Our Rhine River Cruise Begins

Today we would leave Montreaux and travel to the border city of Basel, Switzerland, to begin our cruise of the Rhine River.

The Tor awaits us

After a light breakfast, we met Gabriella, Dayne and Pam in the hotel lobby with our bags. Our driver reported around 0930 and 15 minutes later we were en route to Basel, traveling along the same route Jane and Capt. Larry drove to Montreaux.

River view from our balcony

Just beyond Zurich we proceeded onto a different autobahn and the roadside viewing changed from rolling hills with idyllic farms and herds of dairy cows, to a concrete and steel string of highly developed industrial complexes. Basel is Switzerland’s third most populous city and is located where the borders of Switzerland, France, and Germany meet on the Rhine River.

Our stateroom

This location makes the city an important logistics center for shipping of industrial goods. Basel also functions as a major center for chemical, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, and is home to Novartis and Hoffman la Roche, two of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. We passed by the Novartis headquarters as we crossed the river to reach the docks where our ship was waiting.

Arriving at the dock, our ship, Tor, was ready for boarding. We were told as we checked in that a buffet lunch was waiting for us. Food already- a sign this was going to be a good trip!

Basel cathedral

We made our way to our stateroom, and our luggage was delivered before we could check everything out. Since we were among the very first passengers to board, it was easy to explore the ship before it became congested, even though the ship carries only 190 passengers and 50 crew. The Tor was built in 2013, making everything have that brand new appearance, and Capt. Larry could still detect that new boat smell… We met up with Pam & Dayne and had a great lunch which portended that the food was going to be excellent.

We returned to our stateroom and unpacked and organized our belongings.

Rear of the cathedral

After a short rest we headed back to the dock entrance to board a bus that would take us on a walking tour of Basel. The present day Basel was built around Basel Münster, or the cathedral of Basel which was built in 1019 around an earlier Roman Empire settlement.

Intricate stonework

We started our tour visiting Basel’s Münsterplatz, or the cathedral square, located in one of the oldest places in the old town of Basel. This square is part of the cathedral complex and a main landmark and tourist attraction.

Münsterplatz

Our guide next took us to the cathedral which was quite impressive for a gothic style structure.

The Rathaus

We next were guided to the Rathaus, or Basel’s town hall, another architecturally renowned building.

Rathaus details

We finished our tour with a visit to the river waterfront to view the Wettsteinbrücke, the second oldest bridge across the Rhine to the city of Basel. We had a little free time after our tour to sightsee with Dayne and Pam.

The Wettsteinbrücke

We made our way back to the bus pickup point and returned to our ship. During a magnificent dinner that evening, the Tor’s captain cast off and spun the ship around and headed downstream to begin our Rhine River cruise. And off we go!

We traveled through the night, dropping down through four locks and with Jane and Capt. Larry explaining to everyone who had not traversed a lock how they worked.

Black Forest countryside

One thing we noticed immediately was the loud noise from the engine room. Our suite was located aft and on the highest level, but these longships only have 3 decks plus an observation deck for bridge clearance on the rivers. We were directly over the engines that provided the ship’s main propulsion and 3 levels up. There are four 900 h.p. engines aft with the outer two, port and starboard, mounted on pods so they could be rotated for maneuverability.

The resort's glockenspeil

When the captain had to rotate these engines to maneuver, we were rocked with a loud, vibrating, shaking that really didn’t allow us to sleep restfully. We figured that a suite in the middle of the ship would have much less noise and vibration. We arrived in Breisach, Germany around 0230 and were able to finally sleep after the ship docked.

We arose early the next morning and had breakfast before boarding a bus that would take us to the Black Forest. The Black Forest is located in an area known a Baden-Würtemburg which is shared by two German states with the Rhine serving as the western border and the mountains rising east of the Rhine Valley.

Glassblower working a piece

After an approximate two-hour ride in rainy weather, with Capt. Larry suffering from a rare and unusually severe bout of motion sickness, we arrived at a tourist-trap resort. The resort featured a Best Western hotel, a glass-blowing shop, and a cuckoo clock works, all of which were built to capture tourist dollars (or Euros) and none of which were originally native or historical to the area.

We first visited the glass-blowing shop and the adjacent gift shop where various glass pieces were available for sale. Some of the pieces were indeed impressive, but not enough for us to purchase.

Lots of clocks

We had issues with transporting delicate items in our luggage and no assurance that items damaged in shipment would be restituted without a major hassle. We next made our way to the cuckoo clock shop where we were given an introduction as to the different types of carvings and drive mechanisms and how the clocks are made.

All types of cuckoo clocks

Following this educational session, we wandered into the clock gift shop to view a vast array of clocks available for sale. There were clocks of every drive type with carvings of just about every imaginable theme. Prices started around $1,000 and ran up to $10,000 for the really large, elaborate pieces with lots of glockenspiel activity.

And big clocks

The cuckoo clock shop also featured a full-size glockenspiel display built into the side of the building. At 1100 we went down to the parking lot to view the glockenspiel display as it played out. We finished our resort visit by viewing a Black Forest cake assembly and decoration replete with the traditional cake, a cherry jam, kirschwässler, loads of whipped cream, cherries, and chocolate shavings.

Assembling the cake

It wasn’t really different than how we make our Black Forest cake other than having the kirsch which we can never find and have to substitute with cherry liquor. We boarded our bus and headed back to our ship where we had a delicious lunch of soup, salad, and sandwiches.

The finished product

For the afternoon entertainment, everyone had the option of going into Breisach for shopping.

Inside the glockenspiel

Capt. Larry was still not feeling completely well, so we opted to stay behind and rest up. That evening we attended the captain’s dinner and met another couple, Leo and Agnes, from Navarre, FL.

The glockenspiel in action

We traded stories about the Emerald Coast. Leo is also an adjunct professor at the University of Northwest Florida where Capt. Larry received is degree in oceanography. Small world.

We Finish Our Tour Exploring Montreaux and Neighboring Vevey

 

Our last day in Montreaux. And we were on our own for the entire day.

Rolling meat market

 Dayne and Pam had decided to take a train into some surrounding mountains and tour one of Switzerland’s noted chocolate factories. We decided to sightsee more of Montreaux and use or free bus pass to see what was worth seeing in neighboring Vevey.

Mmmmmmm, sausages!!

We started with a light breakfast and then headed out to the waterfront to get some walking in.

Market vendors

We were way up on our food intake and way low on burning some of the excess calories, and it was getting to the point where we could no longer disguise the result. Jane had learned that there was a Saturday morning farmer’s market along the lakefront, and suggested that we could walk while viewing the vendor offerings in the market (Capt. Larry really didn’t think many calories would be burned examining jewelry…but the Queen always wins).

Lakefront flowers

Off to the lakefront we headed. Jane said the vendors set up at 0700, so when we arrived at 0900 we figured that everything would be in full swing. Wrong!

Beautiful, whatever it is

We found the vendors just beginning to set up and few displays were ready for viewing. Capt. Larry was relieved. We did find some interesting meat and produce stands that are contained in cleverly customized vans, much like rolling butcher shops, and featuring a variety of meat cuts, sausages, and smoked and cured meats. The few crafts booths that Jane was interested in were a disappointment. One interesting van that caught Capt. Larry’s attention was a bakery on wheels that produced fresh-baked breads and pastries sur place.

More flowers

Overall, it was less of a farmer’s market and more of a flea market. Capt. Larry characterized it as a rolling garage sale. We reversed our direction and walked in a northerly direction along the lakefront- a section we had not previously explored. Montreaux has a beautiful lakefront and the city plants beautiful beds of flowers seasonally throughout the year. Since we were not familiar with many of the species, Capt. Larry was busied himself taking pictures of the beautiful flowers.

Bicycle racers

As we retraced our route we came upon a bicycle race that was being conducted on a course laid out along the lakefront and the Avenue des Alpes, the main street through the business district. We watched the riders for a while before returning to our hotel room to spend a couple hours reading and relaxing.

Dining al fresco

Around noon, we decided to drag ourselves back up the Rue de Marche to the old historic district for lunch at the English-speaking restaurant Gabriella told us about the previous day. We found our restaurant, told the owner how we came to visit them, and were seated outside on the restaurant’s street-side veranda. Our English-speaking waitress was a real delight.

Government building in Vevy

Being low on Swiss francs, because we were leaving Switzerland the following morning, we first inquired whether she had a card reader that would accept our credit card. She assured us they did, so we dined al fresco on salad, olive bread, and tomato pasta with shrimp. A trilogy desert of chocolate mousse with raspberries, crème brule, and strawberry chiffon finished our delightful meal. We went to pay our bill and the waitress appeared with a credit card machine that we feared would not read our card, but the waitress turned the machine over to reveal a magnetic strip reader. It’s all good!

A really old Vespa

Vevey's old district near waterfront

We returned to our hotel room and had a brief rest. Around mid-afternoon we decided to go out and use our bus passes and travel to Vevey. We boarded a bus and were in Vevey's central district approximately 30 minutes later. Exiting the bus, we walked toward Vevey’s waterfront and through the old district adjacent to the waterfront. Similar to Montreauex’s old district but located along the lake, we found the old city of Vevey very quaint and interesting and with lots of balconies and flowers.

Street shot of the old district

Vevey is famous for being the home of Charlie Chaplin for 25 years, and having learned that he and his family also vacationed in Snee, Ireland when we were there, we started to regard old Charlie as some sort of Kilroy that had lived just about everywhere.

Odd sailboat along Vevey's waterfront

On the other hand, Montreaux was a home to numerous celebrities such as Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, Victor Hugo, Igor Stravinsky, and Richard Strauss to name a few. We passed by a statue of Chaplin as we headed toward the waterfront. Along the waterfront we saw an interesting ketch sailing on the lake, and after about 45 minutes of sightseeing and not finding much more than shopping to do, we headed back to the bus route to return to our hotel and pack our bags so we would be ready to leave early the next morning.

Sightseeing Montreaux and Lake Geneva

Our second day of the pre-cruise tour started with a quick breakfast before meeting the cruise line representative, Gabriella, who was going to take us on a walking tour of Montreaux.

Sunrise over Lake Geneva

We met her in the hotel lobby along with another couple who had also purchased the pre-cruise tour.

The abbey and vineyards

Hailing from the Austin, TX area, Dayne and Pam Carlson had previously taken a Viking river cruise of the Danube and enjoyed it so much they decided to do the Rhine.

Tailing our guide, we left the hotel and boarded a bus that would take us up a very steep, one-mile incline that would take us to the old historic district of Montreaux.

Abbey of Les Echarpes

This district was located, for strategic defensive purposes, high atop a mountain that overlooked a good part of eastern Lake Geneva, and was once a monastic kingdom.

View of Montreaux and the lake

From this vantage point we had excellent views of the newer parts of Montreaux that have been built along the waterfront. The Montreaux region became an important wine producing area in the 12^th century. A Brotherhood of the Holy Spirit administered estates and a hospital in Montreux starting in about 1309, and the abbey of Les Echarpes Blanches was founded in 1626. Our first point of interest was the original abbey.

Public water fountain

The monks maintained vineyards on the abbey’s surrounding hillside which gives the abbey an interesting setting. Today the grapes grown around the abbey are used to produce Montreaux’s exclusive wine that is only served in the city’s finer restaurants and is not available for purchase.

As we continued our tour, we came upon a number of public water fountains that collects the runoff from higher elevations.

Eight of the 12 family crests

This water is so pure that it is potable, but the guide offered a caveat that clothes were washed in the fountains further down the mountain, and you had to take it on faith that no one was washing clothes higher up.

Street buildup over time

Originally, the cantonment was formed by 12 different families, each having a different family flag and crest. This district was very quaint and picturesque. Today it serves mainly as a center for artists and craftsmen who make their productions available to the public. The buildings had a lot of period architecture.

Steep Rue de Marche

Over time the streets surrounding the buildings would be gradually built up as people discharged sewage into the streets and the streets were periodically repaved. In some instances the doorways on these older structures would be 2-3 feet below the current surface of the roadway.

We started our descent toward our hotel on the Rue de Marche roadway the was a straight, steep descent down the mountain.

One of the cave restaurants

Gabriella took us into a couple of “cave restaurants,” which are windowless and very dark inside and served as large supper halls in times past. Further along the descent we spotted a couple of al fresco restaurants, one of which

Colorful shutters

Capt. Larry and Jane decided to return to for a lunch. But the major reason for returning was that the staff spoke English, something that many Frenchy establishments in this area don’t think is important. We always patronize those establishments that try to cater to us.

We descended to the main level of Montreaux, winding our way onto the waterfront park area, and eventually making our way to the ferry terminal.

Old district architecture

We had looked at this earlier and decided that we would do a round trip ferry ride from Montreaux, probably the following day. However, having befriended Dayne and Pam at this point, and Pam having observed the weather for the following day would be less desirable, we were persuaded to purchase our tickets and strike out with them.

Tower in the old district

Dayne and Pam purchased a ticket that would allow them to exit a ferry and board another at any of the stops along the route.

Back to the hotel level

We wanted the same, but even though the ticket agent spoke English, we had a difficult time communicating that we wanted the same. Finally, Gabriella appeared out of nowhere and got everything straight in French.

Boarding the ferry

Chateau de Chillon

At Saint-Gingolph

A very handsome chimney

More Saint-Gingolph decorative chimneys

Saint-Gingolph pharmacy

We boarded the ferry and started our tour. The first major attraction was the Chateau de Chillon, a historic castle and the country’s most visited place. The castle is located on a very small island on Lake Geneva, and is the inspiration for Lord Byron's poem, The Prisoner of Chillon. The ferry had stops at a couple of other beautiful lakeside towns, before stopping at Saint-Gingolph on the southern shore of Lake Geneva. This stop was recommended as a great place for an open-air lunch at a lakeside restaurant. We walked along the lakefront and considered different restaurants before coming to the end of the lakefront business area. We climbed to the main business district that ran parallel to the lakefront, but about 30 yards above it. We found a couple of really “local” dining establishments. We decided to return to a lakefront restaurant we spotted that featured fried perch caught in the lake. As we walked looking for a way back down to the lake, we came upon a border checkpoint that divides the town between Switzerland and France.

Border checkpoint

Overlooking Saint-Gingolph

This is one of two borders on Lake Geneva  that divide the lake so that it is around 40% French controlled and 60% Swiss. We found our restaurant and the four of us all decided on the perch special with cold beers. The meal, ambience and company were simply great. We went to pay our bills and Capt. Larry presented his credit card, but the waitress couldn’t use it because her card machine didn’t have the capability of reading the card’s magnetic strip (the Europeans have moved on to microchip embedded cards).

Our boat the Vevey

No problem. We had lots of Swiss francs that we wanted to get rid of. But the restaurant was west of the border, in France where the Euro was the medium of exchange! We hadn’t used Euros since we left Germany.

Powerful paddle wheel

One would think that businesses in a border town such as Saint-Gingolph would be a little more fluid in currency exchange, but the waitress seemed to grow impatient as we dug for Euros. Dayne and Pam offered to loan us some Euros, but after digging through Jane’s purse, we were able to come up with just enough to pay our bill.

Montreaux at sunset

We returned to the dock just as the next ferry was arriving to take us on the remainder of the loop. Our ship, the Vevey, was originally a paddle steamer built in 1907, but since converted to diesel electric paddle wheel. The ship was as intriguing as the panoramic views from her decks were beautiful. And fast! We sped across to the northern side at speeds estimated to be in the vicinity of 15-17 knots! That’s comparable to putting Bavarian Cream up on plane. We returned to our hotel and had a happy hour on our balcony overlooking the lake, lakefront, and main street while the sun slowly descended behind the Swiss alps. What a wonderful day.