On a Moving Hotel

Taking a river boat cruise in the winter months  has never been on my bucket list, but when I saw the advertising for one that focused on the Christmas Markets, I thought, “How fun. I can learn some German history and culture and do my Christmas shopping all at once”. 

The idea of visiting cities and towns along the Rhine River was appealing.  I was motivated by the ad that said “Move into our room on the boat and go.  It’s a floating hotel.”  

Since I had never taken a River Boat Cruise other than one in Myanmar in 2015 and that is a very different experience, I didn’t exactly know what to expect but had a good idea.  River Cruising in Myanmar

We booked through Smithsonian who worked with a company called AHI who specializes in alumnae trips and groups like Smithsonian.  What I liked about our booking was that we had our own “Smithsonian expert” on the trip and small group sessions to learn about the history and culture of places we visited. 

We got on the boat in Dusseldorf after a few days in Berlin (see previous blog) at a beautiful spot on the River.  The lights on the water were lovely.   

The boat made its way down the river at night or late day every day except one.  That way we were docked someplace to get off the boat for touring during the day. I’ve always heard about the crowded docks where boats were rafted together. That was not our experience.

The only exception was the day that we went through the Rhine Gorge, known for its beautiful scenery, a plethora of castles and sweet little towns.  We saw it on a rainy, gray day where the staff served hot chocolate those of us who braved our way to the cold and misty deck.

We saw a few other boats like ours but not many.  I got a kick out of watching the staff get off the boat when no one was around to catch the lines.

We had guides on excursions every day.  Not only did we visit the Christmas Markets, but we learned  about and vested cathedrals and cities, rebuilt after WW II.  Tours included museums, wine tasting and some people when to a famous monastery.  

I enjoyed that even though the groups were too large for me.  I have too many questions or want to stop to take photos to do well in a big group, but made the best of it and enjoyed the experience.  

One of the more interesting experiences was meeting the captain and seeing how the bridge functioned. The bridge on a boat is a cabin on the deck where the captain drives the boat.  What absolutely astounded me was that the whole control room  was on hydraulics so it could be lowered if going under the very low bridge. Water levels on the European Rivers have been changing so much that this is sometimes necessary. 

The boat, the Silver Amadeas. was quite new, having been launched in 2015 and then parked for three years during covid.   The public areas were lovely and we liked our own little cabin—truly a moving hotel.  

I’d think about doing this again, especially if I could find untraveled waterways and a boat with smaller excursion groups.  Any suggestions?   

For more about this trip, read the previous two blog posts.