CHRISTMAS TIME IN EUROPE THIS YEAR

Starting to think about that holiday shopping chore that's staring you in the face right now? Got more stuff than you can ever use? How about something really different and memorable this year - a river cruise to the Christmas Markets in Europe. But isn't the economy going to ruin Christmas this year? Only if you let it! In partnership with AMA Waterways, we're offering up to a $1,000 discount on two different itineraries in Europe in November and December plus if you're an AARP member there's another $100 discount. Just imagine visiting magical Christmas Markets in cities like Prague, Nuremberg, Regensburg, Linz, Vienna, Budapest, Trier, Franfurt, Cologne and Dusseldorf while traveling onboard one of AMA Waterways beautiful, luxurious river ships: Amacello, Amalegro or Amadagio.

Not only is a AMA Christmas Wonderland Cruise or a Christmas Time cruise a great value because of the special discounts, AMA includes so much more such as:

• Infotainment system in all staterooms with free internet, move and music library in English.


• Terry bathrobes and white-on-white plush bedding.


• Superb dining with all meals included on the cruise.


• Unlimited red & white wines from Europe's great wine regions with every dinner on board the ship.


• Cocktail reception, Welcome Dinner and Captain's Gala Dinner.


• Daily sightseeing program included.


• Special highlights including: Folklore dances, lecturres, theme dinners, on board music performances and piano music.


• Use of bicycles to explore on your own - no charge.


• Services of professional cruise director.


• All English language on board in a non-smoking environment (smoking permitted only on the outside Sun Deck.


• Hotel accommodations include daily breakfast.

But the very best part is what you will see an experience on this Christmas Time adventure, such as:

Notre Dame in Paris

Magical Christmas Markets

Nuremberg Christmas Market

Two Christmas Time Itineraries Are Available

The Christmas Wonderland Cruise Amsterdam to Trier, Germany followed by 3 nights in Paris departs the USA on December 6, 2008 and the reverse itinerary starting with 3 nights in Paris and going from Trier to Amsterdam departs the USA on December 10, 2008.

The Christmas Time Cruise Prague to Budapest with 2 nights in Prague departs the USA on November 19, 27, and December 11, 2008. The reverse itinerary from Budapest to Prague departs the USA on November 22, 28 and December 12, 2008.

CRUISE WITH FRIENDS!

What's more fun than cruising with friends? Check out the Cruise Planners' clients onboard Royal Caribbean's Adventure of the Seas in the Southern Caribbean.

Cochem, Germany

Without doubt, Cochem along the Mosel River was our favorite stop and a very wonderful and amazing river cruise. Cochem, with a population of only 6,000 inhabitants, is probably the most visited village along the Mosel River. It is dominated by the Reichsburg Castle. Reich means eimpire or imperial and burg means fortress, so the Reichsburg is the Imperial Fortress. The village itself is quite small and finding your way around is quite easy with charming lanes and medieval houses around every turn. The village is located on both sides of the river with the main part being that part just below the Reichsburg Castle. Our ship docked on the opposite side from the main part of the village, so to reach the main part was just a short walk across a picturesque bridge spanning the river.

The highlight of our time in Cochem was a walking tour of the Reichsburg Castle and the village. A mini-bus took us straight to the entrance to the castle where we met our tour guide Barbara. Barbara was a "hoot"! Barbara was of indeterminate age, but it is doubtful that she would see 75 again and she was conducting this tour on her 50th wedding anniversary while her husband of 50 years sat at home alone. She took us on a lively an informative tour around the castle and didn't stand for any shenanigans from us tourists - she may have done a short stint in the army in her youth! The most delightful and knowledgeable guide we had on the whole trip and the others were all top notch. See photos below.

Late September as opposed to late March (time of our visit) is a fantastic time to visit the Mosel Valley and Cochem because it is during this time that the wine harvest takes place. A very special wine is produced at this time - known as Federweisser. This wine cannot be bottled and is only served at this time of year. As the grapes have not fully fermented, the wine is sweet and resembles lemonade - but beware, the effects are quite strong and one can get tipsy quite fast! One typically consumes Federweisser together with a very special cake served in the autumn known as Zwiebelkuchen or onion cake.

Approaching Cochem

Reichsburg Castle

Entrance to Reichsburg Castle

Barbara Tour Guide

An Old Prom Date

The Mosel River

Today, March 28, 2008 we left the Rhine River onboard Amadeus Waterway's m/s Amadagio and headed up the Mosel River toward the city of Trier. You'll often see the river spelled as Moselle - this is the English and the French version of the Mosel River, which is the German spelling. The Mosel begins its flow in the Vosges Mountains of France and flows towards the northeast through Metz until it becomes the border between Luxembourg and Germany. In Trier, the river opens out into a broad plain, making Trier an ideal site for a Roman City. It is here that the Mosel is joined by two smaller rivers, the Saar and Rewer, before it bgegins its serpentine flow to the Rhine River in Koblenz. The entire length of the river is 341 miles, and it is the German portion which is most scenic. It is here where you find steep vineyards terraced up the mountainsides, with quaint and charming villages in between. There are 70 villages between Trier and Koblenz, most dedicated to the production of wine and to the tourism industry. You'll find many quaint guest houses in each village, campgrounds, bicycle paths and hiking trails.

Navigation along the river began in 1965 with the construction of the locks. There are nine locks between Koblenz and Trier allowing ships such as the m/s Amadagio to from the Rhine at an even pace. The locks are quite narrow and when the ship is in the lock, there is only about a 1 foot clearance on each side of the ship - see photos below.

Mosel Wine

Vines were first planted here by the Romans in the 4th century. It seems almost impossible to grow wine on these steep slopes but the conditions here are actually ideal for the growing of Riesling wine grapes. The most important slopes are those that are south-facing, as they receive the most sunlight which is very important for these grapes at such a northerly latitude. Of all the world's major wine growing areas, Germany is the northernmost. Grapes are generally planted only on slopes and not on top of the plateau because it is too cold there. However, there are many microclimates in the river valley. Grapes are affected by many different influences such as the amount of slate in the soil, the angle of the slopes and the direction of the slopes. Grapes are usually planted vertically rather than horizontally allowing for maximum sun exposure and preventing grapes from falling into shadows. The Mosel Valley is famous for its old sun dials as vintners in the past were obsessed by the time and amount of sunlight that was getting to the grapes. All in all there are 2,600 individual vineyard sites in the Mosel Valley!

Koblenz, Germany

Koblenz ias a lovely town of 115,000 inhabitants, located at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers. The old town is squeezed in between the two rivers and is located just steps away from the ship. The point where the two rivers meet is called the "Deutsches Eck", or the "German Corner". Here you will find an impressive monument dedicated to Kaiser Wilhelm I, who resided in Koblenz at one time and is quite a local hero. The confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers is dominated by the largest fortress situated anywhere along the Rhine River - the immense Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Built over 1,000 years ago, the fortress was destroyed several times throughout the ages and was finally rebuilt by the Prussians after its last destruction. Nowadays it houses several museums as well as youth hostel. The fortress is gloriously illuminated in the evening.

We arrived in Koblenz after dinner and our cruise director, Debbie, took us on a lovely evening stroll around Koblenz's old town. The evening stroll was not only informative but also a lot of fun.

Heidelberg, Germany

While docked in Mainz our ship offered an optional land tour to Heidelberg so we had a choice of seeing Mainz or Heidelberg - all at no additional cost. Heidelberg is located one hour and 15 minutes by road from the city of Mainz where our ship docked. The city is located just along a small river called the Neckar River, with the old town on one side and the new town on the other. Each side of the city is connected by the picturesque old stone bridge, a sight not to be missed! Dominating Heidelberg is the Heidelberg Castle, which stands mostly in ruins due to the heavy fighting which took place here during the religious struggle known as the "Thirty Years War".

The main square of the city is called the "Hauptmarkt", near where the tour buses stop. It is here where you'll find the interesting Holy Ghost Church as well as the beginning of the main pedestrian shopping street called Hauptstrasse. Hauptstrasse is said to be the longest pedestrian shopping street in Germany, about 1 km long. Along this street you'll find various shops catering to locals and tourists alike, including the ever popular Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop. You'll also find plenty of cafes should you wish to enjoy a refreshing drink or the wonderful German Apfelstrudel.

The university here was founded in 1386 making it one of Europe's oldest. Heidelberg Castle is the largest castle ruins in Germany and contains a variety of architectural styles, mainly Renaissance. From the castle is a glorious view of the town with its red roofs and the Neckar River. Although there is no interior tour of any room at the castle because most of the castle has been destroyed, the highlight of the tour is the architecture surrounding the various courtyards as well as the aforementioned view of the city

We chose to stay in Mainz and see the Gutenberg Museum so we have no pictures of the Heidelberg area to share.

Mainz, Germany - River Cruise Continues

One of the many really cool things about a river cruise is how close you are to everything when you dock. When we docked at Mainz we were just a really short walk away from the city center. This also means that when you're done with the guided tour you have lots of free time to just wander around and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the city.

Mainz is a city of about 200,00 inhabitants and was about 85% destroyed during WWII. Much of the old town area has been rebuilt and today the city is not only the capital of the German state called Rhineland-Palatinate but also an important city in Germany for the publishing and media industries.

The cathedral of Mainz is one of the most important in all of Germany, being one of three best known Romanesque cathedrals in the country. The cathedral was started over 1,000 years ago. Mainz is also famous for the Gutenberg Museum located just a short walk from our ship's docking point. Gutenberg's moveable type helped change the world by allowing the general public to read the Bible in their own language. Members of our group even got to operate a replica of Gutenberg's press and print a page from the Bible in the original type style used by Gutenberg. We were also able to review several copies of Bibles actually printed by Gutenberg. As you might expect these original Bibles are under tight security in atmospecially controlled vaults.

The Mainz city hall.

Not everything in Mainz is old. Sculputre in front of city hall.

Look closely at the photo above. This is a construction site and what you're looking at is really a screen showing what the finished buildings are going to really look like. Quite an interesting approach.

Printing a page from the Bible on a Gutenberg style press. Printers of old must have had very strong arms after doing this 12 hours a day 6 days a week!

Finished product!

Statue of Gutenberg on the square in Mainz. Look behind him at the yellow arches. Apparently he is not a Big Mac fan as he has his back turned to the McDonald's outlet.

Frankfurt am Main

The name of Frankfurt on Main is derived from the Franconofurd of the Germanic tribe of the Franks and was the place where the river was shallow enough to be crossed by wading. Frankfurt was one of the most important cities in the Holy Roman Empire. From 855 the German Kings and Emperors were elected in Frankfurt. The Frankfurter Messe (Frankfurt Trade Fair) was first mention in 1150. In 1240, Emperor Friedrich II granted an imperial privilege to its visitors, meaning they would be protected by the Empire. Book trade fairs have been held in Frankfurt since 1478, and the Frankfurter Buchmesse is still the most important in Germany and, some might say, the world. In 1914 the citizens of Frankfurt founded the university of Frankfurt, later called Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. This is the only civic founded university in Germany. Today it is one of Germany's largest universities. After World War I, Frankfurt was occupied by French tropps in reprisal for having violated, from the French viewpoint, some details of the peace treaty of Versailles concerning the demilitarization of the Rhineland.

The city of Franfurt was severly bombed in World War II. About 5,500 residents were killed during the air raids and the once famous medieval city center, by that time the largest in Germany, was destroyed irrevocably changing the architectural face of Frankfurt. Only very few landmark buildings have been rebuilt historically, albeit in a simplified manner.

After the end of the war Franfurt became a part of the newly founded state of Hesse. Since the postwar period Franfurt has emerged once again as the financial and transportation center of Germany.