Bernkastel, Germany, 2013

On our trip to Europe just a few weeks ago, we stayed in Paris for 4 days, then the bus took us to tour Luxemburg, on the way to Germany where we would meet the Viking Prestige cruise ship, which would be our home for the next 10 days. It was docked in Bernkastel. This is my first time in Germany and I was so excited to set foot in it. From the bus as we were going down to the water, this breathtaking view greeted us. I was in awe and had to wake John up who was napping in the bus.

It was just breathtaking! You can see hills and hills of grape vineyards surrounding the village, with pretty fall colors.

 I want to also link with

Wed. Around the world

http://pienilintu.blogspot.fi/

Bernkastel is the capital f the Moselle River Valley. In 1905, it merged with the winemaking community of Kues, thus now known as Bernkastel-Kues.

 And finally, we got to the ship, which was docked on the Moselle River! I have taken lots of cruises in the past, in fact, we are VIP card holders with Carnival (which just means that we have cruised at least 10 times with them, I think it is 16 for me), plus we have also sailed on the Princess and Royal Carribean cruise lines, but this is our first time on a Viking River cruise.

Hall way to the cabins.

Panoramic views outside the ship.

I couldn't wait to go in the cabin and look out the window and this is what I saw, just gorgeous! The castle on top of the hill overlooking the town is the Burg Landshut or Landshut Castle, built in the 13th century but was destroyed by fire in 1692.

We had briefings, welcome reception, dinner and a good night sleep in the ship. The next morning, we were up early to ride the bus and tour Trier City, but that will be for another post. We passed by a lot of swans on our walk to the bus. It was foggy and cold but they seemed comfortable.

4 tour buses followed the ship all the time and they would take us to excursions to different cities everyday. It was really nice. Quite a difference from big ocean cruises where you don't see land for days. Here we sail along different cities. I wish we had more time to spend in the ship just to relax and enjoy the cities we pass by. We had the choice to do that but I did not want to miss the excursions either. By the time we get back on the ship, it was already dark and it was hard to appreciate the surroundings.

During our 4 days stay in Paris, it rained, causing the river here to rise. Because of that, the ship could not pass through bridges so it was stuck here for 2 days. We were able to sail on the 3rd day. But we, the passengers, weren't really stuck here because as I mentioned earlier, the bus would take us places.

It was actually a good place to be stuck because Bernkastel is just gorgeous. It is surrounded by a picturesque landscape of vineyard-clad hillsides. And the market place is walking distance from the ship and we were free to go in and out as long as we were there.

I got to enjoy European fall colored leaves all over.

John and I walked on the cobblestoned streets and sidewalks to visit the shops.

Aren't these trees pretty?

More vineyards!

 This is the medieval market place, just lovely, and iconic gables timber-frame houses from the 17th century can be seen all around.

The stores were already decorated for Christmas. We came across this Christmas shop and I bought a little cottage and a Christmas ball. I can either put a night light or a candle inside the cottage. I really love the blue tiles on it.

After our little hike, this is what we saw on the way back to the ship. The Landshut Castle was all lit up. So pretty!

Inside the ship, there was always some kind of a celebration. Here you can see my sister, Fe and friend, Edna, joining in the fun. We had a German trio perform with songs and comedy skits that night.

The front of the ship.... or maybe this is the back.

My sister is our travel agent and she had the biggest group there. The next table belongs to her too. It was a wonderful trip because my cousin and her hubby were able to join us and they flew all the way from the Philippines. Also, I got to enjoy the company of my 2 sisters, nephew and his wife and met some nice new acquaintances.

Thank you for allowing me to share this trip with you. I hope you enjoyed  the virtual tour.

I would like to link with

Susan's Outdoor Wed
 http://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/

Oh the Places I've Been

http://thetablesaper.blogspot.com

Gemma's Scenic Weekend

http://scenicweekends.blogspot.com.au/

Nature Footstep, Water on Sunday

http://nfmemes.blogspot.com/

Thank you so much for hosting!