also pretty looking to the back of the church and there is a good view of the organ above.

We saw a lot of ancient and awe-inspiring cathedrals on our cruise, but this church was also special to experience.

Statue of Liberty Connection

The sculptor of The Statue of Liberty, Auguste Bartholdi, was born in Colmar. To honor him, they placed a miniature replica of the statue in a Colmar traffic circle. The resin statue is almost 40 feet tall . It was so cool to see.

Colmar Pocket Statue of Liberty — Statue of Liberty on Colmar Circle

In Conclusion

I’m so glad we included this excursion in our Viking Rhine River cruise. However, it makes me think we might have missed out by not taking some of the other options.

Above all, the Alsace region is just breathtaking! Strasbourg was another Alsace region city we loved.

Strasbourg, My Favorite

Strasbourg

To visit Strasbourg, our Viking cruise ship docked at the city of Kehl on the German side of the Rhine River. The river separates Germany and France’s borders. Viking provided a motor coach across the river and into the city of Strasbourg with a local guide on board to give his perspective of the city.

Strasbourg was my favorite stop of the cruise because of its unique nature and the beauty of the city and its cathedral. It is also the capital of Europe and the seat of European Parliament. The city is located in the Alsace region, an area known for excellent white wine, combined French/German culture, sauerkraut, medieval walls, storks, castles, and Christmas markets.

Strasbourg also has many bridges, including three arched bridges built in thirteenth century that cross the Ill River, a tributary of the Rhine.

Changing Nationalities

Today, Strasbourg is a French city, but it changed hands multiple times between France and Germany during WW I and WW II.

In 1618, Strasbourg was a French city, but it became a part of the German Empire from 1870 to 1918. However, after the first world war, it reverted back to France under the Treaty of Versailles. During the second world war, it again became a German city. Lastly, it returned to France at the end of the second world war. A local guide said that during those years, its citizens could only speak the language of the country that was in control. He quoted his grandfather regarding the difficulty it created. But, I can only imagine how frustrating that must have been.

A Unique City

Our local Viking guide, Caroline, laid out her plans to show us parts of the city using the model below.

Caroline, tour guide, describes our tour of the city

The city is a beautiful blend of both French and German culture and architecture. At over 465 feet tall, the cathedral looms high in the model. From 1647 to 1884, it was the tallest building in the modern world.

Christmas

Strasbourg began the tradition of the Christmas tree. For instance, a document in the museum dated in 1492 states that they put up fir trees throughout the city to celebrate the renewal of winter. They simply decorated them with fruit and pretzels to brighten the darkest of winter. By the 18th century, they also brought the trees into the homes as a celebration of Christmas. The custom was then brought around the world as Germans migrated.

Strasbourg has been holding a Christmas market since 1570 and it is one of the oldest in Europe. It is also known as the Capital of Christmas.

The Cathedral

As in most European cities, the ancient cathedral is the main attraction. The Cathedralis made of sandstone. While primarily Gothic, it actually combines both Gothic and Romanesque architectural styles. Furthermore, it stands on the site of an ancient Roman Temple.

While originally built in 1015, it was subsequently destroyed by a fire. All that remained was the crypt and footprint. They began reconstruction in the 12th century and the building was strongly influenced by the Gothic style of the time. It was completed in 1439. Interestingly, the cathedral only has one spire. It appears that financing was a major factor.

For a time starting in the 1500s, the cathedral became a Protestant place of worship because of the popularity of Martin Luther’s teachings. However, the French King restated it as ‘Catholic’ in 1681. It as listed a a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1988.

The entrance is on the west side of the cathedral and there are statues of Old Testament prophets on each side. Its door has many carvings. The 49 foot tall Rose Window shines from above. It represents the city’s commercial power in the Middle Ages.

The Interior

Of all the cathedrals we visited on our trip, the interior of this one was the most beautiful and interesting. It is enormous and very ornate. The nave (worship area) of the cathedral is 107 feet tall, 202 feet long and 52 feet wide.

The stained glass windows are from the twelfth to fourteenth centuries. We saw an interesting movie on our cruise ship, “The Monuments Men”, a true story about a group of soldiers searching for art hidden by the Nazis. The soldiers recovered the cathedral’s stained glass from a German salt mine in 1945. It was a very good movie and it is coming to Netflix October 1.

Rose Window

The Rose Window is above the door on the exterior. It appears small in the photo, but it is actually 49 feet tall. Hopefully, that will serve to show the epic size of the interior.

Silbermann Organ

Johann Andreas Silbermann, noted Alsace organ builder, created the ornate musical instrument in 1741. It has both German and French characteristics. They rebuilt it several times going back to 1298. It has three keyboards and a moving figure of Sampson and a trumpet player.

The Astronomical Clock

The astronomical clock is a masterpiece of the Renaissance. Artists, mathematicians, clockmakers, and sculptors contributed the creation of this beautiful timepiece. They installed the mechanism of the present day clock in 1842 and for first clock in 1354.

There is a lot more going on than timekeeping. The four stages of the life of man parade in front of death at the upper level, which symbolizes time’s effect on man. The twelve apostles parade before Christ. The days of the week are also a component of the clock.

We saw its movement on the half hour and it was pretty cool.

Strasbourg Astronomical Clock — Astronomical Clock

Other City Sights

Restaurants

Lovely restaurants and cobbled streets surround the cathedral. We had a cappuccino at the restaurant below and enjoyed watching the people going by with the cathedral in the background.

It would have been nice to have a meal at one of the restaurants, but we wanted to be sure to not miss our ride back to the ship.

One of many restaurants with outdoor seating

Old Customs House

The Old Customs House is an ancient building that has been repurposed. It was built in 1358, but was heavily damaged during bombing raids of WWII. So, they rebuilt it almost twenty years later, based upon the original medieval plans. Today, it houses a restaurant and a market for fresh produce.

Storks

Storks are the symbol of the Alsace region and Strasbourg. They symbolize fertility and residents also believe they bring luck and wealth. The image of storks are visible all over the city. Stork nests are encouraged on top of buildings and houses. A folk tale of the 9th century depicted storks a a symbol of peace.

Strasbourg stork — Storks are the symbol of Strasbourg

The Oldest House

The brown and orange half-timbered Kammerzell house below is considered the most beautiful house in the city. It has five-stories and was built in 1427. The house is named for Phillipe Kammerzell, a grocer. Today, the building is a restaurant and hotel.

Oldest house in Strasbourg — La Maison Kammerzell

Museum

The Musée de l Oeuve is another ancient building. They constructed its left wing in 1347 and the right wing in 1739. The museum houses art that dates from the Middle Ages to 1681. I understand the museum has a large collection of statues, stained glass, and art. But, we did not have the time to visit.

In Conclusion

I’m afraid that our stop in Strasbourg just wetted my appetite to see and do more in the city because we were only there for a few hours. However, it was my favorite stop on our Viking cruise. Now that I’ve seen it, perhaps I may return someday.

Lastly, check out my post, Spyer Germany to see another magnificent cathedral.

Speyer Germany

Speyer

The third German city on our Viking Rhine River Cruise was Speyer. It is notable because of its prominent place in history, its ancient history and cathedral, and its religious significance to the Protestant movement in the sixteenth century.

Speyer was a treat for me because of its wonderful examples of Romanesque and Baroque architecture.

Ancient Speyer

The city was a Roman camp in the year 10 BC. However, it later became a predominant area of power. For example, eight Roman-German emperors and kings were laid to rest in a crypt in the cathedral. Statues of some of these emperors are displayed in the garden nearby. The statues were originally placed in Berlin, but were moved to Speyer in 1964.

Statue in Speyer — Konrad II & Gisela, Regin 1024-1039

The Cathedral

Below is a photo of the Speyer Cathedral, west entrance. It is certainly the main attraction in the city. Construction was from 1080 to 1120, making it the largest Romanesque cathedral in the world. The style is balanced and symmetrical, with clear lines.

The model below serves to clarify the size and shape of the cathedral. It is certainly large at 439 feet long and 123 feet wide. The tallest spire is just under 234 feet.

I believe this is the southern side of the cathedral and our first glimpse of the cathedral after going through the courtyard with the statues. It is enormous from this side.

Beside the cathedral is the “ Mount of Olives” sculpture. It depicts the night before the Jesus was crucified. A 17th century fire destroyed parts of the original work. Sculptor, Gottfried Renn included the surviving parts in the 1856 replacement. A rooster above represents the denial of Christ by Peter before the cock crows.

Mount of Olives statue in Speyer — Mount of Olives

The bowl at the west entrance has an interesting history. It was a part of church territory and prisoners sought escape by running to the bowl for protection by the church. Priests also filled the bowl with wine for citizens to share as a welcome to a new bishop.

The entrance features multiple Roman arches. A massive, carved door also adds drama to the entrance.

The interior was not especially ornate, yet it was quite lovely. Again, the Roman arches were a dominant aspect.

Speyer and the Protestant Movement

Martin Luther was a German monk and university professor. He started a reformation movement in 1517 by posting his 95 theses upon the door of the Wittenberg castle church. The theses objected to the greed of the medieval Catholic Church. Luther also didn’t believe that the church had the power to pardon sin. It was the beginning of a great split in the church.

Martin Luther continued to write about his beliefs and had many followers. Consequently, the Catholic Church declared him a heretic. He and his teachings were banned.

During the reformation era, Speyer was often a location for Imperial politics. A meeting of political leaders was called a “Diet.” At the Diet of 1529, the emperor didn’t attend, but sent his brother, Ferdinand. He argued for a law that anyone could believe whatever they want, but the Catholic Church would be the religion of the land.

Six princes who supported reformation wrote a lengthy and compelling protest on behalf of themselves and anyone in the future who believed as they did. This protest letter gave the name Protestant to the reformation movement.

Trinity Church

Trinity is a protestant church and the oldest of five Protestant churches in Speyer. Construction first began on the beautiful baroque-style Trinity Church in 1701.

It is my understanding that the citizens of Speyer have been predominantly Protestant since reformation.

The doors were locked, so we couldn’t enter the church. However, I took a picture through the door. I would have loved to get a closer look at that ceiling.

A statue of The Saint James Pilgrim stands near the right of the church. It is a striking image.

St. James Pilgrim at Speyer — The St. James Pilgrim

Other City Sights

The Old Mint appears to be used for various retail purposes. It is another gorgeous example of baroque architecture.

My research failed to identify anything about this building, but I’m sure it too has a story to tell. It also looks quite old.

The administration building is enormous. It is the location of the mayor’s headquarters. I would have liked to know more about this building

Administration building in Speyer — Administrative Building

Our guide, Alfred, presented much historical information about his city. He provided religious content for the reformation.

Tour of Speyer — Alfred, our local tour guide

Speyer, In conclusion

To sum up Speyer, old world history and religion looms large. The massive cathedral and the activity around the Protestant movement are important parts of its identity. Additionally, I researched some of its history. A lot can happen in two thousand years. To me, it is a city that has undergone a lot of changes, but much evidence of its past remains.

Lastly, our Viking Rhine River Cruise included multiple cathedrals and churches. Check out Cologne and a Cathedral to see a quite different cathedral.