Page 27 - Explore Magazine Spring 2016

photos of fairy-tale-type houses that come in every size
and colour. It was like walking through my favourite story 25
books.
Although every day of the cruise offers a choice of two
excursions at no extra cost, you can also wander and
discover on your own. My most interesting excursion
was vinegar tasting in the Palatinate region of the
Rhineland – yes, vinegar tasting! After learning about
the production process we headed to the tasting room
of the estate to sample the drinking vinegars that are
produced as aperitifs to be consumed after meals.
The vinegars are infused with herbs, rose petals, figs
and a host of other delicious items. Vinegars are also
produced for cooking and dressings and they must be
good because many top restaurants in Europe source all
their vinegars from this estate.
Despite all my mentions of food and wine, the cruise was
considerably more active than I had imagined. In the
mornings we were up and ready for the next adventure.
Shore excursions generally last half a day and you
can opt to return to the ship for lunch – and a cheeky
wine if you are so inclined! We often chose to continue
exploring on our own, admiring the endless rows of
pastries through shop windows and taking in the French
and German architecture surrounding us. One day took
us 300 steps up the tower of Notre Dame Cathedral
where we were rewarded with the most amazing views
over Strasbourg.
Lunchtimes away from the ship were dedicated to
finding local gems, with the criteria that they must be
somewhere where locals dine (hand gestures quickly
become a fun, international language when trying to
decipher a German menu). You can never go wrong
with schnitzel and German beer and the local brews
were very enjoyable and thankfully hangover-free.
Lunch in Koblenz was the most memorable: at a small
pub we learned that the owner was not only the cook
but also the hunter. The men in our group were soon
swapping hunting stories with the owner (some pretty
tall tales were told, I hasten to add) before sampling his
homemade schnapps.
One of my personal highlights was cycling from the
historic Rhineland town of Boppard to Koblenz. All
Uniworld ships offer the use of bicycles and this was a
relaxed ride along the riverside through quaint villages
and small parks full of spring blooms. The stunning
Marksburg castle soon dominated our riverbank views
and rejoining River Empress was like coming home, with
welcoming smiles and hot drinks on offer.
And of course I must mention the castles. In the
middle Rhine, you will see your heart’s-fill of them. One
afternoon, expecting to see just a handful, I was soon
running from left to the right across the deck as every
bend and twist of the river presented a new castle, some
in ruins and others bought back to life.
A Uniworld river cruise is such a lovely, easy way to
experience Europe. You unpack of course just once
and everything is taken care of. You generally cruise at
night, awakening in the heart of a new destination each
morning. This allows ample time to explore at your own
pace. The luxurious all-inclusive style of Uniworld is also
non-intrusive and such a refreshing way to travel. Your
only worry is, do I need this second éclair or not? Of
course I do!

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : SPRING EDITION