This page: A Viking Longship sailing on the Rhine overlooked by the magical Rheinstein Castle wine-making town of Rüdesheim. With a whole evening in port, I wandered along the Drosselgasse, a medieval alley crammed with taverns and shops, many with ornate signs hanging over the cobbles. I found a nook in a wine bar to sample the aromatic local Riesling before admiring the turrets of Brömershof, the musical instrument museum. We stepped back further in time at the next port, Speyer. Nearly 1,000 years old, its Romanesque cathedral, boasts four towers and two domes, and is the burial place of eight German emperors and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Strasbourg boasts one of the most gorgeously picturesque old quarters in Europe I spent my free time inspecting the historic trains, planes and automobiles of the Speyer Technik Museum, among whose exhibits is a jumbo jet and a space shuttle. That evening the German theme continued on board, with lederhosen-clad folk musicians wandering among the tables in the restaurant with their accordions as we feasted on bratwurst. As my table guests and I discussed the days ahead, none of us really knew what to expect from our next destination, which turned out to be the best surprise of the entire cruise. Strasbourg boasts one of the most gorgeously picturesque old quarters in Europe. Postcard-perfect 46 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | AUTUMN 2019
TRAVEL half-timbered buildings lean over dainty canals in Petite-France and everywhere you look there are colourful flowers in bloom, bursting from window boxes and planters hung from waterside rails. Our guide pointed out the Ponts Couverts, a set of three bridges that link four distinctive towers completed in 1250. Until the 18th century the bridges, which once formed part of the city walls, had wooden roofs to protect those defending the city from invaders. I chose a suitable spot on one of the colourful streets to drink in the scene with a slice of tarte flambée, the local version of pizza. This visual feast would have been memorable enough without my visit to the Gothic cathedral. Its intricately-carved façade blocked out the sky as I approached through the narrow Rue Mercière. Inside, passing between the immense columns of the nave, I came upon the elaborate astronomical clock, though I had missed the daily procession of apostle figurines that forms part of workings so complex they make Gutenberg’s printing press look rudimentary. This clock does not have a cuckoo, but we learnt about those that do deep in the Black Forest at the hamlet of Hofgut Stemen. The timepiece’s origins may be hazy but we did discover how they became the emblem of this wild and woody corner of Germany, before inspecting the giant version on the end of one of the buildings. We had driven here from Breisach through countless fir trees and lush pastures; it was beautiful enough for me to yearn for a closer look, which a hardy little group of guests managed on a ravine trail after our spot of clock-watching. The Swiss border slipped by silently in the night and I awoke to step out on to my veranda to view a panorama of leafy Basel, our final destination. I realised now why this cruise is called the Rhine Getaway. With an elegant stateroom as my constant travel companion, unearthing such a wonderful assortment of historical nuggets had been as easy as taking a single-city break – and a lot more satisfying. An eight-day Rhine Getaway itinerary, departing from Amsterdam to Basel, or in reverse, starts from £1,495pp vikingcruises.co.uk Clockwise from above: John enjoyed a slice of tarte flambée, a local version of pizza; the origins of the cuckoo clock proved fascinating; the Hohenzollern Bridge leads to the magnificent Cologne Cathedral AUTUMN 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 47
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