Holland - wooden shoes, windmills and the end of the cruise

Last night the Viking River Cruise Ingvi left Cologne (Koln), Germany heading north towards Kinderdijk, Holland (The Netherlands).  I watched this on the TV in my stateroom.  There is a camera a fixed to the bow of the boat.  After 1 week on the boat I still do not know the bow.

The Ingvi was cruising up the Rhine in the morning.  When we woke up the landscape had changed.  There were no mountains.  The land was flat.  There were cows in the river.  You know you are in Holland when the cows are standing on the banks of the Rhine River.  There were beautiful green land along the way.  It was amazing.  We did see a naked man standing in a boat. (A picture was taken, but it will not be posted.)
As the boat rounded a bend in the river there was a sight to behold.  Noah's Ark - Life size.  It is half the size of the Titanic.  A man, Johan, had a dream that Holland would flood, so he built the ark.  Amazing!!!  The ark had life-size plastic animals.  Today there are 2 restaurants and a movie theater.  Something you would never think you would see in Holland.  Noak's Ark

I remember the story of Noah's Ark.  There was a movie in the 1976 "In Search of Noah's Ark". It was great movie about the discovery of the remains of the ark at atop of a mountain.  This movie was a big hit in the movie theater.  In Search of Noah's Ark

The UNESCO Holland Windmills were amazing.  The 19 windmills were built in 1738.  One designer built the structures using brick.  Another designer had built the windmills in wood with eight sided.  The mill family consisted of  parents and up to 16 children living in a working mill. The parents and children under 2 slept in the living room which is on the bottom floor.  The daughters would sleep on the 2nd floor and the sons on the 3rd floor.   Kinderdijk Windmills
The mills are used to maintain the water levels of Holland.  Holland is below sea level.  The windmills are used to lower the water level to have land for living.  The people were ingenious.  During World War II the windmills were saved from Allies and Nazis by Queen of The Netherlands.

When you think of Holland or The Netherlands what do you think of?  If your first thought was Wooden Shoes, well there were many to chose at the store by the windmills.  Guess who bought a pair???  Of course it was Manny.  I bought slippers in the shape wooden shoes.  I had asked why wooden shoes in Holland.  In the early years, there was a lot of wood.  Leather was very expensive, so the common people made footwear for the family.  Today walking around the neighbor in Kinderdijk the shoes are on the outside of the homes with flowers.  It is beautiful.

We left Kinderdijk heading towards Amsterdam for disembarkation.  This was our last night being treated as royalty.  The 52 crew members of the Ingvi were amazing.  We got dressed up for the cocktail hour in the lounge.  There were champagne drinks and shrimp wrapped in spaghetti noodles and egg rolls.  It was delicious.  The captain and Nick made toasts.  Now it was time for the 7 course meal.

Bill, Genine, Tim, Angie, Manny and I sat at our regular table.  Eric and Cherie Lyn, our wait staff, were amazing.  They knew us so well.  The order for the 2nd and main courses were taken for the table.  The wine was never ending.  This was standard for lunch and dinner every night.  The food was amazing.  It was bittersweet.  Bill and Genine were great companions to travel with.
Genine arranged this Viking Cruise for Bill (her father) and herself.  They started in Lucern, Switzerland with Manny and I.  The six of us were always together.  We had a great time together.  Genine flew from Honolulu, Hawaii to New York to pick up Bill, then to Lucern.

We had pictures taken at the table.  Once dinner was finished, we headed to the top deck to relax and talked.  We decided to play shuffleboard. I wanted to try it on the cruise.  Isn't shuffleboard everyone should try on a boat or ship?  Well it was the guys verses the gals.  The gals did not do well.  Bill was amazing.  He told all of us that he never played before, but he did a great job.  None of us wanted the day to end.  It was 10pm the sun finally setting and the moon was high in the sky.  It was almost full.  The moon had a halo around it. You could see the man on the moon.  He was looking down on us and smiling.  In one week the friendships that developed.  I kept telling Bill we live 4 hours away and we could be on his doorstep by lunch time.  

Well it is time to get ready to catch the bus to the Amsterdam Airport.
I will post pictures and my final thoughts about this adventure.

Castles - Koblenz - Cologne - Next Stop Holland

Yesterday (9 July)  the Viking Ingvi left Rudesheim heading up the Rhine River towards Koblenz, Germany.  The weather was cold and rainy, but viewing the castles from the lounge with Nick describing each one.  It was a leisurely morning.  The castles were nestled throughout the hillside of the Rhine River.  Most of the castles were in ruin.  Throughout the history of Germany and the Rhine River, many castles did not survive.  The upkeep on a castle is thousands of Euros.  Even keeping the ruin castle to the point of not falling into the Rhine River costs a lot of Euros.  We were cruising up the Rhine River and having a wonderful and relaxing time.  We docked in Koblenz, Germany.  Koblenz is similar to most cities in Germany.  It was completely destroyed by the Allies in World War II and rebuilt.  Most buildings were rebuilt in the 1950s to look like the old town.

After lunch a group went to visit the only castle not in ruin on the Rhine River.  It was not destroyed during World War II.  The Marksburg Castle (Marksburg Castle) is only for the fit and sure-footed people.  There are steep steps, dark passages and many uneven surfaces.  Manny, Tim and Angie went on this excursion.  I relaxed in my stateroom during the afternoon.  They  had an amazing time.  Manny and Tim liked the Torture Room and the devices used during the Medieval era to punish people.

Last night after dinner there was a Music Trivia night. It was a great time.  Manny, Tim, Angie, Genine and I were a team.  We scored 19 out of 25, but one team had a perfect score.  They won the bottle of wine.  The trivia game was done and the FIFA Brazil versus Germany was on the television in the lounge.  Being in Germany it was great for the German team to win.  Manny, Tim and Angie went to a local bar to celebrate the victory.

The boat set off at 330am heading towards Cologne (Koln), Germany.  The tallest Cathedral is the Cologne Cathedral. Cathedral   It took from 1200s to 1800s to complete the structure.  It was absolutely amazing.  The beauty and majesty of this building as it towers over the Rhine River.  The rain and wind on the walking tour of Cologne was tough.  Cologne was completely destroyed by Allies.  The buildings were rebuilt similar to Koblenz.  The only structured saved was the Cathedral.  It was used a point for the Allied bombers to find German towns.  The stained glass windows from 1200s, 1500s and 1800s were removed and stored as well as the art work.  The remains of the 3 Magi are said to be in the 1.5 ton gold case behind the altar.  The remains were stolen by St. Helena and brought to Milan, Italy.  The remains were stolen in the 1200s and brought to Cologne, Germany.  A farmer hid the remains from the French when Cologne was overtaken.  The gargoyles on the building are there to ward off evil spirits as well as to collect the rain.  The rain pours out of the mouths to the ground.  We witnessed this today.

The rain and wind was so strong in Cologne today.  At the Cathedral Square umbrellas were being destroyed.  The wind swept rain was pelting the people attempting to cross the square.  As we turned the corner to get into the Cathedral the wind blow me backward.  It was Mother Nature at was greatest.
Tim and Angie climbed the 500 steps in the Cathedral spire.  This was a total of 1000 steps total.

Bill, Genine, Manny and I went shopping then bought tickets on the mini-train to bring us back to the boat. The train was small.  The step into the train was high.  Manny had to push Bill who is over 6 foot tall into the little train, then he did the same for me.  We missed the 1230pm train, so we had to wait for the 1pm train.  There was a shop that Manny bought his German Stein.  He was so happy.  After arriving near the boat, the next thing was to get out of the little train.  It was a funny sight to see Bill and I trying to get out.  People getting on did not wait for us to get out.  They were staring at the 2 Americans attempting to get out of the little train with some dignity.  We got out and headed to the boat for lunch.

After lunch Manny, Genine and I went to the Lindt Chocolate Museum in the rain.  It was so close to the boat.  The Schokoladenmuseum (Schokoladenmuseum) had great chocolate samples.  The museum was good, but the Museum store was great.  There were so many different chocolate items to choose from.  After the shopping was done, we stopped for a chocolate espresso drinking in the Cafe.  It was so yummy.

In the late afternoon Nick had to explain to all of us the Disembarkation Protocol.  This means the cruise is going to end in the next 2 days.  It was been an amazing time.  Manny and I are leaving the boat at 11am on Friday.  Some of the guests have a pick up at 4am.  What a way to end the cruise to be up so late.

After dinner Manny and Tim went on the Beer Crawl in Cologne.  They were going to 4 Beer houses and drink.  I attended the classical concert in the lounge.  There were 2 young ladies with violin and classical guitar playing pieces from around Europe.  It was wonderful.  What a relaxing way to end the day.

Tomorrow we are going to visit Holland (The Netherlands) and windmills.  I am so excited.

Birthday in Germany

Manny celebrated his birthday in style today. Our stewardress, Miriam, made 2 swans out of towels and put streamers and flowers on the bed with a note wishing him “Happy Birthday”. What a wonderful surprise after breakfast.  She has been so amazing.

Every morning Tim, Angie, Manny and I sit at the same table with Genine and her father, Bill. We have so much fun talking and laughing. Genine is a wonderful daughter who planned this trip with her father for one year. Bill has great stories. He is always making us laugh. I was talking to them about St. Fr. Damien.  He was declared a Saint on May 10.  I have a saint on my birthday.  St. Damien

More to come about them later.

We woke up in Mannheim, Germany today. After breakfast we took buses to Heidelberg, Germany. The landscape began with flat plains which reminded me of Nebraska and Iowa. The corn, wheat, cabbage and other produce were growing. There was barley, rye and hops. You know what this means...There is beer making and consumption in this region. As we were driving into the mountains, the landscape changes from crops to vines. Grape vines dotted the mountainside. Some of the mountainsides were so steep. Most of the grapes are handpicked. I would love to see how the people climb the mountainside and slow descend picking the grapes and not falling. The picking of most grapes occurs in September and October. Next time we will have to come back during this season to witness the grape picking. The patterns on the mountainsides with the grapevines are amazing. Some are in perfect rows as you look up. Others are start off in rows and a haphazard maybe random pattern begins to develop as you look down the mountainside. If you use are imagination, you can see so many shapes. It was so beautiful. It is so green.

We went to a castle ruin in Heidelberg. There is a wine barrel that holds 56,000 gallons of wine. It took 32 oak trees to build this barrel. It was amazing. On the terrace in the castle there was footprint in the stone. The story is the Prince-elect went hunting and left his wife. His wife requested a handsome knight to her bedroom. While they were “talking” the Prince-elect returned early from his hunting trip. There was no place to hide, so the knight leaped out of the wife's window onto the terrace. The right footprint was the first step. The left foot landed in the Rhine River. Today if the man's foot fits in the right footprint – It is said he is a great lover. In my group there was an elderly gentleman who heard this a place his foot in the print. He is young at heart.  Castle in Heildalberg

The bus took us to the Heidelberg Marketplace. There are so many little shops and vendors peddling everything. It was so beautiful. The bells of the Catholic Church tolled on the hour and half hour. The music playing from the bell tower was beautiful. This bell tower keeps the time for entire town. There were so many restaurants. Restaurants in Europe are different from the USA. You can sit and order a beer and nothing else and no one rushes you to leave. It is so casual. Manny and Tim had a beer at one of the restaurants. We shopped in a few shoppes. It was time to leave. The bus took us from Heidelberg to Rudesheim. The boat was docked in Rudesheim.

Rudesheim is known for Rudesheim coffee. It is made with Ausbach Brandy, brown sugar, coffee and whipped cream. There is a special cup with the brown sugar in it. Pour some brandy into the cup and light it with a match. Stir the brandy and brown sugar until the brown sugar is dissolved. To extinguish the fire in the cup pour coffee leaving enough room for the whipped cream. Now it is time to drink. The alcohol evaporates with the fire. It is delicious. Manny demonstrated how to make this drink on the boat during the day. He did a great job.

Manny and I went to the Music Box Museum in Rudesheim. There were player pianos, all types of music boxes and a player piano with 12 violins that played. This is a private collection. It is housed in an old winery. There was one room in the house with paintings on the wall and the floor from the 11^th century. I bought music box with elephants dancing. I finally found a unique elephant.

There were 75 people from our ship who went to a German Restaurant. It was named Rudesheim Schloss. It was great fun. There was a band playing all types of music. There were 8 people at our table. We went through 8 bottles of Riesling wine. It was delicious. We had saurbraten for the main course. Nick Hale, our Cruise Program Director, sang “Sweet Caroline” to Manny for his birthday. “Sweet Caroline” is sang every at home Red Sox baseball game.  Neil Diamond singing at Fenway Nick did his homework to know this song has significance for the people of Boston. Everyone was singing it. The waitresses carried sparkles and the entire restaurant sang “Happy Birthday” to Manny. What a great way to celebrate his 50^th birthday. The restaurant brought out a board with 6 pewter shot glasses. They picked people to hold the board and after 3 they tipped the board and drank a shot of the brandy or schnapps. It did not matter because after my shot I was wide awake. It was so much fun. Our entire table took a shot.

We stayed after the rest of the people from the cruise left. We were dancing to the music of the band. We did the YMCA and some lady from the restaurant was taking pictures of the 4 of us. We must have been doing it the best. What a great memory. Tim (my brother) reminded me when we lived in Overland Park, Kansas, our father bought us a 1974 Plymouth Duster. There would be 6 to 8 teenagers in the car and we would be doing the YMCA. Simpler time!  YMCA - Village People

We had a great time at the restaurant with everyone. We walked back to the boat. Our crew was having a great party on the top deck. We could hear Kyle (waiter) laughing and having a great time.

What a GREAT day and night!!!!

Strausbourg, France to French Wine Country

The #Viking River Cruise on the Rhine River has been a great experience.  Tonight was Trivia Night with Nick Hale (Cruise Program Director).  For the people who remember "The Love Boat" TV show Nick is "Julie" from the Love Boat. We had so much fun.  Out of 20 questions we got 6 correct.

One of the questions no group got correct was - "What is Penteraphobia?"
The most popular answer was "fear of number 5".

I have added a link to the correct answer...You would not believe it.  Pentheraphobia

I have started at the end of the night instead of the beginning of the day.

It was another early morning, because I want to see everything on the way up the Rhine River.  I woke up in Kehl, Germany.  Crossing over the bridge I was in Strasbourg, France.  Why is a French city have a German name?  Well, the city was part of Germany for many years, then went to France for many years.  The city and region was annexed by Nazi Germany and now is in France.  The city has so many flavors.  We crossed a bridge called Torture Bridge.  During the Medieval Times, if a woman was caught being unfaithful to her husband she was lowered into the river in a cage.  The river was so polluted during this time with the butcher's waste.  The bridge is so beautiful with flowers with the colors of the rainbow in the flower boxes.  The river is no longer polluted.

As we were walking towards the Cathedral of Notre Dame at Strausbourg (The Cathedral, Terri our guide told as about some of the history.  Prior to the annex of the area by German the stain glass windows were removed to be hidden from the German.  The Germans did take the windows.  They were found in a salt mine and returned. We attended Mass, but had to leave because the priest had a long homily.  The buses were leaving to get back to the boat before lunch.  This building is the tallest during the Medieval Times.  There is only one spire because in the 1500's the people of the town were tired of the corruption and did not want to give money to the Catholic Church.



The French Foreign Legions headquarters is in Strasbourg.  Any foreign man in good health and under the age of 40 can join.  They need to be adventurous and willing to server anywhere in the world. No one knows the number of men enlisted.  The Europe Union is headquartered there as well.  There is so much history.

After lunch we were off to the French Wine Country. As we were driving through the small towns to Barr, France the homes along the route were so colorful.  The coach bus we were traveling in was so wide you touch the homes in the towns.  The flower boxes are used for mosquito control.  The flowers planted deterred mosquitoes.  There are no window screens.   Most of the towns were fortified with walls and gates in the Medieval times. Many of the gates are still existing and the bus barely got through each of them.  When entering and leaving each town there is a Crucifix.  Even after the Protestant Reformation the Crucifix are still standing.  

The vineyards were throughout the countryside and in the towns.  The vines are growing in the back of homes.  It is so beautiful.  The winery we went to is being run to the 6th generation.  The cellar room dated back to 1620's.  We tried 4 different wines and bought 3 wines.  It was a warm day 90F/32C.  The sun was very warm.  After the winery we drove to Obernai, France.  It is a wonderful little hamlet.  There is a Cross with 3 whites clothes at the top of the hill in the town.  This represents the men who were part of the French Army which were forced to enlist in the Nazi military.  Many were killed.  Some were captured and put into Russian prison of war camps.  The conditions were so horrible.  Russia did not notify the men in the camp World War II was over.  In 1950 the men from the camps returned home to Obernai by walking.  The history of this area is amazing.  I have read so many books and seen so many movies are the history.  Now I am walking in the towns.

Breisach, Germany and Black Forest with cake and cuckoos

What a wonderful day in Breisach, Germany on the Rhine River.  Germany is on one side and cross the river is France.  Thinking of World War II and these countries are less than a 2 km apart from each other.  To battle each other throughout the centuries is crazy.  I love reading books about World War II.  Now I have a better understanding concerning the logistics of the borders.
FYI... Germany defeated France is the World Cup.  The German flags were flying proudly today.

We were off on the first adventure since boarding the Viking Ingvi.  We took the bus through the Black Forest of Germany.  The hamlets on the way to the Black Forest were small and quaint.  The homes and businesses are colorful with beautiful flower boxes.  This area of Germany is mostly Roman Catholic. We stopped at St. Peter's Abbey in the Black Forest.  It was beautiful.  We were allowed to enter the church.  Whenever entering a Catholic Church for the first time you are supposed to make a wish and say a prayer.  I did both.

St. Peter's Abbey - Black Forest Germany

We had 30 minutes then off we went up and up the mountain range deeper into the Black Forest.  The guide talked about the grape vines growing along the mountainside.  The vines cannot be grown higher than 1700 ft/518m in the mountains.  This is from the German government.  There were corn, wheat, flowers, tobacco and asparagus growing along the way to the top of the mountain.

We went to a Cuckoo Clock store in the Black Forest.  The reason the Black Forest is known for clocks is during the harsh winters the farmers would make clocks to sell during the Spring.  Eventually the cuckoo clock was created.  Now Manny and I are proud owners for a Black Forest cuckoo clock.  We had a slice of Black Forest Cherry cake and cappuccino.  The cake is renown in this area.  It is amazing.

Our new cuckoo clock.  It cuckoos and plays music.

Off we were again on the way down back to the boat. The bus went on the Autobahn.  The famous roadway of Germany.  There are areas on the Autobahn with no speed limits.  There were speed limits where we were.

After lunch Tim, Angie, Manny and I walked around Breisach.  We climbed/walked to the type of the hill in the city to St. Stephen's Church.  We past through an archway were prisons sent to death were kept.  The church was beautiful. We stopped at a German pastry and coffee place.  It was delicious.  We sat there for more than 30 minutes.  In Europe the restaurant does not rush the patrons to leave.  A person can sit for hours with no issues.  The culture is so relaxed and laid back.

St. Stephen's Catholic Church in Breisach, Germany

I can get used to the slower pace of life here.  While sitting on the boat a mother, father and baby swans were swimming by the boat.  The parents were very attentive to the baby's movements.  They climbed up on the stonewall and the parents were resting, but the baby did not stop moving.  The baby would not lay its head down.  The parents were sleeping lightly.  The baby started to walk and one of the parent's was up and watching every movement.  It was so beautiful.  The simple beauty of the swan family.

The boat has left the dock and we are making our way to Strasbourg, France.  I cannot wait to see the sights.  We will be attending Catholic Mass there.

I took 2 years of German in high school in 1980 to 1981.  I cannot believe I remember so much.  I can pronounce words although I may not know what the word(s) mean.  It was not a waste of my time.  I like the German language.  

Rhine River cruising Night 1

Today we woke up in Lucern, Switzerland.  We had to finishing packing to have the luggage stored until the afternoon drive to Basel, Switzerland to catch the ship.  The weather was very humid compared to the yesterday.  As we sitting eating breakfast looking out at Lake Lucern, the children were walking along the path by the lake for the last day of school.  The children complain about school ending in June.  You can think of the Swiss children going until July 4th.  They were in large groups.  It reminds me of the days living on Ontario Street in Omaha, Nebraska.  The entire neighborhood would walk together the 4 blocks - YES uphill - to Westgate Elementary School. It was so much fun.  No matter the weather all of would walk tp and from school.  There were no buses.  This was a neighborhood school.  There were times you would not walk with certain kids because of disagreements, but in the end we had a great time. We were all friends in the end.

Manny and I went to the Transportation Museum and toured the Lindt Chocolate exhibit.  We were on a  ride going pod to pod.  We had translators because everything was in Swiss.  At the end we were given Lindt chocolate to sample.  It was delicious.  After this we finally took public transportation to downtown Lucern. It cost 2.40 Francs each.  This is the cheapest thing in Switzerland.  The bus was very clean and efficiency.

The largest GIANT SINGING BOWL in the world in at the Palace Hotel.  It is 1.5 TONS.  It is the only one in the world.  It is made of bronze in Switzerland.  I climbed into the bowl, then I laid in the sling above the bowl.  For 10 minutes the electronic hammer gonged the bowl.  I felt the vibration throughout my body. I could feel the vibration in my bones.  It was so relaxing.  After I climbed out of the bowl with no accidents, it was Manny's turn.  I laid on the lounge chair while Manny's was in the sling.  He did the same.  At the end we laid in the lounge chairs for 15 more minutes and drank hot tea.  This was an amazing experience.  I would do it again.  I hope this will reduce the pain.  All I can do is wait and see.

The bus picked us up at 4pm and took 2 hours to get to Basel.  There were a few traffic jams as people were leaving the city.  I thought about the fools heading Cape Cod every weekend.  They wait in traffic for hours to start a vacation.  On the way we passed by...

We finally entered Basel and this is the first company we saw....Guess what they make...

We made it to the boat.  We had a lovely dinner with Tim and Angie.  The food was delicious.  The wine man kept coming by and filling the wine glasses.  And filling the wine glasses.  Angie was very happy!

After dinner we met on the top deck to discuss the plans for the week.  Tomorrow we are going to the Black Forest of Germany.  There will be cuckoo clocks and cherry schnapps.  We can't wait.  

The boat was stopped waiting to go through the Rhine locks.  There is no reason to go to Panama because the same system is here.  We were observing the landscape, then all of sudden the boat started to lower.  The landscape was gone.  The wooden walls were becoming the landscape.  The lock started to open.  The captain's tower was lowered and we decided to downstairs so we would not get wet passing under the lock.  Manny stayed upstairs.  

The sky was being lit up with lightning.  It was beautiful.  The lightning was dancing across the sky.  The strikes were beginning to hit the ground.  The wind was picking up and the rain was coming.  All of decided to go to the lounge and relax.  There was a piano man playing.  The Brazil v. Columbia game was on at the bar.  It is perfect!!!!!

My first night on the cruise has been great.  Manny is by my side.  Tim (my brother) and Angie (sister-in-law) spending their first time overseas with us is the best.  I am so excited!

Simple beauty if you take the time to see

Lucern, Switzerland has a beautiful "Old Town" area.  The old homes and other buildings.  Many have modern  day stores.  We went on a guided tour this morning of Lucern.  There is so much history.  The Swiss Guard were mercenaries went into other countries to assist the royalty.  The Swiss Guard still guards Vatican City today.  The mercenaries brought many ideas for building styles throughout the 13 to 18 centuries.  The original town was burnt down in the early 1800s since most of the buildings were built with wood from the mountains.  Now the buildings are made of stone.

This hotel overlooks the town of Lucern.

Found the elephants walking along Lake Lucern

This afternoon we headed to Mt. Titlus.  It is part of Glacier mountain area.  On the bus we sat with a couple from Bulgaria.  They were very nice.  The man graduated from a college in New Jersey.  There was a couple from Omaha, Nebraska as well.  This couple will be on the Viking River Cruise.  It took about 1 hour to get to the base of Mt. Titlus.  There were beautiful farms on the way.

 What a view to wake up to every day.  The mountains - Swiss Alps - are all around the valley.  There are houses throughout the valley.  The houses have window boxes with beautiful flowers.  The thatched roof homes.

Beautiful home

Some of the houses are built on the side of the mountains.  The backyard is the mountain.  There is nothing level in the front or back.

How does a person get to this place?

Everyone walks here.  As we were in the 6 person gondola there were people hiking up the mountain.  It is a beautiful area.  The silence is wonderful.  Breathing air so clean.  There was no difficulty breathing.  The air had a crisp cool feeling.  We were ascending Mt. Titlus with a 20 minute ride in the 6 person gondola, then we went on a very large gondola that carried about 60 people for 10 minutes, then the Rotair gondola (which rotates as we head to the top) for the last 10 minutes.

You have to jump in quickly because they keep moving and swinging.  The cars are catapulted upward (the same coming down).  It was a beautiful ride up and down.  On the way up, we were with a young couple living in San Francisco, CA, but they were originally from Mumbai, India.  Small World!!!

There were cows with the Swiss cowbells halfway up the mountain.  It was a wonderful sound.

At the of Mt. Titlus we were above the clouds. We were 10,000ft/3200m above sea level.  It is so quiet up there.  We walked through the Glacier Cave.  It was so amazing.  These are so of the pictures I took, but there is no way to describe the intense beauty of the mountain.  There was a lake that was so pure from the glacier.  The sun shining on it made it look like a sapphire rock.  The glacier water is so pure.  Fish have a difficult time living in the glacier lakes and Lake Lucern.  Amazing to see something so pure.

The rest of the pictures were from the top of the mountain.  The Glacier Cave was amazing.  I touched the inside of a glacier.  The air was cold and pure inside.  The water was trickling above me.  There is melting. When standing on the top the echoes of the man made explosions to control landslides was amazing.

Glacier Cave in Mt. Titlus 

The minerals in the glacier

About the Glacier

We returned to Lucern and went to eat Fondue.  It was great.  We sat outside in the plaza.  The restaurant was inside the Old Towne.  The picture is about Mardi Gras.  The central region of Switzerland is mostly Roman Catholic.  There is in a small plaza.  We sat at the first table outside on the left behind the first board. The weather was perfect. The sun was setting behind the buildings.  After dinner we strolled back to Hotel Palace along Lake Lucern.


The swans of Lucerne were a gift for France (I believe) many years ago.  They are owned by all citizens of Lucerne.  The swans are so majestic.

Lucerne is a beautiful city of 80,000 people.  Lake Lucerne surrounded by the Swiss Alps is so calming.  The sunset changes the colors of the mountains pink and purple.  Listening to the waves lap onto the shore is beautiful.  There are so many people are walking the path and it is still very quiet.  

Some interesting sights of Switzerland.

    1.  There are so many black flies.  They are everywhere.  

    2.  Like in Mumbai the people in Switzerland keep the heat of the day out by sliding metal covering over 

         over the windows.  I could not believe this. 

    3.  Bicycle riders (powered by humans) will run you down if you are not watching for them.  There are                bicycle lanes designated in the roads.

We are leaving Lucerne tomorrow and heading to Basel for the cruise.  I will have more to document.