The plane skirted onto the runway, and the mountainous landscape of Switzerland came into view through the small plane window.
The crisp air of Switzerland was refreshing as we made our way to the hotel. The small town of Basel formed around us. The city is split straight down the middle by the Rhine River. Our hotel, set along the river, seemed like it was teetering on the edge and was going to slip right into the river. The hotel, Le Trois Rois, was historically and architecturally beautiful. The warm stoned facade mixed with the maroon carpet created a homey atmosphere.
Basel was our starting point. We spent the day there before boarding the boat to go all the way up the Rhine River. The morning of the second day in Europe we boarded the boat that would be our home for the next two weeks.
The ship, the AmaLucia and part of the AmaWaterways line, was small in stature but modern and sleek. The state room was small but homey and provided a space for us to relax after long days exploring the cities along the Rhine.
On the third day, my family and I explored the outer reaches of the Black Forest in Germany. The dark trees and mossy grass gave a fairytale-like feel to the small town on the outskirts of the forest. We spent the morning on the bus to the forest and the rest of the afternoon exploring the town. Lunch was where we really got a taste of German culture. We had traditional schnitzel and spaetzle, which are small German noodles. The specialty of the Black Forest is Black Forest cake. Traditionally, it is a chocolate cake soaked in coffee simple syrup with cherry filling and whipped cream. This cake was an amazing way to end the first day exploring Germany.
The second stop on our trip was Strasbourg, France, which is most famous for their Cathedral and The European Union. To start the day, we took a walking tour of the city. Strasbourg is split by an offshoot of the Rhine. The old buildings that lined the streets are the traditional homes built in the iconic German style. The European Union has an impressive modern office building in the outer edges of the town. They hold meetings and parliament at this building. In the center of the city stands the Cathedral of Strasbourg built in 1015. It has large stained glass windows in the gothic style. The stone is aged and even burnt due to a large fire in the mid-15 Century.
On the third day, we made our most important stop: Heidelberg, Germany. My grandmother grew up an army brat and moved all across the globe, but the place that was most important to her was Heidelberg. Heidelberg is a small town in Germany, but their one claim to fame is their castle. The entire reason we came to Europe was to see the castle. This is the place where my grandmother graduated from high school. The stage she walked across and the grounds she explored still stand today.
The day after was set aside to sail to the next location. But on the fifth day, we landed in Rudesheim as our next stop. This is a small town whose main importance is a port for the Rhine. The small town is surrounded by wineries. My family took a gondola through the wineries and learned about the special kind of wine they make in the region. The wine grapes are frozen through the winter, and doing this creates a special kind of carbonation and flavor unique to the region. In order to see more of the town, we took bikes around the town. This gave a unique insight into the architecture of the town, the people, and the culture.
After a few days of sailing, we docked in Cologne, Germany. Cologne was wiped out during WWII. The main attraction is its gothic cathedral. It is a stark contrast to the industrial city that surrounds it. It is home to many important Christian artifacts, the most famous being the remains of the three wise men. After learning about the city, we went to the headquarters of Lindt Chocolate. They took us through the process of chocolate making while also feeding us plenty of chocolate
Our final stop of the trip was Amsterdam, Netherlands. This city was by far the most impressive. The buildings are so close together they lean forward from the pressure. The canals flow through the city, and the biking culture takes over the street. We took a charter bus to the outskirts of the city to look at a clog making workshop, dutch tulips and the iconic windmills.
My family decided to spend two days exploring Amsterdam after the official trip. We went to the Anne Franke house, ate traditional Dutch food, and spent time relaxing at cafes around the city. Before I knew it, our time in Europe had come to an end.
Leaving was bittersweet.
