ABOARD THE SCENIC OPAL – For the past couple of days we have been traveling in Germany down the meandering Moselle River and have loved how scenic and serene it was. There are vineyards and small villages all along the way and we scarcely saw another river ship. Our pattern of cruising for a half day and touring for a half day has continued and we have really enjoyed this pace. If you are someone who enjoys …
ABOARD THE SCENIC OPAL – Yesterday was quite a busy day in Cochem, Germany, a lovely town on the Moselle River. In the morning we took a walking tour of this picturesque village and visited its main point of interest, the Reichsburg Castle. In the afternoon we attended the christening of this lovely river ship. Christenings are very special days and the weather was sunny and clear for this one. We have attended two previous namings, one …
ABOARD THE SCENIC OPAL – We are about one third of the way into this two-week river cruise and today will be our first call in Germany. For the past days we have been traveling around tributaries of the Rhine visiting small towns and cities in the Netherlands – although Chet and I did opt for a day tour to Bruges, Belgium. In those ports, we were the only river ship there…a welcome change from our previous …
ABOARD THE SCENIC OPAL – The third day of this cruise was quite lovely. We cruised all morning and reached the Dutch town of Veere just about noon. This little burg of 1,800 residents has a very long history and we learned all about it during a 40-minute walking tour. It is located among dikes, dams and locks and is very near the North Sea. This was also the first day for bike touring and 28 hardy …
ABOARD THE SCENIC OPAL – This is the morning of our third day aboard the brand new Scenic Opal river ship. We boarded as planned on Wednesday, taking the shuttle from the Doubletree Hotel in Amsterdam. It was good that we did because it turned out that our ship was docked 15 minutes from town in a new facility at Coenhaven. The first night was quiet as passengers filtered aboard throughout the afternoon and early evening and …
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – We arrived yesterday around noon in Amsterdam and took a taxi to the Hotel Luxer, located right in the city center, near all landmarks. I booked this online with recommendations from Trip Advisor and we have found it to be tiny but very satisfactory. It is right on the edge of the Red Light District, which has become, we have discovered, an artistic district during the day… albeit one with many sex shops. As …
Once again the suitcases are on the extra bed in my office and I am carefully packing, trying not to forget some essential item and throwing in a few silly things (like a selfie-stick). However, I have so many travel-writer friends who brag about traveling 2-3 weeks in Europe with a single carry-on that I really am trying to cut down on what I bring. We leave Monday for Amsterdam, where on Wednesday we board the brand …
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