The Germanna Foundation is proud to offer a romantic Rhine River cruise next year. This seven night cruise departs from Basel, Switzerland on September 2, 2012 and sails north, or down the Rhine to Amsterdam in comfort and elegance. The cruise traces the river path taken by nearly all German-speaking persons who emigrated to the American colonies in the 1700s. That would include not only our 1714 ancestors who departed down the Rhine from somewhere near Cologne, and the 1717 and later ancestors who sailed from the area near Heidelberg, but also any non-Germanna ancestors that members have who came from Switzerland or from Alsace.
The nine stops and land excursions on the cruise include Breisnach in the Black Forest, Strasbourg in France, Ruedesheim in the heart of the Rhine wine area, Cologne with its magnificent cathedral, and a historic windmill area in The Netherlands. Participants will be in four countries: Switzerland, France, Germany, and The Netherlands. The stops include walking tours and bus tours of historic towns and cities and an opportunity for wine tasting. The Rhine scenery, especially in the area of the castles and the famous Lorelei, is beautiful and world renowned. The stops do not include any of the Germanna ancestral villages, as this cruise explores the river route the ancestors traveled, but not the towns and villages from which they came.
The cruise ship, the Viking Helvetica, has 99 outside staterooms, a sun deck, wi-fi service, the use of bicycles and walking sticks, local evening entertainment, a lecture on “The European City from the Middle Ages to the Present,” seven breakfasts, five lunches, and seven dinners. Travelers will be met at the airport and transferred to the ship in Basel, and taken from the ship to the airport in Amsterdam. Pre-and post-cruise extension packages in Basel and Amsterdam are available for an additional fee.
Pricing for the trip depends on the category of stateroom chosen. The per person cost, including airfare from Dulles, will run from approximately $4,400 for the basic stateroom to $5,500 for the French balcony stateroom. Persons who are interested in this tour should indicate so as soon as possible to the Germanna Visitor Center by online credit card payment of $100 per person as a deposit. These prices are based on an early enrollment discount, and will rise later. The web address is www.germanna.org
Please contact Skip Poole, Germanna Foundation Trustee and Treasurer, at 888-877-2077 to learn more.
Passports required.