viking.com | 57
E X P E R I E N C E S I S S U E 2 3
is back to our ship for another special meal.
The next day starts with a historic walking
tour of Koblenz. Again, our guide is very good
and she leads us through sleety rain around
this pleasant little town. She leaves us in the
town and we meet up with friends we have
met on board for coffee before returning to
the ship for lunch.
After lunch comes scenic sailing through the
castles of the Rhine. It is snowing so I put on
all my layers and don my raincoat, determined
to see the castles.
On deck, another couple join me. They pull
out loungers and we wrap up in blankets. We
must have all looked a funny sight. The
commentary begins. We see everything there
is to see despite the snow and I take a few
photos. After a while my husband joins me
and the Captain also comes out for a chat. The
weather is challenging, and even I succumb to
the warmth of the lounge too.
Soon, it is time for a brandy coffee
demonstration given by one of the Viking
team. This is absolutely brilliant and lots of
fun. The coffee and brandy is set alight in the
cup before cream and grated chocolate are
added to the top. It is quite spectacular to
watch. Come evening, we are moored in
Rüdesheim which we know is a stunning
little town, and we wander the streets in
the falling snow.
Strasbourg is our next destination – a city we
have visited several times and which we love.
We join another guided walking tour.
Strasbourg is beautiful in any weather and
our walk is good and we then explore at
leisure. As we do, the snow stops and the
sun comes out. Then back for lunch and
a relaxing afternoon.
At five o'clock the chef demonstrates how to
make flammkuchen, a delicious German-style
pizza. There is a German theme to dinner
tonight and staff are all dressed in Bavarian
costume. We have a great Viking team here
and they excel at looking after us.
Tonight, we sit at dinner with a couple from
Wales. One of the very special things about
holidaying this way is meeting different
people from different walks of life. On our last
full day there was a complete change of
weather. The sun is shining and the sky is blue.
Our morning is free to explore the town of
Breisach and Viking has provided us with two
maps of walks around the town. It is a
beautiful little town and the view towards the
Vosges mountains today is clear and
breathtaking. We then take a coach trip into
the snow-covered Black Forest. The scenery is
stunning and we stop at a craft centre for
a cuckoo clock making demonstration which
is good fun.
Our ride back to the boat through a snow-
covered gorge is stunning. It has been a
wonderful holiday. We have met lovely people
and visited some magical places!
ITALY
N o r t h S ea
Rüdesheim
MOSELLE
Lucerne
Lake Maggiore
Lake Como
Breisach
London
THE NETHERLANDS
GERMANY
SWITZERLAND
FRANCE
RHINE
RHINE
Speyer
Strasbourg
Basel
Amsterdam
Cologne
Koblenz
Kinderdijk
Antwerp
–
C r ui s e
ENGLAND
BELGIUM
VIEW
VOYAGE
GETTING THERE: Consider our 8-day
Rhine Getaway journey, from
Amsterdam to Basel, or in reverse.
