This post is sponsored by Viking Cruises. We were guests of Viking River cruise line on this Rhine River getaway. I was not asked to write anything, this recap is all our experience and opinions.
I’m back with the final installment of our Viking Rhine River cruise. If you missed Part 1 and Part 2, be sure to start there first for the whole experience!
It’s been so fun to share this with all of you and I appreciate the great response and comments. I’ve even had some of you tell me you have booked your Viking cruise already! I’m so happy to hear that! I’m also glad you all enjoyed Mark’s comments on the cruise. I can always count on him to come through with witty dialogue when he writes. He’s an entertainer that’s for sure!
I left you last with us arriving in Koblenz, Germany, a traditional German country town located where the Rhine and Moselle Rivers meet. Our included shore excursion was touring the Marksburg Castle, this beauty high on the hill above the city. Doesn’t this look like something out of a movie set?
Such gorgeous scenery. We didn’t tour the town, but the excursion was after lunch for about 3 hours.
A bus took us up to the high parking deck where we walked the rest of the way up to the castle. It was quite the sight to see and looking back down at the river from above was breath taking.
Construction on the current fortifications began around 1100 and expanded during the 16th century. In 1801, the castle was partially destroyed by Napoleon and the French occupied Koblenz for the next 18 years. The fort looms some 400 feet above the Rhine’s left bank.
You’ve just got to include pictures of yourself with all this beautiful scenery behind.
We were in groups as we toured the castle, with our earbuds and guides telling us interesting facts about it all. Walking on the uneven rocks and cobblestones could be quite the challenge so good tennis shoes or walking shoes were definitely necessary. We walked up that sloping hill.
The cruise line was very good about noting on the shore excursions descriptions which ones were more difficult and required a lot of walking and hiking, so you can choose your comfort level.
Crests from over the years. The fortress is also a UNESCO World Heritate Site, which I found out is a big deal after looking it up:
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties.
It was completely fascinating to tour a real live castle and picture how they used to live.
Cannons and cannonballs were all around.
There’s even a garden on top of the castle outside on the wall walkway.
Me, being exceedingly happy to be there.
With this view at the top!
Such a great view!
We toured a few of the living spaces inside too. This fireplace was huge!
This bed was not. I guess the people back then were much smaller than today.
So interesting to see all the details in this centuries old castle.
Tools of the trade.
Armor for the knights to fight in. These were in order of their time period, very fun to see the changes.
The torture chamber. Wouldn’t want to spend time in here and can you imagine being in this place at night?
Back to the Kara and our home away from home. Dinner was at 7:00 and we left Koblenz for Cologne at 2:30 a.m.
Sitting outside before dinner.
Another delicious dinner on the ship.
One thing to note, you couldn’t even tell when the ship was moving if you weren’t looking outside. It was so smooth and completely felt like land. We moved many times at night, but the day moving trips were a treat. I think they definitely save the day moves for the really scenic areas of the Rhine, like the castles I showed you in Part 2. Makes the most of the best scenery to look at!
It’s funny, I was just looking at our Viking Daily while writing this and while in Koblenz, there was a note to be back on board the ship by 2:00 a.m. That’s pretty hilarious, as I can’t imagine anyone on our ship staying out that late. Well, we did meet one young couple on the ship, they must have been in their 30’s and they said they loved being with all of us old timers! But I bet even they didn’t stay off the ship that long.
In Koblenz this statue was right outside our room. The plaque for the statue said it was a memorial to German Unity at the Deutsches Eck. The original statue was in memory of Kaiser Wilhelm to whom the monument was dedicated in 1897. After the destruction of the statue the remaining monument was declared in 1955 to be a symbol of German unity.
Here’s our balcony and how close we were to the statue.
We enjoyed walking around in the streets in Koblenz after we got back from our visit to Marksburg castle.
Next stop on Friday was Cologne, Germany. Cologne is a major cultural center filled with museums, historic architecture and restaurants. There were lots of activities listed in our Viking Daily for the town. We walked around the town a bit and took in the sights.
Our bus took us across the river where we would tour the beautiful Cologne Cathedral.
The 14th century Cathedral is a stunning example of Gothic artistry and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It took over 600 years to build! Let that sink in! Spared Allied bombs during WWII, the cathedral’s imposing twin spires are visible for miles and stained glass windows fill the interior with brilliant colored light. It is said to house the remains of the 3 Kings inside.
Its 509 steps lead to a 312 foot platform with stunning views.
We did NOT opt for that climb!
But the views inside were spectacular. Mark and I both loved this cathedral probably the most out of all we saw.
Those stained glass windows were stunning and my photos really don’t do them justice.
I could imagine how many people have sat on these pews and they were beautiful pews.
These Gothic churches are truly amazing. We could not imagine the man power it took to build these and how in the world did they do it anyway? Just mind blowing!
The details were something to see.
Another scenic shot to document our adventure. You can get a good look at our guide receivers that we wore every day around our necks. We charged them up at night and brought them with us on each excursion. They were in our rooms all the time, with earbuds to go with them. Worked great!
We were told that the Cologne cathedral is dark gray, almost black because of the reaction of the sulphuric acid in the rain with the sandstone of the building. It just turns dark over time and the repaired sections are much lighter and brighter, but will darken over time.
We opted for one extra excursion that was not included with the cruise package and that was visiting the Bruhl UNESCO Palace in the afternoon. It was quite the imposing house and I was totally impressed with the checkerboard cobblestone street that led to the gates.
Another selfie, just because!
Isn’t this pretty? We weren’t allowed pictures inside but I loved this driveway.
I tried to get different angles so you could see how incredible it was. I’d love to have this at our house! Our guide said it was all original.
The Augustusburg and Falkenlust palaces were built at the beginning of the 18th century.
The gardens behind the palace.
This allee of trees was so pretty.
Our guide told us they cut the trees in the middle to keep their growth stunted. I’ve never seen that before.
Gardens from the back of the palace. Honestly, the palace was fun to look at, but after seeing The Biltmore in Asheville and the Mansions of Newport, RI, this was not nearly as impressive, but it’s definitely older, so very interesting to see.
The Falkenlust hunting lodge was built from 1729 to 1740. It was nice inside.
Back to our ship for a delicious dinner that night, this was Osso Bucco and very tasty.
A chocolate cake was my choice for dessert that night.
That night, the scenery in Cologne looking across the river at the cathedral was just spectacular.
Mark captured this beautiful picture.
And this one. Isn’t that gorgeous? We left at midnight heading to Kinderkijk, The Netherlands.
We saw some pretty scenery the next morning and got to our destination after lunch.
There we got off the ship and went on the walking tour of the Kinderdijk windmills, working windmills to this day.
Don’t let the blue skies and sunshine fool you. It was SO windy and cold that day, we were bundled up and still cold.
We made the journey out to the windmills and took the tour inside one of them.
They were pretty to look at but it was so cold we didn’t make it too long. The wind was brutal that day.
Inside the windmill was interesting as there are stairs to climb and levels to look at. We didn’t climb all the way up, but looked on the main level and saw how families used to live in here. The windmills are still working to pump water out of the area.
I had to pose in the wooden shoes of the region. That’s the one thing I associate with The Netherlands, wooden shoes.
And another selfie, again to document all the wonderful scenes we saw together.
On our last dinner together, our wonderful group, the group we started with the first night celebrated our last evening together. We laughed, talked, ate and took a group pic. Our server assistant was so sweet and took this pic with her in it. Our servers were great!
One more thing I forgot to mention, the crew on board are trained to learn names at the beginning of the cruise, so all of the servers called us by our names, like Mr. Mark and Ms. Rhoda. It was so cute! Amazing that they learn names so fast and then everyone leaves and they start over again the next week.
One last sunset and then it was time to head home the next morning.
On the last night, I finally got to see us moving through a lock right after sunset. The rest of the time it was during the night, but several of us went out on deck to watch this one and it was so interesting. The big door goes up as the ship moves up and through the lock and somehow the water level goes up and down too.
It was such a wonderful trip and we weren’t exactly ready to get off the ship the next morning, but we followed instructions and had our big suitcases out in the hall around 8 a.m. for them to get them off the ship and ready to load on buses back to the airport in Amsterdam. Thankfully we had a direct flight on the way back and away we went, back to Atlanta.
We both loved the trip so much and can’t wait to do another one. We hope that there are many more trips for us in the coming years! It sure is fun to see other parts of the world, the history, the amazing scenery, and seeing how others in the world live their lives.
A big thanks to Viking Cruises for inviting us on the cruise. It was certainly a dream trip for us! I hope you all enjoyed these 3 parts and hope it gave you a true glimpse into what a Viking cruise is like. As I mentioned, I’ve already gotten messages from a few people who told me they were booking or had already booked their Viking cruise. I don’t think anyone would be disappointed and this was our true and accurate experience of the Viking Rhine Get away.
Pat Dowd says
You mentioned your photography did not do justice to the stained glass windows. Well, I enjoyed every one of your pictures! You are a marvelous photographer! And I enjoyed your trip, right along with you! What a treat. Thank you!
Rhoda says
HI, Pat, thank you so much! I loved capturing all the beauty we saw and sharing it with all of you.
Sofia F. says
Wow, wow, wow! Loved this 3 part series. I so enjoy your decorating posts, but think your travel posts are now my favorites! I loved how you took us day by day-felt like I was there! Thanks so much!!
Rhoda says
Thank you, Sofia, I’m so glad you all have enjoyed my cruise recap. It was fun to look over all the pics and itinerary and relive it all again. I wanted to share as much as I could!
Janette says
I agree. The cathedral in Cologne is the best. I now compare all cathedrals to that one. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Once you and Mark get a little more used to cycling. you can take bike and boat tours along the Rhine, Danube, Moselle, etc.
Rhoda says
Hi, Janette, that sounds like fun too! I know you are the expert in cycling in Europe so I will be asking questions if we decide to do that in the future.
Doreen says
Such an incredible cruise and you captured every detail perfectly. Our world is filled with such beauty and you and Mark were blessed to be able to experience this first hand. Makes me wish I could set sail today. I’m wondering the name of your assistant server. My husband and I agree she looks very much like our assistant server on our cruise in February. It was with a different cruise line.
Thank you so much for sharing your fascinating journey.
Rhoda says
HI, Doreen, I was trying to remember her name, it was something like Frennie.
Roxanne says
What a fabulous trip! I love the picture of you in the wooden shoes!! I can’t recommend Viking highly enough. They really know how to give you a first class adventure,
Rhoda says
Hi, Roxanne, they sure do, I couldn’t agree more!
Deanna Rabe says
I’ve always told my husband that these river cruises would be the one cruise I wouldn’t hesitate to do! Looks amazing!
Rhoda says
Hi, Deanna, I think you would love it!
Cookie says
I so enjoyed your pics, especially the windmills and you posing in the ditch shoes. We did. Viking cruise a few years ago but down the Danube. So many people told us we wouldn’t enjoy but it was one of our most enjoyable cruises..love your blog.
Rhoda says
Thank you, Cookie, we really experienced a lot in that week and had so much fun. Ready to do another one!
UMZ says
Beautiful trip! Can you share with us info on costs? And someone told me Viking always sends out discounts. Where do we find info on the discounts?
Rhoda says
Hi, U, the costs vary from trip to trip, so the best thing to do is get on Viking’s mailing list and have discounts sent to your email. You can check prices on each cruise by going to their website under River cruises and the drop down box has all their cruises listed plus you add in the dates you are looking at, or I think you can just look at each cruise and the date it is available. You can then look at accommodations and see how much each room is per couple. I think they often have specials. There is also a box that says Last Minute Travel Specials & you may be able to get a good deal on that one. https://www.vikingrivercruises.com/?_ga=2.135875889.1285619610.1559575149-727998784.1555937391
Celia Thirlwall says
Hi Rhoda! I enjoyed all 3 parts of this incredible river cruise! Nice to get a perspective such as this. Hubby and I do hope to do one soon and you now have me totally convinced it’s a great idea!
Thanks!!
Celia
Rhoda says
HI, Celia, I’m so glad! A lot of travel sites are facts only, but you all know I like to personalize things so I share from a very personal point of view, exactly what we experienced.
Marci says
Inspired me to go on this trip! Four of us booked for October on Viking Elnar!
Rhoda says
HI, Marci, I’m so glad to hear that! We had so much fun and I’m sure October will be a great time to experience it all too.
Kathy says
Just now seeing your blog. Can’t wait to read
the first two as we are taking the opposite direction of your cruise next week!
Thank you!
Theresa Ball says
Enjoyed this travel series. My husband has thought about a river cruise but I’ve heard good/bad stories. Glorious photos. I may have to reconsider a river cruise thanks to your posts. Receive Viking literature – will have to pay attention a little more closely!
Bonnie says
Your posts brought back wonderful memories of our Viking cruise, climbing the uneven steps at Marksburg castle, the Cologne Cathedral, and the windmills. Loved your pictures, and so glad that you and Mark had a great time. We have been on two Viking cruises and can’t wait to do another one!
Rhoda says
Hi, Bonnie, so glad to hear that so many of you have been on Viking cruises too. Truly a wonderful experience!
Patty says
It looks like an incredible vacation. I am not one for cruises, but you have me rethinking that! My husband actually travels to Koblenz for work a few times a year. It was neat seeing pictures of it.
Jane says
I have so enjoyed your travelog, Rhoda and Mark. So glad you were able to have this trip, and to share it with us!
Treeca says
Their trip experience mirrored ours: we started in Amsterdam and got off the boat in Basel then extended for 2 days in Lucerne. The staff, service, crew were top of class. Meals were enjoyable, leisurely dining with 3 star menus. We have booked the Danube cruise in 2020 already. We were cosseted and spoiled, and can’t wait to do it again.
Rhoda says
So glad to hear that, Treeca, it was a great trip!
Linda says
I’m leaving in 4 days! Pre-trip to Prague, then Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary down the Danube! Can’t wait! Its nice to have my expectations about Viking confirmed by you and your husband. Thanks for writing this!
Rhoda says
HI, Linda, oh I’m so excited for you! Enjoy every minute of it!
Kathy says
I’d love to take a Viking River Cruise someday. I love Europe and small ships so I’m sure I’d enjoy it as much as you did. And seriously, if I had hair like yours, I would never straighten it. I paid a pretty penny for my perm, but it’s never the same as the real deal. The grass is always greener, right?
Rhoda says
Hi Kathy, it is like that! I do like my curly hair too, but it’s the big frizz ball I don’t like. It does take some taming to make it look good all the time, but I’m very glad I can do it either curly or straight. I’m getting better at making it look good curly.
diane in northern wis says
Oh my gosh Rhoda….how fun that would be to do a Viking Cruise like you did. It looks just awesome! I would love to do that someday. For now though, I have been diagnosed with cancer, so will have to start chemo very soon. Please keep me in your prayers. I love your blog….always so uplifting! Thanks for taking the time to make it so great!
Rhoda says
Hi, Diane, I’m so very sorry to hear of your cancer diagnosis. You’ve been one of my faithful readers for so long. I will definitely keep you in my prayers.
Juliet says
What a trip, Rhoda! Thanks for clarifying the meaning of a UNESCO designation . . . I knew it was a big deal, but wasn’t entire clear. Your photos are amazing . . . the scenery! My favorite is the Cathedral at night – gorgeous. A river cruise is on my bucket list and Viking sounds like the way to go! xo