This was an outstanding cruise up the Rhine River from Basel to Amsterdam. We opted for the optional 3 days in Lucern Switzerland before heading to Basel to begin our cruise and we're glad we did! What a fantastic stay we had in the city. So glad we took the Stansehorn Cable Car up into the Swiss mountains - tremendous views!! We visited Breisach Germany where we stopped in a wonderful place called Hofgut-Sternen. Here we purchased a cuckoo clock and saw some beer steins, glassware and Christmas decorations all made by local craftsmen. We also attended a demonstration on how to make Black Forest Cake. The village of Colmar Germany is extremely picturesque and not to be missed. We saw Strasbourg France where we got to visit Europes' Parliament Building and the towns cathedral. Next up was Mannheim, Heidelberg (yet another awesome cathedral) & Rudesheim Germany where we took part in the Dine in Rudesheim am Rhein tour. Great dinner and great wine! Then it was on to Koblenz and Cologne where we took part in the Cologne Beer culture Dinner. The highlight of Cologne (and perhaps our entire trip) was the amazing Cathedral. We finished our journey in Kinderdijk then Amsterdam. Every shore excursion we took was top notch, allowing us extra time to explore on our own in each of the towns we visited. The food and accommodations on board the Viking Ingvi were terrific as was the entire staff - very friendly and efficient. All in all a most memorable trip that will bring us back to our next Viking River Cruise in the not too distant future!