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Tulip
Cruises in Holland (Amsterdam out and back)
Available 22 March to 16 May
2008.
Saturday
We meet in central Amsterdam this afternoon and transfer
to the Charlemagne moored in Vreeswijk. A welcome on
board champagne reception and presentation of the crew
before you are shown to your cabin. We will have a
delightful cruise this afternoon along the river Lek to
Schoonoven, well known for its silver jewelry and
traditional clock making since the 17th c. There will be
time to stroll into this charming town after dinner on
board.
Sunday
A morning cruise to Kinderdijk where we will visit the
19 windmills which are part of Unesco World Heritage;
they were built in 1740 to drain the polders. At
lunchtime we will cruise along the Hollandse Ijsell
river, passing by the skyline of Rotterdam, one of the
world’s largest seaports. Later in the afternoon, a
walking tour of Gouda, famous for its cheese, pipes and
candles.
Monday
After breakfast, a visit to see the remarkable stained
glass windows in St John’s church dating from the 15th
c. Afterwards we cruise to Oude Wetering on the Gouwe
and Oude Wetering canals. Poulders which are low lying
lands reclaimed from the sea stretch out in every
direction. This afternoon, an excursion to the Keukenhof
Gardens, famous throughout the world for their dazzling
fields of tulips, daffodils and hyacinths.
Tuesday
An early morning visit to the worlds biggest flower
auction in Aalsmeer where some 10 billion flowers are
sold every year. Later we cruise on the Ringvaart canal,
skirting one of Holland’s oldest polders. In the
afternoon, a tour of Haarlem, the center of the Dutch
bulb trade followed by a cruise to Pumerend.
Wednesday
A very scenic cruise passing fields of blooming flowers
to Alkmaar where we will have a guided visit of the
town’s monuments: 17th c fortifications, St Lawrence
church with one of the finest ancient organs in Holland,
the majestic 15th c gothic Town Hall and many
picturesque old houses. There will be time for shopping.
Thursday
A morning cruise to Zaansche Schans, a reconstructed
village of wooden houses and windmills, transporting us
300 years into the past. Our cruise ends in the heart of
Amsterdam where we will have a guided tour of the many
monuments with time for shopping. This evening is our
farewell gala dinner.
Friday
After breakfast, depart the barge for your onward
travel.
PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING SAMPLE ITINERARIES ARE
SUBJECT TO CHANGE AND ARE A ‘TASTE’ OF WHAT YOU MIGHT DO
ON YOUR CRUISE. CHANGES ARE AT THE DISCRETION OF THE
BARGE OPERATORS.
Koblenz to Metz (and reverse), on the Moselle River
in Germany
Available 24 May to 07 November 2008
SATURDAY - KOBLENZ
We meet in Frankfort and transfer to MS Charlemagne
moored in the city of Koblenz, a welcome aboard
reception will await you and then you will be shown to
your cabins, time to settle into your accommodations
before dinner is served at 7.30pm
SUNDAY - KOBLENZ-COCHEM-ZELL
A morning cruise on the Moselle brings us to Cochem,
this famous riverside town is dominated by its medieval
castle. Later, during a wine tasting you will be able to
familiarize yourself with the different wines of the
region. We return to Charlemagne and continue our cruise
to the small wine village of Zell, known for its wine
Zeller Katz.
MONDAY - ZELL-BERNKASTEL-TREVES
The Moselle winds and turns and takes a route along the
terrain which is entirely cultivated with vines which
extend as far as the eye can see, occasionally broken by
small villages. We make a stop at Bernkastel-Kues for a
visit to this small town and its half timbered houses.
We continue our cruise to Treves where we will
overnight.
TUESDAY - TREVES-KONZ-MERZIG-METTLACH
After breakfast, a tour of the city of Treves. This city
was the capital of the Occidental Roman Empire in the
3rd c and was named Rome of the North. Treves can
qualify, along with Worms as the oldest town in Germany.
Its remarkable collection of Roman ruins have been
classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We return
to Charlemagne in time for lunch and continue our
cruise. In Konz, we leave the Moselle valley for the
Sarre valley, which cuts a clear path through the solid
mountains of Hunsruck, causing the river to wind and
twist which only embellishes the route and helps to
conserve the authenticity. The passage of the loop of
the Sarre is one of the highlights of the cruise. We
arrive into Mettlach in the evening, the town is most
famous as the headquarters of the ceramics company
Villeroy & Boch.
WEDNESDAY - METTLACH-KONZ-REMICH
This morning, an excursion in our motor coach to Cloef
for the impressive panoramic view of the loop of the
river Sarre. We continue to Saarburg, a picturesque town
dominated by its imposing ruined castle, classified as
an historical monument. The streets of the town are
narrow and the half timbered houses date from the middle
ages, also there is a waterfall, over sixty feet high in
the very center of the town, this gives a very charming
aspect and is one reason the town is sometimes called
Little Venice. We rejoin the Charlemagne in Konz and
continue our cruise, we are back on the river Moselle
and arrive into Remich. This charming small town is part
of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and we will take an
excursion there this afternoon. The capital is a
thousand years old, fascinating, built on rock and
called the Gibralta of the North. The guided visit will
explain the historical and financial aspects and its
function as the headquarters of several European
institutions. We return to Charlemagne in Remich.
THURSDAY - REMICH-METZ
This morning we will visit the Roman mosaiques of
Nenning. They were discovered in 1852 as part of an
immense villa with this sumptuous mosaique wall
measuring 16 x 10 meters, this is the largest, most
beautiful and best preserved north of the Alpes. We
return to the boat and cruise, we are now in France, as
far as Metz. The countryside changes radically and we
leave the hills and vineyards behind us, replaced by the
vast plaines of the Lorraine. This afternoon, a visit to
Metz, the city is Roman, medieval, classic, German and
keeps its aspects from its three thousand years of
history. The cathedral of Saint-Etienne is world renown
for its stained glass which covers a surface of 6496
square meters. We have the pleasure of admiring the
masterpieces from the 13th c until recent times,
including works by Marc Chagall. There will be free time
in the city before we return to Charlemagne for our
farewell Gala Dinner.
FRIDAY - METZ-FRANKFORT
After breakfast, the motor coach will drive you back to
Frankfort, arriving there by lunch time.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ITINERARIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AT ANY TIME DUE TO WATER LEVELS, LOCK CLOSURES OF
CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
Bad Wimpfen to Koblenz
(and reverse), on the Neckar and Rhine Rivers in Germany
Available 24 May to 07 November 2008
SATURDAY - BAD WIMPFEN
We meet in Frankfort and transfer by motor coach to Ms
Charlemagne moored in the town of Bad Wimpfen. There is
a welcome reception and afterwards, you will be shown to
your cabin with time to settle in before dinner is
served at 7.30 this evening.
SUNDAY - BAD WIMPFEN – EBERBACH
After breakfast, a visit to the town of Bad Wimpfen.
This small fortified town dominates the river and was
the ancient Imperial residence of the Hohenstaufen in
the 13th c. The town has a picturesque ensemble of half
timbered houses that we will discover along the winding
streets. We return on board for lunch and in the
afternoon, a pleasant cruise to Eberbach. Here the
Neckar rejoins the massif stone of l’Odenwald and flows
between the lush wooded areas where we can see the roofs
of castles. Charlemagne will arrive into Eberbach this
evening, it is an agreeable touristique town.
MONDAY - EBERBACH-HEIDELBERG
This morning, a visit to Michelstadt, existing since
741. The town in famous for its numerous half timbered
houses, the Rathaus (town hall) and the synagogue dating
from 18th c, one of the very few to have survived the
nazi period. Also famous, the Einhardsbasilika which was
built on the initiative of Einhard a member of the court
of Charlemagne in 821. We return to Charlemagne by the
romantic road of Odenwald. Lunch is on board and an
afternoon cruise through the narrow straits of the
Neckar, full of chateaux and small villages. Well known
is Hirschhorn with its fortified spur and Neckarsteinach
where there are four chateaux. We arrive into Heidelberg
in the late afternoon.
TUESDAY - HEIDELBERG-WORMS
This morning, we will visit Heidelberg. This important
site of German romanticism has inspired numerous poets
seduced by the natural beauty of the town and its ruined
chateau built on a hillside. We will have a guided visit
of both the city and chateau, this is the pearl of the
Neckar route and is far from being a just a museum,
today it has a vibrant universite and the students bring
lots of life and animation. During lunch on board, we
will leave our mooring in Heidelberg and cruise to
Mannheim, a large industrial town, this is where the
Neckar and the Rhine join. We continue our cruise on the
Rhine to Worms one of the three Imperial residences
along the Rhine, it constitutes one of the settings for
the saga of Niebelungen.
WEDNESDAY - WORMS-MAINZ-RUDESHEIM
This morning, we cruise to Mainz, a city at the
confluence of the Rhine and Main rivers and established
in 39 B.C. by the Romans. The roman cathedrale confirmed
the power of the German kings but has less fame than
Gutenberg who invented the printing press. An afternoon
cruise along the famous vineyards of the Rheingau to
Rudesheim where we find the world renown Drosselgasse
rich in wine bars and the mecca of reisling with an
incomparable atmosphere.
THURSDAY - RUDESHEIM-BOPPARD-KOBLENZ
This morning we navigate in the heart of the Rhine
valley, known as the Romantic Rhine, full of idyllic
villages, chateaux, some ruined and all impressionable,
together the Lorelei, the legendary rock which has
become the symbol of this passage. At Boppard, we stop
for a small stroll along the riverside and during lunch
on board, we continue our cruising towards Koblenz.
After lunch, a guided tour of Koblenz, a city at the
confluence of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. We visit the
basilica of St Kastor and the monumental statue of the
emperor Guillaume 1er. There will be free time in the
city before our Farewell Gala dinner this evening.
FRIDAY - KOBLENZ-FRANKFORT
This morning, after breakfast, we return to Frankfort by
motor coach, arriving around lunchtime.
PLEASE NOTE THAT ITINERARIES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT
ANY TIME DUE TO WATER LEVELS, LOCK CLOSURES OR
CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND OUR CONTROL |
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