This morning was an early start. The sun is shining but it is very cold. Russ and I have decided to break out the thermal underwear so that the day will not be spoiled by the cold as it was yesterday.

The bus picked us up at 8:30am and took us on a guided tour around the interesting spots of the city, before depositing us, along with the guide, outside the entrance to the old city section. To reach this area we had to pass over the moat – never been filled with water, but very deep – on the bridge.

The lady guide, Erica, was very good value. We stopped on the way at the Nuremberg Palace of Justice – the court house where the Nuremberg War Crime Trials were conducted. It is a very big place with over 80 courthouses and administration offices of 264. The courtroom 600 where the trials were held has an underground entrance from the jail which is behind the building. During the trials the US troops had blocked off all road access to the courthouse, and had tanks on guard outside.

The old fort and palace was never lived in during the days of its eminence. Rather, when the city was to be visited by a dignitary, all the well to do families of the city loaned pieces of furniture to the palace so that the dignitary could be housed in style. Once that person and his/her retinue left the city the pieces of furniture were returned to their rightful owners. Erica explained that this was the reason that the inside was not worth the visit, but that the outside was quite memorable.

The sun continued to shine for the whole time we toured the city, but the temperature had only risen to 10 degrees Celsius when we returned to the boat at lunch time. We did however manage to pick up some more souvenirs for people back home in the city square. Although it is Sunday, quite a few of the shops were open.

Tomorrow is a public holiday for Labour Day, and we will be arriving at Regensberg. One of the tourists asked Andrzej about the constant use of the rivers by the big barges. Andrzej found out some facts for our edification.

Four barges linked together will transport the same amount as 434 rail carriages – more than 1^1/2  kilometres long – or 470 semi-trailers. The barges would use 1 litre; the train use 1.5 and the semi-trailers would use 4 litres of fuel. It therefore becomes easily understandable why the barges are the lifeblood of the continent.

I rang Brett today and found out how the football teams were performing in our absence. Collingwood won; St Kilda drew with Freemantle, and Geelong lost. He also advised us that we have lots of messages waiting for us when we finally get Internet access on the Get Jealous web site.

Of great interest this afternoon was the talk given by a civil engineer, Herr Hoffman, who explained all about the history associated with the enterprise of the building of the Main Danube Canal.  We also travelled across two viaducts, the longest one is 1.8 kilometres; and the roadway goes under the viaduct. Apparently it can be an uncomfortable experience for the drivers on the road (if they have been drinking) to look up and see a boat passing overhead.

This morning after breakfast we all congregated in the Club Lounge with our wallets and our reading material. The lower deck commenced the trial by credit card at 9:00am and our deck was due to begin at 10:00am. The Upper deck was to be after us. It was a long and laborious process which was interrupted by lunch, and then the trip to Bamberg. Andreizj was still chasing people at dinner, and again the next morning.

We were lucky enough to get all the optional extras we wanted, as were Mum and Dad. They are doing the Budapest Lights tour, where we have decided to forgo that one. However, we all got the bus trip at Passau, which takes us to Salzburg (not on the river) via the area where the movie “Sound of Music” was filmed, and a guided sightseeing tour of Salzburg itself. We then move on to Linz where we pick up the boat. Those who do not wish to take this tour stay with the boat.

This is followed when we get to Vienna with a private guided tour of the Schonbrunn Imperial Palace, and a bit of Apple Strudel baked in the Imperial Palace Bakery.

We also get to go to the Concert in the evening of the same day, where they will be playing a collection of Strauss melodies; we view a dance performance and get to drink champagne during intermission.

Bamberg itself is an interesting place. However, the sun was shining when we left the boat so we did not take extra warm clothing, just our raincoats. What a very big mistake!!

It was freezing, and whilst in the coach on the way the town centre for our guided tour, it started to hail. Needless to say, when we finally got out of the coach it was bitter. It didn’t get any better for the rest of the tour.

Whilst we saw a church, and the municipal building (council headquarters) which is built in the middle of the river, and many other buildings of interest including the Bishop’s residence and rose garden, not much of it managed to grab my attention over the fact that I ached with the cold. We did get some good photos.

By the time we made it back to the boat in the first coach, both Russ and I were frozen. We immediately got a hot cup of tea and got into bed to try to warm up. Russ fell straight to sleep and I was able to read in peace, after I had downloaded the photos from the cameras.

Tonight is the Passenger’s Concert, and Jackie has requested the use of Russ’ hat. She has written a skit around Waltzing Matilda and enlisted the help of one of the American’s to ask questions as it is being sung, so that the words can be understood.

It went over extremely well, and by the end of the song the Americans in the audience were singing along with the group. Our young friend, who is taking the tour under Andrzej’ wing to see if he would like to be a Tour Director, asked Mum if she could get the Slim Dusty CD so that he could copy the songs down before he returned it. He said he has wanted a good version of the song for a very long time, and was impressed with the quality of the CD. He returned the CD to Reception for pickup later.

Although Russ and I did not attend the show, Mum and Dad took part in the singing. I provided the words to I still Call Australia Home so that they could finish with it.

Apparently all who attended the show (there were not enough seats) thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and we have heard a few mention the good time they had.

Tomorrow we arrive at Nuremberg.

The weather this morning is overcast, very cold but not raining. We have had to get up a half hour earlier than yesterday because this morning we dock at Wurzburg at 8:00am and our conducted tour begins at 8:30am.

We took a stroll up to the front of the boat and decided we needed to bring out the heavy duty gear to keep warm. So our photos today will show the yellow peril.

We are to be bussed to the Prince Bishop’s Palace where we will be shown through the public area. This city is an old Episcopal see and a lively modern university city. It is also the university where x-rays where first discovered by Rontgen who was awarded the Nobel Prize. We passed the actual section of the uni where this discovery took place.

The city was a Catholic city in the Middle Ages, and the Bishop was also the Prince ruler. His palace is absolutely magnificent, and everything that was built was to reflect his power and the importance of the area. Although in modern times this city is considered to be part of the state of Bavaria, to the inhabitants of this city to be call a Bavarian is to insult them. They are Franconians. Franconia is/was a duchy in the early days – we are talking 650 onwards, – and was handed to Bavaria in 1814.

In 788 the cathedral was consecrated in the presence of Charlemagne. The university was founded in 1582. The residence of the Bishop – the palace – was constructed in 1720 – 1744.

The roofs of the palace were painted by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (1696 – 1770). He began preparatory sketches of the finished work in 1750; the ceiling fresco was painted in the spring of 1751 and the two lateral wall frescos were completed the following year. The Prince Bishop was so pleased with the finished decoration of the Imperial Hall that he invited Tiepolo to fresco the ceiling of the stairwell in 1752. The Wurzberg frescos are considered the high point of Tiepolo’s artistic career.

From the point of view of this tourist is it an incredible work of time and patience. The stucco pieces are made from pasta which is then glued and painted in place to form the curlicues and framework around the paintings and the edges of the roof areas in each room. From the ground it is impossible to know where the painting ends and the three dimensional stucco starts.

At one point in the White Room – which was the greeting room for important but low ranking visitors to the Bishop – it looks like he has draped material through holes in the stucco pieces. This room can now be hired out at 2500 euros a night for concerts or parties.

The portrait room is finished with sections of faux marble. These areas were made by mixing dough in the kitchen and colouring them to the design of the room. In this way they were able to match the pale green, pale ochre, and pale blue/grey to help emphasize the colours in the portraits. The floor was a mosaic design of marble tiles.

If Miltenberg was the high light of the medieval town, then the palace was the high light of the grandiose. During the Second World War both wings of the Palace were bombed out of existence. Only the central portion of the palace, both floors, was left intact. However, there were numerous photos and paintings of the palace, and so the wall tapestries, and much of the furniture, which was removed to safe underground cellars before the bombings, were able to be used to complete the finished result after re-construction.

The two side wings of the building were re-constructed to the exact detail of the original, but the rooms were never refurnished or finished as they had once been. In stead, one wing is now used by the University for the studies of Language and History, and the other wing houses the administration staff for the palace museum.

As we are not allowed to take any photos inside the palace we decided to buy the extended post card so we will have some pics to jolt our memories once we get back home to Australia.

Wurzberg is now home to the 98^th Area Support Group and the 417^th BSB of the US Army.

We visited other parts of the town and saw some of the 39 Catholic Churches in this city. We also walked the market square, and found an auto teller machine which would accept Visa cards. Mum and I picked up another few souvenirs for folks back home.

We got back to the boat in time for lunch, and whilst we ate, we undocked and continued our journey. Russ managed to get some terrific photos of the city, and yesterday’s photos, when downloaded, turned out to be quite good also.

This afternoon we all used the time to catch up on our sleep. It is amazing how tired you can get doing nothing. After dinner this evening we enjoyed the concert by the crew. Some of them were very funny, others over the top, and Andrezj bought the house down with his modified version of “If Ever I should Leave You”.

Stefan and the kitchen did a rendition of ballet with balloons under their t-shirts, and kitchen towels draped over their boxer shorts, with frilly caps over their hair.

Marcel, our maitre’d, was the MC for the night, but we heard him singing one of the songs later, and he wasn’t too bad. Romano drew the lottery for those people who had bought tickets earlier in the day. The prizes were some of the gifts available in the reception area shop. All in all, we had a fine time.

Tomorrow, we get to sleep in again for an extra half hour, and then we part with our money to pay for the optional extras we have chosen to take. After lunch we head out to see Bamberg, and it will be a full on afternoon with an 80 minute walk of the city before we are left to our own devices. We can catch either the 3:30 or 5:00 pm bus back to the boat, and we will continue our journey at 6:45pm.

This morning I have awoken with an enormous cold sore blister on my top lip. It is the first cold sore I have had in about 30 years. I have decided that this may be what botox feels like, in which case, I will never be parted from my money for the treatment.

The weather is misty, overcast, and fairly dismal, but, what the heck!, we are on holidays and don’t have to do anything we don’t want to do.

Today during breakfast we moved from the Rhine into the Main-Danube Canal. Work on this canal began in the middle ages, which was a considerable technical achievement for its time.

It was the dream of Charlemagne and Ludwig I of Bavaria, and runs from Bamberg to Kelheim. The completion of this section opened a waterway to seagoing ships, linked the North Sea to the Black Sea, and runs for 3,500 kilometres.

Named the Ludwigskanal, with 100 locks punctuating its 177 kilometre length, it was inaugurated with pomp in 1846. Its length was increased in 1922, and in 1972 the stretch from Bamberg to Nuremberg became navigable.

The final stretch from Nuremberg to Kelheim was completed in 1992. The resulting canal is now 171 kilometres in length, has 16 locks, and at Hilpolstein reached 406 metres above sea level, which makes it the highest point on the European waterway network.

Early this afternoon we arrive at Miltenberg, where we have the opportunity of a walking tour of approximately 70 minutes duration. After that we have about an hour and a half to wander at our leisure before the boat leaves. Due to the time constraints on the boat’s passage we have only a short stay at Miltenberg. However, just to keep us amused there will be a demonstration by Brigitte in the Club Lounge on “How to Prepare the Best Vanilla Cookies in the World” – truly riveting stuff – before Happy Hour and Dinner.

It is still raining softly and we have all met on the dock where there are about five or six guides waiting to take us in manageable groups through the town of Miltenberg.

Our guide, Jean, was very well spoken, and her grasp of English was terrific. She also had a sense of humour and was able to repeat humorous little snippets of history about the region.

This is the best preserved town from medieval times, and the community takes great steps to keep it in good condition. This is the first time I have been able to envisage how the alleys and lanes come together in a meaningful way. Russ has taken some really fabulous photos of the area.

The actual shopping area was small and the contents very modern. Mum managed to pick up a great handbag for one of the granddaughters at a reasonable price, and was able to ask the lady behind the counter for her business card, which has the address of the purchase.

Once we made it back to the boat we decided to take a break from company and recharge the batteries. Brigitte was missed, but not missed if you see what I mean. Those who attended the cooking said it had not been anything very special, and they were sure they had made the same cookies throughout the younger years of their children’s lives.

Dinner was most enjoyable – what’s new? We sat with Roley and Elsie who originated from England, but have lived in Australia for about 31 years. Roley was in the navy, and spent time in many places around the world. He now considers himself an Australian. Elsie is on a special diet as she needs gluten free food. It is amazing just what she can eat from the menu, though.

The day is overcast with a fine misty rain, and it is cold. During the night, the scenery has changed from flat ground to very high hills on either side of the river. We are also due to navigate the deepest and narrowest section (112 metres) of the Rhine where the Legend of the Lorelei Lady was born. The Lorelei Rock, whose summit is 194 metres above sea level, descends almost vertically into the Rhine.

It is famous for its sevenfold echo and its legend that a women’s voice – Lorelei – could be heard from the mountain top, forcing sailors to listen, and causing ships to collide. It may have some bearing on the story that this section of the Rhine flows very quickly, and has a whirlpool feature which must be navigated.

This afternoon we are due to dock at Rudesheim. This area has been famous for its wine – Drosselgasse – since the 19^th century. The Museum of Medieval Torture also attracts a surprising number of tourists every year.

Siegfried’s Museum is also located here in Rudesheim. It has an extensive variety of mechanical musical instruments, distributed throughout a 15^th century castle. Siegfried Wendel came up with the idea of collecting mechanical musical instruments during his honeymoon in Los Angeles, and a visit to an open-air museum which housed a large collection of mechanical pianos. Wendel’s collection contains more than 350 exhibits and has been open to the public since 1969.

Here are a few interesting facts about the Rhine River Basin. The basin population is 50 million people. It has a density of 270 persons per square kilometre or 104 persons per square mile. The basin shares borders with France, Germany, Switzerland, Netherlands and Luxemberg; it flows through Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands. It is 1320 kilometres long or 820 miles.

Whilst dining we docked at Rudesheim. The clouds are still delivering a misty rain, but it is not as heavy as earlier in the morning.

We were picked up by a choo choo train again – slightly different design, and the ride was not as smooth – but I did not get a look to see if this one had been made in Italy.

The short journey took us to Siegfried’s Museum and we went in small groups of about 20 people each. Our guide was called Tom and he was dark of skin, very well spoken with almost no accent, but he was shorter than I by about six inches. He was also very knowledgeable about each of the items we saw in the tour.

It really was an incredible experience. We started with the large items – mechanical pieces that were programmed similar to the pianola, but four times the size of that piano, and played as though it were an entire orchestra. There was an organ, even larger and louder, that played band type music.

We listened to an old gramophone which played Doris Day singing Que Sera Sera, and every one sang along with her. There were organ grinders, and vionolas – machines that played both piano and violins together – and all these machines are quite old. Tom explained that of 6300 vionolas made there were only 6 still known to exist in working order. He said that there was only one man still living who was able to create the drums for the organ grinders, that there was a waiting list 5 years long for his services, and that he was already 88 years old.

We then went to an old grand piano which was created to be played by the original musician, which recorded the music in a pianola format, including pedal pressure, pace of the music played and degree of noise for each section, and enabled it to be played back as a pianola piece on the piano. We actually listened to one of these recorded pieces but I am unable to remember who the musician was. However, the piece of music played was Liebenstraun (and it never sounded like that when I played it).

We then went to another section of the castle – 12^th century and still with most of the original features, including tiled floors and frescos on the low ceilings, indents from constant footsteps in the flagstones around the doorways and stairs – and there we were introduced to the miniature mechanical pieces. Tom showed us a small music box that when the key was turned, opened a small hatch and a magnificent bird – 27 moving miniature parts – sang and hopped around the pad. The one he demonstrated for us was a reproduction, but the original he showed us in the display case was created in 1880. He said it had taken the maker three years of constant work to create the finished product. The bird song was made by a miniature tin whistle, and if you hadn’t been looking at the music box, you would have believed there was a bird very close by. The reproductions of this music box sold from between 1200 euros and 3100 euros – $2000 and $5160 dollars Australian.

We were then let loose in Rudesheim to walk, shop or investigate the Medieval Chamber of Torture. We did the first and second creating our own torture, but bypassed the old version of torture.

Russ picked up a sleeveless vest in suede with pockets galore for 20 euro. I picked up a few more souvenirs for people back home. We also took lots of photos for Brett when we came to the shop that sold suits of armour, black metal studded coffins, and the most incredible collection of swords and knives that I have ever seen.

By the time we made it back to the boat my left hip was telling me in no uncertain terms that it required a rest, preferably after a shower and plenty of Alleviate.

We sat with an American couple from Denver, Colorado, who are on the cruise to see if they can recommend it to their clients. They own a travel agent franchise. Rick only works there a couple of days a week, and spends a couple of days a week working at the brewery. Connie is actually an electrician who loved to travel, and once she and Rick were married they decided to do something that would allow them to work and play at the same time. They are nearing retirement now, and have said they will be doing more travel once this event happens.

Today back home it is Anzac Day. Collingwood will have almost finished playing Essendon by this time. I have sent a text message to Brett asking who won, but they did explain that text messaging could not be guaranteed so I will live in hope until I find out the results.

Andrzej explained that in honour of Anzac Day, we would be served Lamb at dinner time, and they displayed the Australian flag at the entrance to the restaurant. It is this thoughtful type of gesture which will stand them in good steed, and word of mouth will ensure that they get many more Australian guests in the future, now that this type of holiday is being publicised.

This morning we had a leisurely breakfast and then collected our jumpers, sunglasses and cameras, and headed up to the Sky Deck. It was a bit breezy but not very cold, and we did our daily constitutional around the deck for a good ten minutes.

Last night at dinner we sat with an American couple, Jenny and Dan, who have lived all their working lives in Philadelphia, but have retired to St Croix in the Virgin Islands. They now commute between both residences.

Jenny explained that she was leading an American group who was fairly well travelled, so had little to do until they reached Budapest, as everything was covered by the cruise director, and the job was cushy at the moment. She explained that she is employed by her daughter who owns her own travel agency. Dan accompanies her on whatever trip she is making, so they definitely have the best of both worlds.

She told us about a friend’s son in law who was of Italian extract. He is a newspaper reporter and was sent to Australia to cover the America’s Cup trials when it was held in Perth. Being of Italian extract he made a point of getting to know the Italian contingent in Perth for the races.

There were two Italian camps, and both had been decked out by opposition companies, and were equipped with GQ gear from Armani and Gucci to name but two of the companies whose logos they wore.

Apparently, during discussion with the Gucci group, it was mentioned that all they really wanted to see whilst in Australia was a kangaroo. Needless to say, he organised a hire vehicle – 4wd jeep – and they set off at dusk one evening heading north.

They certainly found a kangaroo, or rather, they hit it. It was lying still by the side of the road when they got out to investigate the situation. They were genuinely horrified to think they had killed this animal, but decided to make the best of the situation. They dressed the kangaroo in one of the Gucci vests, added the sun visor and held it up whilst the photo was being taken.

What they failed to realise was that the kangaroo was merely stunned. It came to just after the photo had been taken. It shook itself and then bounded away. To make matter worse the keys to the jeep were in the pocket of the vest the kangaroo was wearing.

Needless to day they had to phone back to the main group and get some one to come and pick them up with a spare set of keys for the jeep. The American wanted to print the story in the newspaper the next day, but his boss informed him it was racist. He reminded his boss that he was of Italian extraction and found it very funny, not racist. However, it was never printed.

So if you are travelling along the road in Western Australia and you see a very well dressed kangaroo, you will know how it came about.

We enjoyed their company, and apparently they enjoyed ours.

Some of the Americans appear very rude, especially when talking to the staff of the boat. They do not seem to think it necessary to say ‘please’ or ‘thank you’ and can be very pushy. Mum and I have both commented that there are times when you simply have to hold your ground against them, or they barge in front of you as if you were of no importance what so ever. On the other hand, there are some like Jenny and Dan who are pleasant and polite.

The staff have been heard to comment that they love dealing with the Canadians and Australians on board. We are not only polite, but we don’t make a fuss unless there is a valid reason to do so. More over, we do have common sense and know that if our cabin is too hot then you turn down the thermostat, not complain about it the next day as happened early in the voyage.

We are due to arrive at Cologne during our lunch time, and then in the afternoon we head out to explore parts of the city. We are to take a little choo choo train (Andrzej’s words, not mine) and this is followed by a guided walk of about 90 minutes duration. After that we have some time to explore at our leisure, and then get the train back to the boat. Alternatively, our guided tour finishes at the cathedral – more info later – and it is only a 20 minute walk back to the boat.

The little choo choo train is called the Schoko Express. It is made in Italy and has a tractor type pulling engine and each train has four small carriages on it. By the time they tried to get seats for everyone on the four trains provided, we needed to be very chummy.

Russ and I were separated from Mum and Dad for the journey, and we ended up on the last seat of the last carriage of the last train with a whole lot of aussies. Our train driver also doubled as our guide, and in the fashion of a good Queenslander, he finished every sentence with “Eh”. The guys in our part of the carriage had a wonderful time taking the mickey out of him, and their wives threatened not to let them leave the boat again if they did not behave.

We arrived at the Cathedral. Apparently, during the Second World War, there were some sites that were on a protected list used by both allies and axis powers, such as this cathedral, Westminster Abbey etc. A very small section of the Cathedral was caught by a bomb, and the area around it was extensively destroyed. In fact, in Cologne there was so much destruction that most of a once large medieval town was left as rubble. The people of Cologne (also known as Koln and Colonia) have taken great pride in keeping the remaining buildings in pristine condition.

They are still reconstructing a lot of the city, and they have tried to keep the original facades in place, and then build the new buildings onto the skeletal structures.

It was while they were cleaning up a lot of the bombing in preparation for the new construction that they made many of their greatest finds of 3 century Roman remains under the existing city building rubble.

Many of these have since been fenced, cleaned and protected from people. They have constructed museums around them and you can walk through and view each such things as an intricate mosaic floor, a burial plinth etc.

They also tell the story of the roman road they discovered when they were rebuilding the council chambers, and decided that it should be shifted and preserved for posterity. They dutifully numbered each of the large basalt boulders and moved them beside the new site. However, it rained whilst they attended a party and the numbers were no longer there. In typical Cologne style they decided ‘why bother’ (our tour guides’ words) and they proceeded to lay them out in the prepared space in whatever order they picked up a stone. The Romans would be turning in their graves. It was the roughest surface I have seen for a long time, and no-one would have ever been able to rumble a cart across the surface without doing considerable damage to their wooden wheels.

The Cathedral itself is an amazing work of art. Given that it was built in the 12^th century, it properly puts our modern constructions to shame. The stain glass windows are nothing short of spectacular, and I have lots of photos to prove it. It is a catholic church – Cologne was a Catholic community way back then and did not tolerate any other religion – and the work on the Stations of the Cross is so intricate and still very well preserved.

We missed some of the story about why it was built so high in direct contract to the period, but I believe it has something to do with the three magi whose remains are supposedly interred in a crypt inside.

Once our guided tour was finished, the four of us decided to return by foot to the boat and off load all our gear which had not been needed. It was a beautiful 27 degrees. However, when we were half way back to the touring area it began to spit with rain. Of course, our gear was now back at the boat. We grabbed what shelter we could find to wait out the shower, and then continued back to the Cathedral. Russ wanted to take more photos than he had been able to earlier.

Dad, Mum and I rested at the exhibition of Trash People – 1000 life size figures made from garbage, all standing in the square. Once Russ rejoined us we were able to explore some of the shops and pick up a few souvenirs. Mum even purchased her first pair of pierced earrings. She finally intends to get them pierced when she gets back home.

We staggered back to the boat about 5:30 pm, all agreeing that we needed showers and then deep heat for our abused muscles. I found a Sydney newspaper in the Club Lounge and caught up with the downgrade of Cyclone Marion to a deep low, but it was Monday’s newspaper and did not have all the football results.

Dinner lived up to previous expectations. Tomorrow morning we enter the Rhine Gorge where the river narrows and deepens. We also get to see the first in a series of genuine castles.

We woke up about 7:30 am much more refreshed that we expected. Breakfast was another large assortment of food to resist. There are no set tables to sit at in the restaurant, and everyone is encouraged to move around a different table each sitting and mingle.

I saw Russ and co off on their canal tour and started to finish my unpacking. Once everything was stowed away I got back into bed and went to sleep. Russ returned about 11:00am and said it was a very interesting excursion and that he had some more great shots of Amsterdam.

We got ready for lunch – another gargantuan collection of the finest – and while at lunch the boat left dock and we began our journey.

Holland is a very flat country, I mean really flat. When they talk about a hill they are describing an area that is ten feet, sorry 3 metres, higher that the surrounding landscape. Amsterdam was partially hidden in a haze of fog and the shots taken at the start of the journey are not as clear as we would have liked.

Because all the reclaimed land is peat with a clay basis, Holland actually ships in by barge any quantities of sand they need in their building programs. This includes sand used to make concrete. In earlier times before concrete they also had to import their wood for pilings etc. Most of their housing is made from brick or concrete, and once they have established a successful pattern it is used many times.

In one respect this is sad, because their older buildings are works of art. The modern stuff is very ordinary by comparison. They also do not have any buildings higher than about 7 floors. This is because the peat, which is the foundation, cannot tolerate the weight without the buildings starting to sink.

The motion of the boat is very smooth. It was explained to us that we have to pass through 63 locks on our adventure. Some of them will require the closing of the Sundeck to the passengers because there is only minimal clearance under some of the bridges to be negotiated.

The wheel house actually descends about 8 feet into the deck whilst these bridges are being negotiated. It is fascinating to watch the locks being cleared. The boat, the MS Artistry, has a camera on the bow of the boat, which transmits a continuous picture to the TVs in our cabins. We can also check the boat’s progress on the map of Europe on one of the screens.

We learnt this morning that cyclone Marion is about to cross Darwin early tomorrow morning, Australian time. It is difficult to get a lot of information about Australia over here, as it has very little impact on world events from a European or American perspective – very humbling.

It is now 6:30pm and we have just negotiated our second lock. The info channel informs us that it is 586.4 nautical miles to Budapest. We are expected to dock at Cologne sometime tonight or early tomorrow morning. The river is much wider now than it has been for most of the day. Even though it looks choppy outside, the motion is still very smooth inside. We are going at 15.7 km/h in an east/northeasterly direction.

Dinner is due to be served at 7:30pm. It is Happy Hour in the lounge at the moment, and at 7:15pm Andrzej will give us our port talk for tomorrow. Mum said she was going to attend the talk which was to provide more information on tomorrow’s activities. When we caught up with them at Dinner time she said that when the announcement was made it had woken her up and she was no longer interested, so we all missed out on that one.

Dinner was lovely – more food to resist. We finished at 9:45pm and went straight to bed. It was magnificent to lie in bed with the lights off and the curtains open, and watch the passing lights. It was a very nostalgic feeling because it reminded me of traveling between Ouyen and Melbourne in the sleeper carriage of the train at night, without the clickety-clack noise. I was gently lulled to sleep by the motion and lights, and woke about 2:30 am for a drink. I closed the curtains then as our cabin faces the east at this junction of the journey, and did not wish to be awoken too early as we actually have a chance to sleep in an extra half hour.

We went straight to the departure area (Gate 41 out in the sticks) because we had so long to wait for our plane. Slowly, we were joined by our fellow travellers and at 10:20pm, the gate opened and the staff began to set up for our walk through the metal scanners. You have to have your passport with your boarding pass when you get on planes overseas.

There were so many of us that they ended up opening the second gate and then we began to move quickly to the debarkation area in the Gate area. Whilst we were waiting in line we started up a conversation with some fellow travellers. We noticed a Geelong badge on the backpack in front of us, and conversation followed. We found out in passing that Geelong lost by one point to the Western Bulldogs. Mum did not descend into a deep depression when she heard this news.

We sat down for another twenty minutes once we had made it through the scanners. Then they announced the boarding of families, business class, and those who have difficulties in boarding. Finally our section was called and we went into the tube.

The plane – a 777-300 – has three seats in three sections across the plane. Dad, Russ and I were in the middle section and Mum had the seat across the aisle from Dad in the next set of three. I found myself the rose amongst the thorns.

By this time I was very tired and decided to take my tablets as soon as I sat down in my seat and had composed myself. I don’t remember much after that except that I couldn’t open my eyes when I smelt the delicious supper being served shortly after take-off.

When I awoke the cabin was very dim and most everyone appeared to be asleep. I checked my watch to find that it read 6:30am, however, when you change that to Amsterdam time, it was 12:30 am and we still had 7 hours to travel.

God, this is going to be a very long day……………………..

I managed to doze back to sleep after Dad got up for a midnight walk, as I got up and followed. I ended up watching “The Producers” and trying not to laugh too loudly and wake the other people up. After this was over, I dozed a bit more.

Dad woke up again – thank goodness – because my legs had decided that they wanted to move about again. We met up with several other wakened people and we all did our exercises down by the back section of the plane.

When we got back to our seats, Dad went back to sleep. I thought I might be able to doze again, but I had to listen to both Dad and Russ snoring on either side of me. I listened to some music instead, and then the cabin lights came on. The staff moved around and offered hot towels to wake up with – a very civilised idea.

Breakfast was up to the usual Singapore airline standard and was enjoyed by all of us. It had been a long time since I ate tea the night (and more) before.

We then started to get ready for our arrival in Amsterdam. The information available on the Kris World site told us that Amsterdam was 5 degrees – brhhhh!!!! – But was going to be a lovely spring day.

We finally landed and taxied, and taxied, and taxied to the terminal. We had one little girl who very vocally told the world aboard the plane that her ears were hurting, and she was a very unhappy little camper. However, by the time we had taxied into the terminal she was sound asleep on her Dad’s shoulder and nothing was going to disturb her.

In comparison we also had another little girl who slept through the entire descent and did not wake up until she hit the cold air in the entrance tube. And, boy, is that cold…. Russ, of course, did not take out his warm jacket from the suitcase before we put it in for transfer. Therefore, he was dressed in light cargo pants and a t-shirt. Mum and Dad had their jackets, and I had dressed in layers, and could still have worn more clothes.

We were met by a lady driver (Linda) of the limousine company we had booked our transfer with, and she led us and our luggage to the Mercedes. We had passed through Custom with a smile and then the contingent of security people had nodded to each of us as we proceeded past them at immigration.

It was somewhat of a struggle to get all the luggage into the vehicle. It did not have a big boot area. Needless to say, Russ sat in the front seat (Left hand drive, and driving on the RHS of the road) with Mum’s suitcase on his lap. Mum, Dad and I were closely packed into the back seat with the hand luggage divided between us all.

However, it was a very smooth drive, and it was surprising how little traffic there was on the road – less even than in Townsville on a Sunday, and that is really saying something.

We were finally dropped off at the meeting place hotel – the Crowne Plaza – and were warmly welcomed by the staff who were in place to make the members of our cruise comfortable whilst waiting for the Tour Director to arrive.

She explained that there were several optional extra tours available for those who were waiting, as it was not possible to board the boat until after 4:00 pm.

We have decided to take the tour of the Tulips in the afternoon. They are expecting a lot of people to arrive at 12:30pm and another lot to be taken directly to the boat from the airport when they arrive at 3:55pm.

We have taken a long stroll, very slowly as there is not that much energy left to spare, around the big block here in Amsterdam. Russ has taken a lot of photos already, and I have my camera ready for the jaunt this afternoon. We bought lunch at a little place just along the road where they displayed the most enticing array of food.

We then made it back to the hotel and grabbed another cup of tea/coffee, and spent some time introducing ourselves and chatting to a lot of other people who have arrived for the cruise.

There are quite a few Australians amongst us, and a few Americans, so far.

We have just been told there are enough people interested to make the trip to the Keukenhof (pronounced co-con-hof,) Gardens where all the tulips are grown so that the bulbs can be exported all around the world.

Once on the bus we were informed it was a journey of about one hour to the farm. The bus meandered through the city and we found a bicycle car park – yes, I kid you not – and we took photos of them. Amsterdam has a bicycle number twice the size of its population and they are littered all around the place.

The other interesting titbit was that it is a fairly unknown fact that Amsterdam has more canals than Venice – go figure.

It started to rain while we were on the road to the tulip farm and our guide advised us that she was not prepared for the rain and there were no umbrellas or ponchos for all of us to walk to the entrance.

The traffic slowed to a crawl as we approached the parking area and it was an amazing sight to see a paddock, sorry, field full of large tour buses, and several full carparks, and more cars parked in more fields everywhere. This place is a MAJOR tourist attraction, come hail, rain or shine.

Unfortunately it was also very cold and all of us had not had a chance to get our wet weather gear out of our suitcases, which were on the journey to the boat without us. Eight of the people decided that were not venturing outside the bus and would wait the required two hours in some degree of warmth and comfort.

Russ, Dad, Mum and I were all going to take a look. However, as we were rained on through the car park, through the crowds and as we made it some way to the tunnel under the road to the entrance gate, Russ left us to go ahead and tell the guide we were going back to the bus.

Unfortunately there was a mix-up in communication and Mum and I thought Russ was coming back with us. We therefore sent Dad back to the bus (with his emphysema we were not prepared to take any chances on him getting a cold) and waited in the chill breeze of the tunnel for at least forty minutes.

I should mention here that the guide had an umbrella that she did not share, and Russ had packed his bowls wet weather gear in my backpack – the cheek of the man – so was not wet.

Mum and I decided enough was enough, and we went back to the bus. Finally, the people who had gone inside the exhibition returned to the bus and we could continue the journey to the boat where we could take a hot shower and get dry.

Russ got some fabulous photos, and the ones I took on the way there turned out fairly well, also.

The boat is very glamorous. We had enough time to get our keys for the cabins we had been allocated, change into dry clothes after a quick shower, and then had to make our way to the lounge for the mandatory safety talk. Unfortunately, we were some of the later arrivals and all the seats had been taken so we were left to stand whilst the Captain and crew were introduced, while Andrzej spoke about the few safety rules of the boat and then about the newsletter which was to provide each of us with information for the forthcoming day’s activities.

We finally made it to the restaurant for a four course meal – mainly aimed at American palates – and we tried to stay awake until the conclusion of the courses.

Man, food – glorious food – should be the motto of the boat. It appears that we will be well fed throughout our stay and only the use of will power and dogged determination will enable us to leave the boat the same size as when we boarded her.

The boat is air-conditioned and therefore, we only need the really cold weather gear when we go outside on deck.

We have found out that there are a few Canadians, and some English people aboard, but the majority are American and Australian.

Russ left before desert as he could not keep his eyes open any longer. By the time I made it to the cabin – about ten minutes after he had left – he was already asleep. I did not even finish unpacking, but also went straight to bed. It was 9:00pm and we had not had a chance to lie down for 41 hours.

I woke up once during the night and got a drink of water, and went straight back to sleep. I had already decided not to join the canal tour as I had begun to feel the start of my vertigo, and decided that it was in my own best interest to catch up with some sleep.

We had a lovely and leisurely breakfast this morning. Russ had awakened with a migraine, and was hoping that he would feel better after eating, but it was not to be. He retired to our room to try and sleep the headache away, and Mum, Dad and I went out to catch the Hop on-Hop off bus which over a period of two hours, does a circuit of the island.

There are many places to see, but we had a limited time so we decided to go out to the Botanical Gardens and see the orchids. They are really magnificent, and I took heaps of photos. Ahh, the magic of digital cameras!!

We were in plenty of time to catch the bus back to hotel in time for 2:00pm checkout, but, unfortunately the bus was late – and then, so were we. When mum and I approached the Reception area to ask about an extension on our rooms, the young man at the counter said we could extend it by paying another $205.00.

Mum and I explained that the girl had advised us it would only be $100 per room. He promptly told us they were booked out and we would have a half hour to vacate our rooms. Panic!!!!!!

We raced back up to Dad and Russ and explained. They hurriedly vacated our room and went back to their own room to shower and pack their bags. Russ and I finished packing our bags and we met back at the elevator.

Trundling down to the Lobby Lounge to pay our bill and find out where we were then to go in order to put our luggage into the keep of the concierge, and then to cool down while we waited for our coach back to the airport at 8:10 pm.

Russ had the good idea of asking if it were possible to go to the airport any earlier. The guys on the desk said they would not be able to find out until closer to each departure time which would be ten minutes past the hour.

We left our luggage downstairs in keeping and returned to the Lobby Lounge area and sat in the public area near the pool but in the air conditioning. Russ went down stairs each hour to check things out.

At 4:00pm he returned and we sat a while longer and talked. He spent a long time absent at 5:00pm and we were left wondering where he had gone. He finally rushed upstairs to us at 5:15pm and said we were to leave immediately we arrived on board downstairs.

We are now sitting at the Changi airport filling in time. Our plane leaves at 11:45pm and we are due to arrive in Amsterdam tomorrow morning at 7:10am their time. The flight will take about 13 hours.

Singapore airport leaves Sydney for dead. There are so many shops to wander, and a whole floor for dining, with a 7/11 store for extras if needed. Mind you, things cost a lot here because most of them have to be imported.

They have a magnificent collection of orchids growing around a pond (so clean as to be unbelievable) right smack dab in the middle of the departure area. They have seating all around it and a raised platform for seating in the middle of it. It is very beautiful, and Russ took lots of photos of the pond and orchids.

He was not amused that I got to take more photos than he did on the first day out of Australia. I am sure he will make up for it in the weeks to come.

Mum and Dad have had special pressure stockings made so that it will help them during the flights parts of the journey.

We had a lovely and leisurely breakfast this morning. Russ had awakened with a migraine, and was hoping that he would feel better after eating, but it was not to be. He retired to our room to try and sleep the headache away, and Mum, Dad and I went out to catch the Hop on-Hop off bus which over a period of two hours, does a circuit of the island.

There are many places to see, but we had a limited time so we decided to go out to the Botanical Gardens and see the orchids. They are really magnificent, and I took heaps of photos. Ahh, the magic of digital cameras!!

We were in plenty of time to catch the bus back to hotel in time for 2:00pm checkout, but, unfortunately the bus was late – and then, so were we. When mum and I approached the Reception area to ask about an extension on our rooms, the young man at the counter said we could extend it by paying another $205.00.

Mum and I explained that the girl had advised us it would only be $100 per room. He promptly told us they were booked out and we would have a half hour to vacate our rooms. Panic!!!!!!

We raced back up to Dad and Russ and explained. They hurriedly vacated our room and went back to their own room to shower and pack their bags. Russ and I finished packing our bags and we met back at the elevator.

Trundling down to the Lobby Lounge to pay our bill and find out where we were then to go in order to put our luggage into the keep of the concierge, and then to cool down while we waited for our coach back to the airport at 8:10 pm.

Russ had the good idea of asking if it were possible to go to the airport any earlier. The guys on the desk said they would not be able to find out until closer to each departure time which would be ten minutes past the hour.

We left our luggage downstairs in keeping and returned to the Lobby Lounge area and sat in the public area near the pool but in the air conditioning. Russ went down stairs each hour to check things out.

At 4:00pm he returned and we sat a while longer and talked. He spent a long time absent at 5:00pm and we were left wondering where he had gone. He finally rushed upstairs to us at 5:15pm and said we were to leave immediately we arrived on board downstairs.

We are now sitting at the Changi airport filling in time. Our plane leaves at 11:45pm and we are due to arrive in Amsterdam tomorrow morning at 7:10am their time. The flight will take about 13 hours.

Singapore airport leaves Sydney for dead. There are so many shops to wander, and a whole floor for dining, with a 7/11 store for extras if needed. Mind you, things cost a lot here because most of them have to be imported.

They have a magnificent collection of orchids growing around a pond (so clean as to be unbelievable) right smack dab in the middle of the departure area. They have seating all around it and a raised platform for seating in the middle of it. It is very beautiful, and Russ took lots of photos of the pond and orchids.

He was not amused that I got to take more photos than he did on the first day out of Australia. I am sure he will make up for it in the weeks to come.

Mum and Dad have had special pressure stockings made so that it will help them during the flights parts of the journey. Mum couldn’t understand why she was in so much pain when we finally made it to Singapore, until she realised that somehow, she was wearing Dad’s stockings, and vice versa. Needless to say, they have paid particular attention to who has what this time round.

We have wondered how the footy has gone today, but Russ has been unable to get internet access here at the airport, so we will have to stay wondering until at least tomorrow.

Mum couldn’t understand why she was in so much pain when we finally made it to Singapore, until she realised that somehow, she was wearing Dad’s stockings, and vice versa. Needless to say, they have paid particular attention to who has what this time round.

We have wondered how the footy has gone today, but Russ has been unable to get internet access here at the airport, so we will have to stay wondering until at least tomorrow

We organised to catch the shuttle bus the next morning to be taken to the International terminal in plenty of time for the flight to Singapore. We had to be up at the disgustingly early hour of 4:20am, as the bus was due to depart the hotel at 5:00am.

I had a good sleep until 10:30pm and then only dozed for the rest of the night. Russ had a good sleep and was very cheerful when he finally woke up the next morning.

All the people were ready when the bus arrived, and we loaded up our luggage. International luggage went to the back of the trailer, and the domestic luggage was loaded at the side in the front of the trailer.

We had a fair hike from the drop off point at the terminal to where we had to book in for our seat allocation with Singapore Airlines. We also were extremely lucky to get exit seats which had plenty of leg room for the long leg to Singapore.

Sydney international was not very impressive as far as eateries. We had very little to choose from in the way of food types, and ended up having pre-baked egg and bacon rolls for our breakfast with fruit juice.

The hostesses on Singapore Airlines were wonderful, and nothing was too much trouble. We all agreed that we would be happy to fly with them again.

The plane left on time at 8:10 am and I took a tablet straight away as I was starting to feel the effects of too little sleep. Russ settled down with his talking book, and Mum and Dad had reading material with them also.

I managed to sleep for a little while, and then we were served breakfast. The food was really good. I had chicken and mushroom vermicelli, with a side biscuit, muffin, fresh fruit and yoghurt. The other alternative was beans and sausage which Dad had, and said it was very tast

For lunch we had steamed fish, a fresh roll, water and ice cream – which was a berry Splice, and delicious.

I managed to sleep again for a while after breakfast, then read my e-book and listened to some music. We all made sure that we drank plenty of water whilst in flight, and pulled up fairly well when we finally landed in Singapore eight hours later.

We were offered hot towels after each meal, plenty of drinks of water during the whole flight, and when my bottle of water was empty, it was refilled without cost and was no trouble to them.

Customs was different this time we travelled. The plane landed a few minutes early at 2:05 pm. We went through Immigration with our cabin luggage, (without it being inspected) showed our passports and had them stamped, before we headed to Customs to collect our baggage.

Singapore carousels are much more efficiently run than those at Sydney. We collected our luggage in no time at all, loaded it onto a pushcart, and then marched straight out the Immigration door without a stop at all.

The people were very friendly, and we were directed to the SIA counter where we were to pick up our transfer to our hotel. We arrived at the Peninsular Excelsior in due course and were assigned our rooms. We were all put on the same floor, but when we came to open the doors, Dad and Mum’s room would not open.

Also, we had neglected to ask for Non smoking rooms and the smell in ours was terrible. As Mum and Dad could not get into theirs anyway, we all trouped downstairs again to ask for non-smoking.

This was to be the way things would run for our stay in Singapore. The lady at the desk had told us we could have a late checkout of 2:00pm (which was good) and if we wanted to keep our rooms until it was time to leave for the airport, it would cost us another $100 (Singaporean) per room.

We were finally directed to the 14^th floor and made it safely into our rooms. Because of the extreme humidity in Singapore, the hotel smells very mouldy. The air-conditioning runs constantly and the water runs down the inside of the windows.

We rested for some time in our room for the remainder of the afternoon, and agreed to meet at Mum and Dad’s room about 6:30pm to wander about and find where we would eat tea.

The hotel lobby is actually on the 4^th floor of the hotel. The floors below this are small shops. We walked about the block and sussed out what was available. Russ found a little fish and chip shop that was frequented by many of the locals, and we took this as a good sign. The meal was quite okay and the service was very friendly.

On the way back to our room we called into the 7/11 store and bought some milk and water. Milk is very scarce in Singapore and they only sell it in small containers. The milk used in large quantities is reconstituted milk. The hotel only provides powdered milk in little sachets for the guests.

We all decided that we would have an early night and catch up on some of the sleep we had missed over the previous few days. We would sleep in, and then we would meet at 9:00am for breakfast downstairs in the Coleman Room (which was 50% off for stopover guests). Russ and Dad were looking forward to an American breakfast – cooked, of course.