A month ago, around the time everyone was adjusting to warmer weather, I was adjusting to being back on land. May was nearing its end and I had just spent seven consecutive nights aboard a cruise ship, sailing from Amsterdam to Basel along the Rhine River with my mom and about 150 other passengers.
The trip began as soon as the car arrived to take us to the airport. From there, we were in unchartered waters. My mom and I have each only flown once and neither time was recent. The travel agent had talked us through everything, and now it was up to us to walk the talk.
We flew out Friday night, arrived in London Saturday morning and made it onto our connecting flight to Amsterdam – it was smooth sailing from there, no pun intended. Once we hopped out of the cab and laid eyes on the Amakristina – our home for the next week – I think a wave of relief fell over both of us.
This was not only my first time overseas; it was my first time out of the country. And to share the experience with my mom was such a blessing.
On Sunday we saw Amsterdam. There were two options for the day: city bus and canal tour or to see the Keukenhof tulip fields. We opted for the city tour, accompanied by a charismatic tour guide. The city was bustling with folks hanging in their front doorways and whizzing by of bicycles. It being a Sunday, the guide explained how the town was just waking up and recovering from the night before. The architecture really struck me. And my mom noticed how there were no screens in the windows or doorways. Boathouses lined the canals and there were bike everywhere – so many bikes. There was an entire parking garage dedicated to bikes.
While our excursion was only a few hours, it was enough to catch a glimpse of the everyday life. Sometimes the guide would talk about the people walking by on the streets, and while I knew in the back of my mind that his backstory could be completely false, I still was able to appreciate the narrative. I enjoyed hearing about the lifestyles of the people are not so different from our own here in America.
On Monday, we arrived in Colonge, Germany. It was a busy city, bustling with food and shopping, and of course – the cathedral. I have never seen a cathedral before. We were warned about pickpockets as we made our way off of the bus, and to be aware of our belongings as we stood looking up mesmerized by the fantastically detailed historic structure. The guide said WWII fighters were instructed not to bomb the city’s cathedral as it was used as a source of navigation. They had to temporarily take out the stained glass. The rest of the city was heavily bombed.
I should note, during our course along the Rhine, the ship passed through several locks systems and at times the ship would get so close to the walls we could touch them.
(A lock is a device used for raising and lowering boats, ships and other watercraft between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways.)
And we also sailed through the Rhine Gorge and had the chance to see many castles as we passed.
One day we docked just outside the town of Rudesheim and were given a tour of Siegried’s Mechanical Music Museum in the evening. The next day: Heidelberg excursion. I wasn’t sure what to expect in Heidelberg – it was picturesque with students hanging out in the grass along the water, lots of shopping and eateries. It was very busy.
By day six, we were docked with Germany on one side and France on the other. Our daily excursion included a city tour of Strasbourg in north-eastern France. On the bus ride there, the guide pointed out the nests – huge stork nests, one per tree. Every single tree seemed to have a nest and every house had one tree in front of it. Back in Amsterdam, our guide pointed out on stork in a nest at a park we visited. This row of storks was a stark contrast to that lone stork. Once we disembarked from the bus and made our way to the cathedral, it was clear the stork has become a mascot of sorts for the city and for good reason.
We had about an hour to explore in Strasbourg, and were again warned about pickpockets. We made our way through the cathedral and then check out the surrounding shops. My mom picked out some chocolates and we each got a macaron to enjoy. It was my first macaron ever.
For our last excursion day, we saw the picturesque town of Riquewihr located about an hour from Strasbourg. The cobblestone streets were lined with vibrantly colored structures – shops, eateries, houses. This was the one day we had rain, hence the umbrellas in the photographs. In hindsight, the rain was an appropriate backdrop.
I have never had an experience like that before. What I remember most are the people – the people on the ship, the shop owners in the towns, and guides. I truly felt like a citizen of the world once I returned.
My mom and I are not well-traveled, and we were very anxious about the traveling part of this trip – the connections and timings – but we made it, there and back. There were certainly some stressful moments, but no major snags. We were fortunate and I know it’s important to recognize the good things when they happen. I feel very fortunate and grateful for this experience. I’ll never forget it.
