To my great relief, I awoke the next morning feeling fine
with an enormous appetite. I soon discovered I was in the right place to be
hungry. We made our way to the ships dining room to be overwhelmed by the breakfast
choices. The food on this river cruise was surprisingly delicious and more than
abundant.
My husband and I usually travel on our own, with me doing
all the planning and navigating. It can be a tremendous amount of work, since I
am very protective of our vacation time, and want every hour to be spectacular.
I can wear myself out planning every detail of a trip. This river cruise was a
huge deviation from our history of independent travel. And what a relief it was to
have everything planned for us and an opportunity to relax…or so I thought.
After a sumptuous breakfast that first morning, we hit the
deck running. Traveling down the Rhine River Valley, we visited many villages,
wineries, and historic sites, first in France, and then into Germany. Not
wanting to miss anything, the idea of relaxing was soon forgotten. The timing
of our cruise had been a concern as this area can be cold and rainy in
October, but again luck was with us, and the autumn weather was sparkling and
bright. The Riesling vineyards were golden, the sky was blue, white and silver,
and the hills were as green as green can be. The colors of the villages were
highlighted with the reds and oranges of fall. 
We did enjoy one afternoon on board the River Queen, sipping
champagne, while the mighty castles of the Rhine River Valley loomed above us
on either side. Our tour also included the Mosel River, and an afternoon on
board viewing the unbelievably steep and picturesque vineyards of this region. 
All in all, we very much enjoyed the river cruise
experience. It helped that we met many interesting people and made some
wonderful new friends. The scenery was all we expected and more. Being pampered
on board was an added bonus I had not considered. Our journey ended in
Amsterdam, just in time for hurricane force winds and rain.
This put a damper on our visit there, but we took a day trip into the
countryside of what I still call Holland and explored windmills, fishing
villages and even tried on wooden shoes, which they still wear in this boggy
country. I was enchanted by the wild and windswept landscape and left it with
fond memories.
This marks the end of another amazing trip that I will never
forget, but once again I am appreciating the comforts of home, all the while
pondering where our next great adventure will be.
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