Sunday, May 28. Tied up in Breisach. Took bus to the Black Forest. Beautiful scenery, but we made no stops to view. Our destination was a pure tourist stop with various shops. Being Sunday, it was crowded. One storefront had a building-sized cuckoo clock. Cuckoo clock demonstration, glassblowing, Fruit wine, etc. The only redeeming demo was on how to make Black Forest cake. Very entertaining. But, though we were told we’d be able to taste the cake, as soon as the demo was over we were rushed back onto the buses. It was a worthwhile bus ride but it could have been so much more.

Our last dinner on board served black forest cake, made for 175 people. Small pieces that did not look at all like the demo’s result. I had seconds, but still felt short-changed.

Saturday, May 27. This was a busy day. It began with a small group to climb the Strasbourg Cathedral. Unlike every other morning excursion who took a bus, we set off on a one mile walk to the tram station. Probably because there were only eight of us. Our guide led the walk, talking all the way about Strasbourg’s history of shifting back and forth between Germany to France. (Strasbourg is now part of France, but I’m classifying it as Germany.) The guide provided enough details to suggest that a test would follow. During the entire morning he made one joke that I can remember. It was clear to me that there were other places he wanted to be on a beautiful Saturday morning.

The Tram was very new, which has contributed to a significant reduction in vehicular traffic. (The plaza around the Cathedral had once been a parking lot.) The old town of Strasbourg is, well, old. Very nicely preserved. The cathedral is beautiful, inside and out. It has a multitude of sculptures, a celestial clock and some inventive oddities.

Our climb was night and day different than Cologne’s. No elevator. 323 steps up, mostly via a circular staircase. Except for a momentary stop to look down after 100 steps, it was a non-stop climb to the rooftop. I’m clearly not at risk of a heart attack. The top had a few nice exhibits and a sweeping view of the city. But we had no view of the interior and no behind-the-scene looks. The single steeple towered above us. The climb down was circular and non-stop. Not much of a tour.

The guide continued the tour down several streets, which were crowded with antique markets and people. (Saturday.) The walk followed the “non-stop” theme. It ended when the guide essentially ran out of things to say, giving us free time. We wandered back to the cathedral to begin a long walk to the buses. It was a revelation to see the city at 9AM (empty) and noon (masses of people). The complete lack of interest by the guide was countered by the beautiful city and obvious vibrance of its citizens.

After lunch on the ship we depart on what was titled “Wine Tasting Excursion”. Total disappointment. One winery, which prided itself on making a new age wine. Maxi-organic. Which meant that what we tasted might not be representative of the Alsace area. Four tastings, including one sparkling wine and one red, in a region that’s known for its white wines. No wine cellar, no walk in the vineyards, not even a visit to their normal tasting room. We tasted while seated on too small benches among their steel tanks. Fortunately the wine rep was excellent and the two white wines were very good. Unfortunately, that was the whole show. We didn’t visit another winery. Four hours of excursion, one hour at a winery, four tastings.

The rest of the excursion was devoted to a small village. The guide called it a small version of Strasbourg, which I found especially silly, since we had spent the morning in Strasbourg. Overall, the afternoon was not worth the price or my time.

Friday, May 26. Most of the day was cruising. Nothing special. Some towns, many industries. I napped for much of the morning.

We docked in Speyer and had a short walking tour. It’s main claim to fame is it’s cathedral. A few busy tourist streets. Pretty parks. An interesting miniature gold course without turf. The town is one of the many traditional starts to the Camino de Santiago “Way of St. James”.

Thursday, May 25. Too many photos. Massive statue on the river’s edge. Spitting child tradition is from Napoleonic times when illegitimate children resulting from French soldiers being housed in the city. Offspring were treated poorly, resulting in their disrespectful conduct.

The river has a huge number of castles on both sides. Lots of small towns. Vineyards.

Had dinner off the ship in Rudesheim. Nice time. Fun entertainment, though the music was nearly all American.