Although the senior Rambler was not too excited about taking another river cruise, with some pressure on my part, we booked two cruises for August, 2018. The first intrigued me but not the non-drinking senior Rambler. it was a cruise in the wine country of Bordeaux on the Garonne river. We had enjoyed our cruise in Normandy two years ago, and I thought, wrongly as it turned out, we would enjoy this one as well. Then we would fly from Bordeaux to Budapest and board a cruise to Eastern Europe on the SS Beatrice. We had taken the Beatrice on our first cruise, and loved the ship. This time we would have a chance to see how Uniworld had remodeled and transformed . We had never been East of Budapest so this cruise was the one we both wanted to take. Even the senior Rambler was on board for this one.
The wine regions of Bordeaux, many famous wines come from these areas. We would start out at the bottom in the Sauternes area and work our way to the top, as the Garonne widened on its way to the sea.
However, we first had to get to France, and the senior Rambler hoped we could book business class seats for the long flight overseas. Fortunately Michelle Shirley at AAA was able to get us a great deal through Delta Vacations. This trip all our flights would be business class, even the connectors. It was a first for the Ramblers; we had never traveled business class on any airline. One of the perks of Delta One is early boarding tho we already had priority boarding as we needed wheelchairs to get through the spread out and very busy Hartsfield Airport. Our Delta One seats were roomy but had a somewhat odd configuration as they were not in a row but staggered; this made it somewhat difficult for me to hold the senior Ramblers hand in my usual death grip during take-off and landing, but I managed. LOL
Vijay guided us to the entrance of the Centurion Lounge run by KLM, where we were greeted warmly even tho it was 6:30 AM. We would get to stay there until it was time for our connector. The senior Rambler was delighted to find out there was a smoking room not far away. For those who persists in smoking, it is often difficult to find a place to enjoy a cigarette or cigar in a public space.
The food was measurably better than premium ; Delta sends you an email menu a few days before your flight and you chose your meal. Fortunately the flight was uneventful and we arrived at Schiphol right on time. The mobility cart was waiting for us as we had a connector flight to Bordeaux and Schiphol is a huge airport. However since there was quite a bit of time between our flights, we were transported to the KLM Centurion lounge. This was also a first. It was much more pleasant waiting in the lounge with coffee and snacks available rather than sitting in the boarding area for several ours. Our wonderful wheelchair driver, Vijay, refused a tip. He was glad we appreciated his help but explained that it was his job to deliver passengers to their airport destination, and tipping was not part of the service.
The lounge was a comfortable and quiet place to wait for our next flight. The chairs were very comfortable and snacks were available if you wanted one.
Our connector flight was a KLM Sky-hopper, on the smallest plane I had ever been on, and the whole flight was very informal. From our up-front business class seats, we could see the pilots at the controls some of the time. This was a short flight and we soon landed in Bordeaux. We had to get off on the tarmac at the small airport. Fortunately they ferried us to the arrivals area and left us by the luggage carousel so we could get our checked bag. Not so fortunately, our checked bag wasn’t on that carousel. They had dropped us off at the wrong place. After asking around, I finally found the right carousel some distance away where our bag was still going round and round. This was fortunate as it was the only bag left and the carousel was very close to an exit. Luckily no one had grabbed it and I rolled it back to our exit. This was not a particularly good start to this cruise and it really didn’t improve much. Some things were good, but Bordeaux turned out to be our least favorite cruise.
It was a warm day but our Uniworld Bus was waiting with the air conditioning running and after our luggage was stowed aboard, our driver headed for the quay. A handful of cruise passengers had been on our flight, as it turned out.
We climbed the stairs to the sundeck and settled down to do some people watching as we relaxed.
We knew that the cabins on the River Royale were small, but we never seem to spend much time in the cabin, so that wasn’t an issue, and the beds were very comfortable as usual. Since it was a warm afternoon in August, we stowed our bags and headed for the sun deck to scope out the area. There was quite a bit of activity on shore, as many Bordelaise walked, cycled or jogged along the wide concrete promenade along the river. Not much happened on our first day on board, as passengers continued to board. We were OK with this, as it gave us a chance to relax and overcome our jet lag. After watching our fellow passengers arrive during the afternoon and early evening, we enjoyed a plesant dinner on board before turning in fairly early.
The wide and muddy Garonne at Bordeaux.
The River Royale was scheduled to motor to the town of Cadillac early the next morning and return to Bordeaux late in the afternoon. This schedule was a little different than we had experienced before. The senior Rambler had already decided that he would not go on the morning excursion to a wine estate and a lunch with wine pairings at an historic chateau. Luckily I had already met up with some friendly South African travel agents who very kindly included me in their party. By the end of the cruise, the Ramblers would become good friends with these pleasant and outgoing young women. We would learn much about South Africa in the process.
In case you are wondering who you might meet on a Uniworld Cruise, the majority of the passengers are English speaking; usually quite a few Americans, a handful of Canadians and British, along with Australians and New Zealanders, and a few South Africans. On this particular cruise, there was a group of Brazilians who generally stayed together and sometimes had their own guide. All of the crew and staff speak excellent English and come from a variety of European countries.
After enjoying an excellent breakfast at the Trois Rois, we checked out on Sunday morning. However we didn’t go far, about a city block. We had planned to stay another day in Basel, but instead of remaining at the formal and somewhat dark (and expensive) Trois Rois, I had found the Hotel D, a modern new hotel at a much lower price. Although it wasn’t directly on the Rhine, it did have suites that opened to a private terrace on the top floor. This was the room we booked and we did enjoy it. The terrace was large and gave us an expansive view of the Basel rooftops in several directions. We thoroughly enjoyed the one night we stayed there and wished we had been there all along.
We could see the Rhine from our terrace, as well as any number of charming buildings. It made for a wonderful afternoon.
There was was one fly in the ointment. No one had told us that almost everything closes on Sunday in Basel, except the churches and a few quick marts. And it was Sunday. When we asked about restaurants at the Hotel D desk, they told us there wasn’t much to choose from as they were almost all closed. Even the COOP where we planned to go for lunch was closed. So what to do? The hotel staff said there was one restaurant that was open and it was right across the street, The Bombay. Guess we were going to have Indian food for dinner.
The senior Rambler is not an adventurous eater, but I convinced him that I could find something on their menu he would like, and…it really was our only choice. For lunch we went to to the corner grocery/quick mart and bought an assortment of snacks and fruit to tide us over. Our room also had a well stocked mini-bar that was included in the room charges, so we spend the afternoon on the terrace enjoying the view while we munched on our snacks.
On the street level there was a corner store with good quality fruit and other snacks which tided us over during a delightful afternoon. Our room also had a well-stocked mini-bar which was included with the price of the room.
We could see from our room when the Bombay opened and we decided to have an early dinner, so we headed across the street. Since it was early, the restaurant wasn’t crowded and we were seated at a table for two with a wonderful view of the Rhine. We scanned the menu and I suggested a few entrees that were not too spicy for the senior Rambler. Fortunately he enjoyed my selections which were served family style. This Rambler enjoys spicy food, and my entree was excellent, especially washed down with an icy Indian beer.
The New Bombay Restaurant, with the Rhine in the background.
While we ate, we watched Sunday activity on the Rhine. First were the old fashioned ferries; Basel has four. For a modest fee you can traverse the Rhine in a small vessel, pushed across by the current going one way, and by a cable in the other. The ferries were quaint but we had no desire to ride in one as we had enough trouble with the gondola the day before.
What was even more fun was watching swimmers float down the Rhine pulled along by the current. Evidently this is a summer tradition in Basel when the water warms up. This is the way it works. The swimmer rents a Wickelfisch, a swim bag/float for about 30 Swiss francs. Clothing covering the bathing suit is packed in the waterproof bag, it is sealed shut and it is time to get into the water. The Wickelfisch, which looks sort of like a fish, acts as as both float and clothing bag during the mile or so most float down the Rhine. The most popular stop is a series of steps where swimmers dry off, chat with friends for a while, get dressed and return their bag before heading home.
From our window table we could watch the ferries cross the Rhine and the swimmers floating along with their Winkelfisch.
All in all, we enjoyed our stay in Switzerland very much, especially at the Hotel D, and the senior Rambler had a chance to rest his back before we began our journey home. Unfortunately I chose to get us back to Amsterdam and our flight home by train instead of flying from Basel to Schiphol. We had enjoyed train travel twenty years ago, when we spent 6 weeks in Europe, and it seemed like a good chance to see more delightful landscapes from a train window. BUT that was twenty years ago, and most of our travel was done without luggage.
What had seemed like a good idea a few months ago, now didn’t seem like such a good idea. What we should have done is booked an Easy Jet flight back to Amsterdam, but we didn’t. The first minor issue was to make sure we went to the right station. Basel has two, one was for mainly local travel and the other served international travelers. Our taxi driver spoke good English and dropped us off at the right one, but when I showed my ticket to the person on duty, he seemed somewhat agitated. Unfortunately he didn’t speak English so I didn’t understand what he was saying. We shrugged and turned to get to the platform. Then the lack of handicap accessibility hit us. There was no elevator…we had a choice of steep stairs or a steep ramp. Since we had our luggage, 2 carry-ons and a larger check-bag, we had no choice but to take the ramp. It was a struggle and we finally got to the top, my asthma had kicked in and it took a while to catch my breath.
But there was worse to come. Once on the platform, we learned from a friendly young man, what the agent was trying to tell us. There had been a cave-in on the line and all trains were being re-routed. What I had thought would be a scenic ride to Frankfort where we would have ample time to find our connecting train, turned into a nightmare of transferring from train to bus to train and finally getting on one that would take us to Frankfort. Keep in mind, that none of these stations had handicap accessible platforms… If it hadn’t been for the kindness of many German passengers we were being re-routed with, we might still be in Basel. LOL As it turned out, they helped us with our luggage, carrying it up or down the ubiquitous ramps for us, until we finally boarded a train that would take us to Frankfort where we would catch our train to Amsterdam, or so we thought. The bus connection was the worst as it was a fairly long ride and the bus was crowded; we were not the only ones being routed. The Ramblers did get to see more of the area, but not in the way we had expected.
When we finally reached Frankfort, it was obvious we had missed our scheduled connection but the railway guide who met the train with a welcome wheelchair, assured us he would take us to the platform where we would finally get aboard our train to Amsterdam, or so we thought. He instructed us to board the next train that pulled in, and even placed us in what was supposed to be the right boarding stop. When the train arrived, we got on, luggage in tow, and sat down. However, when the Russian lady conductor checked our tickets, she tried to tell us we were on the wrong train. However, we didn’t understand her. We were on the WRONG TRAIN and it was really the wrong train. It turned out to be a local commuter train and before we realized what was happening, we were the only people on board, and the train as stopped at a siding. A German railway worker came through and told us we would have to get off, as the train was going nowhere. We would have to find another train to get back to Frankfort and find the right train again.
When he opened the door, we saw that there was now a big drop to the ground, we were nowhere near the platform. When the railwayman saw our difficulty, he brought a ladder, and we carefully climbed down while he and a young student who would help us get back to Frankfort took our luggage. But that was only the first step. We had to climb over a series of tracks and a 2 1/ 2 ft. brick platform wall to get to the station. I really struggled to get over the wall, my repaired hips don’t flex like they used to. Fortunately my helper was a large guy and with me pushing and him pulling we got me over the barrier.
Unfortunately when we finally reached the station our young guide told us there wouldn’t be another train until morning. Staying there overnight was not an option as our flight was the next morning. We had to get to Amsterdam!
Waiting for the train that had already left…
In fact, our only option was to get a Taxi to drive us to Frankfort. It would be expensive but at this point we had no choice. Thanks to our kind student, he was finally able to find a driver who would take us back to Frankfort. Thanking our friend, we boarded the taxi and settled back for a fairly long ride. However, there was another problem. Our driver wanted to be paid in cash. We had few Euros left as we were leaving the next day. Since the Senior Rambler’s back was hurting again, I set out to find an ATM. By now it was rush hour and the station was crowded with commuters, but I finally located an ATM machine only to find it was broken, and the next wouldn’t accept my card. Trudged back to where the driver was waiting and told him I would have to find a bank. AT this time, a tall German came to my aid, assuring me that there were ATM’s close bay and he would take me there. And so he did, but I had a hard time keeping up with his quick pace. Evidently he didn’t spend much time with senior citizens. LOL Anyway, the first ATM didn’t work, so we went around the corner to another bank. By this time, I was really dragging and tripped on the bank step, falling and slamming my right arm into the glass door of the bank. As I lay there like a beached whale, surrounded by a small group of concerned Germans, adrenaline kicked in. I asked for a hand up, and headed towards the ATM machine which did work. Thanking yet another kind guide, I headed back to the waiting taxi, and paid the driver.
We were back in Frankfort but still had to get to Amsterdam by tomorrow morning. Not wanting to make the another mistake, we headed to Traveler’s Assistance where we explained what had happened and where we needed to go. But nothing went right that day. The last train to Amsterdam had already departed and there wouldn’t be another until 6 AM. That one should get us to Amsterdam in time to make our flight but it was now 8:30 in the evening. Because our problems were caused by the railroad, they offered to put us up at a hotel by the station. The Ramblers didn’t have much choice and we accepted the voucher, assured that the hotel was only a short distance away. We also had a ticket and information for the morning train to Amsterdam.
Now to find the hotel. The area around the Frankfort main train station is somewhat run down, the further away we walked the worse it got and we couldn’t find the hotel listed on the voucher. We were still dragging our roller bags, it was warm, we were dog tired and my arm was smarting. This was a very low point in the Ramblers’ travel experiences. I guess we should have been glad it wasn’t raining.
Sometimes God looks out for idiots, as we were stopped by a man wearing a Hawaiian shirt who noticed the two bedraggled Ramblers. It turned out he was a fellow American who was familiar with the area and would help us find the hotel. Of course it turned out that our hotel had been bought out by the Mercure chain which had changed its name. We had walked past it several times…To make matters worse, it was being remodeled. Thanking our angel in a Hawaiian shirt, we checked in and found that our “free” room was a long way off through an area that was under construction. It was tiny, and the twin beds were among the smallest we had ever seen.
It was now almost 9 PM, we hadn’t had anything to eat and didn’t feel like going out, but we had seen a McDonald’s close by. We got some burgers and headed back to our dumpy room. They were among the worst we ever had, which was par for the course. By now my right arm was a deep purple blue, and I had some interesting bruises on other parts of my anatomy. I always wear long sleeves when we travel; either keeps the sun off or keeps you warm. The shirt I was wearing was blue chambray, at this point my arm was the same color as the shirt.
The Ramblers didn’t want to miss the train to Amsterdam so we had a wake-up call for 4 AM and decided to take a taxi to the station even tho it was not far. We judged rightly that the people still roaming the streets at were not any we wanted to meet. This was confirmed by our taxi driver.
This time we found the right track and sat down to wait for boarding. The conductor looked at our ticket and felt we deserved an upgrade to first class for all our troubles. Finally, we experienced the train ride I had anticipated, as we sped through quaint small towns, and green countryside dotted with windmills. Unfortunately by this time we were too tired to appreciate it. But even now there was trouble in paradise. We were joined in our compartment by a young South Korean student who told us her computer had been stolen from her lap while she dozed off. Fortunately the thief hadn’t gotten her passport but this was a big loss for her. So I guess you need to be careful even on an upscale express train in first class.
We did get to the airport on time, and made our flight although the KLM people wanted me to go to urgent care first. By this time it was obvious to me that I had some cracked ribs to go with the blue arm. If I had gone, we would have missed our flight and there really wasn’t much they could do for me. So we boarded on time, had a decent flight although it seemed very long to this Rambler. We were super glad to have wheelchair service but even more glad to see our daughter Lisa waiting for us at arrivals. It was an unfortunate ending to what had been a great trip until then.
Home at last!
PS Went to Urgent care, had X-ray, had cracked my arm. When swelling went down, I got a cast that matched my arm.
Our little group had another early start as we left for Lucerne Switzerland at 9 AM. Today we would enjoy both a quick tour of Lucerne, a cruise on its famous lake and lastly ride up to the top of Mt. Pilatus on a cog railway. This last worried me a little bit but getting to a mountain top is a must in Switzerland, even tho the railway is the steepest in the world, basically going straight up.
Advertising for the Mt. Pilatus Cog Railway, it looked like a daunting experience to me as I don’t much care for heights.
After about an hour’s drive we reached our first stop, the massive rock sculpture titled “The Lion of Lucerne.” It was carved into solid rock by Lukas Ahorn in the 19th century to commemorate the massacre of Swiss Guards during the French Revolution. The slaughter took place in 1792 at the Tuileries. The sculpture was both moving and impressive,serving as an excellent remembrance of the slain guards.
The Lion of Lucerne, its mournful topic and its location in front of a reflecting pool, made it a somber experience.
Next we headed into the center of Lucerne, a city of 80,000 or so, which surrounds a beautiful lake of the same name. This area of Switzerland is still strongly Roman Catholic and a majority of the residents speak German.
One of the most engaging frescoes we saw in Lucerne, would have like to try the restaurant on the ground floor.
As soon as we got off the bus, Bernie took us through the heart of Lucerne at his usual quick pace. Along the way we got a glimpse of shop windows and more buildings with frescoes. Our final destination was the kapelbrucke or the Chapel Bridge which spanned the Reuss River just before it flows into Lake Lucerne. The water in the river and lake is amazingly clear.
Considering that this river and the lake it feeds are in an urban area, the water is amazingly clear, but chilly. Didn’t see any swimmers in the water.
The covered bridge was made of wood and has a stone tower at one end. The interior ceiling braces are decorated with paintings, mainly landscapes, which were done in the 17th century, although the bridge was built in the 14th. It has suffered fire damage during the years but today, looks much like it did in days gone by.
Interior of the Kapelbrucke showing one of the many 17th century paintings.The Kapelbrucke and the medieval tower at the end.
Our next stop was the lake itself. We were to take a scenic boat tour of Lake Lucerne. The lake has a beautiful setting surrounded by glittering buildings and mountains, including Mt. Pilatus,which we would visit in the afternoon. The boat ride was fun, the day was beautiful and we learned about the homes and resorts that surround Lake Lucerne. The lake has an interesting shape with several arms and we enjoyed the scenery and the weather as our boat navigated the calm waters.
One of the many tour boats that cruise around lake Lucerne. Sadly the one we took was not as picturesque.
Our boat tour ended around 1 PM and our group then split into two. Not everyone wanted to take the cog railway up Mt. Pilatus, as it turned out. About half stayed in Lucerne and had a free afternoon to explore the city and have lunch on their own until it was time to return to Basel at 4 PM. However our brave group boarded the waiting bus and headed towards the town of Kriens where we would board the cog wheel train. As we neared the station, the buildings started to resemble the views of Switzerland you see on postcards, although Kriens is actually a suburb of Lucerne and has a population of 20,000.
Several Swiss were playing their long Alpenhorns in front of the station, no doubt to engage the tourists. They succeeded as I can’t imagine having enough breath to get the sound out those long horns. They do have a deep, mellow sound unlike any other.
Can’t imagine playing one of these, or carrying it around. The horns do have a mellow, deep sound.
The ride up the mountain takes about a half hour but our train hadn’t arrived yet which gave us even more time to be nervous about the experience.
Waiting for the train, even the station platform has an upward slant.
Everything is steep about the cog railway, even the platform that leads to the car is at a steep angle. On board, we learned that the railway opened in 1889 and has been operating ever since. It travels about 7,000 ft. to the top of Mt. Pilatus, first through steeply sloping farmland and pastures. We saw several really fit farmers working the land while contented cows wearing large bells grazed on the lush grass.
This gentleman had to be really in good shape to farm in such a challenging environment and at a fairly high altitude too. Photo was taken from the open train window.
The final ascent is steep and rocky, but we were surprised to see some hardy souls hiking up the mountain, instead of riding. Then we noticed that there is a foot path that parallels the cog railway. As it turned out, the ride wasn’t that scary, although there are a few spots where you look straight down out your window.
The views were amazing everywhere you looked and if you have a chance to take the cog railway, don’t hesitate to do it.
I would have to say I would do it again and would have preferred to ride the train back down instead of riding a gondola. Now that was scary!
The Ramblers on top of Mt. Pilatus in front of the dragon sign.
We disembarked to find the temperature was at least 20 degrees cooler on the top of the mountain as intermittent fog swirled around us. We would have about an hour to enjoy the view and have some lunch until we regrouped for our gondola ride back to Kriens. The mountain top boasts a hotel, with a mall for souvenir stands and food counters. After walking to the viewing platform and getting our picture taken in front of the Mt. Pilatus sign, we decided to get something to eat. Although there is a sit down restaurant, it was crowded and the Ramblers decided to get the Mt. Pilatus version of fast food, really long hot dogs. Good choice, they were tasty and easy to eat, and we were lucky enough to score seats at a nearby table.
The senior Rambler with his more than a foot long hot dog, tasty tho somewhat obscene looking.
Soon it was time to reassemble for our ride down Mt. Pilatus, Unfortunately Bernie had booked our group on the huge gondola called the Dragon Ride. The dragon is the symbol of Mt. Pilatus. Well, this is a huge car that holds about 60 people. There are seats around the gondola walls but the Ramblers were not in the first rush of passengers and were packed into the standing room only middle like riders on the subway during rush hour.
It was probably as well we couldn’t see much from the crowded Dragon car as it glided down the mountainside.
The one good thing about the Dragon Ride is that the gondola has to stop while the passengers board. The Ramblers no longer appreciate the smaller gondolas that never stop and force you to get in and out while your vehicle is still moving. Unfortunately, the Dragon gondola only went half-way down the mountain. From there we would have to climb into 4 person gondolas constantly on the move. We did manage to get in with a charming Swiss grandmother and grand daughter who told us about their lives in the area.
I will admit that the view was spectacular and everything went well until we had to get out. We let our Swiss friends go first as this was a common experience for us. They were quick but we still have relatively little time to exit.
The smaller four person cars where the senior Rambler hurt his back. As you can see, they move along at a fairly good clip and there is little time on the platform to enter or exit.
When the senior Rambler got out, he stepped out awkwardly and experienced severe pain in his back. We managed to get back to the bus, and then to the hotel room but his pain didn’t go away. In asking about a doctor, the concierge told me that we were very close to the emergency room of the University Hospital; of course, it was open 24 hours. We finally decided that our only option was to go to the emergency room. Three hours later, we found that he had no serious damage but must have pulled or tweaked something when he stepped out of the gondola. The doctor wrote several prescriptions for him, and fortunately there is a pharmacy attached to the hospital that is open 24 /7. Prescriptions filled, we headed back to the hotel.
We would be checking out after breakfast and heading to the the Hotel D, about half a block away on the other side of the street. Good thing we had those hot dogs as we never did eat dinner that night. It was the right decision to go to the hospital, as it wouldn’t be long until we had to head for home. Keep in mind that having medical treatment in a foreign country is often expensive and you will have to pay up front. Take a credit card with a high limit along, just in case you have such an emergency. Then you can pay the bill at the medical facility and work on reimbursement when you get home. Best not to travel abroad without some kind of medical insurance, either thru a Medigap policy or travel insurance bought specifically for your trip.
