Breisach, Germany

As with most days, we awoke around 5 am so we did our Duolingo lessons then went up on the sun deck to see the day arise.  The small German village of Breisach was to our port side with the St. Stephan’s Cathedral looming over the city. 

Once Ian & Emily got up we made our way to the breakfast where the buffet was excellent.  I enjoyed a mushroom, bacon and spinach omelet along with some of the typical coarsely ground Central European breads.  We picked up the boarding passes that let the ship’s crew know that all passengers were back on board for departures then prepared for the adventures of the day.  We were in group B for the trip to the Black Forest and the small town of Hoffstadt near Freiburg.  Known for the cherry schnapps, Schwartzwald Kirsch torte (Black Forest Cake) and cuckoo clocks, the town was about a 90 minute drive by bus including time on the Autobahn.  While in the village we saw demonstrations of how they build cuckoo clocks and blow artisan glass.  A pastry chef demonstrated how a Black Forest Cake is made that includes a chocolate cake, cherry schnapps, cherry marmalade, sour cherries, shaved chocolate and a huge amount of pure whipped cream.  It was a sight to behold.  We watched a cuckoo clock the size of a building and learned about the history of the Black Forest and how many of the German folk tales originated there. 

Because of construction, our bus was delayed and arrived at the ship after 12:30.  We had a brief safety drill that involved putting on the life jackets from our room and going to the sun deck for a check in.  Lunch was at 1 pm.  A lady, Amber, who we met on the bus to the Black Forest joined us for lunch.  She is a high school guidance counselor traveling alone from Raleigh, North Carolina and was excellent company for lunch.  I had a nice portion of veal and Mary had a Monte Cristo sandwich.  We exchanged parts and were both pleased with our choices. 

After lunch we walked around Breisach including into the St. Stephan’s Cathedral that was built in the 12^th and 15^th Centuries.  The site of the chapel was even used by the Roman emperor when passing through the area in the 300s AD. The chapel was a beautiful old sandstone church and is an imposing figure over the small German hamlet.

We spent most of the afternoon just walking around the town and enjoying the day.  The temperatures were in the upper 70s and there was a nice breeze for most of the day.  Ian was able to spot several birds that were new to him and I found a few nearby geocaches as we walked along. 

Around 5 pm Mary, Emily and I returned to the ship to relax on the sun deck while Ian wanted to spend more time birding in town and along the German shore of the Rhine.  We chatted with several people as they passed and Mary whipped me soundly in a game of shuffleboard.  At 6:30 we dressed for dinner and the daily briefing by the cruise director that preceded.   

We sat with a lady from Sacramento and her adult daughter who is employed by Ikea in The Hague.  They were both very pleasant dinner companions and we enjoyed the conversation.  Mary had the mixed greens salad and goat cheese appetizer, Ian had the roasted tomato soup, Emily had the marzipan but I had the smoked salmon with the salmon caviar.  Everyone was pleased with the first course.  All of us had the Chateaubriand as the main entrée.  The perfectly prepared medium rare beef was served with potatoes, mixed vegetables and a light sauce.  It was outstanding.  Desserts were a choice of ice cream, peanut butter crunch or Black Forest Cake.  We enjoyed sharing the desserts.  We had a nice while wine from the Alsace region with our meals. 

As we were finishing dinner the ship turned and started down the Rhine.  We were on the sun deck as the ship went through a lock.  We chatted with a retired civil engineer from Derbyshire, England and a retired faculty member from Dennison College as we locked through.  We have certainly enjoyed the people we have met on this trip. The cool air drove us inside to take a place in the lounge area for a short time until we decided to go to our staterooms for sleep. 

We are all looking forward to the day on Friday exploring the French city of Strasbourg.