Having conquered 100km of The Cotswolds on foot, we moved on to the next phase of our adventure: a cruise on the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, Netherlands.
It is pure luxury but booze is everywhere – including the cake and chocolates here in Germany where we toured today. It keeps me on my toes and I have to remind myself that there are things I could do to further protect my sobriety, if needed: call the desk to have our mini bar cleared of alcohol and pull a waiter aside and tip him to be my guardian angel (removing wine glasses from my setting and delivering a preagreed order on arrival). If I were travelling alone, I would do this on a heartbeat. As it is, my husband is very considerate and gives me accountability and support.
I’ve grown weary of my puffball hair and booked an appointment for a blow out with the onboard stylist for the hefty fee of 35 euros. Hopefully it will last a day or two. I have otherwise purchased nothing but a book at Heathrow airport (“The Year of Living Danishly” by Helen Russell) and a teensy amber angel today in Heidelberg, so paying for a few hours of sane hair feels justifiable. I’m telling myself it’s also a courtesy to the other passengers, because this current mass of fluff and doingers I’m sporting is plain disrespectful to onlookers. (Post salon update: normality restored!)
We’ve been on board 2 days and have toured castles, listened to opera (which I loved, who knew?), and walked a thousand cobblestone streets already. I write this from a quiet balcony, watching the beautiful German shores go by. Because we are between cities, the internet is quite weak so I am unable to upload photos for now. More to follow when conditions allow, because I so want to share this wonderful experience with you.
PS – Sober is better!
Checking in from Scotland to say that I am one of your male listeners 🙂 I’ve been listening to the show probably as long as he’s been going and I always find it helpful. Thanks and keep and up the good work.
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have loved hearing all the reports and seeing the pics of your trip! I still keep going back to that beautiful bedroom back in England.
I keep hearing that cruise ships are drunken experiences – I don’t know if I’d enjoy that. I think they’re called Booze Cruises? I cannot fathom being drunk and wasted and paying all that money to not remember a river cruise in Europe. But then again…there was a time I would have thought that was the way to go.
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Sober is better! Enjoy the cruise and scenery.
Onward!
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Lol. I bet you look amazing.
Enjoy your view. I bet it’s amazing!
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So funny, my parents took that same cruise last month! Word from my judgmental Mom – cuckoo clock factory tour sounds hokey but the craftsmanship is interesting to see and learn about.
Enjoy!
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Glad you enjoyed the Cotswolds
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Sounds like a heavenly trip! Hang onto that amber angel and enjoy the pastries and cheesecake. Looking forward to the pics!
🌻 Sunflower
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