on the road again

Before the sun rose, AMAKRISTINA’s engines came alive and she slowly turned north. The motion and light hum of the boat returned me to a state of slumber. After some period of time, I sat straight up in the bed and stared out the window. With no glasses, I could not figure out what I was looking at, or why the ship had gone totally quiet. Flash… I must be a lock! We are in a lock! The cement walls blocked the horizon as we slowly descended. Out of the bed I jumped and headed to the upper deck, my first lock.

The doors slowly open and we are moving again.

The destination for today is the town of Breisach in Germany. However, it is our excursion today that has me totally pumped. The town of Riquewihr in Alsace is a town that has stood still in time. Structures dating back to 1291 are still visible, and the main street, I think, the newest building may be from the 1600s. Once arriving in Breisach, the buses were loaded and we were off to the fairy tale village. As we got closer to the town, my excitement was slowly replaced with reality.

This is the first Sunday of Advent, which for many is the opening day of the Christmas Season. Buses by the hundreds, and cars by thousands lined the vineyards. The fairy tale appeared to be a full-length Disney production.

No matter how many people surrounded us as we walked the streets of Riquewihr it was a very magical place.

The architecture, the smell of cooking treats and eats, and samples of the wines from the fields surrounding us made it a wonderful day.

And if you like fruit cake – the treat below is really good.

Back on the bus, we headed back to our floating palace, with one point of interest along the way. Not far from the town of Riquewihr the gentleman who made our Statue of Liberty grew up. A smaller version of our lady of freedom stood in the center circle. The bus driver did three trips around the circle and then it was back on the road again.

It feels like as soon as lunch is finished, dinner begins. Every meal is exceptional and the service is excellent. Our group was seated at the Captain’s table, but he would not be joining us.

Karen filled the roll of Captain and she did a fine job. During dinner, the engines were lit off and the Rhine River gang was moving again.

 

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