24 June
This morning, we cruised through the spectacular Rhine Gorge. Around almost every bend, there were stunning vistas of castles perched above steep, vineyard-covered slopes.
We passed the supposedly infamous Lorelei Rock where sailors are said to have been lured onto treacherous rocks by enchanted temptresses. The statue of Lorelei is very small and we saw it from some distance.
We passed the ship-shaped Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, formerly a toll gate perched on an island in the middle of the river.
12:00 We opted for the light lunch again. It is served in the Horizon Lounge. It is too tempting to overeat, as the cruise line keeps trying to feed us all day long.
Rüdesheim
At 12:30 we arrived at Rüdesheim am Rhein, one of Germany’s most popular towns. (It is pronounced Rüdes-heim.)
We took the “Winzerexpress” mini-train ride to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Instrument Museum. I am not sure why this train has a name, as we were on several un-named ones from Paris through many places in Germany and Austria.
This is a private collection of automated musical instruments from the 1920s (mostly) that play several integrated instruments. They had very expensive music boxes for sale.
We were back on our ship at 15:30 and set sail for Miltenberg. So, this was a short stop for us.
18:45 – We were given a port briefing for Miltenberg by the cruise director.
19:00 – Another yummy dinner.
21:15 – Quiz evening
22:00 Late night snack
Day by day
- Days -11 to -15 – Singapore
- Days -4 to -10 – UK
- Days -1 to -3 – Paris Extension
- Day 1 & 2 – Amsterdam
- Day 3 – Cologne
- Day 4 – Rhine Gorge – Rudesheim
- Day 5 – Miltenberg – Wertheim
- Day 6 – Wurzburg – Rothenburg
- Day 7 – Bamberg
- Day 8 – Nuremberg
- Day 9 – Kelheim – Regensburg
- Day 10 – Passau – Salzburg – Linz
- Day 11 – Melk – Durnstein
- Day 12 – Vienna
- Day 13 – Bratislava
- Day 14 – Budapest
- Day 15 – Homeward Bound