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As we cruise past a gorgeously ornate stone fortress sitting atop a cliff
along the Rhine, my wife wonders aloud if a castle like that ever comes on
the market.
Unlike on our first such adventure 20 years ago, this time the riverboat
fantasy life is seducing her. She's imagining wandering the parapets, waving
like a storybook siren at the boats passing below. I think about snapping
her out of it with a reality check. The castle's basement has probably been
damp for 1,000 years and the hillside is so impossibly steep I'd need a
safety harness to tend the flower gardens. But practicality be damned – this
is the whole point of a river cruise.
Since that first trip on a German tour in our wayward youth, the world of
river cruising has evolved. Gone are the rigid schedules, lacklustre
accommodations and obedient patrons, factors that had made river cruising a
staid and generally unappealing affair. Instead we are met with luxurious
cabins and enticing food; it's no surprise that this new breed of river
cruises is drawing a younger, more spirited crowd.
I remember that first trip – more military campaign than cruise – all too
well, with its accommodations that could politely be described as snug and
announcements continually repeated in four languages, while our tour leader
Wolfgang barked out his demands: “You will get a wake up call at 5:30. Bags
will be outside of your room by 6:15, scharf”
Fast forward to the present. The day's activity starts at a more congenial
time – 8:30 – and if you choose to sleep in, no one objects. Though part of
each day is spent cruising, daily shore excursions are included, if you
choose to take them. Because the boats dock in town, it's easy to step
ashore and venture out on your own. And, on each tour, we're outfitted with
wireless receivers and headphones that allow us to wander freely without
looking like tourists, while still hearing the guide's commentary,
thankfully in English only.
Sometimes, though, we explore with fellow travellers. Two Aussie couples,
whose husbands had a “terrible tirst,” were determined to sample all the
brews in Rhineland – until they realized that meant 100 pints a day. Another
passenger, an energetic English teacher and marathoner from Oregon, kept
trying to get me to run around the towns with him. The older, sedate crowd I
had expected never materialized. Instead, our group of 164 was surprisingly
young and active, and took advantage of the late nights at clubs and beer
halls ashore.
These are signs that river cruising is enjoying a renaissance. And the
Rhine, taken at the leisurely pace of a cruise boat, can cast a spell on you
like Lorelei, the mythical Rhine maiden who so distracted early navigators
that they ended up foundering on the rocks. On this river, the artery of
central Europe, every vista has a story: a ghost or two, a tragic love
story, family feuds flaring from generation to generation.
Our journey aboard the Avalon Tapestry began in Amsterdam, with a tour along
the city's famed canals. Later we visited the cathedral cities of Cologne
and Strasbourg and the wine region's capital, Rudesheim. We ventured
overland to the university town of Heidelberg, which has a vast castle that
would test even the wealth of Bill Gates to carpet and drape. But for part
of most days we cruise, sailing past medieval towns and landscapes that are
difficult to appreciate from any perspective other than the river.
And as veteran ocean cruisers, we find that wending our way up a river is a
different kind of experience altogether, and we quickly see why river
cruising is becoming so popular. New river cruise boats offer luxury and
space that was unheard of in the past. After activity-filled days, it is
nice to retreat to a spacious and comfortable room, with ample storage and
bathroom with a shower. The Tapestry has the added detail of
floor-to-ceiling windows with doors you can open to better view the passing
scene. As we enter narrow locks – barely wider than the boat itself – I open
our cabin's door, reach out and touch a glistening stone wall.
The only regimented aspect on the Tapestry? Dinner. The one seating is at 7
p.m. My appetite perks up rapidly as the courses of German and American fare
are served up by chipper wait staff who even offer second helpings. What's
more, German and Austrian wines flow freely, with different selections each
day.
Arriving in Basel, Switzerland, at the end of the week, I envy those who are
continuing on other river cruises up the Danube or on the Elbe. Some river
journeys can last as long as three weeks, taking travellers into Egypt,
Ukraine, China, Istanbul, Russia, Australia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand
– and, closer to home, up the Hudson, St. Lawrence and Ottawa rivers.
That dream of buying the castle? It faded. But if we ever do win the
lottery, these castles on the Rhine – romantic battlements, soggy basements
and all – are still going to be here.
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