Wake up at eight having had a decent sleep and feeling good. I am sat at breakfast with Dave, Phil and Stephen who is the guide on Dave’s coach. Breakfast is a buffet with plenty of choice and very enjoyable.
The weather isn’t too bad this morning with sun threatening to come out and when it does it is very warm. I spend most of the morning on deck with a lot of the passengers. It is the most relaxing feeling sailing down the river and exactly what I need at the moment.
The ship doesn’t do a running commentary preferring to sell guide books/maps allowing people to follow the river themselves. Stephen offers to give a commentary and does a very good job. He has the ideal voice for a microphone.
Tania is the receptionist/purser who speaks very good English and makes all of the announcements on the microphone.
“Bing Bong! Morning, coffee is served”
At half past ten coffee is served in the lounge and on the sun deck and at half past twelve lunch is served!
There is a notice board in the reception area that gives the menus for the day as well as any information we may need. All this coupled with Tania’s announcements and Stephens commentary is making my job even easier!
What I am enjoying is the difference between seeing the Rhine and its villages by road and by boat. I have driven this part of the Rhine many times but this feels like a new adventure.
We are due to dock in Boppard at three o’clock but are running late due to having to slow down because of the low water and arrive at four o’clock.
The rest of the day is free in Boppard but we have offered either the chance to go on a railway up the Hunsruck Mountain or take the chairlift to the top of the mountain/hill overlooking Boppard and the Rhine. We have eighteen people wanting to go on the train and four on the chairlift. The rest of the group will do their own thing in Boppard.
I walk the four to the chairlift and then arrange to meet the other boys at the railway station by 17:10. All in all there are 81 people going on the train and Stephen has all the tickets! We wave them off and then decide to have a beer by the river. I don’t know what they will see as I can’t see in the dirty windows so I presume they won’t see much out of the windows!
Dinner is once again at seven, “Bing Bong!”, and afterwards the four of us decide to walk into town as there is a wine festival on. It is quite amazing that the streets surrounding the square where the festival is on are quiet giving no indication of the festivities going on close by. As soon as you walk into the square you realise why the streets were quiet, everybody is in the square that is surrounded by stalls selling all of the different wines of the region and a large stage is at one end with the local orchestra playing. What a lovely atmosphere.
We are soon perched against a high table with a small glass of wine in front of us enjoying the music. We finish our drinks and leave the empty glasses on the table as another round of drinks are bought. Dave then collects the empty glasses and goes off to buy a round that has cost very little because you receive a Euro back on each empty glass! Very clever and funny especially as some other people had just left their empty glasses on our table! The beginning of a long night! And Dave doesn’t even like wine!
Stephen receives a bit of stick from Dave for drinking water at a wine festival and is soon back on the rose!
The orchestra are very good playing a lot of modern music that we all recognise and a few people are having a little dance. Not us mind! We may be having a jolly up but we are not that jolly yet!
I lose all track of time as Stephen goes back to the hotel and we move on to another bar in the square that we are attracted to by a group of Irish folk with a guitar. Soon we are sat with them as they sing their songs. I asked if somebody could sing the fields of Athenry as I like the song and one of the ladies duly obliged. I would like to tell you everything that happened but it is all a bit of a blur and I don’t really remember too much!
It was so nice to be able to go out without the worry of having to drive the next morning and I think we all filled our boots because of this! Stephen arrived back at the ship only to be locked out and had to clamber over to the other side for an open door. The night porter looked shocked as he told Stephen that he thought everyone was in bed only to be told there were three more still to come so he left the door unlocked.
Just for the record Stephen arrived back at the ship at 01:30 and the three musketeers arrived back at 03:00!!
The weather isn’t too bad this morning with sun threatening to come out and when it does it is very warm. I spend most of the morning on deck with a lot of the passengers. It is the most relaxing feeling sailing down the river and exactly what I need at the moment.
The ship doesn’t do a running commentary preferring to sell guide books/maps allowing people to follow the river themselves. Stephen offers to give a commentary and does a very good job. He has the ideal voice for a microphone.
Tania is the receptionist/purser who speaks very good English and makes all of the announcements on the microphone.
“Bing Bong! Morning, coffee is served”
At half past ten coffee is served in the lounge and on the sun deck and at half past twelve lunch is served!
There is a notice board in the reception area that gives the menus for the day as well as any information we may need. All this coupled with Tania’s announcements and Stephens commentary is making my job even easier!
What I am enjoying is the difference between seeing the Rhine and its villages by road and by boat. I have driven this part of the Rhine many times but this feels like a new adventure.
We are due to dock in Boppard at three o’clock but are running late due to having to slow down because of the low water and arrive at four o’clock.
The rest of the day is free in Boppard but we have offered either the chance to go on a railway up the Hunsruck Mountain or take the chairlift to the top of the mountain/hill overlooking Boppard and the Rhine. We have eighteen people wanting to go on the train and four on the chairlift. The rest of the group will do their own thing in Boppard.
I walk the four to the chairlift and then arrange to meet the other boys at the railway station by 17:10. All in all there are 81 people going on the train and Stephen has all the tickets! We wave them off and then decide to have a beer by the river. I don’t know what they will see as I can’t see in the dirty windows so I presume they won’t see much out of the windows!
Dinner is once again at seven, “Bing Bong!”, and afterwards the four of us decide to walk into town as there is a wine festival on. It is quite amazing that the streets surrounding the square where the festival is on are quiet giving no indication of the festivities going on close by. As soon as you walk into the square you realise why the streets were quiet, everybody is in the square that is surrounded by stalls selling all of the different wines of the region and a large stage is at one end with the local orchestra playing. What a lovely atmosphere.
We are soon perched against a high table with a small glass of wine in front of us enjoying the music. We finish our drinks and leave the empty glasses on the table as another round of drinks are bought. Dave then collects the empty glasses and goes off to buy a round that has cost very little because you receive a Euro back on each empty glass! Very clever and funny especially as some other people had just left their empty glasses on our table! The beginning of a long night! And Dave doesn’t even like wine!
Stephen receives a bit of stick from Dave for drinking water at a wine festival and is soon back on the rose!
The orchestra are very good playing a lot of modern music that we all recognise and a few people are having a little dance. Not us mind! We may be having a jolly up but we are not that jolly yet!
I lose all track of time as Stephen goes back to the hotel and we move on to another bar in the square that we are attracted to by a group of Irish folk with a guitar. Soon we are sat with them as they sing their songs. I asked if somebody could sing the fields of Athenry as I like the song and one of the ladies duly obliged. I would like to tell you everything that happened but it is all a bit of a blur and I don’t really remember too much!
It was so nice to be able to go out without the worry of having to drive the next morning and I think we all filled our boots because of this! Stephen arrived back at the ship only to be locked out and had to clamber over to the other side for an open door. The night porter looked shocked as he told Stephen that he thought everyone was in bed only to be told there were three more still to come so he left the door unlocked.
Just for the record Stephen arrived back at the ship at 01:30 and the three musketeers arrived back at 03:00!!
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