Cruise from Avignon, Lyon, Strasbourg, the Rhineland to Amsterdam.

Due to my heart surgery, Covid lockdowns and retirement, I haven't travelled for 4 years. So here is my dream cruise, thanks to Viking.  I know some of these cities very well, but the trip reveals a rich tapestry of diverse cultures and landscapes that I need to plan for.

Day 1 — Avignon France’s narrow streets are lined with medieval build­ings and churches. Avignon was the papal seat for 70 years in the C14th after the sitting pope fled Rome. The massive Got­hic church-fortress Palace of the Popes was centre of the Chr­ist­ian world then. Another notable struct­ure reaches into the Rhône: C12th bridge Pont d’Avignon.

Palace of the Popes Avignon

and Pont d'Avignon

Day 2 — Arles France was the capital of Roman Gaul when the Em­pire end­ed and boasts many Roman ruins. Les Arènes, an an­c­ient amphi­theatre seating 20,000, is used for bull fights. The town att­racts farm­ers from the countryside to the famous Provençal market. And it enjoys a rich artistic heritage eg  Impressionist Vincent van Gogh in Arles.

Day 3 — Back in Avignon France, the church built a wall around the city and provided mansion-like residences to its card­inals. And the gilded statue of Mary atop the cathedral.

Roman Arena, Arles

Day 4 — Sleepy C5th Viviers France be­came a bishop’s seat, and conflicts during the cent­uries required town defences. Some buildings were from the Middle Ages and the Old Town cobb­le­­stone streets were dominated by C12th St Vincent Cath­edral with beautiful windows. A more stable Renaissance encouraged new houses eg Mais­on des Chevaliers.

Day 5 — Tournon France lay secluded between the river and the gr­anite slopes that nurtured fine vintages, with an ancient Celtic castle over the river. The wine-producing region was start­ed by a hermit returning from the Crusades who planted vines, and today the sunshine produces fine whites. On the graceful Rhône River, the locks through which the ship passes help­ed to tame its waters, surrounded by the soaring mount­ains.

Vienne is gateway to Lyon’s countryside. Among its Roman remains, the Temple of Aug­ustus & Livia was C1st. Its Roman amphitheatre, nes­tled in the hills, is very well preserved. And there are fine medieval buildings eg Abbey of Saint Pierre and Church of Saint-André-le-Bas.

Days 6 and 7 — Lyon France straddles the Rhône & Saône Rivers, a maj­or cultural city with outstanding museums. Amid red-roofed build­ings, tree-lined boulevards and riverside walks, old cobble­stone streets host a rich collection of Renaiss­ance archit­ecture & int­im­ate connecting passage ways. It’s all overlooked by the grand basilica atop Fourvière Hill. Lyon, the food capital of Fr­ance, is surrounded by towns that sell excellent fresh produce with light northern Beaujolais or a bold southern Rhône reds.

Day 8 — Located where 3 countries meet, Basel Switzerland reflects a blend of traditions. The city straddles the Rhine at the river’s far­thest navigable point, with a cluster of old-town buildings along the riverbank. Around Market Square, guild houses display Gothic, Renais­sance and baroque splendour, with the red-sandstone Rathaus/Town Hall as the centrepiece. 40+ museums of cul­ture lend modern polish.

Day 9 — Breisach Germany is a gateway to the Black Forest region, built on Rhenish bas­alt rock. It is in one of the warmest parts of Germ­any, across the river from French Alsace, famous for its wine grow­ing and its large cellars. The most prominent local landmark is the Ro­manesque-Gothic St Stephen’s Cathedral (C12th-C13th) with its splendid towers.

Day 10 — Strasbourg France, largest Upper Rhine port at the border of France and Ger­m­any, is the cultural centre of Alsace and boasts a fine mix of cultural influences. The well-preserved Old Town is enclosed on all sides by the little Ill River so explore cobble­stone streets lin­ed with half-timbered houses and intersected by pict­uresque canals. Alsatian café culture is vital.

Day 11 — Speyer Germany lies on the Rhine’s west bank. The city shows a Romanesque imperial cathedral, burial place of 8 Emperors and Holy Roman Emperors. The term Protestant was created at the Diet of Speyer in 1529, when 14 free cities and 6 Lutheran princes protested the Edict of Worms that had banned “heretic” Martin Luther’s writings.

Rüdesheim Germany's cobble­stone street are lined with tav­erns that pour local wines and fill alleyways with music. Half-timbered houses and old inns retain a medieval flav­our. Cast­les once pro­vided security for the re­gion, including the C9th Bröm­ser­burg Castle, oldest on the Rhine. And the Siegfried’s Mech­anical Music Cab­inet mus­eum houses an impress­ive collection.

Day 12 — Middle Rhine Germany is a scenic UNESCO World Herit­age Site where steep hills require handpicked vineyards. Splendid cast­les line the banks and the Lorelei Rock presides at a dramatic river curve. This river maiden mesmerised sailors with her song and enticed them to die.

Historic Koblenz

Koblenz Germany, 2,000 years old, was a trad­ing settlement rest­ing on Middle Rhine High­lands. Cob­ble­stone streets, wood-beamed houses ad­orned with flow­ers, ancient market square and me­dieval church­es recall old Germany eg Roman­esque Basilica of St Castor is Kobl­enz’s oldest struct­ure (836). The famed Teut­onic Knights set up a base in 1216; also a massive, modern eq­ues­trian statue of Prince William I.

Day 13 — Cologne Germany reveals its Roman heritage in its layout and ruins. Note the city’s C14th cathed­ral, a stunning exam­ple of Gothic art­istry and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Avoiding Al­lied WW2 bombs, the cath­ed­ral’s imposing twin sp­ires are visible for ks and its stained glass windows fill the interior with brill­iant light. And modern cafes.

Day 14 — Sail into the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt Delta, and see the flat farm­land, tulips, Fr­iesian cows, villages and windmills of Kinderdijk Netherlands. It is a vill­age community in a corner of South Holl­and, a charming hamlet amid low-lying polders, tracts of land reclaimed from the sea by windmills and dikes. Remember the 1865 novel Hans Brink­er (finger in dike)?

Kinderdijk windmills

Day 15 — Charming canals, gabled houses, splendid museums and bicycles make the Dutch capital Amsterdam Holland a delight to explore. Its patchwork of waterways forms c90 islands connect­ed by 1,500 bridges. The C17th Dutch Golden Age lives on in gilded mans­es and in the art of Rembrandt and other Masters that fill the fabulous Rijks­museum.

 

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