Amsterdam to Basel
With Scenic. Full of Australians, 6 of whom designated us as 'old people', welcomed us into their ranks and kept an eye out for us throughout our the voyage. The very first time anyone has called us old and shown that sort of care; I hope we were as graceful in reciept as they were in giving. Lovely.
ARNHEM
September 1944. The British 1st Airborne Division landed at Arnhem to capture bridges across the Lower Rhine. They landed some distance from their objectives and met unexpected resistance. The main body of the division was stopped on the edge of town. 8000 killed or captured.
CASTLE DE HAAR
A true fairy tale, De Haar Castle is the largest castle in the Netherlands. A suspension bridge spans the impressive moat.
The rooms are filled with classic furniture.
DUSSELDORF
A convenient stop, not a tourist centre. The fountain (Der Radschläger) represents the story of the origin of cartwheeling celebrated by an annual cartwheeling contest.
HEIDELBERG
MARKSBURG
Marksburg castle, perched high above the Rhine. The only castle on the Middle Rhine that has avoided
destruction over the years. The castle dates to 1117 and is a perfect example of medieval architecture.
MENIN GATE, YPERS
Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. Undergoing renovation for centenary year, 2027. Lower image is before restoration began
MOSELLE VALLEY
Perhaps the main attraction of our cruise, the Moselle River with its half-timbered villages, vine-covered slopes
and hilltop castles that overlook the river.
COCHEM
Medieval gem resting on the banks of the Moselle. Nestled on the riverbanks, with pastel-coloured buildings, half-timbered
houses, cobbled lanes and a medieval hilltop castle surrounded by sloped vineyards
REICHSBURG COCHEM
Soaring over Cochem on a mighty crag, the largest castle on the Moselle with delicate bays and imposing battlements. The medieval castle, heavily damaged during a war of succession, was bought and lovingly restored in the neo-gothic style associated with German castle romanticism
STRASBOURG
Our canal cruise passd the European Parliament, the Imperial Quarter and Le Petite France. Wonderful cathedral, started in 1015, finished in 1439. The dog on the pulpit - asleep during the sermon? The organ casing is spectacular and the windows stunning. The clock's main features are a perpetual calendar (including a computus), an orrery (planetary dial), a display of the real position of the Sun and the Moon, and solar and lunar eclipses. There is procession of the 18-inch high figures of Christ and the Apostles every day at solar noon. The life-size cock crows three times.
TRIER
Germany's oldest city, the Roman Trier. Porta Nigra is one of the best-preserved Roman
gates in Germany. The Bishop's palace rests on the huge Aula Palatina, the 67m long throne hall of emperor Constantine. Birthplace of
Karl Marx.
TYNE COT
Tyne Cot Cemetery extends through the landscape of the battle of Passchendaele. With its 11,956 graves, it is one of the largest Commonwealth cemeteries in the world. During the British offensive of 1917, almost 600,000 victims fell in 100 days for a territorial gain of only eight kilometres. The wall behind the cemetery contains the names of 35,000 soldiers with no known grave.
VEERE
Set on the Veerse
Meer Lake, the village is home to a harbour lined with Scottish merchant houses, a 15th century town hall with
a defensive tower and Grote Kerk, an imposing Gothic church.
