We arrived in Amsterdam, NL prior to boarding Uniworld’ s River Queen for our ten-day cruise up the Rhine River. The city is beautiful. We wandered around “Nieuwe Zijde”, the new portion of the city. A unique feature is “window shopping” in the de Wallen section of the “red-light” district – photos aren’t allowed and that’s a good thing! The town is wide open, with an "anything goes" attitude!

We had a great show in the Fabrique de Lumieres, an old gas light factory. The Dutch Masters paintings were projected in great detail, making them come alive. You could see the individual brush strokes! We also took a small boat tour of the canal system, witnessing a different side of the city.

The River Queen sailed to Harlingen, a delightful town on the North Sea NE of Amsterdam. We toured a planetarium, constructed by Eise Eisinga on his home's ceiling in the late 1700’s. Amazing understanding of mathematics, astronomy and woodworking with no formal education. 

We then cruised down to Nijmegen, NL and toured the old town on our own. A motor coach took us through Arnhem, crossing the bridge that was the focal point of the WWII movie “A Bridge Too Far." Further north, we toured Palais Het Loo in Apeldoorn, the palace of William and Mary built in the 1640’s. Spectacular gardens and rooms!

The following day we docked in Cologne, Germany and did a walking tour of the city. The buildings here were 95% damaged or destroyed by Allied bombers during WWII, and only the magnificent Cathedral was spared - its twin spires were used as a navigational reference point by the air crews; thus it wasn't targeted. 

Our cruise continued up the Rhine to Oberwessel, Germany, where stunning castles could be seen on both sides of the river. The afternoon was spent touring the Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar, Germany. Perched about 1,500’ above the Rhine, it was once the largest castle in Europe. It also features tunnels beneath it that were part of a mining operation before the castle was built in the 1200’s.

The Rhine is a beautiful river and worth cruising. Next month we’ll conclude our trip through Germany, part of France, and into Basel, Switzerland!