Strasbourg - An Amazing Clock and Storks!

Strasbourg Canal Cruise

Known as the "Crossroads of Europe" because of its location halfway between Paris and Prague, Strasbourg is the capital and principal city in the Alsace region of France. We started our tour of Strasbourg with a canal cruise in a water taxi.  For about an hour, we cruised through the canals passing under several covered bridges linked by Medieval watchtowers.  We also saw some quaint neighborhoods with cobblestone streets and half-timbered houses...and lots of swans!

Cathedral Notre Dame - Astronomical Clock

After the canal cruise, our next stop was the Cathedral Notre Dame in Strasbourg, which was built between 1176 and 1439. It is an impressive 466 feet tall, which makes it the sixth tallest church in the world.  The interior has beautiful stained glass, tapestries and mural paintings.  It also houses one of the most unique things I have ever seen in a cathedral...an astronomical clock. The clock was invented by various artists, mathematicians, Swiss watchmakers, sculptors and painters.  The present clock dates from 1842 and stands almost 60 feet tall.  It shows official time, solar time, the day, week month and year, the zodiac signs, moon phases and position of the planets.  There is also a lot of automation, including two angels who ring a bell and tip the sands of time.  The clock also shows a view of different stages of life, which are shown through a a child, a teenager, an adult and an old man, who pass before Death. Above all of this are the apostles who walk before Christ, with their passage shown by the beatings of wings and the song of a large rooster. In front of the clock is the  Pillar of Angels, which represents the Last Judgment.  There is so much going on with this clock,  I could have studied it for hours! The whole "performance" of the clock begins at 12:30 p.m. and we were lucky enough to see it.  NOTE:  Originally, the scene began at the twelve strokes of noon, but in 1954, the priests became annoyed at people leaving mass early to view the clock  and changed the scene to 12:30!

 



Alsace Storks

Another thing I found interesting about the Alsace region is that their symbol is the stork.  We were told that the legend of storks delivering babies started here, but I can't confirm that.  Alsatian custom  used to have a child who wanted a little brother or sister place a piece of sugar on the window ledge to attract the stork, in the hope it would leave a baby in exchange for the sugar. There are lots of  storks and preserved stork nests. Years ago the storks were about to become an endangered species and "stork parks" were created.  Now many of the storks don't even leave in the winter, as they have become so comfortable in their new homes! Many of the local linens, pottery and tourist items include the stork and most tourists leave with at least a stuffed stork (yes...I'm one of them)!

 

 

Rhine River Cruise - Speyer

Speyer Cathedral

We docked early in the morning in  Germersheim, right near a public park.  One thing I like about river cruising...the ship often docks in pretty places rather than industrial areas.  Departed the ship in the morning by bus to head to Speyer (pronounced Shpyer...my German is getting better).  Speyer is one of German's oldest cities and was founded by the Romans. Our excursion was a walking tour of Speyer and it started at the beautiful Speyer Cathedral, which began construction in 1030 and is on

Domnaph at Speyer Cathedral

the UNESCO World Heritage List.  The cathedral is constructed of red sandstone and is Romanesque architecture and has maintained the overall form and dimensions of the 11th century structure. We were able to visit the inside of the cathedral, which has amazing 19th century frescoes.  One of the things I found unique about the cathedral is the large bowl (called a Domnapf) located in front of the cathedral, where each newly elected bishop had to fill the bowl with wine for the townspeople to drink to his health...it holds 400 gallons!  We were told that in recent years, they started charging townspeople for each glass of wine which created some unhappy townspeople...the compromise was that they got to at least keep the glass. That is something I would love to see!

Trinity Church - Painted Wood Panels

Trinity Church - Altar

Our next stop was The Trinity Church, which was built from 1701-1717 as a Lutheran church.  In our travels, we have seen many churches and this is by far one of my favorites.  In the interior of the church the two upper balconies are painted on wood with scenes from the Old Testament and New Testament.  The ceiling is also painted in Biblical scenes.  Behind the altar are the beautiful organ pipes, accented with gold angels.  The church is amazingly well preserved.

Next on our walking tour, we visited the Jewish Quarter, which dates back to 1084.  It was very interesting to see the pool of the medieval mikveh, dating back to 1128, which is still supplied with groundwater today. The ruins of the synagogue represent the oldest visible remnants of a mikveh in central Europe.



German Gelato

We ended the tour on the main street of Speyer and took advantage of our free time to have a bite of lunch in a café, enjoy a pretzel (brezel) from a street vendor and of course, Rodney had to sample some gelato in Germany. 

What a quaint and beautiful place!

Rhine River Cruise - Castle Vollrads Wine Tasting

The Tower at Schloss Vollrads

The Vineyards

Dining Room with Original Leather Wallpaper

Yet another unique excursion on the Rhine River Cruise...a wine tasting at Schloss Vollrads (Castle Vollrads). We left the ship by motorcoach for a ride into the countryside, passing beautiful farms and vineyards along the way. Though some of the smallest wine-growing regions of Germany, the Rheingau area is world famous for its Rieslings and Castle Vollrads is one of the world's top estates for Rieslings.

The original tower on the estate was built in 1330 on Roman ruins and housed the noble family Von Greiffenclau. The beautiful tower is still standing on the estate today. In 1684 the present manor house was built. We were able to tour several of the rooms during our wine tasting and I was amazed at how well the rooms were preserved.  I loved the chandeliers and the gold leaf leather wallpaper in one of the rooms.  The castle was in the Greiffenclau family for 27 generations (over 800 years) until 1997. The heir at that time had received the estate heavily in debt and was unsuccessful in his attempt to bring the estate out of debt. When the principal bank declared bankruptcy on the estate, Erwien Matuschka Greiffenclau tragically committed suicide in the vineyards of the estate. Today, the bank manages the castle and vineyards.

Wine sales have been documented from the estate beginning in 1211! The Riesling grape is the only variety used in the winery, which is over 200 acres. We were able to sample a few varieties of Castle Vollrads wine - Volratz 1573 (classic dry to off-dry), Kabinett feinherb (medium dry) and Kabinett (fruity/sweet). While I am certainly no connoisseur of wine, the tour of the castle did provide me with a great education on Rieslings and I really enjoyed tasting the different wines!

Scenic Sailing Castles on the Rhine

Rheinstein Castle

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle

Katz Castle

Schonburg Castle
 

With the many castles, palaces and fortresses dotted throughout the landscape, the middle Rhine valley between Koblenz and Bingen is listed a World Heritage Site.

One of the first castles you see in this stretch of the river is Sterrenberg Castle, which was founded in the 11th century as an Imperial castle. A little higher up on the bank is Liebenstein castle, built in the late 13th century. Together the two castles are called "the warring brothers"  due to 14th century history, when two brothers owned the neighboring castles and duped their sister out of her inheritance, then became enemies, then reconciled and finally one killed the other accidentally.

Around the next bend sits impressive Maus Castle (Mouse Castle), which was completed in the 14th century.  After years of slow decay, it was sold in 1806 for demolition, but restored in the early 1900s. The castle is currently under private ownership.

One of my favorites is Katz Castle (you got it...Cat Castle), presumably built by Count Wilhelm II by 1371. The castle was damages by artillery fire from French soldiers on 1692 and in 1806, Napoleon I ordered Katz castle to be blown up. The ruins were redeveloped in the early 1900s and today is is in private ownership.

Another favorite and very unique is Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which sits on a rock cliff in the middle of the river and resembles a ship made of stone. The original tower was built in 1327 to collect shipping tolls. I love how the castle rises right out of the middle of the river!

 

Besides the ones I have mentioned here, there are so many other wonderful castles we passed, all in a stretch of a few hours.  Definitely a highlight of cruising the Rhine.  Also worth mentioning that during our "castle cruising"" we got to enjoy a fabulous feast prepared by the S.S. Antoinette culinary staff...Frühschoppen!  A brunch of delicious sausage, mustard, pretzels and German beer, complete with live German music.

Drink of the Day - Rudesheim Coffee

One of the nice things about river cruising is stopping at some of the quaint villages and often, we are docked in the heart of the town. On our port stop in Rudesheim, Germany  we all strolled along the river and wandered into some of the cobblestone alleys. When in Rudesheim, we decided to embrace the local culture and try some Rudesheim Coffee (Kaffee in German).  In one of the alleys, we found the Engel Eiscafe, which also served strudel, cakes and to Rodney's delight, gelato.

First of all, the main ingredient in the drink is Asbach Uralt, which is a German brandy made in Rudesheim.  Secondly, watching the drink being made is entertainment in itself, as the server came to our table with all of the ingredients and prepared it for us.

To make Rudesheim Coffee, place three sugar cubes in a coffee cup. Note that they use a special cup for this, and  of course, I had to have one! Add  2 ounces of well- warmed Asbach Uralt and set alight with a long match. Stir using a long coffee spoon to dissolve the sugar and allow to burn for about 1 minute (yes, it is flaming). Fill the cup with hot coffee and top with whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar and sprinkle with dark chocolate flakes. Delicious!

And just in case you are keeping score, Rodney loved the gelato at Engel Eiscafe and declared it one of the top 5 places he has ever tried! 

Rhine River Cruise - Koblenz & Boppard

Koblenz was our next stop on the Rhine River Cruise. The town lies at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. We took a stroll along the the promenade to where the rivers meet at German Corner, which also has a huge historic monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I.

We then took an aerial cable car ride across the river and up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, which has guarded this stretch of the Rhine since the 11th century, when a castle was first built on the site. We also had a magnificent view from the top of the German Corner, the town of Koblenz and the Upper Middle  Rhine River Valley.

We retuned to the ship for a short lunch before heading out for a tour of Marksburg Castle (picture above). Marksburg Castle is the only hill castle that has never even damaged and it has been lived in for for than 700 years.  It still gives visitors a sense of what life was like in the Middle Ages..it was especially interesting to see the kitchen, the stables, the banquet hall and the torture chamber. We even got a glimpse of an early modern toilet located in the banquet hall, where our guide said the knights "made their necessary."  A great tour and Mark enjoyed seeing his "namesake" castle!

After the tour we met the ship in the town of Boppard and went for a stroll. Rodney and Jeff scoped out ice cream and found some delicious gelato. Maria and I were in a pretzel quest, which was unsuccessful, so we had to settle for chocolate! Meanwhile back on the ship, the rest of the gang lounged on the ship or took advantage of the spa.

Looking forward to passing lots of castles on our next stretch of cruising on the Rhine.

Rhine River Cruise - Cologne, Germany

Our first stop on the Rhine River cruise was Cologne, Germany (Koln in German).  We took a walking tour with our great guide, Marcus.  One thing about Uniworld tours...they have small groups of 20 or so and provide you with an audio headset system so you can hear the tour guide...love it!

We started our tour at Domplatte (Cathedral Square), looking at the largest cathedral in Germany. Kolner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), where construction began on the church in 1248 and was finally completed in 1880...over 600 years! Th Photo is the cathedral as we departed at night. It is a stunning work of art and the tallest Gothic structure in the world.  Inside this UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is believed that the earthly remains of the Three Kings lay to rest.  The shrine is magnificent!

Our tour continued through Old Town, where we stopped at the cologne shop...yes, the perfume type. The shop opened over 300 years ago. We also visited a City Hall and viewed some of the Roman ruins that have been uncovered in the city, as a good portion of the city was built atop Roman Ruins. We saw a large mosaic that is over 1000 years old!

Our tour of the city ended with an ice cream stop for Rodney and the we returned to the boat for a wonderful dinner to celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary and Len's birthday.

Next stop Koblenz...

Cruising on the Rhine River

River cruising is one of the hottest trends in cruising and the next few blogs will be about our journey on Uniworld's S.S. Antoinette as we travel down the Rhine River from Amsterdam, through Germany and France, ending in Switzerland.

We boarded yesterday in Amsterdam, with the entire boarding process taking about 5 minutes. What a beautiful lobby/reception area! We were escorted to our stateroom, which is located Deck 3 and has a French Balcony.  The first thing I will say is...WOW!  Lavish, beautifully decorated, very functional, comfortable and plenty of amenities. Love, love, love the French Balcony...very large window on one wall that you can slide up or down with the touch of a button.  You can enjoy the fresh air and the wonderful view  from inside your room.

Had a nice buffet lunch outside on the  upper deck,  complete with complimentary beer and wine. Food was delicious! Spent a little time exploring the ship...nice lounge area, movie theatre, fitness room, pool and more. We set sail around 4:00 for our next stop in Cologne. Fabulous dinner in the dining room last night...good choices, tasty and excellent service.

My biggest observation so far about what makes river cruising so different from ocean liner cruising: Size -  both number of passengers and ship size - with an average os 150 passengers on a river cruise and smaller ship, it.makes for a much more intimate environment.

More later as we headed into Cologne.

P.s.  If you have been following on our journey for the week or so, we have been very busy, so I am a bit behind on blogging. I promise to catch up later on St. Andrews, Edinburgh and Amsterdam.

Golf at St. Andrews..as happy as kids at Disneyworld!

What an amazing day of golf the guys had at St. Andrews!  Perfect day for links golf...sunny, 42 and windy. After 36 holes of golf in one day, they returned tired but absolutely grinning with excitement...just like a kid at Disneyworld.

The morning tee time was at Kittock's course at our hotel, Fairmont St. Andrews.  Len's assessment it is one of the most beautiful coastal courses he has ever seen, rivaling Pebble Beach.  The view of the coast and the town of St. Andrews in the background was fabulous!  Surprisingly, Rodney parred the first three holes and while his score did not go as well for the remaining holes, the experience was still world class.

After lunch at the Fairmont Clubhouse, the four golfers headed over to check in at the Jubilee Course at the St. Andrews pro shop. Each golfer was assigned a caddy...Rodney's caddy, Dennis, was 67 and has been a caddy for 47 years!  The MIG (most improved golfer) award went to Jeff, who with the help of his caddy, improved his game tremendously by the third hole.  Mark's caddy took only one hole to determine the clubs Mark should use and for every shot after that, just handed Mark the appropriate club. Mark said he liked not having to think about anything but enjoying the game.

As far as scoring goes, Len and Rodney defeated Mark in the morning, but paid for it later in the day!

Besides the most important reason for visiting St. Andrews (playing golf), the highlight for Rodney was standing on Victory Bridge at the Old Course.  We will definitely be returning to St. Andrews, along with Mikel and Nick.

St Andrews - Where Golfers Kiss the Ground

If someone is a golfer, one of the ultimate places to visit (and of course, play golf) is St. Andrews, Scotland. St. Andrews is located about an hour outside Edinburgh and is also home to the oldest University is Scotland. St. Andrews is considered the Home of Golf, with the first written record of golf here dating back to 1552.  The neat little town also provides some interesting sights and shops, so there is something to do for the non-golfers.

It was so great to see the look on Rodney's face yesterday when he first saw the Royal and Ancient Golf Club (pictured in the background, along with the 18th green). I actually thought he was going to kiss the ground, as this visit has been a longtime dream of his.  I can't imagine what he will be like when he actually gets to play golf today at the "spiritual heartland" of golf!

We also visited a great restaurant, Dunvegan's..one of the owners is from Texas! The food and service was wonderful...the Dunvegan's steak is topped with jalapeños, salsa and cheese..yummy! And the sticky toffee pudding was great!

More on St. Andrews later!

Wicklow Mountains, Valleys and Lakes

What a beautiful area of Ireland! Maria and I left Dublin In the morning for a tour to the Wicklow mountains, valleys, and lakes. There were two ladies from Italy that joined us plus our guide and the driver, so it was a nice private tour. Due to the large amount of snow last weekend on the mountains, we had to take a different route. It was absolutely beautiful seeing the snow on the mountains.

We first stopped in the coastal town of Bray for a stroll along the promenade and pastry and coffee.  Our next stop was Glendalough, which is a monastic settlement dating back to the sixth century. We visited the graveyard, the round tower, and took a tour of some of the other buildings. Even though it was cold, it was a gorgeous day to also stroll to the two lakes there.

Our next stop was Avoca Mill, the oldest operating weaving mill in Ireland, founded in 1723. After a nice tour of the mill, we had lunch in the café there...a yummy beef pie and salads. All of the food there is organically grown. Of course, we had to spend some time shopping in the mill store and I got a beautiful scarf that was made at the mill.

Arrived back in Dublin late in the afternoon and joined the rest of the group for dinner an Irish music at an Irish pub.   Also got to hear all about the golf in Ireland from the group of golfers that played at Royal Dublin Golf Club...very challenging course, but they had fun interacting with some of the members at the clubhouse. They were also very intrigued with the "buggies" (or carts,a s we call them)...they had doors!

Speaking of golf...tomorrow's update will be all about our journey to the "Home of Golf"...St. Andrews!

Begin Your Trip With a HOHO

St. Patrick's Cathedral - Dublin

A great way to learn your way around a city and see an overview of the sights is to take a HOHO...and I don't mean a chocolate snack cake or Santa Claus. Hop-on/Hop-off bus  tours (commonly referred to as HOHOs) are offered in most major destination cities at a reasonable price and allow you to get on and off at designated points so you can visit some sights or stop for a beverage and bite to eat and then join the tour again at your leisure. Many of the buses are double decker and open top, which is especially nice in good weather.  Some insider tips...ask if the tour commentary is audio or live (live tend to be more informative and fun) and how often does the bus run/stop (every 15 minutes is good, so you don't have to wait to long if you barely "miss the bus").  The Dublin HOHO is the way we started our trip earlier this week...


Arrived very early Monday morning in Dublin and checked into O'Callaghan's Alexander Hotel. Nice hotel, friendly staff and in a great location. Walked two blocks to the nearest HOHO pickup and boarded the bus for the 1.5 hour loop. The bus is also great for inclement weather...unseasonably cool in Ireland and spitting snow when we arrived!  The loop took us past all of the major sites including St. Patrick's Cathedral, Trinity College, Christ Church, Guinness, St. Stephen's Green..just to name a few.

Our first stop was Upper O'Connell Street for a lunch at a traditional Irish pub (Murray's) where we enjoyed Irish Stew, Shepherd's Pie and Fish & Chips. A few in the group enjoyed a pint of Guinness, too! Next stop for a few of us was Jameson's Whiskey Distillery, where we took a great tour that ended with whiskey tasting, complete with certificates that we are now "qualified" whiskey tasters. Even if you aren't a whiskey drinker (I'm not), this was a fun and informative tou

Other sites some of the group visited:
Book of Kells at Trinity College - an illuminated manuscript Gospel book created by Celtic monks ca. 800.
St Patrick's Cathedral - a church has stood on this site since the 5th century. The current church was built in the early 13th century. The church contains many interesting stone tombs and some beautiful stained glass.

As most of us didn't sleep well on the plane over and had been awake for about 36 hours, we had an quick pub dinner at the Blarney Inn, followed by a dessert of sticky toffee pudding at the hotel (yummy!) and off to bed!

Stay tuned as we spend another day in Dublin!