Well our trip has turned out to be a disaster. We had a great time in Amsterdam, after that it went south. High water on the Rhine has prevented us from going any further south than Cologne. We have been here for two days. After a tour of a cathedral in the city which was great and a made up tour of a castle we sit in a basin off of the Rhine River looking at oil tanks and rusted railroad cars. Cologne was bombed out during World War II so I don't consider it anything special. All new buildings built after 1945. Tonight Viking has informed us that we will go down the river a few more miles then we will be transferred to another ship which cannot proceed any further north. Oh boy, just what I wanted, a bus ride along a highway in Germany.

We saw a castle today. Two hours to it and one hour and forty five minutes of pure hell for me on the return trip. Could you please turn down the air, Lisa my wife called out to the driver, my husband is sweating, some relief, not much though. Sitting there and now starting to fume over not having any control over my comfort I finally lit a match to my slow burning fuse. Another person spoke out......could you please turn down the air. I'm thinking, as I mop my head, maybe he just doesn't understand English. I remember the tour guide, a young Mexican fellow who spoke English, appeared to understand me when I approached him before we got on the bus for the return trip. I think this was clear. Tell the driver to turn down the AC.

We arrive at the parking lot in front of our ship and surrounded by a waste land of oil tanks. It reminds me of the Houston, TX ship channel. Read more