Rhine Cruise, 2023

The Itinerary:

Around Town - home of the United Nations, Geneva was already a fortified town when it was taken by the Romans in 121 BC.
Musee Ariana - Museum of Ceramics and Glass
Conservatory and Botanical Garden - 70 acres of gardens, established in 1817
Lake Geneva - short cruise on the lake. Lake geneva is 45 miles long and covers 224 square miles.
Olympic Museum, Lausanne - Celebrating the modern olympic games.
Domaine du Daley, Lausanne - established in 1392. The in the heart of the terraced vinyards of Lavaux, a UNESCO world heritage site

Around Town, Zermatt was a small agricultural community until the Matterhorn was first climbed in 1865. Followed a rush to climb the surrounding peaks, ultimately becoming the all-season outdoor sports mecca it is today.
Gornergrat is a rocky ridge overlooking the Gorner Glacier with spectacular views of peaks surrounding Zermatt. While the Matterhorn rises to 14,692 feet (nearly 200 feet higher than California's Mt Whitney), Monte Rosa checks in at 15,203!
Hinterdorfstrasse - The 'Old Village' is home to more than 30 traditional style barns and stores, some more than 500 years old.

Around Town - Zurich was permanently settled >2,000 years ago, and early settlements have been found that date back more than 6,000 years!
Zurichsee - The west end of Lake Zurich is surrounded by Zurich suburbs. A Sunday morning cruise on the lake is accompanied by the ringing of church bells from both shores.

Around Town - Basel also has roots in ancient history. It is commonly considered to the Switzerland's cultural capital.

Strasbourg, France, grew from a Roman camp first mentioned in 12 BC. Strasbourg has alternated between French and German control over the centuries. Who retains the title of 'Aggressor' varies according to the nationality of the tour guide.
Speyer, Germany - one of Germany's oldest cities dates from 10 BC
Schwetzingen Palace, Germany - Elector John William rebuilt the palace in it's current form between 1690 and 1716
Mainz, Germany - Capital and largest city of Rhineland-Palatinate. Founded by the Romans in the 1st century BC
Rhine Castles - A dozen and a half castles dot the shores of the Middle Rhine between Rüdesheim and Koblenz.
Burg Eltz has been occupied by members of the same families since 1470. The Kempenich branch of the family still occupies their portion of the castle, and the Rubenach and Rodendorf family wings are open for visitors.
Koblenz to Cochem, Germany - We leave the Rhine and travel upstream on the Moselle past more vineyards and castles.
Cochem, Germany, is a delightful little town with a very large castle and really good gelato!
Bernkastel-Kues, Germany - the quintessential half-timbered German village.
Trier, Germany - Founded by the Celts in 400 BC, and conquered by the Romans 300 years later, it has a long and complicated history.

Luxembourg American Cemetary and Memorial was established December 29, 1944, the final resting place for 5,074 US troops and General George Patton.

Reims - we were mostly about the cathedral, bigger than Notre Dame in Paris (and has a roof...) and for many centuries has been the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France.
Paris

General Paris - around town
Château Versailles - Residence of King Louis XIV. He should have consulted a decorator - placing a statue or portrait of yourself in EVERY room is not that good for resale. I mean, look at the place, no one has lived there since!
The Louvre - yes, it's a very big place. But skipping it because it's 'too big' is really not a good excuse. Look until you're tired and quit. It's not that expensive. The collection is amazing. We saw mostly Greek and Egyptian antiquities on part of one floor - about 3 hours worth. It was mind blowing!
Montmartre - a district of contrasts - known as a nightclub district that includes the Moulin Rouge, with the Basilica of Sacré Cœur de Montmartre overlooking the entire scene.
Church of Saint-Séverin was constructed beginning in 1230, then rebuilt and enlarged in the 15th to 17th centuries after a fire. It is an example of the Flamboyant Gothic style
Conciergerie and Sainte-Chapelle complex. Another odd pairing as the Conciergerie is the prison where Marie-Antoinette was held for execution, and Sainte-Chapelle is the most resplendent of royal chapels, dating from the 14th century.

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