Cologne, Germany
Today we arrived Cologne, Germany at noon after cruising 24 hrs. The weather has been beautiful and today it was 75. We had lots of time here as the cruise did not depart until 11:45 pm. But, let's talk for a minute about the ship itself.
The River Queen is one of several boutique river cruise ships operated by UniWorld. These ships are narrow (37-ft) due to the width of the canals and locks (we will go through 32 locks and under 100 bridges) and the RQ is 360-ft long.
Yesterday we went through our first lock and Bill stood alongside the Captain at his flying bridge and was amazed at the precision parking (he kept us 2-in from the side). With such a long ship, he enjoyed watching and talking with the Captain as he maneuvered us in position. The ships bridge also telescopes because some bridges we go under are quite low and require the crew to lower the bridge. The Captain has a crew of 37 supporting him and the hotel staff numbers 38, which includes the restaurant staff. All employees are very friendly and, as an English speaking cruise, you can talk with everyone.
The RQ is also special as it is decorated in 1920 period style. Our stateroom is large for a cruise ship size and the walls are covered with embroidered fabric. We have monogramed towels, sheets, bathrobes, and slippers. Pretty fancy.
Of course the food is great, unlike large cruise ships that have to feed several hundred or thousands of passengers. The head chef circulates during meal time to ensure all is perfect. In fact, last night the chef took Karen's order to ensure she got what she wanted and dropped by again tonight to take her order.
Now for Cologne. The weather was warm and we could enjoy relaxing on the sun deck as we arrived. We decided to pass on the guided tour (we weren't interested in the German Roman Museum) and we just walked over to the cathedral which wasn't far. It is the tallest gothic cathedral in the world.
The inside was full of beautiful stained glass windows. It is enjoyable to see these beautiful structures, but we can't help but think that Jesus would have been more at home in the small village church that we visited in France that was used as a hospital to heal people during the war.
After visiting the cathedral we walked around the shopping area which was a lot like the shopping in any major city in europe, so we went back to the ship and relaxed and chatted with other passengers during our daily tea time.
We just finished another great dinner and now it is time to kick back. Tomorrow - if it is Tuesday, we will be in Koblenz.
The River Queen is one of several boutique river cruise ships operated by UniWorld. These ships are narrow (37-ft) due to the width of the canals and locks (we will go through 32 locks and under 100 bridges) and the RQ is 360-ft long.
Yesterday we went through our first lock and Bill stood alongside the Captain at his flying bridge and was amazed at the precision parking (he kept us 2-in from the side). With such a long ship, he enjoyed watching and talking with the Captain as he maneuvered us in position. The ships bridge also telescopes because some bridges we go under are quite low and require the crew to lower the bridge. The Captain has a crew of 37 supporting him and the hotel staff numbers 38, which includes the restaurant staff. All employees are very friendly and, as an English speaking cruise, you can talk with everyone.
The RQ is also special as it is decorated in 1920 period style. Our stateroom is large for a cruise ship size and the walls are covered with embroidered fabric. We have monogramed towels, sheets, bathrobes, and slippers. Pretty fancy.
Of course the food is great, unlike large cruise ships that have to feed several hundred or thousands of passengers. The head chef circulates during meal time to ensure all is perfect. In fact, last night the chef took Karen's order to ensure she got what she wanted and dropped by again tonight to take her order.
Now for Cologne. The weather was warm and we could enjoy relaxing on the sun deck as we arrived. We decided to pass on the guided tour (we weren't interested in the German Roman Museum) and we just walked over to the cathedral which wasn't far. It is the tallest gothic cathedral in the world.
The inside was full of beautiful stained glass windows. It is enjoyable to see these beautiful structures, but we can't help but think that Jesus would have been more at home in the small village church that we visited in France that was used as a hospital to heal people during the war.
After visiting the cathedral we walked around the shopping area which was a lot like the shopping in any major city in europe, so we went back to the ship and relaxed and chatted with other passengers during our daily tea time.
We just finished another great dinner and now it is time to kick back. Tomorrow - if it is Tuesday, we will be in Koblenz.
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