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Summary of my Rhine and Moselle rivers cruise I have waited for 3.5 years finally got on board. All others also waited about 3 years because nobody predicted the pandemic spread to Europe in 2020 that kept this trip postponed. The travel agency arranged my air ticket from LAX to Amsterdam, Netherlands airport and waited for 3 hrs then went on another smaller plane to Basel, Switzerland for an hour on air. Basel is where the company's ship moored. All 143 passengers are from the USA that originally 166 people (some died). I travel solo, the Dutch woman fell down a week before Thanksgiving, so I cooked turkey dinner and delivered to her apartment. She couldn't go to this trip. I have been arranged in a single cabin. Most of time the ship moved at night and we can go on land for city visit (museums, churches, cathedral, winery, shopping, ....). Europe streets, roads, are cobblestone paved, so you need to prepare a soft but thick pad shoes. I had blisters on my toes, ouch! it hurts. I didn't go on shore twice because my painful knee and hurting blisters. For these 15 days, no Chinese could be seen either airport, city streets, ships, ... because the lockdown and ban Chinese to travel. It is unlike I went to Australia and New Zealand in 2015 and Italy in 2018, plenty of Chinese could be seen. Let me tell you my most enjoyment on ship is "French cuisine". Every time you sat at the table, the waiters will bring the Red wine (Pinot noir), White wine, or Pink wine for your choice. You also can ask for coffee, Coke, Diet-Coke, orange juice for your beverage. For breakfast, you can walk to the salad bar to get what you want that includes Salmon fish, a chef can prepare your egg cooking as you wish, Omelet, Sunny side up, Easy cook, vegetable, fruit, cereal, juice, milk, ... etc. Lunch has 4 courses. Help yourself to get Salad as 1st course. The 2nd course is crab Consommé 【法】清燉肉湯 (soup) of your choice, 3rd is main course - beef, Veal loin 小牛外腰肉, pork, chicken, duck meat, Trout, Salmon, Halibut, ... The chef cook precisely tender meat. Although the quantity is small but the quality is excellent. Yummy in my tummy. If you are vegetarian, there are choice without meat. The 4 course is desert: Strawberry ice cream is always on the list but there are famous French desert Crème Brulee, can be on the list. Some boring Americans had various cheese of their choice as dessert. Dinner has up to 6 courses. I am in heaven with dinner. Once you got the wine, the waiter will bring you Amuse-Bouche as 1st course. The 2nd is Appetizer - sometimes has Salmon Tatar/Avocado/Onions/Capers/Caviar Cream. Delicious!! The 3rd course is Intermediate Course -Truffle Risotto/Pan Seared Sea Scallops/Parsley oil. It is out of this world. The 4th course is Sherbet - Lemon Sherbet/Sparkling wine or Grape Sherbet. The 5th course is Main Course - sometimes is Foie gras, or slice of Double cut Striploin Steak/ Sause Perigord carve vegetables/port wine Shallots/ Potato macaire. The 6th course is Dessert: Sometimes can be famous Italian dessert: Tiramisu. Baked Alaska "River Splendor" Chocolate sauce/ Fruit coulis. There are soup chef, main course chef, dessert chef, ... for their specialties.          Honesty is the best policy. |
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I am thinking to travel to Greece for next destination. Mediterranean area. My OB-GYN MD daughter gave birth of a baby girl on Sunday, 6/26/22. My first time to become grandma. They live in Texas. When I was in Germany, I bought a pink doll wearing traditional dress with a music box inside, if they wind it the doll will move her head and music singing. Honesty is the best policy.
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The WiFi signal is very weak in Europe. At home in California, I have 5G internet speed and watch videos on YouTube everyday from my Desktop, Laptop or Smartphone for hours, but in Europe no YouTube and all my 3 online dating sites (AFF, Match and Our Time) reception gone from my Laptop computer. A very weak, slow and fragile reception of YouTube videos from my Smartphone (maybe only 3G speed). In Europe, the street, road, are narrow and up and down hills. The drivers don't keep a distance in between cars. They drive bumper to bumper, park on the pedestrian sidewalk. The cobblestone road made my toe blister and knee pain. The bus couldn't reach to the restaurants or museum or church, so we need to walk. The traffic is bad. I wouldn't drive in Europe. Prepare for 70 cents EURO for the public toilets. When I was in Italy in 2018, the price was 50 cents EURO. When I was in a French restaurant share table with 3 other tourists. A wife asked to the waiters "where is your restroom?, bathroom? lady's room, water closet?" The waiter doesn't understand and another waitress came to help in English. She doesn't understand either. I said "just say toilet, I was in Italy in 2018 and Europeans understand only toilet". The waiter and waitress finally understood "toilet" and pointed to the direction.  The Netherlands (Holland, Dutch) has no mountain, the land is under ocean level, so their streets are canals and bridges. We had city tour by boats full of windows. We visited the biggest museum in Netherlands. A beautiful and large museum. I have gained weight during the pandemic 3 years. The 24hr Fitness almost filed bankrupted, and closed for 2 years. I am fatter and older than my previous trips (Australia/NZ in 2015 and Italy in 201  . Honesty is the best policy.
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I couldn't find a Tesla car in the six countries in Europe during the 15 days. Elon Musk just starting to build Tesla "Maga Factory" in Germany 2 months ago. Many Americans asked "where do you come from?" I answered "southern California". I know I have accent when speak English. They kept asking "where were you originally came from?" I said "Taiwan, I am a Taiwanese-American", I am not a Chinese. My ancestors had been in Taiwan for 400 years, CCP only 72 years in China. Those Americans know Taiwan is not in China and CCP wants to attack Taiwan. They are highly educated Americans. They understand every word I said. Most of them are couples. Only few are travel solo. So, I changed tables many times with different people for 3 meals a day. Honesty is the best policy.
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Among 143 passenger on the cruise, most are senior citizens in their 70 to 85. There are 6 seniors are over 90 years old who accompanied with their children assistance at side. Walking on cobblestone roads, you need to have good shoes because two seniors have fallen and been sent to hospital. This trip included Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany, so all of the seniors are very religious Catholic or Christians. There are many MD, PhD, retired professors, ... in this trip. Honesty is the best policy.
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Among 6 countries, German speak English the best, French speak English the worst. I speak from the truth, no offense. Some German can speak English as good as Americans without accent. I have accent because I came to the USA when I was adult. However, French cuisine is the best cooking. Excellent quality, small quantity. I enjoyed the scenery on Rhine and Moselle rivers and the delicious dishes of French cuisine on ship. I also had a free Macaron from a bakery store in France and ate 12 Escargot (snails) for 14 EURO on France street. Although we had French cuisine mostly but also one lunch is German cuisine with large sausages and one Holland (Netherlands) cuisine on ship. I will upload some photos after I recover from "jet lag". Honesty is the best policy.
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