Avid Cruiser

06/05/2022

Through nearly five decades of travel and three decades of cruising, I’ve learned a lot – much of it through trial and error. This post details a dozen things that I did right on my trip to France this past April and one thing where I goofed. What about you? Care to add to my list? https://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2022/05/12-things-i-did-right-when-traveling-to-europe-last-month-one-thing-i-got-wrong/

Through nearly five decades of travel and three decades of cruising, I've learned a lot - much of it through trial and error. This post details a dozen things that I did right on my trip to France this past April and one thing that I goofed on.

20/04/2022

Canal du Centre

19/04/2022

The river life.

19/04/2022

Seen on the Saône. Riviera’s William Shakespeare.

18/04/2022

Look who I found in Saint-Jean-de-Losne, Avalon Poetry II, a favorite of ours and one that Britton cruised on and loved 🥰 this past spring.

17/04/2022

Canal barge.

17/04/2022

Paddling along.

16/04/2022

Breakfast! Love this little place, Poulaillon. Fortification for our second barge trip. Boarding today to barge Burgundy.

12/04/2022

Today I pedaled 25 miles from Saverne to Lutzelbourg and along the Vallée des Éxlusiers. The latter is an old abandoned canal and lock system built in 1853. It was replaced by the Saint-Louis-Arzviller inclined plane, eliminating 17 locks and 2.5 miles of travel along the canal de la Marne du Rhin. I loved photographing the old lock-keepers’ houses, now homes to a lucky few.

07/04/2022

Breakfast! My body clock was operating at 7 a.m. East Coast time when I sat down for schnitzel at 1 p.m. I shouldn’t be here - and not because of the unhealthy dish in front of me. I shouldn’t be here because I should be in Strasbourg. But with luggage delayed from Charlotte, I decided to overnight at Hilton Frankfurt Airport, pick up my luggage when it arrives tomorrow and rest assured that my bag will make it with me for back-to-back barge trips beginning tomorrow. More than two dozen travelers, and me as host, have been rescheduling these trips for two years. We couldn’t have guessed that our timing would coincide with record Covid cases in Europe. We’re all vaxxed and boosted (many of us, twice boosted), as protected and prepared as we can be. Plus, life is short, so if not now, when? Our challenges getting here have been only minor hiccups when we think of what it happening in Ukraine. We realize how blessed we are, even with some setbacks. PS. I ate the salad to balance things 😂

11/10/2021

Moonrise over Cochem Castle

11/10/2021

Next time you’re on the Moselle, hike or bike or bike/hike up into the vineyards. This will be your reward.

11/10/2021

Ready to fly home. See the tent? Covid test center in Cochem, 10-minute walk from ship. When my credit card failed to work someone used their credit card and let me pay them in cash. Nice guy! Only 10 euros, results in 10 minutes. Rules for returning to US are confusing as it was changed to test 72 hours before boarding to 3 days before boarding.

11/10/2021

Today from the top deck of Crystal Debussy.

11/10/2021

Last night’s dinner in the Vintage Room. As good as it gets.

08/10/2021

Just wow!

06/10/2021

Soufflé on Crystal Debussy

05/10/2021

Wonderful dinner in the Bistro on Crystal Debussy. Radu from Romania 🇷🇴 gets five stars as does the dining experience.

04/10/2021

Not a bad hotel to bunk down in before boarding Crystal Debussy this afternoon. Too short of a stay though.

02/10/2021

Off to a rocky start but a happy ending. The Covid test had challenges - mainly finding one and getting it back in time. And it was complicated by th fact that the pharmacy gave me the wrong test this morning, a PCR that would not yield results in time for me to board the flight. They said it was too late for me to get another test, the Rapid Diagnostic, which yields results within 24 hours. But, I said, that’s the one I signed up for and showed them my appointment info. Luckily, they relented and gave me another. A happy ending. America should not be so short on tests. I feel for those having to give the tests. Supplies are short, etc. We can do better. No wonder a September NY Times article asked, Where are the tests? It cited other countries being awash in tests. The U.S. not. ✈️