Chef's Table Dinner

Friday evening of our cruise was the night we signed up to eat at the special Chef's Table for a 5 course tasting menu.  It was our 44th wedding anniversary.

It's described as a tasting menu because there are a variety of items on each plate that are just a taste.  I didn't write down what it was we had.  Sorry.

It was very rich food.  Though I enjoyed eating it, I paid for it overnight.  Ever have that happen to you?  I stayed on board when we arrived in Strasbourg, France the next morning.  

postscript: In answer to the question posed by a reader about why the Bishop in Speyer encouraged Jews to come live there I went in search of an answer in Wikipedia.

The reason for asking the Jews to come to Speyer was their important role in the money and trade businesses, especially with distant regions. Money lenders were needed on a large scale for the construction of the cathedral. The deliberate settlement of Jews was seen as a measure for business development. The Jews can also be regarded as pioneers of urban development in Germany.^[6] Bishops, lords or kings who granted privileges and protection to the Jews were at the same time securing for themselves considerable revenues and protection fees; since persecution of Jews and trade restrictions led to considerable economic disadvantages and loss of revenues, it was in the ruler's best interest to restrain the antisemitic fervor of the lower clergy and the public.

On the Rhine River

One of the many things I like about river boating (this was my second trip) is watching the world pass by.  On Friday March 30th the morning was spent enroute to our next stop.  I decided to use the time to walk the track on the deck and watch the scenery.  I think I walked for more than an hour.

Take a look at the sights with me.  You can click on them to see them enlarged.

Here's the deck with the walking path.

Lots of different ships going the opposite direction.

I could see people on the shore enjoying the holiday (Good Friday).

Even campers in the cold Spring weather.

Dan used the time to do some journaling.

Mistletoe, I think.  There were other trees with even more on other days.

Distance markers along the shore line.  Not sure if they were in miles or kilometers.  I think the other sign shows a water skier.

An industrial area ahead.

Ever heard of BASF?  Its a huge chemical manufacturer.  The plant we sailed by is the biggest one in the world.

It's a city in itself.

This is where we docked.  Buses then took us to Heidelberg or Speyer. There was no traffic since it was a holiday and everything was closed as I soon discovered in Speyer. 

More Cruise Background

In answer to the questions on my last post about the cruise and what we did, here is more background for you.  The events off the ship were all included in our trip.  You only had to decide what you wanted to do and there was lots of background information provided to help you decide.

Embarkation was Monday afternoon so no tours off the ship were planned for that day just settling in and meeting important crew members and having the safety drill.

Tuesday we remained in Amsterdam until 1 pm.  That morning we had a choice of two destinations off the ship: Keukenhof Gardens to see tulips (blooming only in the hothouses not in the gardens) or a  Canal Cruise and city tour.  Dan and I opted for the latter.  With most tours there are levels based on physical fitness: gentle walkers, regular walkers, or active walkers.  Active was not always offered but we chose it or regular when we could.

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In Cologne, Germany, our next stop on Wednesday afternoon there were also two choices: Walking Tour with visit to Cathedral and ending with Kolsch (beer) tasting or guided bike tour of Cologne.

I chose the walking tour (active was offered) and Dan did the bike tour.  It was an incredibly rainy day and Dan got soaked.  Me? not so much.

Dan is in the green.

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On Thursday the morning was spent with cruising the Castles of the Rhine Gorge. The cruise director alerted us to each castle and gave us the back story.  After lunch we arrived in Rudesheim and had lots of choices: Rudesheim wine tasting, Rudesheim gondola ride, Ehrenfels Castle hike, or guided bike tour of the Reingau.  Dan and I selected the hike.  In the evening there were two events off the boat: Siegfried's Mechanical Music Museum or Rudesheim Coffee outing.  We opted to stay put on 

the boat.

One of the many castles along the Rhine Gorge.  Below is the ruin we hiked to.

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Friday we arrived in Ludwigshafen at lunch time.  The options for the afternoon were Heidelberg Tour (bus ride required), Medieval Speyer (bus ride required) or Heidelberg Philosopher's Path Hike (bus ride required).  I went to Speyer and Dan did the hike. (He did take photos on the hike but hasn't shared them with me yet.  He didn't try to take photos when he was biking.)

*****

Saturday we arrived in Strasbourg, France early and stayed until 10 pm.  There were two choices: Strasbourg City tour at various levels including a late riser tour leaving the ship at 10:30 am, and a guided bike tour of Strasbourg.  Dan loved the bike tour.  I had had a rough night (too much rich food) and stayed on board for the morning.  In the afternoon there was a wine tasting offered but Dan and I took advantage of the shuttle buses to Strasbourg to see the city I had missed that morning.

*****

Sunday was another early morning arrival in Breisach, Germany.  Three choices for off the ship: Riquewihr, France excursion and wine tasting, Freiburg, Germany excursion and wine tasting, or Bike tour in the countryside around Breisach.  I went to France and did some shopping in the free time after our tour and wine tasting and Dan did the bike tour.

On board the ship the only cost you incur is for wine and mixed drinks between meal times.  The exception to that is the wine tastings that were offered on three occasions on board.  The boat only has 150 passengers so there are no assigned meal time seatings and you are given a range of times for breakfast, lunch, dinner so you come when you want.  There was also tea time and late night snack time.  More food than you need to eat, but it was all so lovely and delicious.

River cruising is definitely a pampered way to see Europe's water ways.  This was our second cruise with AmaWaterways.  We traveled the Danube in 2016.  The start of that trip appears here.

Stay tuned for more details!