Elbe River Cruise (Guest Post)

Lee Vernot and her husband were on the cruise.  She's written a nice piece about the trip and I wanted to share it with you.  She took some awesome photos also and I'll add a few to this post when I receive them.

Our Elbe River Cruise

 Our Saxony River Cruise began with 3 days in Berlin.  We shared in the moment of the day along with the arrival of the NATO ministers in an emergency discussion of Libya and the beginning of Spargle season (fresh, plump white asparagus) which was served with new potatoes.  What a beginning to the gastronomic delights we enjoyed for 13 days.

 Berlin is beautiful.  The last vestiges of the wall (The Berlin Mauer) have been transformed into street art galleries.  Our hotel was located in Potsdamer Platza on the site of the wall and is now a bright and airy bustling neighborhood with beautiful architecture, shopping centers and wide avenues interspersed with modern sculptures and picturesque gardens.  Cobbled markers trace the path of the wall, lest it ever be forgotten. We visited the museums, the Jewish memorial (a series of concrete blocks of varying sizes – almost a maze but in straight lines.)  We climbed 652 steps to the top of the Berlin Cathedral to enjoy a panoramic view of the city.  Checkpoint Charlie is a tacky tourist spot but the Brandenberg Gate more than made up for that.

 The MS Swiss Ruby, was our home for the next seven nights shared with 58 other guests.  Long and narrow, it glided through the canals, rivers and locks while offering 5 star 6 course dinners and magnificent breakfast and luncheons of both cold buffets and hot entres.  Amazingly Andre lost 5 lbs without missing a meal. 

 We visited Cecilienhof Palace, site of the 1946 Potsdam Conference.  Just a small portion of the Palace is a museum but it lacked authenticity as there was no ashtray for Churchill’s cigar.  At Sans Souci Park we watched the locals place potatoes on the grave of Frederick the Great in tribute to his agricultural influences and importing potatoes from France.

 Wittenberg was a definite highlight with its Renaissance and Gothic architecture.  We visited the home of Martin Luther, the school where he taught, as well as the Schlosskirche, the castle church where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on that famous door.

 On a lighter note our next day was spent in Meissen visiting the porcelain factory.  We never buy a souvenir (why bother when you can take over 900 pictures, which I did) and even the seconds shop in Meissen was prohibitively expensive but having watched the demonstrations of each step that goes into the finished product of beautiful china, we were not only not tempted but we left with a greater appreciation of the art of making china.  There is even an organ made with Meissen china pipes.

 In Dresden there is a wall of Meissen china tiles that depict the succession of kings. The tower of the Cathedral even had church bells of that famous china.  Dresden is picturesque, although totally destroyed in WWII, it has been remarkably restored to its former splendor. 

 And then it was on to Prague for an additional 2 days.  What a gorgeous city it is.  We walked for hours and hours all on cobblestones.  Even though we were concerned that the city might be shut down over Easter, the markets were in full swing and the crowds, mostly tour groups, were dense and left little room for the vendors on the Charles Bridge.  It was nearly impossible to get through the Old Market Square when the famous Astrological clock struck the hour.  It is called the City of 100 Spires but we didn’t even attempt to count, we just enjoyed the views and the picturesque architecture.  We toured the Prague Cathedral as well as Our Lady of Victory Church, the church of The Infant of Prague, why not when in Prague, or a can’t miss stop in that city. 

 All in all it was a spectacular trip.