We arrived in Amsterdam a couple of days prior to our cruise. Our driver picked us up at the airport where we had previously arranged to visit Keukenhof Gardens.   Keukenhof is one of the world's largest flower gardens in the world and is open annual from mid-March to mid-May. The best time to view the tulips is around mid-April, depending on the weather.   Approximately 7 million flower bulbs are planted annually in the park, which covers an area of over 80 acres with color and fragrance. We spent a few hours at the gardens but could have easily spent some more time taking in the sights and smells.

After leaving Keukenhof, we drove to our hotel for check-in. We freshened up and took the public transit to visit the Heineken brewery. The Heineken brewery was established in Amsterdam in 1864 and is one of the three largest beer producers in the world. The old brewery closed in 1988 but now offers a Heineken Experience tour where you learn something about the famous pilsner. You get to see the architecture of the 19th century Heineken brewery buildings, authentic interiors, old photographs and state decorations Heineken family received, famous gold medal from The Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1889, which you may see reproduced on each can of Heineken, impressive brass beer tanks and a quiet horse stable. There is even an amusement section at the end of the tour, where you we got to have some samples!

We left the Heineken building and started our walk back towards the hotel. There was a local Italian restaurant along the way that caught our eye. It was a perfect choice for supper as the pasta is homemade daily by the owner and the food was amazing! After overindulging in pasta and wine, we continued our walk back to the hotel where we called it a night as we had an early morning tour arranged.

After breakfast, our guide met us at the hotel where we started a 3-hour walking tour of Amsterdam. Roland Simons from Lowlands Tours, took us to the main monuments, where we also got to experience the everyday life in the city. Some of the highlights include Dam Square, the National Monument, the New Church, the Royal Palace, the Orphanage Squares, the Beguinage, the Canal District and the Floating Flower Market. Roland got us inside the Tuschinski Theater (Pathé Tuschinski) where we got to have a look at the beautiful décor. Before we parted ways, Roland gave us lots of tips on what to visit and where to eat. Roland did a fantastic job and everyone should start their Amsterdam visit with a guided tour by Roland. We had lunch at one of the markets before continuing our walk around Amsterdam.

One of my highlights was visiting the Anne Frank house. We had a 5:30 introductory tour booked and spent a couple of hours of hearing about the personal stories of Anne Frank and her family and friends. The 30-minute introduction was brief and informative. The self-guided tour of the house was moving and you leave with a renewed appreciation. You wish everyone could see and hear what these people experienced to see what it must have been like to live under those conditions and hear what true suffering is.   

We finished our tour and did more walking through some of the neighbourhoods before we stopped for supper at one of the recommended restaurants by Roland. The 30-minute line up was worth it as the food was delicious. We walked back to our hotel and decided to call it a night.

After breakfast, we got the bus from Amsterdam Central Station to Zaanse Schans, a neighbourhood in Zaandam known for its collection of well-preserved historic windmills and houses. The historic windmills and green wooden houses were relocated to recreate the look of an 18^th century village. We spent a couple of hours walking around the village and went into one of the windmills. We took the return bus back to Central Station and had lunch at the same restaurant from our first night. We picked up our luggage at the hotel and walked to the ship for the start of our river cruise.

We sailed from Amsterdam to Basel on the AmaSerena during a 7 night Captivating Rhine Wine cruise. To make things a little more interesting, we choose a wine-themed cruise. These special itineraries offer a mix of wine-related experiences and excursions, while at the same time; we joined tours that highlighted the famous sights in each port of call. It was amazing how quickly you got to know the crew. We finished the cruise with the feeling that we were leaving our friends and family behind.

I’ve captured an overview of my river cruise but there were too many “experiences and memories” to list.

As the river cruise dock is within the heart of Amsterdam, we walked to the dock from our hotel where the AmaSerena was docked. We were greeted by multiple crew members who took our luggage and guided us to the reception. It took a few minutes to confirm our name, reservation and get our cabin key. We went up on the sun deck to enjoy the sunshine with a refreshing drink. Some guests were taking advantage of the sun and warm temperature to enjoy a swim in the pool. At 4:30pm, we got to meet Marcelo, our Wellness Host, where we got to know everything about the onboard program.

At 6:00PM, our cruise director Raul, introduced the Captain and crew and then provided a safety and an information/welcome briefing. This followed with a welcome cocktail and welcome dinner. After dinner, we went into the lounge to listen to the onboard entertainment before some late night snacks were brought out at 10:30pm.

After breakfast, we headed out for our excursion. There were early risers’ pastries and later risers’ pastries in the lounge. Breakfast was also served in the main dining room.

Although we preselected our excursions prior to sailing, we had the opportunity to change our selection once onboard. We decided on the Amsterdam Canal Cruise which gave us a private canal boat journey and a different viewpoint of the city.

We went back to the ship for lunch in the restaurant. There was also a light lunch available in the lounge.

We left the port of Amsterdam around 1:00PM where we had a relaxing sailing afternoon and got to enjoy the Dutch scenery. We also got to hear a wine lecture on the History of Wine on the Rhine from the hosted wine expert. Marcelo offered several opportunities for guests to partake in some stretching and exercise classes.   Later this afternoon we joined our Cruise Manager for a cruise overview and had the opportunity once again, to sign up for tours/excursions.

There was a Sip and Sail cocktail hour every evening in the lounge before Dinner, along with a special “drink of the day”.   After dinner, we went to the lounge where we listed to a timeless classical musical performance by “La Strada” while we sailed from The Netherlands into Germany. After our 10:30PM snack, we called it a night.

We spent the morning enjoying the scenery as we cruised towards Cologne, Germany. We attended a wine tasting and lecture in the morning and played a card game with some friends in the lounge. Our floating hotel docked just 10 minutes walking distance away from the center of the city Cologne. Köln, as it is called in German, is Germany’s fourth largest city. It is famous for many things like Kölsch Beer, Reibekuchen (potato fritters) and Eau De Cologne. Towering over the center of town is Cologne’s Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and definitely the city’s most recognizable landmark.

We had a choice of a guided bike tour or the “Holy City” Walking Tour, Cathedral Visit. We picked the second tour where we got to walk through the heart of the city and visit the Cathedral. We had some free time before stopping at one of the local pubs for some of the famous local Kölsch beer before walking back to our ship.

It was back to the lounge for the Sip and Sail and cocktail of the day. Our cruise director gave a short talk about tomorrow’s program. We had dinner in the restaurant and then went into the lounge where we listed to another live performance by Poppyfield. Afterwards, our onboard musican Panche entertained us in the lounge before the late night snack was served. At 10:30, we set sail for Rüdesheim. The city was lit up like a Christmas tree and to see the City pass us by as we sailed away was simple breathtaking. 

Today is Castle Day.  The Rhine is Europe’s most important waterway. It flows from Switzerland to the North Sea and is known by its four main sections: the High, Upper, Middle and Lower Rhine. The middle part is flanked by dozens of old castles.

This morning we started off with a scenic cruise through the most famous stretch of the Rhine River. No less than 30 castles or castle ruins are seen in the short stretch of river valley. Our Cruise Manager did occasional commentary starting at 7:30AM. We saw steep slopes, many covered by vineyards and dotted by castles and picturesque villages. We passed by the famous Lorelei Rock, located in the narrowest and deepest stretch of the river. There are many stories and myths about the rock, one which involves a young woman and her ghost, which are claimed to have caused countless deathly shipwrecks. We were also served Rüdesheim coffee to help us warm up. Asbach brandy is a specialty of Rüdesheim and is a key ingredient in the coffee. A sip of this brandy is poured into a special mug, set on fire, doused with coffee and topped by whipped cream and chocolate flakes.

We were served a delicious German lunch before arriving in Rüdesheim around 2:00PM. There was a choice of a bike tour, Ehrenfels Castle Hike or hop on the Choo Choo Train for Wine Tasting or the Gondola Ride. We took the Choo Choo Train for the Wine Tasting. Rüdesheim is home to the famous wine “Riesling”. There are lots of sights down at the river level and remnants of three castles in the center of town, including the remains of the 12^th century Brömserburg castle which once belonged to the Archbishops of Mainz, now home to Siegfried’s Mechanical Music Museum.

After our wine tasting, we went back to the ship where we joined the Sip & Sail hour in the lounge and then off for Dinner. After Dinner, we departed for our tour of Siegfried’s Music Cabinet Museum. The museum displays 350 or so automatic musical instruments, all still in working order. We walked back to the ship where we watched a tribute to ABBA in the lounge. We enjoyed the late night snack before retiring. We set sail to Ludwigshafen around 2:00AM.

We had a later start this morning as we continued our sail Ludwigshafen. There was several stretching and exercise classes offered by Marcel, the Wellness Host but we decided on taking in a wine lecture on old world vs new world wines. Some samples were also thrown into the lecture which made it much more interesting! Afterwards, we played some cards with friends and had an early lunch as we arrived in Ludwigshafen around noon. There were 4 excursions to choose from today so we selected the Romantic Heidelberg tour. It started with a 40 minute bus ride to the castle complex. The rich and eventful history of Heidelberg Palace began when the counts palatine of the Rhine, – later prince electors – established their residence at Heidelberg. First mentioned in 1225, this was destined to become one of the grandest palaces of the Renaissance.

Once a Gothic masterpiece, the Castle of Heidelberg has encountered turbulent times. The earliest structure was constructed in the early 1300s and continued to grow and expand until it became two castles by 1294. Each building highlights a different period of German architecture and the ruins are considered the symbol of German Romanticism and the Castle of Heidelberg is one of the highlights of the German Castle Road. The castle dominates the skyline and once you have reached the castle grounds, stop and look back at the city and iconic bridge. It is quite the view as visitors roam the elegant castle gardens for free. Fassbau (wine cellar) from 1590 houses the biggest wine barrel in the world, Heidelberg Tun, which holds 220,000 liters (58,124 gallons) of wine. You may hear the story about Mark Twain who visited the castle back in his day and the subsequent boat trip on the nearby Neckar river that allegedly inspired him to write a chapter of Huckleberry Finn.

After the walking tour, there was an option to take the funicular to the town center or take a 20 minute walk downhill. We choose to walk to the town center where we received an orientation walk before setting out to explore on our own.

We met our guide around 5:30PM where we returned back to the ship on bus. We cleaned up for dinner and met everyone in the lounge for the Sip & Sail cocktail hour. Our Cruise Manager gave a short talk about the next day’s program in Strasbourg.

Dinner tonight was at the Chef’s Table, a tasting menu with three appetizers, a champagne sorbet intermezzo, three main courses and three decadent desserts, serving up a variety of regional specialties and traditional dishes. A demonstration kitchen is part of the entertainment as we got to watch the chef prepare an exquisite multi-course dinner. Each course is paired perfectly with a hand-selected regional wine.

After dinner, we headed to the lounge for disco night. We passed on the late night snacks tonight as we were full from dinner.

We woke up in the beautiful town of Strasbourg. Thanks to the richness and sheer desity of its heritage sites the entire town center has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Before breakfast, there were a couple of stretching and core strengthening classes offered by Marcelo, the Wellness Host. After breakfast, there was a choice to do the Strasbourg City Tour or the Strasbourg Bike Tour. The tour started with a panoramic bus tour and then we continued for a 1 hour walking tour towards the Cathedral. After the tour, we received tickets to see the famous astronomical clock. The clock is located in the Cathédrale Notre-Dame and dates from 1843. Each day at around 12:30 (the solar noon of Strasbourg) the bird crows and a conga line of apostles issues forth from the clockworks, and passes before Christ. It is also ornately decorated making it all the more impressive.

After our tour, you had a choice to ride back to the ship or you could stay in town and attend the Alsatian Wine tasting at Le Gruber restaurant. The guide was interesting and bought a lot of fun in the tasting. We got to “taste” lots of wine and enjoy some local cheese and bread! After our wine tasting, we headed back to the bus where we were taken back to our ship. Marcelo offered several afternoon wellness classes from jogging, aerobics and stretching.

We dressed for dinner and joined the Captain and the rest of the crew in the lounge for a farewell cocktail hour before heading to the restaurant for the Captain’s Gala Dinner. After dinner we went into the lounge where we were entertained by two beautiful French singers. We departed later this evening toward Breisach. Another beautiful end to an enchanting day!

This morning we docks in Breisach, on the German side of the Rhine and directly facing the Alsatian region in France.   You just needed to go over the short bridge and you would find yourself in France. There was a choice of 4 tours this morning but we decided on the tour to Riquewihr (France) and also partake in a wine tasting excursion. The other option was a tour to Freiburg (Germany) and a wine tasting excursion. The next option was to do the Black Forest Hike. The final option was a 25KM Breisach Bike tour.

We departed at 9:00AM where we took a 45 minute panoramic bus ride. We stopped for the wine tasting and then continued to Riquewihr for our walking tour. After the tour, we had some free time to explore the town on our own. It was a beautiful, quaint town with cobbled streets and half-timbered winemakers’ shops and tasting rooms. Riquewihr is also known for the Riesling and other great wines produced in the village. Riquewihr looks today more or less as it did in the 16th century and is officially one of the most beautiful villages in France. On our way back to the ship, we went through Colmar, another beautiful French town. We learned that the creator of the famous Statue of Liberty in New York was born in Colmar and we drove by a 12-meter high replica of the Statue of Liberty in New York to commemorate the 100th death anniversary of the sculptor Auguste Batholdi.

We were back onboard by 1:00PM where lunch was served and we departed for Basel. This afternoon there were serveral more wellness options from walking, workout class, resistance band class and an office workout lecture.   We attended a mandatory disembarkation briefing where we made arrangements for a cab to pick up us in the morning as we had a 10:30 departure at the train station.

This afternoon we took a little time to pack our suitcase and joined other guests for the Sip and Sail Cocktail hour before dinner. This evening all guests had to settle their account at the reception. We took some time to purchase a few items in the giftshop. We also filled out a few postcards, compliments of AmaWaterways, to send back home. After dinner, we went into the lounge to list to some onboard entertainment by Panche. We arrived in Basel around 10:00PM tonight.