 |
| day 3 Daily Cruiser page 1 |
|
 |
| day 3 Daily Cruiser page 2 |
|
 |
| day 3 Daily Cruiser page 3 |
|
 |
| day 3 Daily Cruiser page 4 |
|
 |
| tour selection form page 1 |
|
 |
| tour selection form page 2 |
|
 |
| tour information |
|
 |
| every night, we received a souvenir recipe card like this one |
|
AmaPrima was scheduled to arrive in Cologne, Germany after lunch, so it was really nice to have a free morning. We woke up at our leisure and enjoyed the "Late Risers' Pastries" in the lounge.
 |
| breakfast special of the day in the main dining room |
 |
| late risers' breakfast in the lounge |
|
 |
| so nutritious! |
|
 |
| lounge bar menu page 1, reasonably priced |
|
 |
| lounge bar menu page 2 |
|
 |
| lounge bar menu page 3 |
|
 |
| lounge bar menu page 4 |
|
 |
| lounge bar menu page 5 |
|
 |
| lounge bar menu page 6 |
|
We had "light lunch" in the lounge as AmaPrima was approaching Cologne. If you wanted to enjoy the complimentary beer or wine during the meal, the servers were happy to bring it to your seat, as well as non-alcoholic beverages. There were self-serve dispensers for ice water and unsweetened ice tea.
 |
| Cologne in the distance |
|
 |
| light lunch buffet in the lounge |
|
 |
| my lunch today |
|
 |
| banana chocolate pudding with caramel toffee...yum |
|
A "red" active tour was offered, so we got tickets for it. There were around 20 people in the group. In terms of activity, we did walk a lot. The local guide was very good.
 |
| easy disembarkation |
|
 |
| red group meet here! |
|
|
|
 |
| a nice wedding photo backdrop |
|
360 spherical photo of Market Square, taken with the
Ricoh Theta S:
Alter Markt in Cologne - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
|
|
 |
| piece of the Roman Wall |
|
360 spherical photo of Cologne Cathedral, taken with the
Ricoh Theta S:
Cologne Cathedral - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
|
|
 |
| interior |
|
 |
| vivid stained glass windows |
|
 |
| "modern" stained glass (really made of squares) |
|
 |
| so much detail |
|
 |
| beautiful cabinet |
|
360 spherical photo inside Cologne Cathedral, taken with the
Ricoh Theta S:
Inside Cologne Cathedral - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
After the tour was over, we had free time to explore, so we visited the
Roman-German Museum next to the cathedral. (Note: we tipped all guides accordingly following the guidelines printed in our travel documents. The purser can break Euro bills into coins.)
 |
| 3rd century mosaic still intact |
 |
| Roman artifacts |
|
 |
| columns and stonework |
|
We walked back to the ship and saw that Ida had left the first of many towel animals in our cabin. We selected our tours and turned in the form to Raul.
 |
| a bull? |
It was nice to end the day with a delicious dinner.
 |
| enjoying the top deck before dinner |
|
 |
| day 3 dinner menu |
|
 |
| anti pasti |
|
 |
| white wine soup |
|
 |
| beef medallions with a slice of foie gras |
|
 |
| caramel cake with raspberry sorbet |
|
AmaPrima set sail that night for the
Rhine Gorge and
Rudesheim. Late night snacks were offered in the lounge but we never partook as we were so full from dinner every night. We did like to get a cup of coffee/tea at night, which was self-serve in the lounge 24 hours a day. We also found a coffee/tea machine in the Chef's Table restaurant (outside of serving hours), which we used most often since it was closest to our cabin.
 |
| the bridge at night |
|
 |
| sailing under it |
|
Sunday morning after breakfast, everyone was on the top deck, excited to take in the splendor that is the Rhine Gorge. It started out foggy but the sky cleared, offering incredible views!
 |
| day 4 Daily Cruiser page 1 |
|
 |
| day 4 Daily Cruiser page 2 |
|
 |
| day 4 Daily Cruiser page 3 |
|
 |
| day 4 Daily Cruiser page 4 |
|
 |
| breakfast special |
|
 |
| my breakfast |
|
 |
| oh no, fog! |
|
 |
| then the fog burned off |
|
 |
| castles galore |
|
 |
| more castles |
|
 |
| cute villages by the river |
|
 |
| more castles |
|
|
|
 |
| coffee with brandy, sugar, whipped cream, topped with cocoa |
|
|
|
 |
| fancy train tunnel |
|
 |
| more picturesque villages |
|
 |
| big church with little church behind |
|
 |
| more castles |
|
 |
| interesting village name |
|
Eventually, the excitement died down as we passed by castle after castle, so guests returned to normal activities. We spent some time sitting on the top deck reading our Kindles, then had a light lunch in the lounge.
 |
| main dining lunch menu |
|
 |
| smaller selection of menu items in the lounge |
|
 |
| always soup, bread and lunchmeats available |
|
 |
| delicious pesto shells, and Caesar wrap |
|
 |
| Kaleb enjoyed a beer |
|
 |
| went to the ice cream bar afterwards... |
|
AmaPrima docked in Rudesheim, and everyone went on their respective tours. There was a "choo choo train" at the dock to take the other tour groups into town. Our active group walked instead. The weather was warmer than I expected, so I was sweating in my turtleneck and down vest!
 |
| docked next to Uniworld River Empress |
|
 |
| easy disembarkation |
|
 |
| choo choo train |
|
 |
| narrow streets in town |
|
We walked up a staircase to reach the
Rudesheim Gondola. I think that was the only part of the tour that was "active", other than the walking in town.
We regrouped with everyone at the top of the gondola, then walked up the hill to view and learn more about the
Germania Monument. Afterwards, the tour ended and we had free time to explore. The forest surrounding the monument was very refreshing on a warm day.
360 spherical photo of Germania Monument, taken with the
Ricoh Theta S:
Germania Monument in Rudesheim, Germany - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
 |
| lots of visitors in the forest |
|
 |
| tried to translate this sign, must be dangerous |
|
360 spherical photo of a trail in the Niederwald forest, taken with the
Ricoh Theta S:
In the Niederwald forest in Rudesheim, Germany - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA
We rode the gondola back down and visited
Felsenkeller Restaurant next door to taste
Rudesheimer coffee served in traditional cups.
 |
| coffee, iced coffee, and espresso |
|
 |
| lots of brandy and sugar |
|
 |
| server flambeeing the mixture before adding the coffee |
|
 |
| whipped cream and chocolate too |
|
We walked back to the ship with 15 minutes to spare before sail away. Afternoon tea was served in the lounge. Outside of serving hours, cookies, crackers and whole fruit were available 24 hours a day.
 |
| sandwiches and sweets |
|
 |
| cakes and tarts |
|
We were beginning to go through river locks. The first few days of it were super exciting, then it became commonplace, until later in the cruise when we went through a pretty tall lock.
22-second time lapse of AmaPrima rising in a lock:
Tonight's dinner was great, as usual!
 |
| day 4 dinner menu |
 |
| beef carpaccio |
|
 |
| honey melon cocktail |
|
 |
| beef consomme |
|
 |
| braised lamb shank |
|
 |
| coconut tart with mango sorbet |
|
 |
| my favorite: amarena ice cream |
|
AmaPrima would move like a snail while passing under low bridges and entering locks, so I was able to play Pokemon Go in unexpected places and also gain distance to hatch eggs, all from the comfort of my cabin. Wi-fi was free on board, but when it got too slow, I would switch over to data. I also had issues with GPS location from time to time.
 |
| a Pokestop on a bridge, how convenient! |
What an incredible sunset tonight...
Tomorrow, AmaPrima sails into Miltenburg, Germany...stay tuned!
Missed any of the previous entries? Refer to the Trip Index at the top of this post to navigate.
***
If you came here from a Facebook or Twitter link, thanks for clicking the "Facebook Like" button below or retweeting!
Don't miss a blog entry! Sign up for updates direct to your inbox
here or add the blog to your
RSS feed.
Getting excited reading about these trips and want to go? Contact me at
yellowdogtravel at gmail d0t com with your ideas and I can help you plan it! Or if you've already put a deposit on a cruise through the cruise line, contact me to get more information on transferring the reservation to me to get bonuses like extra onboard credit or gifts. I have lots of happy returning clients - references always available.
Come check out my other blog "
What in the world is Kat Kong doing now?", documenting things other than traveling...sign up for blog updates direct to your inbox
here!
Another disclaimer: The intention of this blog was to remind Future Me in full detail about where I went and what I did. I could have made it private, but I frequently get questions from family, friends and internet folks about how I planned things, got deals, etc., so instead of repeating the story over and over, I direct them here. If you are offended by anything I say or do, save yourself the discomfort and kindly click away from my blog. Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day!
No comments:
Post a Comment