8/9-A Unitworld rep. met us at baggage in Amsterdam. We were bussed to the River Queen. We were given sandwiches, etc. to tide us over till dinner. Since Erna was in a negative mood & refused to go anywhere, I went with Maureen Weggandt & her friend/roommate Dora Zearanti, who live in Ill, for a walk. Dora had visited the Anne Frank house years ago with her husband but we found it too far to walk. To get a cab & pay at the museum, we would have had to exchange money. It didn't pay since we were leaving in the evening. We walked to a train station, saw a load of bikes parked there, instead of the cars we see here. It was a nice walk as we got to know each other.
We sat with a Beverly & Alan from Australia, Dora & Maureen for dinner.
This is me on the sun deck
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That's me standing in front of the glass elevator
in the lobby of the River Queen
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8/10 - We had a breakfast buffet that turned my stomach. It smelled & looked awful first thing in the morning. Besides the usual eggs, sausage, cereal, etc. tray upon tray of sliced cold cuts & sliced cheeses. Since there were loads of all kinds of fresh, dried & stewed fruits, that's what I mainly filled up on. Also had hot cereal this morning.
Then Carol, our Uniworld tour leader, gave a cruise briefing. I was 3rd on line to put my name down for a concert & a palace tour - both to be held in Austria. Erna felt everything should be included so declined to go. Since I know this will be my one & only trip to this part of Europe, I'm taking advantage of everything I can.
Then I took Ben's binoculars on the top deck as we slowly made our way down the Rhine. It was glooms & windy but invigorating. Then the sun came out around 11. I took a picture of a bridge opening to let us through. Also had a woman take my picture.
At lunch, I asked the head waiter to always give me double & triple vegetables & no sauces. Sauces are plentiful; vegetables almost nonexistent. After lunch, I bought a few things at the Gift Shop. The ship seems to glide over the water - lovely, smooth. As the river at this point is very narrow, there is land close by on both sides. So calm & peaceful.
We arrived in Cologne at about 4:30 & docked near the Old Town & Cathedral. Then Carol took us for a long walk to it. She walked so fast it felt more like a marathon run than a stroll. Also it drizzled on & off but I had my trust umbrella with me. It never rained hard enough to need my poncho which was still secure in it's tiny plastic bag.
Some people changed money at banks with their ATM cards. She pointed Erna & I in the direction of Thomas Cook Travellers Checks. I gave $100 worth & got plenty of marks in exchange. It was close to 2 1/2 marks to the dollar + commission. I bought a few things.
The Cathedral, which took 600 years to complete, was impressive. I wanted to go in but Erna wanted to feed the birds. She had asked the waiter for bread for them earlier. We were all on our own. I figured she knew her way around better than I do so stayed with her. What a mistake. Live & learn. Something very important I learned from Carol today - McDonald's has free toilets.
I had gingerbread ice cream for dessert - different but delicious. We left the dock at 11:10 & motored all night.
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A toll station in the middle of the Rhine River
8/11-8/12
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Sign my guestbook
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