We Finally Had The Week…

… that everyone thinks we are living! 

The crew of the Gratitude just returned from what could be called the greatest “vacation” of our lives! 

Sometimes in the context of questions and conversations we enjoy with family and friends, we get the strong sense that everyone imagines us sitting on the aft deck with umbrella drinks in our hands.  While it is true, we typically post the pictures of us relaxing rather than cleaning heads, a vacation this is NOT.

Just to recap, Gratitude was moved for us from Türkiye to Hampshire, UK.  It is the first time since we have owned her that we have handed her off to be moved without us on board.  This decision was necessary because of our immigration status and our plans for the summer.  When we were considering our time off of Gratitude, we wanted it to encompass a nice mix of sites we had yet to see in Türkiye, thus taking advantage of our residency there, and not using any of the precious Schengen-EU time that we need for our summer cruise.  But we also had hoped to avoid arriving exhausted (as you know, land travel without your home is TOUGH). 

I decided to mitigate some land travel fatigue by taking a river cruise down the Rhine, beginning in Switzerland.  Switzerland is one of the countries we have not yet visited and given our summer plans of Scandinavia, we aren’t likely to return.  Arriving in Amsterdam, the cruise would finish with a simple 1-hour flight back to Gratitude moored in Hampshire, UK.  

Our Rhine River cruise left from Basel, so we flew from Istanbul to Zurich and spent our first 4 days falling in love with Switzerland.  Similar to an Italian chef trying to cook Japanese food, good ethnic food other than Turkish was hard to find in the previous 9 months.   So, when we landed in Zurich we started eating and we haven’t stopped!  I marveled at lunch yesterday how even simple salads and unusual risottos were a rare find in Türkiye, so, in every restaurant we find ourselves, we fall in love with the menu.  The gastronomic orgy began in an amazing German restaurant in Zurich and reached a climax on the cruise on the AmaMora ship, (surprisingly, the apple strudel was better on board!).   

Zurich is a gorgeous, charming city, despite my expectation of finding a busy metropolis.    A quaint town on the banks of a river, framed against the backdrop of the Alps in the distance, the abundance and variety of restaurants is amazing.  Most of the shops are upscale, not surprising given its strong financial institution economy.  In fact, of all the European travel we have done thus far, Switzerland is by far the most expensive.  

Given that we are traveling with our 12-year-old son, Jack, I prefer to book into an apartment type airbnb so that we can be in the same dwelling and walk back and forth to each other with no locked doors or public hallway separating us as in a hotel room.  The airbnb in Zurich and later Luzern, were the 2 most expensive airbnbs we have booked anywhere.  The hotels which I searched, just to have a frame of reference, were equally expensive.  Given the high standard of living, low unemployment and high GDP per capita, this was no surprise.  The restaurants also were roughly 3-4X what we paid for a meal in Türkiye but surprisingly the groceries in supermarkets weren’t commensurate with this ratio.  Pricey, but not prohibitively so. 

The public transportation in Switzerland is a dream!  We took the train everywhere from our arrival in Zurich to Luzern, Interlaken, and Basel where we boarded the ship.  Luzern was offered as an included tour provided by Amawaterways but we opted to sign up for the 3 countries bike tour instead and spend a few days in Luzern on our own. Unfortunately, it rained the entire 1^st week, but the rain didn’t detract from the beauty.  The mountains, when the clouds parted briefly, were just as majestic and the towns just as charming as when the sun was shining.  One afternoon we preferred to just relax inside and watch the rain fall in Luzern in the airbnb and we loved it.  Interlaken is a typical and charming mountain type village with shops and restaurants and a funicular to Harder Kulm.  From this vantage point (on a clear day) one can enjoy views of Interlaken, Eiger, Monch, and Jungfrau.   We did enjoy a ride to the top and thankfully decided to get the round-trip ticket after some debate.  The weather was wet and rainy but even more so on top, so we instead had a fun lunch and hot chocolate rather than hiking back down on our own.  Given that it was Mother’s Day we stopped for an ice cream and chocolates and had a lovely afternoon taking in the sites of this lovely village.  

Unpacking for the final time aboard our AmaWaterways river cruise ship, we settled in for what we hoped would be a relaxing trip.  Little did we know that despite our desperation to return to Gratitude and Pratt our kitty, this trip would be so enjoyable, I wouldn’t have minded remaining aboard for the return trip had there been space available to do so.

We have taken ocean cruises including a couple of Atlantic crossings, numerous Caribbean trips, and an Alaskan trip among others on various Disney ships, NCL, Oceania, and RCL but this trip was our first cruise aboard a river boat.  

I learned about the Amawaterways cruise lines from Jennifer and James Hamilton (Dirona) who blogged about it.  In their blog they mentioned that what they liked about the river cruise were the very things that I have not liked about the ocean cruises.  I decided to take a look at Amawaterways since the places promised on a river cruise are destinations we can’t possibly see on Gratitude.   

With only 140 max passengers, the ship never felt crowded, there were no lines for embarkation or disembarkation, and we never felt like we were one of the masses.  But what I loved the most was when we landed in a tiny town, we left very little footprint.  Traveling on Gratitude, we have been in various ports when cruise ships arrive and the difference in the town from before to after the ship departs is palpable.  The energy of the 3-6000 people per ship is shocking!  The clamor to attract foreign dollars in the shops is overwhelming.   In Montenegro a tour guide told me she avoids the old town for 2 days after the cruise ships have been there because she can feel the bruises left behind in the energy of the town.  We visited Venice and Mallorca where efforts have been underway to eliminate large cruise ships. When we were in Santorini, we chose which days we would visit town based on which ships were in port.  There is simply no way to really absorb a foreign country or grasp the charm of an old town when 4000-8000 other Americans are jostling and jockeying for burgers and fries. 

Another thing I loved about Amawaterways was the food.  Im a foodie.  I would gladly pay more to experience a smaller, more intimate dining experience and one where the chef is thoughtfully preparing food nearly at the moment that it is going to be served.  Large buffets are not for me.  While Amawaterways offered a lovely 7 course meal at The Chefs Table onboard the ship, I actually preferred the nightly meal in the dining room.  The food and presentation were so amazing, I wanted to taste everything.  When we were in France, we ate French food, in Germany, German food – and it tasted authentic and amazing with layered flavors and textures as though it was prepared by a local chef.

I have been trying to become a vegetarian for the past year and I had been successful right up until I got aboard this ship!

While this ship is not really set up to cater to children, all of the staff went out of their way to make Jack feel welcome.  He was invited on the bridge, given brownies nightly, and the Fitness expert on board made sure that he was kitted out properly for the multiple bike rides we took in the towns.  There is a heated pool, but it is more the “swim up have a drink variety”.  I have heard that there is a Amawaterways ship which caters more to Jacks age group – who knows…   It wouldn’t be so important that amenities catered to children as the children themselves – but it’s the chicken and egg thing.  If there were a few amenities that invited kids, the kids would come and entertain each other.  

Several years ago, a cruise employee once quipped “you don’t look like cruise ship passengers” to which I replied “What does a cruise ship passenger look like?  While his response shocked me, I have chuckled about it over the years.  He said, “Newlywed, overfed and nearly dead”.  There is always an element of truth to cliches such as this but the demographic aboard the AMAMora  was decidedly not any of the above.  I previously associated river cruises with an older population, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! We were absolutely the median age on board with a few outliers such as Jack and a couple of 20 something’s and a few 80 something’s. 

This was the absolutely the best way to spend the final week before returning “home”.    The travel that we do aboard Gratitude is living – not vacation.  The only element of our life that resembles a vacation is the changing scenery – we cook, clean, plan, and transport ourselves literally from place to place.  But the week we enjoyed aboard the AmaMora was a vacation in every sense of the word.  All worries left behind, every detail was managed for us including shore excursions, meals and snacks, all transport, cleaning and entertainment.  There truly was something for everyone on board.  

I have just a few words I want to share regarding the lovely Zimmerman family.    Ill be honest, we have been feeling a little homesick lately.  We aren’t sure if it’s the planning for the trip back to the US or the feeling that a final chapter is looming.  We have been desperate to hear English and laugh at American jokes.  Sue, Frank, Denise and Bill – you were exactly what the doctor ordered.   Thank you so very much for the laughs and friendship.  You made our week aboard so very special!  

And to the AMAwaterways crew – Thanks for an amazing week.  You are the very definition of

 consummate professionals in the service industry.    We look forward to another vacation with you!

We are now safely back on-board Gratitude in Hampshire, UK.  The work that we had hoped would be finished by our return is running behind schedule so once again, my fantasy dreams and reality world have collided to result in a bit more time here than planned.  Pratt has lost weight so we are also hoping to get him on firmer footing before heading on our way.  We are feeling so grateful to love where we are. This gorgeous part of the UK along the South Coast is stunning.  We have had some land trips which Ill blog about on my next post.  We have heard that England is typically overcast and rainy, but we have had NONE of it since our arrival.  Each day, more lovely than the last, has allowed us to exercise, explore and “land” where we are.  

Wherever you are – Enjoy your summer!