Rudesheim - Rhine River

We decided that, before we left Germany, a river trip down the Rhine River was a must.

This trip is a good way to relax whilst enjoying some great scenery as the boat meanders its way from village to village.

KD Rhine has been offering tours of this wonderful river system that comprises both the Rhine and the Moselle Rivers since 1853. At this time, two river transport companies, the Koln company and the Dusseldorf company merged during a time of great competition on the river and the establishment of railway lines along the banks of the Rhine River.

When travelling along the Rhine (Rhein) or Moselle Rivers with KD Rhine, you obviously have a wealth of experience and knowledge of the river behind you.

The Rhine River runs through 4 countries between its source high up in the Swiss Alps and its mouth in the North Sea near Rotterdam.

The Rhine River is mentioned in much of the writings of the late Roman Republic and early Roman Empire. It was considered to be the natural border between Gaul and the Germanic peoples. The first urban settlement was in the area that is now Cologne in about 38 B.C. It was recognised by the Romans in about 50 AD. The river was seen as an important natural barrier, and during its history there have been many attempts to take the lands beside the river.

This resulted in the construction of many castles along the banks of the Rhine, used by feudal leaders as a means of providing defence over the lands and for the inhabitants. A number of these castles were also inhabited by robber barons who were able to use their positions on the banks of the river and power to extract excessive tolls from boats using the river as a commercial route.

We boarded our KD Rhine boat at Mainz for a trip down the river to Koblenz. One of the advantages of travelling on a Eurail Pass that includes Germany as one of the countries for which the pass is valid is that the cost of tours with KD Rhine are included as an additional benefit of the pass. These free sailings include regular day tours of the Rhine River between Mainz and Koln (Cologne) and on the Moselle River between Koblenz and Cochem.

The river does have quite a current flowing. As a result, down river trips are much quicker than upstream trips. For instance, a trip from Mainz to Koblenz takes about 5 and a half hours, whilst a trip from Koblenz to Mainz will take 8 and a half hours. Remember to keep this trip time difference in mind while you are planning your vacation.

Once the boat leaves Mainz, the first part of the journey is a little industrial until we clear the area around Mainz and move down to our first stop at Weisbaden.

Once the boat departs from Mainz, there are 19 stops before its arrival at the wharf at Koblenz.

The scenery on either side of the river is ever changing, so that the travel is far from boring. Not only are there very many castles and other historic buildings along the way, but also many many vineyards stretching up the banks of the river, villages along the shores and a never ending variety of commercial river traffic travelling up and down the Rhine river.

River boat showing car on roof - courtesy Dan Beaudoin

One of the things that we have noticed about many of these Rhine river cargo vessels in that so many of them carry the master’s home with them, and sport cars, boats and other personal items above the living quarters, so that there is the opportunity to travel around once the boat is moored for the night.

The section of the river from Bingen to Koblenz is now a World Heritage Listed site. This particular section of the Rhine river is said to have the highest concentration of castles of any river valley in the world. Also in this section of the river you’ll find the legendary Loreley (Lorelei) Rock, a massive rock face rising from the river bank. This section of the river, which is the narrowest and most dangerous in the Middle Rhine, has claimed many boats, and is the source of the legend of the blond siren who with her singing and beauty lured many sailors to their death on the rocks below.

We found that our trip down the Rhine River to be a really worthwhile part of our tour of Europe.

Twin Cities Liner on Danube River

We noted down the name of the service operating the boat on the Danube, and checked up on its activities online.

It turns out that the Twin City Liner runs regular commuter and tourist services along the River
Danube between the two capital cities.

Vienna and Bratislava are the two nearest capital cities in Europe, being only some 60 km apart and both built across the Danube River, so opportunities do arise for services such as this one which is able to make 6 international trips between European capitals in a single day.

The Twin City Liner service runs along the Danube from 3 to 5 times per day (season dependent), and takes between 75 and 90 minutes for the journey (depending on the direction of travel).

We thought that this would be a great opportunity to see more of the countryside in both Slovakia and Austria, as well as to experience travel along the Danube.

The cost for the Twin City Liner was somewhat lower than on a river cruiser, with our single leg from Bratislava directly into Schwedenplatz in Vienna costing only 19 euros each.

Unfortunately, the weather has closed in somewhat overnight, and the views from our catamaran are not as bright as they could otherwise be.

There are about 30 other travelers on our service, although we suspect that the later services may well carry more people. Ours is the first up river service of the day, having already delivered from Vienna those tourists who have planned for a day in Bratislava.

We have been astonished by the size of this river, and particularly at the speed of the water that is flowing down towards the sea. I’ve estimated a speed of some 8 knots in some sections, when gauged by the wake generated by the stationary channel markers.

The Twin City Liner travels along the River Danube at a speed of some 50 km/h.

The vital statistics of the boat are as follows: engines – 2 each with 1000 hp capacity, driving water jets. The catamaran itself has a length of 34 metres, a breadth of 8.5 metres, and a draft of just 1 metre. The maximum speed capacity of the boat is said to be 75 km/h.

As we are traveling up the Danube river, we are noticing a number of little huts (raised off the ground) with wood burning stoves and heaters and the bare necessities for riverside life. We can’t tell whether these are available for rental or are simply weekenders for Viennese families, but they certainly would offer a unique “out of town” experience.

This is a great opportunity to travel in a different way, and to enjoy the vista and sense of traveling along the Danube – an iconic European river.

Big Head Dancers on Valencia Dock

The first thing that struck us as our ship, the Liberty Of The Seas approached its dock in Valencia was the effort that the Valencia Tourism Foundation put into welcoming the ship and its passengers into the city.

As the passengers began to disembark for a few hours of exploration of this unique destination, a group of musicians and dancers, many sporting fantastic heads. Giants and Big Heads (Gigantes y Cabezudos) have been borrowed from the adjacent Catalan region of Spain, and offer a unique and entertaining spectacle.

The performers, dressed in traditional clothing wear caricature heads that match the clothing style then perform traditional folk dances.

This performance continued for some 2 hours after the ship docked.

Valencia is understood to be Spain’s most important and largest container port.

Whilst Valencia has in the past been seen as a very industrial port city, during the last decade the local Tourism Foundation has really begun to concentrate on promoting Valencia as an area with a rich and diverse culture and customs, as well as exciting social characteristics.

One of the things in favor of this push is that Valencia is able to offer a rich tapestry of architectural history and heritage. Luckily, the people of Valencia have not torn down the old to build up the new.

Unfortunately, the bus trip from the dock into the city center took some 40 minutes, thus reducing the available time for a thorough exploration of Valencia.

In retrospect, because the downtown area of the city is quite spread out, we would probably have been advised to have boarded on of the double deck Valencia Tour Buses that offer a 24 hour ticket for some 15 euros.

However, we elected to walk around the commercial part of Valencia, discovering some of the shops, cafes and historical public buildings.

Excavation in Downtown Valencia

Whilst we wandered around the city, we found ourselves concentrating more on the smaller back streets with their variety of shops, many with fascinating displays of herbs and spices, teas, figurines and many other wares.

It was interesting to note that the inveterate shopper of our group  discovered a substantial price difference between shops in the back streets compared with those on the major thoroughfares.

An example of the uncovering of heritage was discovered during our tour of the city when, quite unexpectedly, we chanced upon an excavation on a vacant block of land.

It appeared that, whilst digging foundations for a new building, the workmen had discovered an ancient ruin which was now in the process of being carefully excavated.

The Alcazaba, Malaga

One of the ports of call on our transatlantic cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Liberty of the Seas is Malaga.

Malaga is located on the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula in the western part of the Mediterranean, and is the southernmost large city in Europe.

Malaga was founded by the Phoenicians as Malaka in about 770 B.C. Since that time, it has been under the control of many different cultures and civilizations, from that of Ancient Carthage, the Roman Empire, the Moors, and finally under Spanish rule.

It has a very strong and diverse culture and amongst other important influences, Malaga is also the birthplace of Pablo Picasso.

The Costa Del Sol has become a very popular tourist and resort region on the Spanish Coast, and it extends both to the east and west of Malaga. As a result of the influx of millions of tourists each year, most of whom arrive through the Malaga International Airport, the city has become much more busy than it was traditionally only a few decades ago.

One of the first things that we noted as we alighted from the coaches that transported us from the port into Malaga was the lovely and lush park lands that extend almost into the city center. There were seemingly dozens of horses with carriages ready to take tourists on a tour of both the old parts of town as well as the more recent additions.

The people of the Andalusian region of Spain are proud of the exotic mix of cultures that make up their heritage. The region exhibits a wide array of unique social customs that combine aspects of Islamic tradition with a strong influence of Catholicism.

We decided to soak up the atmosphere of Malaga by walking around the inner and historical areas of the city.

This part of the city is characterized by narrow cobblestone streets with a wide variety of shopfronts, impressive public squares, an amazing cathedral and an ancient Roman amphitheater.

Any tour of Malaga would be incomplete without a visit to the Alcazaba. This is a Muslim palace and fortress that dominates the city center, facing out onto the Mediterranean shore. It was built during the 11^th Century as a palace for the rulers of the city as well as a defense against attacks from the sea.

The wonderful gardens that line the waterfront add to the magic that is Malaga today.

Cadiz - Old quarter

Cadiz is strategically located on a narrow piece of land in Southern Spain, just outside the Straits of Gibraltar.

The city is almost entirely surrounded by water, and was considered to be of great strategic value over many centuries.

The history of Cadiz goes back to the time of the Phoenicians, who founded a trading port on the site in about 1100 B.C. Over the intervening years, many other cultures and societies have fought and claimed Cadiz for their own strategic base. These include the Carthaginians, Romans, Visigoths and Moors, amongst others.

Because of its location and geography, Cadiz is a very compact city, and very easy to explore on foot.

The city walls are still on display along the sea front and surrounding the old town, offering a unique view of life as it might have been in the days before cars, trucks and motor scooters took over the narrow cobblestone streets between the rows of lovely old buildings.

We took advantage of our time in Cadiz to explore the lovely old parts of town, admiring the Alameda Gardens, visiting the Church of the Carmen and sauntering through the Parque Del Genoves.

Our wanderings (amongst numerous attempts to discover where we were on our walking map) enabled us to find many quaint little squares, discover some ancient pre-Roman walls, admire the magnificent cathedral that exhibits many architectural styles from the Byzantine domes and clusters through the neo-classical influences of the 19^th century through to what some might consider an unfortunate 21^st century layer of glass and steel that now fronts the street.

We enjoyed taking time out in many of the squares and plazas around the city, talking with friends, enjoying some excellent coffee and brandy, and discussing how Cadiz would be a perfect place to visit for anybody who wasn’t looking for the hype and excitement of big city life.

Our time in port didn’t permit us to also visit Seville, about 90 minutes drive inland from Cadiz, although we were reliably informed that this is one of Spain’s real showcases.

However, maybe we will return with more time to explore this lovely part of the world at the bottom of the Iberian Peninsula.

Mount Teide, Tenerife

Our last port of call before completing the transatlantic crossing has been at Tenerife, in the Canary Islands.

Tenerife is the largest of the canary Islands and is located just 180 miles off the north African coastline.

It is said that the island of Tenerife is one of the most diverse in the world in terms of climatic conditions and terrain.

Whilst the northern part of the island displays lush green valleys and a mild climate that supports many endemic plant species, there are hot, dry and arid conditions in the south of the island.

Here you will find sandy beaches (and a number of European resorts for beach and sun worshipers), as well as the Las Canadas national park.

Mount Teide is recognised as being the highest mountain in Spain. It has a height of over 12,000 feet, and we are reliably informed that from its (often snow covered) summit, you can see not only all of the other islands in the canary Group, but also the African coast on a clear day.

The Canary Islands have been part of western legends since the times of Homer and Plato during classical Greece. However, they were only rediscovered after the middle ages.

In terms of pre-history, it is believed that the first inhabitants of the Canary Islands were the Gaunches, a blond haired and white skinned race who are believed to be related to the Cro-Magnon man of northern Africa. These people were cave dwellers.

The Canary Islands obtained free port status during the mid 19^th century, and as a result duties and trade barriers were reduced significantly. This has resulted in a stable economy based largely on tourism and banana exports.

The Liberty Of The Seas docked at the Port of Santa Cruz, the capital of Tenerife, a city with a population of over 220,000 people.

We decided to concentrate our time in Tenerife simply to the downtown area of Santa Cruz. We spent some time walking along the Esplanade, exploring the buildings that straddled many of the cobblestone streets of Santa Cruz and relaxing in the many parks.

We found that the free port status of the region resulted in excellent pricing for many goodies in the shops, much to the delight of some in our group.

In addition, the outdoor cafes offered a great opportunity to sit back and enjoy excellent coffee and conversation.

We enjoyed our time in Santa Cruz, and it proved a great opportunity to plant our feet once again onto solid soil.

Liberty Of The Seas Under Power

We’re currently sailing across the Atlantic Ocean aboard the magnificent Liberty Of The Seas.

The trip from Nassau to Tenerife takes more than 7 days and covers  3280 nautical miles (or 5905 kilometres).

The weather and sea conditions for the crossing have been amazing, with light winds and a slight swell for almost all of the way. You’d hardly believe that we were in the middle of one of the world’s largest oceans.

One of the most notable issues about life on board the ship has been the way in which we have been adjusting to the change in time zones between the USA and Europe.

Ship’s time has been adjusted by 1 hour each day for 5 consecutive days. As a result, we have lost an hour (at 12 noon each day). By the end of the 5^th day, most on board have found that it has been difficult to wake up at a reasonable time, since we are each going through consecutive doses of mini “jet lag” (or should it be called “cruise lag”).

However, life on board has not been boring by any stretch of the imagination. There are numerous activities available each day, from the boxing ring to mini golf, rock climbing and the amazing flow rider surfing machine. Of course, there are always the more common water sports, exercise sessions, the gymnasium, table tennis, shuffleboard, basketball and volleyball. For those looking for a less active lifestyle, there are trivia sessions, bingo, the library, on board destination lectures, enrichment lectures, day spa facilities, acupuncture, and of course shopping for those in need of this form of therapy (all at tax and duty free prices).

For those in need of more than three meals in every day the ship can also provide a number of extra outlets. These include 24 hour room service, 24 hour Cafe Promenade, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, Johnny Rocket’s, the Cup Cake Cupboard, Sorrento’s Pizzas, as well as afternoon teas and suppers available on the Promenade Deck.

Liberty Of The Seas has bars open from 7:00am through to early morning. Watering holes include the Casino Bar, Boleros, the Schooner Bar, the Catacombs, Olive and Twist, the Champagne Bar, English Pub, Piano Bar, Pool Bar, Viking Crown Lounge, Connoisseur’s Cigar Club and Vintages Wine Cellar.

This ship also offers wireless internet in all cabins (at a cost unfortunately), and you may use your mobile phone throughout the voyage (only if you elect to do so).

For people wishing to simply chill out, there are a number of lounges and hideaways scattered across 5 levels of the ship, so the you can take your book or ipod and find a comfy nook to retreat from other passengers if you so desire.

Aerial View of Nassau, The Bahamas

On the first morning of the cruise on the Liberty Of The Seas, we were able to watch our ship docking on New Providence island for a one day visit to the capital of the Bahamas.

Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, is located on New Providence Island just 150 miles or so off the coast of Florida.

The history of Nassau goes back many years, and it was well known as a haunt for pirates during the 1600s and 1700s, who found its natural harbor an ideal base from which to base their nefarious activities.

However, the pirates are now long gone. However, Nassau still maintains an air of expectation and excitement.

A Nassau Policeman In Uniform

Nassau is a part of the British Commonwealth, and it is still possible to see some of the unique elements of the time of British colonialism when you walk through the streets of the town. Nassau bobbies still sport a uniform which combines white jackets, navy pants with red seams and pith helmets – a tropical equivalent of the traditional London bobbie.

Parliament Square really seems a quaint part of colonial society, highlighted by a statue of Queen Victoria seated regally in the middle of the square.

Another thing that Nassau is famous for is quality shopping. Walking down the main street, you’ll pass outlets that display many of the famous brands of Europe – from Rolex through Gucci, and many many more.

Another element that attracts many visitors to Nassau is Paradise Island. This small island which is accessible both by boat and by road bridge is home to many luxury residences, as well as the amazing Atlantis Resort and Casino.

While it is possible to walk around the town of Nassau, those wishing to try a more relaxed means of transport can always request a ride in a horse-drawn carriage.

Once you have seen enough of the delights of Nassau, enjoyed the traditional foods and participated in the cultures of this special part of the world, it is time to wander down to one of the island’s lovely beaches and relax in the clear waters of the Bahamas.

Liberty Of The Seas Docked At Port Of Miami

We have now left the United States on the first leg of our 14 night cruise from Miami to Barcelona.

Arrival at the port from our accommodation was a white knuckle experience.

The taxi driver determined that he needed to arrive in the shortest time possible, and was travelling at speeds of up to 90 mph in heavy traffic, dodging between lanes as though he was in a dodge-em car.

We began to wonder whether or not we’d actually reach the cruise ship at all.

However, we did arrive at the dock in one piece, and proceeded through the embarkation process without any major dramas or delays.

On a ship the size of the Liberty Of The Seas, it is necessary for the cruise line to process over 3,000 passengers in a period of a couple of hours, and there is always an amount of queuing as all of these passengers need to go through the government processes of checking passports and other travel documents, validating cruise ticketing and payment arrangements, photographing each guest and issuing cruise cards that act as charge cards, personal identification tags and door locks.

However, we eventually arrived in our cabin, and started to unpack our belongings. One of the advantages of cruising is that you only need to unpack once, and then travel from place to place in your own room.

At last, the Liberty Of The Seas set sail out of Miami Port on its way east across the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

We plan to then travel largely by train around a number of the Eastern European countries before arriving in London en route back to Melbourne via Singapore.

We will be posting stories and experiences about this trip and the places we visit on this website as we go.