Live from Viking Sun from Antwerp to Basel

First full day today. Tour from 9:30 to 12:30 then back to the ship for our safety drill and lunch. There is a funeral in the Cathedral so the guides will take us back to the Cathedral for an insid tour at 2:30; nice touch. We will sail tonight at 7 pm.

Breakfast at 7 am then we get on busses for an hour ride to Brugge. We have the option of either staying in Brugge all day or returning to the ship, have lunch and then be shuttled into Ghent. We are docked in an industrial area so we cannot just walk off the boat and be in town like we did in Antwerp.

We had a very nice dinner last night. Movie trivia was the evening event. Three teams (us included) won a bottle of bubbly which we will drink tonight:).

Sure hope you and himself enjoy the "bottle of bubbly". Sounds like you are having your usual grand time. Wish we could be with you. Just be sure the local gendarmarie doesn't chase you back on board like "Kojak" did in Civitivechia. :D

Sure hope you and himself enjoy the "bottle of bubbly". Sounds like you are having your usual grand time. Wish we could be with you. Just be sure the local gendarmarie doesn't chase you back on board like "Kojak" did in Civitivechia. :D

Otis,I forgot all about that incident :eek:

Great day in both Brugge and Ghent. Did buy some chocolates today :D

Construction underway today as the town of Brugge is setting up for thr Christmas markets.

Look forward to your live updates!

Sounds like the trip is starting out with a bang....have a wonderful time! Ohhhhh, loved that Brugge is getting ready for the Christmas markets :D

Enjoy!

Anyone travelling with H2Otstr and hubby are in for a real treat--not to mention incredible talent for writing travel comments. She is also a wealth of travel info!:D

Had a gorgeous, sunny day yesterday. We docked dirctly in front of Kinderdijk, walked across the street and we were at the windmills. One windmill was open if anyone wanted to climb to the top. We were then able to walk the grounds if we wanted to.

The afternoon had an optional trip to Delft. The driver gave us about a 45min driving tour of Rotterdam before we toured Delft. Had a tour of the Delft shop, then a walking tour of the town. We opted to head out on our own. What a beuatiful city.

There was a fheese and gin tasting in the loung after dinner last night

This morning we are being bussed to Gouda (pronounced Hooda:D) , the hoat will mov and we will catch up in Utrecht.

Going to be cold today.

This morning we are having a canal ride and then heading to the flower market. Back to the boat for lunch and then fre time. VIKING WILL PROVIDE SHUTTLES THROUGHOUT THE AFTERNOON for p3opl3 to get in and out of town. Tonight our program director is taking people on a walking tour to the Red Light district.

Today we are in Arnhem. We had an excursion to the Paleis Het Loo. There was a Christmas Market type festival in the square....what a pleasant surprise. Came back to the boat and there was a Sinterklaas Parade. We could sit in the lounge and enjoy the activities. Sintrklaas and a boat full of Black Petes were on a boat on the river.

There were two optional tours today. One went to the Kroller Muller Museum and the other went to The Dutch Battlefields. At 3 pm there was a Dutch Tea in the lounge.

Today is the first day that it has rained.

We just docked in Cologne. We have a two hour walking tour; can't visi the inside of the Cathedral because it is Sunday. Some people will be attending one of the services if they wish.

VIiking did arrange for us to visit the Roman Museum at a slightly discounted rate.

Last night we have a 30 question trivia night. Questions were fairly hard. Highest score was 19 out of 30. Our team got 18, so we lost. Prize was a bottle of champagne.

This morning we are cruising the very scenic Moselle Valley. We will be cruising until noon when we will dock at Cochem. After lunch we will have a walking tour and then visit a winery. This is the start of the scenic part of cruising. All the vinyards are bqre now, the leaves on the trees are almost all gone, but some are still orange. It is still beautiful.

We docked in Koblenz in the middle of the night, there was a tour of Marksburg Castle and the boat is now cruising down the Rhine headed for Rudsheim. Marksburg is very sttep inside so people who have walking problems were encouraged not to go. Webjust passed the Loreley starue and rocks. At 2:30 there is a demo and tasting for the Rudesheim coffee. Tonight there is an optional dinner in Rudesheim.

It is cold and foggy today but the cruising is still nice and the scenery beautiful.

We just docked for our trip to Heidelberg. We will have a 35 to 40 minute bus ride, visit the Castle, bus back down the hill to town, lunch on our own and then free time. Viking will have a light buffet lunch for us when we return at 3:30 pm.

Hope you two get your "turkey fix" tomorrow--Happy Thanksgiving from California!!:D

What's the temperatures like?

Is it warm on the boat, or a bit chilly? I've packed many sweaters, not too many blouses.

We get on in Basel when you get off!

I'm so excited. This trip has been on my bucket list for years!

SFO, we just got back from the Viking Sky which did some of these same ports, from Trier to Nuremburg. The weather was cold outside - hats, gloves, scarfs, wool socks and layers needed. Inside the ship was a little drafty and I mostly had a sweater over a light tee. Some days at dinner we chose a table away from the window because I was cold. I'm pretty sensitive to the cold, but we had a great trip. Hope your enjoy also!

SFO, we just got back from the Viking Sky which did some of these same ports, from Trier to Nuremburg. The weather was cold outside - hats, gloves, scarfs, wool socks and layers needed. Inside the ship was a little drafty and I mostly had a sweater over a light tee. Some days at dinner we chose a table away from the window because I was cold. I'm pretty sensitive to the cold, but we had a great trip. Hope your enjoy also!

Thanks, CasaM,

That's what I was thinking. Good to know from someone who was just there.

I appreciate it. I wasn't planning on a hat, think I'll throw one in my bag now.

Hope you two get your "turkey fix" tomorrow--Happy Thanksgiving from California!!:D

Thanks, Otis. Hope that you and Joan have a happy holiday with your family.

What's the temperatures like?

Is it warm on the boat, or a bit chilly? I've packed many sweaters, not too many blouses.

We get on in Basel when you get off!

I'm so excited. This trip has been on my bucket list for years!

The temps have been better than I expected. Today was almost 60 in the sun. I have been wearing a winter coat and neck scarf and I have been comfortable. My husband hs been a lot colder so he has a worn a coat, gloves, a heavy sweater and sometimes a vest when we go touring.

It has been a little cool in the lounge and near the windows. I didn 't bring anything but sweaters. A scarf around my neck kept the draft off; some ladies were wearing shawls. I wish that I would have brought one more heavy sweater and a couple less lighter weight sweaters.

Have a wonderful time and enjoy your trip.

We are docked in Breisach. One could stay here and visit this town or take a 1.5 hour bus ride to the Black aForest where we visited a smal center that had a glass blower and a cookoo clock maker. If one wanted there was a fairly vigorous walk into the forest with one of the guides. The hike was up a muddy, slippry rocky pathe with lots of steps and some small bridges. The scenery was beautiful, a rushing aterfall beside the trail.

There was plenty of time to climb and see the demonstrations, shop and have a cup of coffee with a slice of Black Forest cake ( freshly baked).

Lunch on board in the lounge was A Taste of Germany theme. Great lunch.

We opted to take the optional to Colmar. The town was all decoratd and the Christmas Markets were open. We found two kinds of gluehwein mugs/cups here. One was the regular mug and the other was a plastic cup for 1€ . We had white gluehwein and kept the cup.

Weather was beautiful today. Very sunny an warm for this time of year.

Today is the last day of our cruise. This morning we went to Basel. Had about an hour guided tour and then a litle over an hour free time. The Christmas markets opened between 10:30 and 11:00, so we got to see a couple. There was also a vegetable market in town.

There was an optional tour to lucerne this afternoon. We opted not to go, so I have spent the afternoon packing.

We are docked in a very industrial area. If one wants to go back in town one has to walk through a crummy area to get to the tram. The #8 tram goes right to the center of town. Not sure how many ventured back.

We have to have our luggage out at 4:00 am tomorrow and we leave for the airport at 5:00 am. Our flight is at 7:30. We can't pay our onboard account until after 9:30 pm tonight. Should be a zoo at 5he reception desk tonight :eek:

All in all we had a very nice time and the weather has been beautiful.

We are considering the Basel to Amsterdam on the Sun next year. I know the ship is one of the older ones and the prices are lower on the Sun than on the newer ships. Can you give any feedback on the ship itself - is it worn and older looking or in great shape? We were just on the Sky this year and were very pleased at how nice it was for an "older" ship.

We are considering the Basel to Amsterdam on the Sun next year. I know the ship is one of the older ones and the prices are lower on the Sun than on the newer ships. Can you give any feedback on the ship itself - is it worn and older looking or in great shape? We were just on the Sky this year and were very pleased at how nice it was for an "older" ship.

I thought the Sun was in excellent shape. I was really surprised that it was built in 2005. Everything was in top condition, very clean, well thought out. I really liked the layout of the public rooms, too. I have a couple photos of our room. If you want me to I can send them to you in an email. Send your email address to me at h2otstr at aol dot com.