BERLIN, GERMANY: A CITY SHAPED BY HISTORY

BY JANET STEINBERG

Emotionally, architecturally, and literally, my Seabourn Pride’s Baltic Cruise Shore Excursion to Berlin was quite a ride!  

SEABOURN PRIDE ON HER BALTIC CRUISE

Our day in Berlin gave us a taste of its 20^th century history with all its phases and radical changes.  We saw how the city confronted its past and is forging ahead to the future.  Architecturally, Berlin is a smorgasbord of architectural masterpieces, scanning centuries.  From the original Jewish Museum…to Libeskind’s 21^st century addition…from the original Reichstag to Sir Norman Foster’s glass-domed roof…to Frank Gehry’s space age DZ Bank lobby. 

Cruising with AmaWaterways on the MS AmaLegro: Day Four: Koblenz

The AmaLegro docked in Koblenz.


by, Jan Ross

We docked in Koblenz very early in the morning, as we all slept peacefully and we opened our curtains to find a cobblestone street right outside our window! This is why it's a good idea to always close the curtains before you get undressed on the MS AmaLegro - you never know where you might cruise to while you are napping or in the shower!

We had the opportunity to take a walking tour of Koblenz in the morning, but we opted to sleep in and just take a tour of the town by ourselves, rather than get up early. This is one of the nicest things about this wonderful river cruise - you can make your own schedule. You can participate in the planned activities or make your own way and either choice is absolutely fine. You do need to pick up boarding cards as you leave the boat and return them when you leave, so they know everyone is aboard!

We strolled around the town, taking pictures and just enjoying this scenic German town.


Bridge in the town of Koblenz.




There are gorgeous old churches and cathedrals in every town.




Incongruously modern sculpture in town!




We were shocked to see cigarette vending machines on the streets, but this is common in Germany.

We headed back to the boat after our tour and it was so nice and easy to come back to our comfortable room on the MS AmaLegro and relax. We absolutely love the comfort and ease of leaving the river boat, walking around the various, beautiful and scenic towns and then strolling back to our little home away from home. It is wonderful!

We had a special lunch today with a local vintner, Mr. Loewenstein, giving a commentary about the paired wines we had with our lunch. I can't believe that when we started this trip, we thought we didn't like wine at all. I remember before I went to Hawaii, I thought I didn't like pineapple. Hard and tasteless - why in the world did people like it? Then I had pineapple in Hawaii. And I realized why people liked it - it is delicious! Same exact thing with wine.

We have tasted so many different kinds of wine, both red and white, and have discovered that we actually do like wine! We both prefer white (at least so far!) and I really like a sparkling wine. The zing and sparkle is like fireworks on your tongue!

After lunch, we arrived in Winingen and we strolled around this typical and lovely small German town, then just relaxed until we cruised off to Cochem in the early evening.

Last night was a very special night when we celebrated the Captain's Gala Dinner. Finally an excuse to dress up! The cruise has been very casual so far and everyone seems very comfortable in jeans and sweaters, with maybe a little spiffing up for dinner. But last night everyone dressed up and looked lovely! First we had a cocktail party in our lovely and comfortable lounge with a special cocktail called the "Mosel Royal" - a combination of white wine with some peach liqueur and a fresh lime slice - delicious! Then we headed down to the dining room for another delicious dinner and a variety of wines.

This time I saved the menu so I could tell you exactly what we ate and drank!




Grilled Medallion of Monk Fish, Scallop and Tiger Prawn on Warm Octopus Salad. Served with Vegetable Pearls and Saffron-Cilantro Rice.




Whole roasted Maredo Beef Fillet with Port Wine Gravy. Served with Carved Vegetables and Potato Gratin.

My husband had the seafood dinner and I had the beef and, let me just tell you, that may have been the best fillet I have ever eaten IN MY LIFE. I could have cut it with a butter knife and it melted in my mouth.

We had "Baked Amalegro" for dessert and they turned off the lights as the waiters brought in this frozen concoction (basically Baked Alaska) with sparklers set in them, glowing in the dark and making quite a spectacle!

Let me tell you about the wines as well, for those of you who are wine lovers and much more expert than I!

The white was a Vinum Confluentes and it was described as "very fruity with a perfect round and complex body, a speciality from Koblenz".

The red was a Kremser-Zweigelt and was described as "Special Austrian grape, usually very heavy bodied wine, color is from deep red down to deep violet, comes quite spicy at the end, comparable to a Merlot".

So, now you know what we ate and drank and have an idea about why we look forward to every meal!

When you are ready to travel with AmaWaterways, The Travel Authority is ready to help you plan that trip. You can call 1-877-AXP-1515 for information and details about these cruises. Be sure to print out this post or mention the code BLAMA to get the best deal on your trip. I would love to hear your suggestions for future blog posts. You can comment below or contact me by email at jan.ross@thetravelauthority.com. Thanks for reading - I truly appreciate it!

Safe travel!



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