I was very excited to be invited on my first-ever River Cruise experience with Riviera Travel. It’s safe to say, I had a blast!
Day 1
We arrived in Düsseldorf after leaving Heathrow on an afternoon flight, ready and raring to go!! After just an hour's drive from the airport, we boarded the Geoffrey Chaucer at Cologne, where we saw the Cathedral, all lit up!
Highlights of the Cabin: Comfy bed & pillows, tea/coffee making facilities, fresh fluffy towels, handheld or rain shower in a very spacious bathroom but the highlight had to be the view! To have sliding doors where you could look out and sit to admire the river and the views was just amazing. Overnight and some of the next day we sailed on to Cochem, on the Moselle river.
Day 2
After a scrumptious breakfast of poached eggs on toast! We gather in the lounge and meet the Riviera team, Eric & Bernadette for our presentation of the day and also to show us how to work our audio devices, as we will need them for the next week's walking tours.
After Lunch we walked into Cocham for our tour where we walked its many narrow streets and medieval town gates. Later we had our own free time to do more exploring so we took the chair lift to Pinner Cross, 250m above sea level – I do love a good view!
Later that evening we sat down to our evening meal, which I can just say was fabulous, how was I going to cope with eating all of this delicious food and not gain weight? (An impossibility!!)
Day 3
One of the highlights today was sitting on the top deck. Sat in 25 degrees with blue skies, watching the world go by, looking at the vineyards, people cycling along the river, little villages getting ready for the weekend ahead and people rowing and just enjoying the lovely natural beauty.
Later that afternoon we arrived into Trier, the oldest city in Germany, this is where Karl Marx was born on 5 May 1818. Later that evening we booked into the Bistro and had a lovely evening meal together.
Day 4
We take a tour of Bernkastel, this is truly a wine lover's heaven! Here you can go to the Moselle Wine Museum. After our tour we walked to the castle at the top of the hill, it’s a 25-minute walk up a steep hill (or there is a bus) where the views of the Moselle were spectacular!
Day 5
We arrived in Koblenz; this is where the 2 mighty rivers meet and where the city takes its name “confluence” the merging of rivers and is also the middle of Europe. Here there is a cable car that takes you to yet another great view across the city.
We then continued our cruise for our afternoon arrival at Boppard, this is where you can take a chair lift to one of the best views of the Rhine.
Day 6
Castle Day – I have named it this because we take a morning cruise along the Rhine Gorge, where you see many Medieval Castles and home to legends and tales. Remember to take your binoculars!
Later that afternoon we arrived in Rüdesheim, where we took a walking tour of the city. We were also lucky enough to arrive for the last evening of one of their many wine festivals. This is where the town square comes alive with people enjoying the wine, dancing and listening to live music. To top it off, there was also a fireworks display!
Day 7
We woke up cruising along the Rhine via Bonn (the former capital) to Cologne, the 4th largest city in Germany. Here, we did a walking tour of Cologne and finished off at the largest Gothic structure on earth “Cologne Cathedral”. The Cathedral started building in 1248 and finally finished in 1880. This is also where there is the “Shrine to the Three Kings”.
If you are a chocolate lover, you can also visit the Chocolate Museum in Cologne.
Day 8
We have to say goodbye! This was my first ever river cruise and I can honestly say that it won’t be my last.
Please come and see me so that I can tell you all about it and share my tips. I would also like to say a huge thank you to Paul & Riviera Cruises who made this trip so special. I have made some great memories that I will never forget.
