Our Viking River Cruise Grand European Tour Daily Diary
Day 1 – Budapest
Day 2 – Budapest
Day 3 – Sailing to Vienna
Day 4 – Vienna
Day 5 – Melk, Austria
Day 6 – Passau, Germany
Day 7 – Regensberg, Germany
Day 8 – Nuremberg, Germany
Day 9 – Bamberg, Germany
Day 10 – Würzburg, Germany
Day 11 – Wertheim, Germany
Day 12 – Braubach, Germany
Day 13 – Cologne, Germany
Day 14 – Kinderdijk, The Netherlands
< Our Viking River Cruise Grand European Tour: Day 13 – Cologne, Germany
Tonight was a restless night on my Viking cruise, don’t ask me why, maybe it’s the thought of returning to normal life, we are so used to having everything done for us on the cruise and enjoying our travels and tours, how will we be able to cope in the real world?
So, in the early hours, we left Germany and entered the final country of this adventure, the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Not as pretty as the sail through Germany, a little more industrial, a lot more boat traffic and very flat. But the sun was shining, the sky was blue, and there were some cute country scenes, with cows and sheep and the odd windmill-dotted here and there.
As it was our last full day, there was a meeting in the morning for everyone about how to pay bills, check out, what to do with luggage etc. But I’m sure front desk was inundated with questions afterwards about how to pay bills, check out and what to do with luggage, and not just from Jon and me!
Around lunchtime, just as we tucking into burgers, we arrived at the beautiful wetlands near Dordrecht to visit the windmills of Kinderdijk. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, these mills that were built in 1740 symbolise the Dutch water management to prevent floods. They were created to keep the low lying lands of Alblasserwaard dry. There was an included walking tour to visit the museum and learn about the windmills, but we sneaked off the boat and explored the area on our own. It’s a pleasant walk or would make an excellent bicycle ride, and you can even go inside one of the mills. We spotted a guy working at the mill wearing clogs; you can’t get more Dutch than that.
See also:
- Common Myths About River Cruising
- Life is Either a Daring Adventure or Nothing
- Essentials Required for Retiring Overseas
So after a lovely afternoon just strolling among the mills, we headed back to the ship. The ship set sail for the last time, as we enjoyed a beautiful sunset with the now obligatory mulled wine in hand.
That evening, we sipped our last cocktails in the bar before the farewell meal which in my opinion was the most delicious meal of the cruise.
We arrived into Amsterdam in the early hours of the morning. It was rather sad saying goodbye to what had been our home for the last two weeks, but we were looking forward to spending a couple of nights with friends who lived there. One of the many perks of travelling is meeting people from all over the world (saves a fortune on travel and great for insider tips!)
So thank you Viking Cruises for a fantastic trip. A cruise known affectionately as the ABC cruise. Why ABC? Another bloody church, another bloody cathedral, another bloody castle but for us, yes we are looking forward to doing another bloody cruise.
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ooh so love the pics
Loved reading your cruise journal! Your tips and experiences are very helpful in trying to decide what excursions to book. We are taking the Grand European Tour in April 2019!
Thanks Lisa! We had so much fun.
So were we, darn pandemic! Getting ready to depart for the August 2nd cruise after having 2 other dates canceled.
what a wonderful way to get inspired for our upcoming Grand European Cruise. I am wondering if I will as adventuresome as you were taking off on our own, but as we have done the Amsterdam to Cologne on the Rhine getaway . we may just do a bit of exploring. SO much to think about. Thank you again I have thoroughly enjoyed every day of your journal.
Thank you! We really enjoyed our Grand European Cruise, I’m sure you will too. And it’s fun to explore a little on your own, the boat is never too far away. Let us know how your trip goes 🙂
You Travel Blog is awesome with great photography and text! We will be going on this tour Oct 14th – 28th to celebrate our 49th anniversary and very excited. Thank you for your time and efforts to share your awesome experience!
Thanks, Everett. Enjoy your trip and Happy Anniversary! You are going to have so much fun. Let us know how it was.
Beautiful! A European river cruise is on our to-do list for someday soon. It looks so relaxing and yet adventurous. Thanks for sharing about your trip.
OH MY GOODNESS!! I’M SO HAPPY YOU HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE WITH THE RIVER CRUISE! VIKING CRUISES IS ONE OF OUR PARTNERS; AND I’VE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO EXPERIENCE ONE.