Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1540310
Our guide led us through to Rue Mercière, at the end of which we had our first peek of the magnificent façade of the 15th-century cathedral. The welcoming small town of Breisach was the gateway to a complete contrast to this feast of architecture—the deep green Black Forest. Our coaches drove us through trees and pastures to a hidden hamlet where we learned about cuckoo clocks, glass blowing and the famed gâteau, then took a nature hike through an enchanting ravine. Mooring at the point where France, Germany and Switzerland all meet, I went up on deck the next morning to view Basel, our final port before the Rhine disappears into the Alps. Should you fancy an even longer journey, consider Viking's 15-day Grand European Tour. If you're sailing from Amsterdam, your Longship will turn into the River Main after passing through the Rhine Gorge, then follows this course into the Danube to end up at beautiful Budapest in Hungary. Along the way there are fabulous German towns such as Würzburg, noted for its baroque style; Bamberg, with a town hall set on a bridge you'll be itching to walk across; and medieval Regensburg, replete with elegant churches. Entering Austria, the Wachau Valley, its slopes brimming with grapes, is probably the most scenic section of the upper Danube. After visiting the imposing, 900 -year-old Melk Abbey, there is an overnight stay in Vienna, a powerhouse of art, music and architecture with a famous café culture. Another overnight stay at Budapest beckons. From a mooring near the Fisherman's Bastion, Chain Bridge and Parliament Building, you could reflect on the fact that Viking—with so much included in the price—is a far more generous host than those ruthless robber barons nearly 800 years ago. "Sprinkled with formidable castles and soaring church spires, the verdant Rhine Gorge is a wonderful place through which to make a slow journey." 47 | Viking Explorer Society News