Merry Christmas 2022

As 2022 winds down, we want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.

Travel finally returned to almost normal and we were honored to help many folks travel this year and have many other folks planning to travel in 2023 and 2024 with our help.

We value you so much, it is beyond mere words to express our appreciation and love for you.

We got to take 3 business trips this year. We thought we could share some of our joy of travel by these pictures of our adventures and perhaps put a smile or two on your face as you browse them.

We wish you all health, peace, prosperity, and safety in the 2023 and in the future. It is with deep gratitude and respect that we feel for all of you who trusted us with your travel plans and dreams, that makes us want to continue trying to help you all have best trips possible. We stand ready to help in the future when the need arises to have journeys that are meaningful and memorable.

Thanks for your trust in us! Please share a toast to you and your families during these holidays. We promise we will toast you all during our celebrations!

Remember to: Savor Life . . . Make Memories . . . Visit Dream Destinations! Your journey begins here!

Anne and Hank

The entrance to the dining room on the AmaSonata decorated for Christmas. It was our 7th Christmas Markets cruise,

Anne and Hank in Brugge

Our October cruise on the Essence of Burgundy cruise.

Hank and Anne at the Chef’s Table on the AmaSonata.

Anne looking awesome in Trier, Germany.

Libby, who doesn’t get to go on our adventures, wants us to come back soon, so she can chase burger (in her mouth) and play with us again.

Little Bear gets to go. He really like Munich and likes to pose with beers.

Little Bear really likes to meet other bears. He especially liked this friendly bear in Rothenburg ob Tauber, Germany.

Little Bear and Lenny (he doesn’t always get to go) ready for a nap in Regensburg, Germany.

Little Bear wondering where we will all go in 2023—he’s ready!

Danube Christmas Markets on AmaWaterways in 2022

Danube Christmas Markets on AmaWaterways in 2022

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a report of our 23rd Europe River Cruise.  We are back on the Danube and it is just the start of the Christmas Markets after being cancelled during most of 2020 and 2021.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Christmas Markets in 2022 on the Danube and in Southern Germany.

What are the Christmas Markets?

In Europe, many squares are used for various street markets.  At Christmas time, these squares are transformed into one unique blaze of color, goods and foods from small vendors.  It is a social gathering where hot mulled wine, beer and street food are served and all seem to get along as they browse the various vendors.

Christmas markets date back to 1300 or so and started in Germany, Austria and the eastern portion of France.  The season usually starts about November 25 and lasts until 23 or 24 December, roughly following the Advent 4 week season.  Even for a person like me who does not really like shopping, this is so much fun that everyone should try this at least once.  Unlike American Malls, this is not combat shopping and crowds of hassled folks; this is a gathering of folks socializing with food and drink, music, and buying gifts at a much gentler pace. 

Seeing the decorations alone is worth the trip but many booths have handmade items that are unique and priceless.  Most sell only on cash, so make sure you have enough local currency to get your purchases.  And, as we have learned though our own mistakes, if you see something you like, buy it or you will often miss out.  Most markets open around 10:00 AM and close around 9:00 PM but it varies a lot and it is not uncommon for booths to close down for short periods to take a break or get something to eat or an owner to take a day off and not open their booth.

As long as you dress warmly, these markets offer a cultural experience second to none—it is an experience not to be missed!

Munich

Before the start of our cruise, we visited the Christmas Markets in Munich. It was overcast, sunny then thunder showers. Right after it rained, we got this picture of the Christmas Markets in front of the new Rathaus with a rainbow over it.

Budapest

Traditional Hungarian Christmas Cake Flodni in Budapest—picture from Mark Thomas who traveled on the 2022 cruise with us along with his wonderful wife Denise, our travel chums!

Another picture of the markets taken by Mark Thomas.

Bratislava

This capital city of Slovakia is a great gathering place at night for folks during the Christmas Market season, as you can see from this picture.

Vienna

We visited 3 Christmas Markets in Vienna. We took the excellent subway system out to the markets at Schönbrunn Palace. The first 2 pictures are of this excellent market.

The next 2 pictures are at the markets around St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

Passau

The markets in Passau are among our favorites—we always seem to find great gifts here in this small market.

Nuremberg

Nuremburg is famous as one of the best and biggest Christmas Markets in Germany. Here are some pictures:

The famous Nuremburg sausages on the grill.

Regensburg

Our favorite Christmas Market is in Regensburg. It is on the grounds of the Thurn & Taxis palace grounds. The next 4 pictures are of the wonderful market—we highly recommend you visit it.

Across the famous stone bridge is a market that features a lot of good food and drink—it was small and packed with folks having a good time.

No trip to Regensburg would be complete unless Anne got a new hat from the Hutkonig. It is her 7th.

Our Final Thoughts

The Christmas Markets in Europe are special—we highly recommend you enjoy them on a visit to the Old World. We have have enjoyed them at least 6 times and plan to return—they are that much fun.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

An Overnight Train Experience in Europe

An Overnight Train Experience in Europe

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

While in Europe, we love riding the trains.  A unique experience is taking an overnight train in Europe.

So, let’s explore together and learn about riding the rails at night—you won’t be disappointed!

Overnight Train Basics

There are two types of sleeper cars. They are sleeper compartments with sleeping berths and couchettes.

A couchette is a seat that converts into a bunk. Usually there are six to a compartment. This is the bare bones bunk with a pillow and blanket. Sometimes they are segregated by gender, other times not.

On our first trip by couchette in 1990, we were paired with 2 guys from Argentina, complete strangers, who were surprised by the mixed genders, and at first a little awkward for both of us. Fortunately for us, I speak fluent Spanish and we agreed to who got which sleeping bunks.

There were two problems—first no air conditioning, so the compartment was so hot, sleep was fleeting at best (perhaps said too gently—it was horrible). Second, they both smoked, so they opened the door to our compartment often to go have a smoke in the train corridor.

Opening the window to let some fresh air in was not a solution either, as passing trains roaring by created deafening, sudden noise that jolted us awake from what little restless sleep we had that night.

Although not on the Paris to Amsterdam overnight train we took in 1990, this is the typical tight corridors on overnight trains. At the end of this passageway, is the toilet (WC).

Along with that, in the old days, there was a passport check at each country border. Here is the bottom line—we hoped to save a day of hotel expenses but wound up sleeping a whole day after checking in to our hotel.

By far, your best choice is a sleeping berth. This is a separate compartment with limited facilities.

So, let’s look what an old railcar on the overnight train looks like, and document our experiences on this adventure.

Our sleeping compartment

Our Route

We are on a route using the EuroNight sleeper train. It is called the Kalman Imre and links Munich and Budapest. The train is named after the composer Emmerich Kalman.

On the sign you can see, we departed at 2330 (the second line on the track sign). The good news—the train started in Munich, so boarding was a lot easier with a stopped train instead of rushing to get on.

The reason, this overnight trip was a good idea, is that we stored our luggage in the Munich Station. Each large storage area cost 3 Euros for 6 hours storage (you need Euro coins and exact change). Here is what the storage area looks like.

The luggage storage boxes in Munich. You can clearly see the 3 Euro cost on the right side of the picture.

What our Sleeper Cabin Was Like

We were in compartment number 11, 13 and 15. Trust me, it was tight space for 2 and unless a small child, really not feasible for 3 adults unless you are on a bare bones budget, in my opinion.

Here is the number display outside our compartment.

Our car had air conditioning, an essential, in my opinion, even in winter.

A sign telling us about the heating/air conditioning controls in the room. Note the sign is in different languages, one thankfully is English.

What the compartments looked like with just our coats hung up. You can see the temperature control in the middle upper portion of this picture,

The coat racks and ladder storage area when not in use.

The ladder set up, so Anne could get up on the top bunk. We brought our own small silk sleeping travel sheets (the crumpled blue item on the lower bunk)—a great idea!

The sink area after opening up the green cover (note the water is not for drinking)

Train Tips/Lessons Learned

Here are some good tips you might want to consider if you want to take advantage of a night train.

1) Don’t expect a fancy car and realize you will be comfortable enough to sleep with some loud noises with train cars added and taken off the train.

2) We chose a second class berth over the first class berth, as the cost was not worth the minor upgrade.

3) Luggage storage is going to be a problem if you have more than 3-4 suitcases. The overhead racks are good but limited by the small compartment size.

4) The bathroom WC is not in your compartment—reminds me of my early days of travel, so plan accordingly and expect some wait times.

5) Don’t expect working electric outlets in the compartment, especially on the older trains. We found one inside the mirror and had to rig a way to charge our electronic devices.

Our old car had only one electrical outlet. It was inside the mirror. Since we brought a European adaptor with USB outlets, we were able to charge our devices during the trip.

You may wonder what this picture is all about! Here Anne has plugged in her portable fan, suspended it from a bungee cord, so she could experience her fan during the night. Pure genius, from my creative wife

There was a small breakfast included in the trip. Here is the menu:

Each of us got to select 7 items from the menu. Our conductor brought us the breakfast about an hour prior to our arrival at Budapest.

Our Final Thoughts

We hope you enjoyed this report.

Overnight train travel has some real advantages. During our trip, we stored our luggage in the Munich Main Train Station (Haptbanhof) and visited the Christmas Markets and had a great German meal before departure. We saved a hotel cost but it certainly is not the most comfortable way to travel.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Thanksgiving 2022

We wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! It has really been fun helping so many folks travel this year. Travel has rebounded in 2022 and we are thankful we have many new delighted folks who have trusted us to make their travel plans and shared with us that they had great experiences, as well as our many friends who have done multiple trips with us and have traveled with us this year. We also are thankful for those who have booked with us in 2023 and 2024.

We all have a lot to be thankful for in our lives. Please reach out to your friends and family and tell them you love them and value their friendship.

May your travel dreams come true in the future. Please remember to:

Savor Life . . . Make Memories . . . Visit Dream Destinations! Your Journey Begins Here!

Anne and Hank

AmaWaterways Land Extension Promotions in Europe for 2023

AmaWaterways Land Extension Promotions in Europe for 2023

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

AmaWaterways currently has an excellent offer.  It is called the Complimentary Land Package.  The package includes a free 2-3-or 4-night land package.  The promotional package ends on 31 December 2022 and is available on many 2023 sailings.

I have included the normal cost of the land extension to help you see the amazing value of this promotion.

So, I thought I’d write about the different land extensions available and a little bit about the cities included. 

Benefits of the Complimentary Land Package

• The package includes the following:

• Stays in 4- or 5-star hotels near the major sights

• Daily breakfast

• Guided tours and excursions

• Transfers between your hotel and the ship

• All packages include an on-site cruise manager to assist you

Featured Land Packages

There are many options here and it is beyond the scope of this blog to include every sailing.  However, never fear, I will organize the land package options by the river and tell you a little bit about each extensions that are available, using our pictures and guides, so you can see if one option is available to enhance your river cruise to take advantage of this promotion.

Rhine

On the Rhine, there are 3 land package options available.  They are:

Amsterdam (valued at $1,190 per person)

A land of bikes, canals, and a free-wheeling culture, we have visited Amsterdam several times and escorted folks there.  This is a city of 165 ringed canals, a population of 750.000 (it has as many bikes as people) and always full of tourists.  It is the capital of the Netherlands, with two world class art museums.  It is a major port, once the wealthiest city in the world, and residents and visitors live with a tolerant atmosphere.  On this 2-night extension you will have a walking tour of the city and a visit to either Haarlem or Zaanse Schans.

Skinny Bridge Amsterdam

Lucerne and Zurich (valued at $1,680)

You will spend 2 nights in Lucerne and 2 nights in Zurich.  The Zurich portion includes a guided tour of the old town area.  In Lucerne, a visit to the alpine old town area, a visit to the Lion Monument and a scenic cruise on Lake Lucerne are some highlights of this extension.

Old Town Zurich

Lucerne

Lake Como (valued at $1,440 per person)

Lake Como, in the Northern area of the Lakes Region of Italy is a place of spectacular scenery.  Included in this extension is a scenic boat ride on Lake Como to the stunning port of Bellagio.

Danube

On the Danube, 4 land extensions are available.  They are:

Prague (valued at $1,320 per person)

The city of 100 spires is fascinating and interesting—good sights and bohemian culture, make it one of our favorites in Europe.  Prague is organized into 4 quarters and most folks spend their time in the Castle Quarter and Old Town Square area.  On this extension, you will get to visit Prague Castle, cross the St, Charles Bridge, visit Old Town and see the famous Astronomical Clock and get to taste Czech beer.  On the way to the ship, you will get a stop in Regensburg during the transfer.

Prague Castle

Regensburg

Budapest ($840 per person value)

Perhaps the most stunning city on any river cruise, Budapest is 2 cities rolled into one.  By far the most impressive city on the Danube, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a town we love to visit.  It is really two towns—the high town of Buda that overlooks the banks of the Danube and Pest on flat land.  They are united by several bridges, but the Chain Bridge is the most important and is a symbol of the city.  Both sides have some awesome structures—among them Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion (Buda side) and the Parliament building (Pest side).  Once you visit, you will want to come back.

Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge

Vienna (valued at $980 per person)

Vienna is a true treasure—the importance of this city on history cannot be overstated—it once was the capital city of the Hapsburg Empire of Austria-Hungary.  Palaces, great museums, great shopping, and good food make this an easy choice for an extension.  This package is a 2-night extension.  It features an “Imperial Vienna tour.”

Romania (valued at $1,800 per person)

You will spend 2 nights here in Bucharest and 2 nights in Brasov.  Bucharest is known as the “Paris of the East.”  We visited it as part of our Black Sea voyage on AmaWaterways.

Brasov is one of the best cities in Romania.  Your tour will start in Sinaia at the Peles Royal Castle on your way to Brasov.  On day 2 you will tour Brasov and visit the birthplace of Dracula in Sighisoara.  Next, is a visit to Dracula’s Castle in Bran.  Then off to Bucharest for a tour.

Peles Castle

Bran Castle

Parliament of the People Bucharest

Vliad Statue

France

On French River Cruises, the main land extension is Paris, but some new extensions are available.

Paris (valued at $1,340 per person).

This 2-night land package has excursions to Montmarte and Atelier des Lumieres.  The extension starts with a city tour of the city of lights.

Paris at night

Barcelona (valued at $1,770)

This extension is a 3-night stay in Barcelona, Spain.  This extension includes the “Best of Barcelona” tour and a visit the next day called “The Mountains and Abbey of Montserrat.

Columbus Statute Barcelona

Bilbao and San Sebastian Spain (valued at $1,760 per person)

This is a 2-night package in the Basque region of Spain.  The tour starts in Bilbao with a Guernica walking tour and an introduction to tapa, and a visit to the Guggenheim Museum.  In San Sebastian there is a tour of the city.

Guggenheim Museum

Outside the Guggenheim Museum

Geneva, Switzerland (valued at $2,000 per person)

This is a 3-night extension in Geneva.  The tour includes a city tour of Geneva, a visit to Annnecy in the French Alps and a visit to Chillon Castle.

French Riviera visit to Nice and Monaco (valued at $1,980 per person)

This is a 3-night land package.  The package includes a Nice city tour, and an Eze and Monaco tour.

Loire Valley, France (valued at $1,800 per person)

This is a 2-night land extension.  It visits Chateau de Chenonceau, Du Clos Luce, and Chateau d’Amboise on the first day.  Then the second day includes Chateau de Chambord and Bois.

Chateau de Chenonceau

Chateau de Chambord

St. Malo, France (valued at $1,720 per person)

This is a 3-night package.  This tour includes a visit to Fourgeres during the transfer to St. Malo,  tours of St, Malo, Dinard and Dinan, and a visit to Mont St. Michel. 

Mont St. Michel. 

Douro

Prior to the 7-day cruise on the Douro, you will have a wonderful 3-day land extension in Lisbon.

Lisbon (valued at $1,380 per person).

This land extension spends 3 nights in Lisbon before the 7-night Douro cruise.  Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is located on the Tagus River.

Key sights include the Alfama (oldest section of the city, with a Moorish feeling, has cobblestone streets and white-washed houses), St. George’s Castle, and the Tower of Belem.

The land extension includes a tour of the city of 7 hills, the excursion to Sintra to visit Pena Palace, a visit to Tomar Castle, and the transfer to Porto for the cruise.

Alfama

Pena Palace

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what an offer!  This promotion is a great way to save money, extend your trip and add value.

We hope you enjoyed this report and can’t wait to help you select one of these cruises for your next vacation.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you with high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Veterans Day 2022

Veterans Day 2022

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Retired US Army Major Infantry Officer

www.dreamdestinations.com

Tomorrow is Veteran Day, 11 November 2022. This is a day to recognize the service and sacrifice of the folks who pledged to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic” by raising their right hand and were required to recite these words of allegiance to our country.

Counting my 4 years at West Point, I spent 24 years of my life in a uniform and serving my country.  It was an awesome experience and I’m glad I made that choice.  It was a honor to serve our country.

Military service changes all who serve, and most aspects are positive.  We gained maturity quickly, learned many new skills, tested our resolve, became resilient, learned how to handle extreme stress and trauma, and made sacrifices to defend our country.  Not all of us handled it the same—some still have problems associated with their service.

It’s been 31 years since I served.  I went on to teach and coach for another 20 years before working full time in our travel business.  The lessons learned from my military experience govern all aspects of my life—character and action count more than words.

A phrase from the West Point cadet prayer has always been very meaningful to me, as it has served as a summary of how I wanted to live my life and I thought you might like to know about it.  Here it is

“Encourage us in our endeavor to live above the common level of life.  Make us choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, and never to be content with a half truth when the whole truth can be won.

Endow us with courage that is born of loyalty to all that is noble and worthy, that scorns to compromise with vice and injustice and knows no fear when truth and right are in jeopardy.”

Those are difficult goals to achieve and my personal guidelines to live by every day.  I have tried to and hope I have been successful but there is always room for improvement.

Just reading my thoughts and seeing how my service changed me, you can understand better how each who has donned the uniform might have developed in their lives.  They have done more than defend our country.  They usually set higher standards, have good work ethics, and make us a better nation.

Less than 1 % of the population of the US (0.727% in a Google search) are on active duty now.  According to the US Census Bureau, there are 18.2 million veterans.  AARP reports that about 13 million are 50 years or older like me.

We did not all serve under the same conditions.  My father served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  I never served in a combat deployment.

While I can’t verify how totally accurate these numbers are, here are some reasonable figures for the personal cost of the 4 major wars including WW II from 1941 to present:

•   WW II 1.076,245 dead and wounded;

• Korea 128,650 dead and wounded;

• Vietnam 211,454 dead and wounded;

• the War on Terror (Afghanistan and Iraq Wars) 57,614 dead and wounded. 

  I think these sobering figures say how lucky my Dad was to survive 7 years of combat for our nation by being deployed in 3 of these 4 conflicts.

In many ways it is ironic the public perception of military service during my service.  At 18 years old as a cadet at West Point, I was called a “Baby Killer” by an angry group of Vietnam War protesters during the Armed Forces Parade in New York City in 1968.  Later, the comments were almost always positive.

I guess those who protest fail to realize soldiers seldom make the decision to go to war; it is our political leaders who declare war or deploy troops.  Yet we are the face of their decisions and a much more accessible target of public ire.  Perhaps those who feel this way should remember we are defending their freedoms to protest government decisions.

I would be remiss if I didn’t cite the families who support our soldiers.  It is a very personal journey; fear, and joy; never knowing if a loved one will come home each day.  They deserve to be honored also for their sacrifice and loyalty to our nation by supporting their soldiers during their military service.

As a tribute to those who have served and are now serving, I thought I’d share with you some photos of military service, some personal, and some honoring the sacrifice of those who fought for our freedom from our travels in Europe.

The Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial honors the American soldiers who died in WW II. This is the final resting place for 9,385 killed and a memorial for 1,557 reported missing.

The Ranger Monument at Pointe du Hoc erected by the French government. It is located atop a German bunker and commemorates the rangers scaling the 100 foot cliffs and seizing the gun emplacements on this point and later finding and disabling those artillery pieces.

Luxembourg American Cemetery. This photo was taken in 1989. 5,075 are buried here and it honors 371 reported missing.

My Dads’ Command Photo from Vietnam. He was the Brigade Commander of the 18th Engineer Brigade from 1969 to 1970.

My Dads’ graveside marker in Arlington National Cemetery.

Anne and I at Ft. Ord CA celebrating New Year’s Eve. I was the S1 (personnel officer) of 2nd Infantry Brigade of the 7th Infantry Division when this photo was taken.

I salute my brothers and sisters in arms—you have done well and deserve recognition on Veteran’s Day. 

Be safe and well—you have lived beyond the common level of life!

Henry Carl “Hank” Schrader, Jr.  Major, Infantry Retired

Hank in Panama in 1978. I was the company commander of B 4 20 Infantry (mechanized).

15 Day Sailings from Amsterdam to Budapest by Riverships

15 Day Sailings from Amsterdam to Budapest by Riverships

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

The opening of the Main-Danube Canal, linking the Rhine and its tributary, the Main River, to the Danube, was really the central idea that allowed modern day river cruising to become a mainstream vacation for many US travelers.  PBS and Viking were the other catalyst, as their sponsorship resonated with viewers.

If you could get one of the two absolute best of the European Rivers on one cruise, my choice would be either the Amsterdam to Budapest route in either direction or sailing on the entire length of the Danube.  It is one of the two good options for those seeking an extended sailing experience in Europe by rivership. 

The voyage goes from Amsterdam to Budapest along the Rhine to the Main River, then to the Main-Danube Canal and finishes on the upper Danube.  This cruise combines the best of the two most popular river cruises in Europe—the 7-day upper Danube and portions of the 7-day Rhine and Main Rivers route. 

We have never sailed this exact route but have sailed to every destination.  14-day cruises are awesome—it is even possible to create your own special cruise by combining two back-to-back cruises on the same rivership—we did this in 2015 by escorting two different groups. 

So, let’s learn about this route and see if it is a good option for you to take a river cruise on this route for 15 days.

River Cruise Companies Offering the Route

6 of the 7 River Cruise Companies we follow offer this route going through the Main Danube Canal.  Only AmaWaterways does not offer it as a complete route (they used to), as one of the owners, Rudi Schreiner, believes the water levels around Regensburg are often so low, it causes part of the cruise to become a bus tour.  They do offer a way to avoid this by using two back-to-back cruises and skipping the problematic area.  Here are the companies offering this complete route using the Main-Danube Canal and the name they use to describe the route:

Avalon             Magnificent Europe

Emerald          15 Day Splendors of Europe

Scenic              Jewels of Europe

Tauck               Amsterdam to Budapest by Riverboat

Uniworld         European Jewels

Viking              Grand European Tour

It is really beyond the scope of this blog to try to match up each company in a comparison mode of their features, as the idea here is only report on the major port stops.

You can already see how complex river cruising can become, knowing all 7 offer good options to discover two key rivers in Europe.  This is where we come in, to help you evaluate and match the lines to your travel style and preferences and budget.

General Route Overview

The route starts in Amsterdam and ends in Budapest or starts from Budapest to Amsterdam.  Here are the ports, highlighted by our photos.

Amsterdam, Netherlands

This capital city is ringed by canals, has famed gabled buildings, there are more bicycles than you can even imagine—it is one unique place.  Combine this with the free spirit of the residents and you will long remember this special town.

Cologne, Germany

Cologne has been a town for over 2,000 years (it used to be a Roman outpost), is the 4th largest city in Germany and is famous for its cathedral.  The two 510-foot-high spires dominate the skyline of Cologne, and it holds the relics of the Magi.  Cologne Cathedral is Germany’s most visited building.

We also liked the town squares, where some of Germany’s best Christmas markets fill the squares during the Advent season. 

Rhine Gorge & Rüdesheim, Germany

The 65-kilometer Middle Rhine Valley is the best sailing route you will ever find in Europe.  There are 40 or so castles, steep riverbanks and it is simply breathtaking! 

After that most scenic stretch, you will visit Rüdesheim, famed for its coffee drink flavored with Asbach brandy, the winding, narrow, Drosselgasse lane, its fine Riesling wines, and a generally friendly, welcoming village.

Miltenberg & Wertheim, Germany

Miltenberg is one of the best preserved medieval cites on the Main River.  The colorful half-timbered houses are magnificent.  A walk to the town square is a wonderful experience. 

Later that day, you will visit Wertheim, known by its nickname as “Little Heidelberg”, and get to see the narrow lanes of this village.  Wertheim is located at the confluence of the Tauber and Main Rivers.  The two top attractions are the castle and its medieval town square.

 Wurzburg, Germany

Wurzburg has several unique architectural buildings but is most famous for the Residenz Palace.  The gardens of this palace and interiors are magnificent.  This Bavarian town is also a famous wine region.

 Bamberg, Germany

Bamberg is a 1,000-year-old town with interesting buildings.  The most famous are the town hall, built in the middle of a river, and its beautiful cathedral.  It is built on seven hills and is located where the Regnitz and Main rivers meet.  It is also home to a smoky flavored beer. 

Nuremberg, Germany

The old walled city of Nuremberg is one of my favorite places in all Germany.  It has an impressive castle, is crisscrossed by a river, and has some cool old buildings.  The central market square, with its beautiful fountain, is another great place to see.  It is also famous for its Christmas markets.

 Regensburg, Germany

The town of Regensburg is located on the northernmost point of the Danube River.  It started out as a Roman town, has a medieval bridge the crusaders crossed on their way to the Holy Wars (which is guarded by an impressive watch tower), and has a good old town area.  Anne’s favorite hat maker is here, so we find this one of our favorite Bavarian towns.

Passau, Germany

Built on a tapering peninsula of land, the old town portion Passau is right on the German and Austrian border.  Three rivers join here—the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz.  On the high banks of the Danube, a fortress dating back to the 1400’s, overlooks the old city center.  There are several impressive churches worth a visit.

 Melk & Dürnstein, Austria

Melk is famous for its impressive, huge abbey.  It was built in the 11th century. 

One of the awesome scenic waterways of Europe is the Wachau Valley. Here are 2 pictures :

Later as you cruise through the other great scenic waterways of Europe, the Wachau Valley, you will arrive in the charming village of Dürnstein.  The blue tower of the Abbey, the cute little shops, and the castle ruins on the hillside, make this a favorite of many river cruisers. 

Vienna

The capital city of Austria, once the capital city of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is a city of impressive palaces, great museums, and good food.  It is also known for the great composers of classical music, and many go to concerts while on their cruise.

Bratislava

The capital city of Slovakia is a fun place to visit.  Located at the border of Austria and Hungary, this is a new country (it declared independence in 1993), as much of its history it was in the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the part of the Czechoslovakia.  The symbol of Bratislava is the fortress  that overlooking the city.  It is also known for its whimsical bronze figures, which delight cruisers in the old town area.

Budapest

By far the most impressive city on the Danube, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a town we love to visit.  It is really two towns—the high town of Buda that overlooks the banks of the Danube and Pest on flat land.  They are united by several bridges, but the chain bridge is the most important and is a symbol of the city.  Both have some awesome structures—among them Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion (Buda side) and the Parliament building (Pest side).  Once you visit, you will want to come back.

Our Final Thoughts

This is a grand route and a chance to see a lot of Europe in a hassle-free way.  For many, it is the trip of a lifetime, as you can see by the port stops.

Availability on this route, due to the number of ships dedicated to this route and the extra 7 days added to the itinerary, sometimes make it hard to find space, so if you are considering taking this cruise, we advise you to act quickly, so you won’t be disappointed—a year or more is a good idea.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to give you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you with high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Beaune's Hotel Dieu

Beaune’s Hotel Dieu

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We just finished escorting some great clients on an AmaWaterways river cruise.  The route was the Essence of Burgundy & Provence.  In Burgundy, I took a tour to the famous Hotel Dieu.

This stunning place was a medieval charity hospital.  It was commissioned and paid for by Nicolas Rolin, the chancellor of Burgundy and his wife, Guigone de Salins.  Construction started in 1443 and was completed 8 years later.

So, let’s explore together and learn about one of the best-preserved medieval buildings in France,

Overview

By the time of the construction of the hospital, the people of Burgundy were suffering from the Black Death (plague) and the religious Hundred Years War.  Estimates were that 75% of the population were destitute and many were sick.

There were few opportunities for health care during these times, so this is a rather unique facility.

The Courtyard

The tiled roof and courtyard area are just stunning.  The glazed tiled roof was a symbol of prestige and wealth and these colorful patterns have earned an architectural style that has become to known as “Burgundian”.  Here are some photos:

The amazing inter courtyard area

Notice the quality of the workmanship—very intricate

The workmanship is excellent and the details are everywhere

The inside courtyard, where the entrance leads to the Great Hall of the Poor

The entrance to the Hotel Dieu

The Pauper’s Ward (The Great Hall of the Poor)

It might be hard to understand how innovative this place was in the middle ages.  Normal care came by doctors visiting the sick at their homes, but few could afford care at home.

This is the largest room of the building.  Each bed held 2 or more persons (our guide told us men and women were often placed in the beds together—I guess if you must go it might be nice to have a little pleasure first).  This practice ended in 1658 when King Louis XIV (the Sun King) donated enough money to separate men and women.

This was not a place of recovery; it was a place for the poor to die as peacefully as possible and there were constant reminders of salvation awaited the faithful. Today we would call this a hospice.  Here are some pictures:

The Great Hall of the Poor

More of the bed area—there are 28 beds in this part of the hospital for the poor

A close up of one bed area

The ceiling of the Great Hall of the Poor

The Chapel

The chapel’s location allowed the patients to attend mass while in bed.

The stained-glass windows let the world know that the two patrons are included in the art provided this place for the poor.

The Chapel Alter

The art work over the alter area of the chapel

A stained glass window in the chapel

St. Hugue Ward

This was award for more wealthy patients who might have a better chance of surviving.

Notice the difference in the more wealthy area of this hospital—the paintings are more about hope and recovery than the Great Hall of the Poor

A closer view of the beds in this ward

St. Nicolas Room

This room has displays of medical instruments used during this time.

Kitchen

The kitchen area is very well preserved.

The large kitchen area

The Kitchen area

Another picture of the kitchen

Pharmacy

The nuns who staffed the hospital grew herbs in the second courtyard area gardens and these medical remedies were stored in pottery jars.

Some of the pottery jars in the pharmacy

More of the storage of medicines in the pharmacy

The second courtyard area where the nuns would grow herbs

Treasured Art Works

Among the magnificent art works on display are the Story of Jacob, The Last Judgement by Roger van der Weyden’s painting of the Last Judgement (Flemish artist), and the Prodigal Son tapestry.

The Last Judgement by Roger van der Weyden

The folding portion of the original alter. The 2 donors are on the outside pane;s

A tapestry telling the legend of St. Eloi. According to the legend, the horse in the tapestry refused to be shod and it was believed the animal was possessed by demons. He cut the horses’ leg off, shod the severed leg and then performed a miracle by reattaching the leg back on the horse, who was now demon free.

The Story of Jacob Tapestry

Burgundy Wine

The hospital is supported in part by a 60-acre wine vineyard.  There is a wine auction at the Hotel Dieu in November, that is famous for the barrels of high-quality wine sold (Sotheby’s organizes and conducts the auction).  It raises significant money to help preserve this great museum and important historical site.  It is the most famous wine charity auction in the world.

The wine is primarily Pinot Noir, with some chardonnay.  The exceptional vineyard is premiers’ crus and grand crus—the best wine produced in this region.

A display about the wine grown by the Hotel Dieu vineyard

A display about some of the barrels auctioned off—these are top wines, including one of my favorites, Pommard.

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what a great place to visit.  It is a fascinating look back into health care in the middle of France.  This place was a wonderful tour on our cruise, and we highly recommend it.

We hope you enjoyed this report, and hope you want to visit here also—we are ready to help as needed.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The Chef’s Table on Our 2022 AmaCello Essenence of Brugundy & Provence River Cruise

The Chef’s Table on the AmaCello in 2022

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

The Chef’s Table on Amawaterways is always offered during their cruises in Europe and Egypt. It is always included with your cruise fare at no extra charge.

It is a multi course specialty dining venue in a separate place on the ship.

So, let’s explore together and learn about the menu and the dining experience on the AmaCello in 2022.

Overview

The Chef’s Table has seating for 28 and has a chef who prepares all 7 courses in a demonstration kitchen. There are 3 waitstaff along with the chef to make this tasting menu a special occasion.

Here are some pictures:

4 Great folks preparing and serving our meal. From left to right Tanja (Croatia), Stelyan (Bulgaria), Petra (Romania) and Chris (Romania).

Chef Stelyan prepared an amazing meal

Here are pictures of our 7 Course Meal and descriptions of the wonderful food for each course:

Chef’s Welcome Course 1

Concasse Heirloom Tomato ~Mozzarella Carpaccio- Basil Oil- Olive Powder

Course 1

Get The Taste—Course 2

Grilled Tiger Shrimp~Tahini Humus-Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

Course 2

Tease The Senses—Course 3

Cauliflower Veloute~ Pine Seeds- Ginger Oil- Dried Figs

Course 3

From The Rivers—Course 4

Pan Fried Salmon Trout Fillet ~Pumpkin Mash- Braised Radish

Riesling White Wine Sauce

Course 4

Sorbet—Course 5

Raspberry Sorbet ~Sparkling Wine

Tanja prepares our sorbet

Course 5

Barbara enjoying the sorbet

Country Spirit —Course 6

Argentinian Beef Short Ribs~ Natural Jus- Horseradish Purée- Sweet Potato Fondant- Heritage Carrots - Broccoli

Course 6

From Heaven —Course 7

Salty Carmel Chocolate Tart ~ Lime Macron- Cherry Sorbet- Fresh Berries

Course 7

Wine Pairing

Chateau Belle Cure—White Wine

This white wine from the Bordeaux , France region is a Semillion-Sauvignon Blanc Blend.

The characteristics are a dry wine with aromas of tropical fruit and flowers, light, well balanced, fruity and a slight creamy aftertaste.

Chateau Belle Cure—White Wine

Bourgogne Pinot Noir—Red Wine

This wine is from Bourgogne, France and 100% Pinot Noir.

The wine characteristics of this medium light coloed, dry bodied Pinot wine are soft blackberries, cherry and strawberry fruits with just a hint of smokiness.

Bourgogne Pinot Noir—Red Wine

A Grand Celebration

We were honored to help our dear friends Linda and John Howard celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Here are 2 pictures—the first with their son Ben and his wife Judith and the special cake the staff onboard prepared and presented them at the end of the meal. The second is the Howard’s and Alt’s before the start of the meal.

The Howards

The Howards and the Alts

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what a meal!

I think you can see why we are in the business—it just is awesome to help folks experience fine dining, good tours on a luxury cruise ship like the AmaCello.

We hope you enjoyed this report and we would be delighted to help have wonderful experiences like ours on the AmaCello.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

5 Good Places to Eat in Brugge

5 Good Places to Eat in Brugge

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We visit Brugge as often as we can when we come to Europe.

Part of the reason why we like this fairytale city is the many small family run restaurants in Brugge.

Here are two pictures to remind us of how wonderful this place is:

Where else but Brugge would you find charming buildings with swans decorating the outside of the building? The roof gable is known as a step gable and quite common in Brugge.

Perhaps the most iconic picture in fairytale land—just stunning at night!

Now, back to food. Brugge has many wonderful restaurants and we want to highlight some we have found to be exceptional.

The quality is always wonderful, we have found special dishes at each place we enjoy, and often the places we have found are frequented by locals.

Don’t visit these restaurants if you are in a rush—these dining experiences will be the art of slow dining—excellent cuisine you will remember long after your visit.

So, let’s explore together and learn about 5 great eating spots in Brugge, along with our favorite spot for a light lunch or just drinks —you won’t be disappointed in our 6 choices!

Cezar

This small restaurant and delicatessen has a real local connection—we often are the only Americans in this cozy place. The dining room area is just like they describe it on their website—it is a living room in their kitchen.

Meat is their specialty. They are open for lunch from 1200 to 1400 and for dinner from 1800 to 2100 five days a week and are closed on Sunday and Monday.

They are located on Jeruzalemstraat 1 and their telephone number is 050.70.97.84.

The following 7 pictures should help you understand why we like this establishment so much!

The outside of Cesar

Anne with her before diner cocktail—we really like the insides of this wonderful place

Hank also with his gin and tonic.

Vol-au-Vent—a wonderful Belgium chicken dish

Meatballs in tomato sauce

The traditional beef carbonnade stew made with Belgian ale.

In a place famous for its’ frites, a baked potato was a delightful change.

Grillkasteetje

This is some of the best grilled meats you will probably eat in Europe. It is small, the main dining area is up some steep stairs but the food is wonderful.

With only 24 tables in this establishment, reservations are mandatory. It is only open for dinner from Tuesday to Saturday from 1800 to 2200 and closed on Sunday and Monday.

We have eaten here at least 4 times and can’t wait to go again.

They are located on Gevangenisstraat 1 and their telephone number is +32 50 68 41 48.

Here are just some of our wonderful experiences and good dining we have experienced here in our 15 pictures of some of our visits:

Outside the restraurant

The menu specials of the day

The bar area on the first floor

At the grill—where the food magic happens

Part of the second story dining room—the tiny upstairs after taking some steep steps that has seating for 18.

The small dining area on the first floor has 3 tables and seating for 8.

Roasted Camembert cheese—one of Anne’s all time favorites!

Anne with her special beer

Anne’s wonderful grilled to perfection steak with bernaise sauce

My grilled scallops and linguine

Hank’s chocolate ice cream desert

Anne’s ice cream desert

The wonderful limoncello dessert is finished off by this giant liquor bottle—really cool!

The end result—quite tasty, I must say.

For me, the proper way to finish off a great meal—a Remy Martin Brandy and coffee.

Pieter Pourbus

This restaurant is named after the painter Pieter Pourbus, a Flemish primitive painter who lived in Brugge in the 16th century. He was well known in Brugge as a Flemish Renaissance painter. His two main types of painting were religious and portrait paintings. He also was an engineer, a draftsman and a cartographer (he produced many very accurate topographical maps of Brugge).

Another small place with seating for 50, the interior is what you would expect from a historic house built in 1561 that Pourbus lived in. The owners, Johan and Sofia, are wonderful people and very friendly.

The restaurant is open for dinner only Monday to Thursday from 1800 to 2130,; closed on Wednesdays and open 1800 to 2200 on Friday and Saturday. On Sundays, they are open from 1200 to 1400 and then in the evening from 1800 to 2130. We highly recommend reservations.

The restaurant is located on Pieter Pourbusstraat 1 and their telephone number is +32 50 34 11 45.

We think these pictures will help you feel the great vibe of this place—the atmosphere and the really good, consistently quality food bring us back again and again—these 18 pictures should make it clear how good a meal you can have here.

Outside of Pieter Pourbus

One of the 2 fireplaces in this old building with its’ wonderful exposed beam roof.

A portrait of Pieter Pourbus

They have a special 59 Euro meal. Here is our 2021 meal:

Scallops in an awesome sauce

Prawn appetizer

Grilled steak

Apple desert with ice cream

Sorbet

Here is what our 59 Euro Meal was like in 2022:

Our meal started with a glass of cava (Spanish sparking wine)

Anne had pate for an appitizer

Anne had the grilled prawns—the orange sauce on the right is a wonderful picante sauce that really enhances the taste of the prawns.

My grilled rib-eye steak with green pepper sauce.

Anne’s Lemon sherbert

Sometimes we have just ordered of the menu. Here are a few dishes we have enjoyed:

Dinner portion of the Prawns

Pork stew in a rich Belgium gravy—a really good dish!

Creme Brulee desert

Poules Moules

The best mussels in town are at Poules Moules. The name should tell you what they specialize in—Chicken and Mussels.

We have probably eaten here 3-4 times and it is consistently good and a great value.

They are open for both lunch and dinner and unless you want to stand in line for 40 minutes or more for lunch, make reservations. Like many Brugge restaurants, they have set hours for lunch (1200 to 1400) and dinner (1800 to 2130), and are not open all day long.

They are located in Simon Stevinplein 9 and their telephone number is 003250346119.

The mussels are excellent and I have always enjoyed their chicken dishes. They really do live up to their special dishes and we hope you will enjoy this place as much as we do—hopefully we have capture their good food in these 9 pictures.

The outside of Poules Moules

Their logo on the door. As you can see, it is closed as this picture was taken around 1500.

During the summer, this outdoor eating area is packed with hungry visitors eating excellent food.

We were photo bombed in 2021 by this friendly, hustling waiter.

Mussels are prepared 5 different ways. Anne’s dish was prepared with white wine. The other choices are natural, in Bruges beer, with pernod and with fresh basil.

Chicken stew

Our inside meal in October 2022:

Another great chicken stew dish, full of large chunks of chicken.

There is no doubt Anne will order the mussels.

My apple tart desert cake.

The Lobster Pot

We were told prior to our visit the Lobster Pot, it had the best, freshest lobster and seafood in Brugge. Our advisors were correct! We also got instant confirmation during our visit when we saw the owners of Pieter Porbus already eating the special seafood tower.

This is a modern decor restaurant that use IPads to order from instead of the traditional printed menus, but trust me, it is among some of the best lobster I have ever eaten in my 73 years—in fact, we celebrated my 73 birthday here and were glad we did.

They are open from 1730 to 2200 daily from Tuesday thru Sunday, and on Sunday they open from 1200 to 1430.

It is located on Sint-Salvatorskerkhof 14 and the telephone number is +32 50 66 03 59.

The seafood is as fresh as possible and the food portions are large—we are sure you will like it, if you love seafood. These 8 pictures should back up our opinions.

The outside of the Lobster Pot. The roof line is called a Dutch roof and the curved top is clearly visible.

They use IPads as menus—you can even click on the item to see a picture—how cool is that!

Anne’s oysters on the half shell

My prawns appetizer

Anne with her bib on ready for her lobster dish.

We couldn’t resist taking a photo of this giant crab attacking Anne—looks kinda like a horror picture but we were safe. Other large crustaceans decorate the walls.

My lobster Thermidor—it was awesome!

Anne’s lobster

A Special Lunch Treat—Terrastje

In our opinion, there is no better place than Terrastje for a hidden gem, with owners Ian and Patricia who are very laid back and serve good drinks and tapas type finger food.

It is very small, sometimes not open, but it is so cute, locals just accept it might be open or not. We always like this laidback vibe and look forward to our times here,

Here is their story in 12 pictures

Anne on the outdoor patio enjoying a drink

One of the owners, Patricia, serving drinks to their patrons.on the outdoor patio.

The inside part of this cozy spot.

Even a light rain couldn’t stop us from having a drink under the canopy.

Ian and Patricia behind the bar—two really fun people and owners who will make you feel welcome.

When we say they are laid back, just reading their opening hours statement says it all—just stop in when you see it open bur don’t expect set hours.

The outside wall decorations

The food is only tapas type snacks. Here is a large menu of their offerings on the wall.

The next two pictures are of little bear, our traveling companion. Sometimes he is shy but when he comes out and shares a table with us, you know it is a great place!

Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches. They go great with the tomato soup usually available.

Meat ball tapas

Our Final Thoughts

Food and good drinks have always been very important to us during our travels.

Brugge can be confusing with so many choices to eat and hopefully these recommendations will help you understand why we like these places.

We hope you will one or more and find our recommendations accurate and tasty.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

11 Great Things to do in Lyon

11 Great Things to do in Lyon France

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a good chance to learn more about Lyon, France. Lyon has two great rivers running through it. They are the Rhône and the Saône Rivers.

Lyon is known as the gastronomic capital of France, has Roman ruins and a very good old town. The historic section of town is known as Vieux Lyon (“Old Lyon”). The Old Town is on the Saône River.

Lyon is fun, we really enjoyed the old town area and its narrow streets and colorful bouchons (small bistros) with their trademark red and white checkered table cloths.

So, let’s explore together and find 11 great things to do in Lyon.

Saône.River view of the old town area

3 River Cruise ships on the Rhône River.

Notre-Dame Basilica—ornate church built in 1872 as a tribute to the Virgin Mary on the orders of the bishop of Lyon for sparing the city of Lyon during the Prussian-Franco War.  Free.  Located on Fourviere Hill above the old town. Here are 2 pictures:

Roman Theaters and Gallo-Roman Museum—there are 2 ancient Roman theatres here along with excellent artifacts from the Roman time in Lyon.  Among the highlights is a bronze chariot from 7th century BC.  Good explanations of exhibits in English.  Closed Monday.  Admission charge.  (www.musees-gallo-romains.com)  Located on the Fourviere Hill above the old town—there is a funicular to get up the steep hill.

The Old Town

The best thing to do is just wander around. Here are 3 pictures—showing the winding streets and lanes. The second picture is what moving day looks like in the old town.

Shopping—shop in Vieux Lyon.  Lyon is renowned throughout Europe for silk, especially silk scarves. 

St. Jean Cathedral—has a 700 year old astronomical clock.  This cathedral was built between the 12th and the 15th centuries, and its exceptional stained-glass windows date from the same era. Its apse is a masterpiece of Lyonnais Romanesque architecture. A highlight is the Flamboyant Gothic chapel of the Bourbons. On the front portals are medallions depicting the signs of the zodiac, the Creation, and the life of St. John.  Located in Vieux Lyon.

Traboules—these serpentine passageways were shortcuts that linked the old town’s 3 main streets.  Wandering these paths will allow you to discover courtyards, lovely loggias (covered walkways open on one side) and arches.

Museums and Workshops

Atelier de la Solerie—workshop demonstrating handmade silk printing and screen printing.  Free.  Closed Sunday.

Museum of Fine Arts--The former Benedictine abbey was built between 1659 and 1685 in the Italian baroque style. Today, it is home to the Musée des Beaux-Arts, which has an outstanding collection of paintings and sculpture.  Closed Tuesdays.  Admission charge.  Metro Stop Hotel de Ville.  (www.maire-lyon.fr)

Museum of Fabrics and Decorative Arts--In the 1739 Lacroix-Laval mansion by Soufflot (architect of the Panthéon in Paris), the Musée des Arts-Décoratifs contains furniture and objets d'art from the 17th and 18th centuries.  The medieval and Renaissance periods are also represented.  Closed Mondays.  Admission charge.  Metro stop Bellecour.  (www.musee-des-tissus.com)

Resistance and Deportation History Center—this museum has displays and videos telling the story of the French Resistance.  Closed Monday and Tuesday.  Admission charge.  Metro stop Jean Mace, turn right on avenue Berthelot and walk 5 blocks.

Lumiere Museum--Film buffs from all over the world come here. The famous Lumière family, including Antoine (1840-1911), Auguste (1862-1954), and Louis (1864-1948), once lived in Lyon. The brothers were chemists, industrialists, and motion-picture pioneers. In Lyon, they founded a factory for producing photographic plates, paper, and chemicals. They invented the Lumière process of color photography and the Cinématographe, an early motion picture camera, in 1895.  Closed Monday.  Admission charge.  Metro stop Monplaisir-Lumiere on Metro D.  (www.institut-lumiere.org)

Dining—Lyon is the gastronomical capital of France.  Among the best options are bouchons (small bistros) often their red and white checker-squared tablecloths.  Local specialties are plentiful and vary from the creamy cervelle de canut (fromage blanc with herbs) to salade Lyonnaise with greens, soft-boiled eggs, bacon cubes and croutons. Here are 2 pictures of bouchons and the most famous food market in Lyon:

One of the 70 stalls of Les Halles de Lyon Paul Bocuse market place

Getting Around

If you are coming by TGV get off at the second station, Gare de Perrache (takes 2 hours from Paris).

 A network of Métro lines, trams, and buses branch out to serve the city. A plan de poche (pocket map) is available at any office of TCL (tel. 08-20-42-70-00; www.tcl.fr), which handles all forms of mass transport. Tickets are valid on all forms of public transport, costing 1.60€ for the average ride or else 13€ for a carnet of 10 tickets. Most short-time visitors may want to purchase a Ticket Liberté day pass for 4.40€. For a cab, call Taxi Radio de Lyon at tel. 08-72-10-86-86).

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what a great guide  We have 50 guides for interesting cities in Europe.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Why Do We Travel?

Why Do We Travel?

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a topic I have wanted to write about for a long time.  I’m not sure I’m really qualified to list all the reasons we travel but our interactions with dozens of clients does give us a little insight on why we travel.

I wrote about travel opportunities a few weeks ago, but this a more in-depth look at why we travel and a little bit about 5 travel styles.

So, let’s explore together and learn about why we travel.

Experiences

In some form or another, when we travel, we seek experiences.  Experiences change us.

 It could be as simple as doing nothing, clearing our minds, relaxing.

It could be active—hiking biking running or other physical activity.

It could be seeing new places, learning about the culture.

It could be achievement—visiting a high number of countries, continents, or polar explorations, or even visiting space.

It could be a combination of any or all of these.

It could be celebrating a milestone, or a bucket list item.

The means of transportation could be the experience—a luxury train, a river or cruise ship or a pilgrimage.

The only thing all these have in common is that they change us in some form—it is personal development.  Some folks like to call this transformational travel.

Since we all experience travel differently, let’s explore this idea a little further and see how travel can provide us some personal development. 

I’m going to take 5 ideas about travel styles and travel attitudes to examine how you can use these ideas to enhance your travel experiences and help you get more out of your travel. By using some of our travel styles and travel attitudes as a method, I hope it will help us to probe why we travel. 

Perhaps, one of these styles is your preferred way to travel, but my guess is most of you will see yourself in several of these travel styles. We have experienced all 5 styles.

Can you imagine a more relaxing place like this garden in Vienne, France?

Idea #1 We Take the Same Trip Every Year—It’s Our Travel Style

All travel experiences are different, even if we take the same trip every year.

For example, my West Point Classmates (we graduated in 1971—yes, we are old!) get together once a year for a 4-day golf shoot out.  In truth, although some are very competitive golfers, most go to see the old friends and classmates, retell old stories and the format doesn’t change much, but each trip is different since we change the location of the event and not all can attend every year.

So. what does this example accomplish for most of us—we get to see the folks who are important to us.

Even the same trip every year leads to personal development, much the same taking the same river cruise over the same route does—every trip is different and so are your experiences,

Every year, we try to explore our Scottish heritage during a Highland clan gathering in the Estes Park Scottish festival. We have now been there 5 times and plan to continue this wonderful festival. Here are two pictures of us there:

Idea # 2 Our Travel Style Will Require an Attitude Adjustment

Travel always broadens our prospectives.  It can be fun, stressful, freeing, relaxing, or demanding.

Some love the planning process; others want nothing to do with it.  We always ask how our clients feel about the travel planning process versus the actual travel.  We usually find the best attitude adjustments happen when we both get involved in the planning process. 

But it is out client’s attitude towards these 2 facets of travel determine how much we get involved to do it all for you or get help and collaborate with you.

One attitude adjustment is control and for some the hardest factor in personal development when traveling. We often must give up control of our routines and are forced out of our comfort zone but gain a new understanding of a new place.

Attitudes are about feelings—what did you love about your last vacation?  What did you hate or dislike?  Many of our feelings may not be that strong but if we want personal development, we must express our feelings about travel.

Perhaps we can help you make several attitude adjustments and provide you growth by assisting you with new experiences during your travels.

One of our most memorable trips was attending a cooking school in Wales, for Anne’s 60th birthday celebration.

Idea # 3 Your Travel Style Requires You to Dream Big if You Want Great Experiences.

One of my favorite questions to clients is where do you want to go? Followed by where do you need to go?

Why is this important?  We all have travel dreams, but it is what we want to accomplish by our travels that is the need question.

Do you want to follow your ancestral family in a new location?

How about a luxury train ride?

Maybe mysterious, ancient Egypt?

Perhaps, the Vienna New Year Balls, dressed in elegant gowns and tuxedos?

We don’t always know your big dreams but are ready to help you get there someday—you must dream big if you want significant personal development.

I’m not sure either us really ever believed we would visit Egypt one day—we did dream big and made it happen!

Idea # 4 This Travel Style Requires Most of Our Clients to be Resilient—they can overcome travel barriers.

The 2020 and 2021 were some of the most challenging times we have faced in our travel business.  Somehow, a few traveled, many rescheduled and we all emerged better.

Maybe the problem is not enough time, travel costs, feeling we aren’t up to the physical demands of travel, family and/or health concerns—the list could go on and on if you let it.

Barriers can be overcome in most cases—sometimes we must delay our plans a little but to give in is just wrong, in my opinion.

We can usually find a solution and the result will benefit both of us.

What are the obstacles to achieving your big dream—money, time, fear? Let us know—we understand and usually can help you overcome these barriers.

You may wonder why I would choose the picture of this iconic castle in Switzerland as an example of a barrier. The story is we had a flight from Amsterdam to Geneva cancelled and we had to take 4 different trains to get to our hotel after our overnight flight from the US. We finally arrived at 0200 to our hotel—even seasoned travels like us have to overcome barriers!

Idea 5 Your Travel Style Requires You to Adapt and Grow

Travel really does change us, especially if we embrace the opportunity.  I will never forget my first trip to Europe—I fell in instant love with the Old World and have been returning for 51 years.

Another good example is—I never knew about how good a vacation a river cruise is for most of our clients until my first in 2009 and now 95% of our sales are river cruises.

Just as we have adapted to the changing environment of travel, we can help you adapt and grow in your travels.

We have the knowledge and experience to help you grow, you just must want to change.

Maybe you need a nudge or two to take that first step—we can help you overcome your inhibitions and help you grow.

Here is a post card I sent my parents in 1971 after my first visit to Paris. As you can see, I went to the top of the Eiffel Tower on 26 July 1971.

Our Final Thoughts

So, what is our role in why you travel? 

For us, it is simple—we like to help you get better vacations by providing you trips that 1) will exceed your expectations; 2) help you make wise choices; 3) eliminate hassles and 4) help you get the best value for your money. All of these are personal development from your travel experiences or transitional travel.

I think you can see why we are in the business—it just is awesome to help folks have a great vacation. Regardless of your travel style, we can make it a better experience.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The Interesting Italian Peninsula

The Interesting Italian Peninsula

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Italy is always a top country to visit for Americans.  Not really a surprise to me—we always send at least one couple or a group to Italy each year.

So, I thought I’d tell you about the wonders of the Italian Peninsula.

Ready to travel? —let’s go!

Overview of the Italian Peninsula

Portofino. harbor

Europe is a continent of peninsulas—there are 5 major peninsulas and many minor ones.  Perhaps the most popular travel destination in Europe is the Italian Peninsula—if not the top destination in Europe, it always is very near the top in travel surveys. 

It is also called the Apennine Peninsula, after the mountain range that runs almost the entire length of this country.  This landmass is 1000 km long—620 miles and when seen from the sky is in the shape of a boot.

This a good time to remind you that we have guides to Rome, Venice, and Florence available to help you understand some of the best sights at each city on the Italian Peninsula.  Just visit our website, www.dreamdestinations.com and find the Europe pages.  In the Southern Europe page, you can use our convenient order form to get your guide(s).  They are free and are designed for you to print and fold up in your pocket—no bulky tour book to lug around (if you are not a current client, there is a limit of 2 guides). 

So, let’s learn about Italian Peninsula and how we can help you experience this wonderful area of Europe.

Overview of the Italian Peninsula

A peninsula is a landmass that has water on three side.  You may be surprised to learn there are 3 countries on the Italian Peninsula.  Folks often think they would be correct in stating that it is only the country of Italy on this peninsula, but they would be wrong.  This confusion results because the two small microstate countries that are hidden in Italy are enclaves—they are surrounded by the much larger country of Italy and are easy to miss. 

The two microstates are San Marino and the Vatican.  So, it is time to learn about these 3 awesome countries.

The Big Boy on the Block--Italy

To me, Italy is one of the most fascinating places on earth.  Once, it was most dominate power on earth for 400 years or so during the Roman Empire; it was the birthplace of the Renaissance; and it finally became unified in 1860. 

However, in my opinion, it was during and after the Middle Ages, when the feuding and fighting of the various city-states took place, that have shaped this country into many of its present-day charms.  Regions are distinct and offer the traveler quite an array of places to visit and marvel at during their visits. 

Combine this with the “Dolce Vida”—the good life--and it is easy to see why Italy is such a popular tourist destination.  I think the best way to look at Italy is to divide it into 3 regions—North, Central and South, and keep Rome as a separate topic.

Rome

For anyone traveling to Europe, there are 3 cities that are the most important to visit in my mind.  They are London, Paris, and Rome.  The Roman civilization changed the world forever.  Rome’s fantastic sights are a tangled mess of greatness—it often seems a small ruin of Rome pops up amid modern buildings.  The traffic is also a challenge— it also seems everyone who drives wants to beat all others to their destination, so don’t expect drivers to always yield the right of way.

Even with these challenges, it is a magical place of history and awesome food and drink.  To see most of the main sights in Rome, you will need at least 3 days, but even with over 10 visits to Rome, there is more for us to see—I doubt you will run out of places to visit and experience. 

Some of the key sights in Rome are the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Arch of Constantine, Trajan’s Column, the Victor Emmanuel Monument, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.   Here are some pictures:

Colosseum

the Roman Forum

Castel Sant’Angelo

the Victor Emmanuel Monument,

The Spanish Steps

A roof top terrace in Rome

Hank in front of the Trevi Fountain

Northern Italy

The mountains of the Alps define this area of Italy.  It is also home to the Italian Lakes Region and two of our favorite places, Lake Lugano, and Lake Como.  Here is a photo at Lake Como:

Lake Como

Another great place is Portofino. Here is a picture

Portofino.

The two most important towns of this region are Milan and Venice.  Milan is the regional capital of Lombardy.  It is a world-famous fashion and shopping destination.  In Milan, the two most famous tourist destinations are the Milan Duomo (cathedral) and the painting of the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci.  Here is a picture of the Duomo:

Milan Duomo (cathedral)

A word of caution about seeing the Last Supper.  First, to see this famous work of art, you will require a reservation and you will have only 15 minutes to view the painting in the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie.  There are two large paintings at opposite ends of the convent (the Last Supper is to the right as you enter) and they are very strict about their no picture requirement.  We watched a tourist stripped of his camera and told to delete the picture or give up his camera.  For obvious reasons, we do not have a picture to show you.

Venice is a world unto itself.  This intricate area reclaimed from a muddy lagoon is a pedestrian maze of canals, bridges, and spectacular sights.  It once was among the most powerful city-states of the world, and it dominated trade in much of the Adriatic and eastern Mediterranean Sea for several centuries. 

The principal tourist sights are around St. Mark’s Square.  They include the Doge Palace, the Cathedral of St. Mark (which contain the relics of this disciple of Christ), the markets of Rialto Bridge area and the canals.  Venice is very crowded, confusing, and colorful with its trademark gondolas.  Here are some pictures:

St. Mark’s Square

the Cathedral of St. Mark (which contain the relics of this disciple of Christ)

the Doge Palace

The Bridge of Sighs—it is legend that prisoners would get their last look a Venice as the crossed this bridge prior to being placed in windowless jail cells and sigh

Rialto Bridge

The bell tower in St. Mark’s Square

gondolas. moored in one of the maze of canals

More gondolas.

The Central Region of Italy

This region has the world-famous Tuscany hill towns and the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence.  Tuscany is wine country.  It has hill towns with fortified towers, left over from the conflicts between the various hill towns, that will take you back to a time long ago.  There are so many to see that it would be easy to stay a week or more here.  Some classic towns include San Gimignano, Siena, Orvieto and Montepulciano.

There are two other interesting cities in the region beside Florence.  Pisa, with its famous leaning tower, and the walled city of Lucca also deserves a visit.  But the must see in this region is Florence.

Florence, once the home of the powerful and rich Medici ruling clan, has the best Renaissance art in Europe.  Key sights in Florence are the Uffizi Gallery, the Accademia (David statue by Michelangelo), the Duomo and Giotto’s tower, Ponte Vecchio and the Palazzo Vecchio.  Here are some pictures:

Duomo

Giotto’s tower

the Accademia with the David statue by Michelangelo

Uffizi Gallery

Ponte Vecchio

A word of warning about the two key art galleries—the Uffizi and the Accademia.  Without reservations, you could stand in line for hours to get in.  Some guidebooks recommend at least a month in advance for the Uffizi and a week for the Accademia.  Even with reservations to get into the Accademia, we stood in line for an hour on a small group tour.

Southern Italy

From Naples south, the Amalfi coast has some on the most dramatic views in all of Italy.  It is also home to the historical ruins of Pompeii and Herculaneum.  When Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD, these buried cities became a window into ancient Roman life.  Here are some photos of Pompeii:

Pompeii paved street

Pompeii Temple of Apollo in the Forum

The Amalfi coast is dotted with towns clinging to the steep cliffs.  Our personal favorite is Positano.  Here are a couple of photos:

Positano.-the buildings cling to the cliffs

Walking in Positano on the .pathways

Sorrento is also spectacular, as you can see from this picture:

Positano.

At the end of the boot, is the island of Sicily.  It is the largest island of the Mediterranean.  In many ways, Sicily is distinct from Italy.  It has its own dialect, customs, and cuisine. 

The Teatro Massimo Bellini Opera House in Catania Sicily

The World’s Oldest Republic—San Marino

The old city state of San Marino is a fun and cool place to visit.  It is only 61 square kilometers in size. Although not very easy to get to without a car or tour, it is well worth the effort.  It was founded in the 4th century and is a throwback to older times—it is undisturbed by the modern world.  The dominate feature of this small country is Mount Titano and the 3-fortress built on the 3 peaks to protect this tiny country from invasion.

The capital city is also called San Marino and is a pedestrian only area.  Inside the town walls, it is a delight to wander around.  Here are some of our favorite photos:

Mount Titano

Palazzo Pubblico and Piazza della Liberta. The building is the Government House

A guard outside the Government House in San Marino

The Cesta Tower, also known as the second tower of the 3 defensive towers of San Marino.

Noon time ceremony of citizens dressed in medieval clothes parade through the streets

The Smallest Country in the World— the Vatican City

This small area of only .17 square miles far outweighs its size—it is the center of the Catholic Church and for many years the only religion of Christianity.  It is not possible to overstate its importance in the world stage—it is the religious capital for 1.1 billion Roman Catholics.  The ruler of Vatican City is the pope, who is both the religious and secular leader of this tiny country.

The most important sights are St. Peter’s Square, the Basilica of St. Peter, and the Vatican Museum.  Visiting the museum requires an entrance ticket and if you do not have an advance reservation, you could spend several hours waiting in line.  Even to get into the Basilica of St. Peter, we waited over an hour.  The lines are long, and I’m told it is a favorite area for pickpockets.  Here are some photos:

St. Peter’s Square with the Basilica of St. Peter in the background

A Swiss guard outside the Basilica of St. Peter

Inside the Basilica of St. Peter

Our Final Thoughts

As you can see, we are experts in travel to the Italian Peninsula and we would like to help you visit someday.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Why Read Our Blog--What's in it for Me?

Why Read Our Blog—What’s in It for Me?

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

After writing our blog for over five and half years, I started to reflect on why we write about travel.  I think it is a fair question to ask—why should you read our blog?  Most of you are very busy and often are overwhelmed by emails and online information about travel.

So, why should you take the time to read our blog?  Let’s explore this thought together and decide if you should or should not read our blog!

Some Stunning Statistics

A lot of folks this year so far have visited our website.  Here are the totals from our Squarespace Analytics Report for 2022 so far:

• ·         Visits                            32,579

• ·         Unique Visitors           28,429

• ·         Pageviews                   39,742

So, a lot of folks have visited our website and most come from search engines.  Why are they coming to our website?  The answer is our blogs and content on our website. 

The Starting Point—What is the Purpose of Our Blog?

For me this is a simple answer—our purpose is to make you a better-informed traveler who may need our services.  Sounds simple but it really is much more complex in my mind.

I think there are 4 parts of making you a better-informed traveler. 

First, we want to teach about what good value travel is. 

Second, we want to inspire you and help you visualize your next trip.

Third, we want to provide objective advice, so you can make wise travel choices. 

Forth, we want to help you decide if you should trust Visit Dream Destinations, LLC to plan your trip?

So, let’s evaluate our blog and see if it is worthwhile for you to read our blog and if we deliver on the 4 parts of making you a better-informed traveler.

Our Role as Teachers About Good Value Travel

Good value travel is making the most of your travel dollars.  It is about memorable experiences.  It is about reduced hassles on the trip.  We write often about these topics.  The blog has 7 subtopics.  We write about Ocean Cruising, Europe River cruising, Europe Travel, Europe Destinations, Best Value Travel, Travel Planning and Our Travel Philosophy.

The River Cruise Blog Archives on our website is excellent place to learn if river cruising is the right trip for your vacation.  The topics in this section are Our River Cruise Services, River Cruise Line Comparisons, River Cruise Routes, River Cruise Advice and River Cruise Reviews.  Our comparisons of river cruise companies and Europe River Cruise route Guides are especially strong—we are number 1 on Google for both topics.

On our website we have all our blogs under these categories, so you can find travel or destination advice easily.  We try and write about the advantages and disadvantages of travel to help understand about the suppliers and their benefits to help you achieve your travel goals and how we can guide you to make wise choices.

There is one common theme in each topic –We try to write with the viewpoint of:  

Do they care about me and what I need as a traveler? 

In our blogs, we try and establish what we consider as a good relationship with our readers.  We want our readers to think of us as friends who may become clients and help them decide if they need our services.

If we take the next step in our relationship to client and travel consultant, we still maintain the friend’s mantra.  We treat each of our clients as friends, because we don’t sell travel to clients—we sell travel to friends.  There is a big difference—how your trip goes makes a world of difference to us. 

We like to say we are small enough to deliver personalize service but big and experience enough to get you just the right trip.  We try to match you to just the right experience and make it logical, realistic, and affordable in your price range.

Don’t get us wrong—we do not sell on price—we sell on value.  We try to demonstrate how valuable you are to us in many ways but how many other travel professionals have a Traveler Hall of Fame?  We are proud we could help you travel, and we want to share with others your joy and satisfaction.

Inspiration

We try in our blogs to help you visualize your next trip.  We often talk about our experiences during our travels so you can see if that trip would fit into a trip you might like to take.  There are many pictures in our blogs, most taken by us, to help you visualize the trip in your mind.  Many of you recognize the great pictures Anne takes to document our travels and that is perhaps the best feature of our blogs.  She really makes the places come alive! Here are some of my favorites:

Mykonos, Greece

Old Town Square, Stockholm

Burg Eltz in Germany near the Mosel River

Portofino Italy

Sailing the Iron Gates

Sailing the Rhine River in the famous Rhine River Gorge area—two of the 40 castles on this section of the Rhine.

Budapest Parliament at night—stunning!.

The Watchman of the Danube

If you want to see more of our travel pictures, please visit our Pinterest page—it has over 4,500 pictures (www.pinterest.com/visitdd).

Our emphasis is always the best possible experience within your price range, and we hope these pictures help inspire you to visit a new place or experience a new culture, help celebrate a milestone in your life, or have a bucket list trip you have always dreamed about.

Objective Advice

I recently read that 62% of business bloggers outsource their blog!  I was stunned—their blog may have good content but what that tells me they are too busy to provide first-hand information.  How reliable and objective is that?  Trust me, we write our own blog and the only guest writers are our clients.  It’s funny to me that we get requests and offers from others to write about subjects that have nothing to do with travel to post on our blog—it is crazy that we would even consider this, but the pitches will continue.

With over 25+ years of experience selling travel to many satisfied clients, we know both what you need to make your travel experience better and the knowledge of what is available to match you with just the right vacation. 

We have extensive first-hand knowledge and do comprehensive research on trips.  We have planned hundreds of successful trips to delighted clients and we are eager to plan yours.  Would you like a little proof? 

A wine tasting on a Rhone River Cruise in 2016 on AmaWaterways—this is one of Anne’s favorite pictures of us. We have taken 22 river cruises and 2 more planned for this year.

Ask for one of our 50 Europe City travel guides—we wrote them, not some other person or company—just go to our website, click on the region of Europe you want to visit and then click on the city, and we will send you the guide (if you are not a current client there is a limit of 2 guides).  We have visited 44 of 50 cities we write about and have awesome pictures to go with these guides.

Or click on one of our many PowerPoint presentations on our web site or visit our Resource Section of our website to get travel tips (www.dreamdestinations.com).

We also have 51 river cruise port guides available on our website—they are also free by request but again there is a limit of 2 if you are not a current client.

There is one common thread here—almost 98% is our own pictures or written by us—in truth, it would be hard to find many travel professionals who have been to so many of the places we sell.  If you are a regular reader of this blog, you know we know our stuff.  As I used to say as a coach, when evaluating good football players, “he is the real deal!”  Well folks, we are the real deal!

Should I trust Dream Destinations LLC to Plan My trip?

Trust and integrity are valuable traits and, in my judgement, in short supply in our country.  Too many make promises they can’t or won’t keep. 

My whole life has been devoted to service after graduating from West Point—20 years as a US Army Officer, 20 years as a coach and teacher and 25 years helping others travel to the right location. 

My graduation at West Point in June 1971.

This picture was taken at Ft. Ord when Anne and I were first dating in 1986.

Anne is equally dedicated to trust and integrity—she always thinks about what is best for our clients, every single time.  We think trust is the cornerstone of our relationship with you.

We try to under promise and over deliver a great travel experience for you.  We strive to make your travel experience better by helping you make wise choices, eliminate hassles, and help you get the best value for your money.  You are never on your own when you trust us to help you and ever year, we solve complex problems in the planning phase and during the trip.  I like to say we are just an email, text, or phone call away.

In short, while working with us, we want to provide a trip that will exceed your expectations.  I guess the best thing we can provide you is some comments by some of our clients.  All over the website is testimonials from our friends who we have helped travel through the years.

We are proud to have helped them and look forward to helping as many as possible in the future.

Our Final Thoughts

We hope our blog is worth your time to read.  As you can see, there is much more than these brief thoughts to describe the value of our blogs.

I think we help you become a more informed traveler by being good teachers, providing inspiration, providing objective information, and developing trust.  If our blog has helped get more knowledge about travel, then we have done our job and the blog is worth your time to read.

Thanks to the many who take time out of their busy lives to read the blog—we love you folks!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And you want someone who can help you with the decision-making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

The Best Sites in Pompeii

The Best Sites in Pompeii

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Pompeii was a thriving trading center during the Roman Empire days about 1,943 years ago. It was not wealthy or poor—just a middle class port that prospered. Wealthy and poor lived side by side, as was often the case in many Roman cities.

Daily life for many was working in the fields, or other occupations and getting goods from the vendors, supplied by the port and local merchants. There were food vendors, wine bars, hotels, theaters to hear music and plays, an amphitheater and even brothels. As always in all societies, the wealthy lived lives of luxury in fine villas with great food and wine. The benefits of Roman control of the Mediterranean made life pretty good for most during this time.

A catastrophic event would quickly change the lives of the residents of Pompeii—on August 24, 79 AD Mt Vesuvius erupted (some scholars now believer it was 24 October 79 AD). 18 hours later, the city was destroyed, all who remained were killed (an estimated 2,000 of the 12,000 residents), and the city was buried under 20 feet of ash and pumice.

The city’s location was lost over time and lay relatively untouched until 1764, before archaeological excavations started and still continue today.  We visited in 2011 and it appears that many finds continue to be discovered and are on display since our visit.

This large city is divided into regions based upon excavations. There are 9 regions (I thru IX).

So, let’s explore together and learn about Pompeii and get a little insight into what life was like in ancient times in a Roman city.

Forum

This was the center of life in Pompeii, as is the central place for commercial, political, and religious activity in Pompeii.  It is located at the intersection of the two main streets of Pompeii.

There were no private houses in this area. The most important temples, government offices and a few markets line this space. The forum runs north-south for 142 meters and is 38 meters wide in an east-west orientation.

Among the structures and buildings that surround the forum are the Temple of Jupiter, 2 arches (Drusus and Germanicus), municipal buildings, the Comitium (an open air hall that was used in elections), the Basilica (used for administer justice and business negotiations and transactions), the Macellum (the main food market for the city) and the Eumachia (a wool trading business).

The temples of the forum are covered later in this blog.

In the far background, the round arch is the Nero Arch (previously named the Germanicus Arch), one of the two arch entrances into the Forum from the north. In the left, in the foreground with the 3 columns, is the entrance to the Marcellum (the covered market)

This is a view of the western side of the forum. The 3 columns topped by 3 smaller columns in the center of this photo is the entrance to the basilica.

Located in the eastern side of of the Forum, the Eumachia building was a wool trading business shop.

Inside the Marcellum (the covered market) in the Forum area.

Part of the Marcellum.

The Marcellum

This is a carved sign to tell residents that no chariots and carts were allowed in this area during shopping hours—it was pedestrian only. This is in the Forum area.

The sign below tells us this is in region VII (7) and site IV (4)—the system used by archeological investigators to study and catalog Pompeii.

The Streets and Fountains of Pompeii

This picture shows the cart and chariot ruts from the paved streets. The round raised stones are for residents as stepping stones to avoid the water that was used to clean the flooded streets by stepping stone to stone.

Teatro Grande and Little Theater

There are two theaters here—the large one that had seating for 5,000 and the smaller one which had room for 1,000.

The Little Theater was covered, had seating for about 1,000 and was used for music performances as the covering helped the patrons hear the music performances better,

The Large Theater

Amphitheater

This was the place where the population was entertained by Gladiators and wild animals fighting.

This is the oldest stone amphitheater in the Roman Empire—the Colosseum in Rome was built a 100 years later.

The amphitheater is 445 ft by 341 feet. It was important to the culture of Roman society. Similar to sports contests today, the gladiators were advertised by slogans and painted posters. According to Wikipedia, one gladiator was identified as “Heart throb of the girls”.

These contests were seen as a reward for the citizens of Pompeii. Followers must have been intense fans of these contests—in 59 AD a deadly brawl happened between the residents of Pompei and the nearby residents of Nuceria. As a punishment, the emperor banned all contests in Pompeii’s amphitheater for 10 years.

Baths in Pompeii

There were five public baths of Pompeii.

The Stabian Baths are oldest preserved public baths from the ancient Roman Empire.

Some of the Domus of Pompeii

A Domus is a large or massive house that the Roman upper classes lived in during the Roman Empire. These villas were very important for aristocrats in Roman society as the reinforced their position and wealth.

In their Domus, the owners would meet with clients in the atrium of the villa to conduct business—the clients would see the magnificently decorated structures and the wealth it took to live in such a luxurious manner. There was constant pressure that these villas were tasteful and fashionable.

Here is a little about 4 of these large villas (there are more than these but these are generally considered the most important):

House of Menander

The House of Menander is a typical example of home of a high-ranking family. The house name comes from a picture in the building of Meander, a playwriter from Athens.

There were other high quality paintings in this villa. They include scenes of the Nile and paintings of the various battles of the Trojan War.

A box containing 118 pieces of silverware was discovered during excavation of the site and now are on display in Naples at the National Archaeological Museum. There is speculation that these were stored for safe keeping as the villa was probably under renovation when the volcano erupted.

House of Vetti

The house of Vetti was the home to two rich merchant brothers and is the best-preserved house in Pompeii.

Some researchers have identified these two brothers as freedmen or former slaves and perhaps these two chose two remarkable items in their atrium area as a result of their former poor life circumstances to let all who visited them they were quite rich and now prominent citizens,.

First, there were two large strongboxes. used to store valuables—a sure sign of immense wealth. The other display was a painting of the god Priapus, (I’m not making this up, as the Romans of this era often were quite open about sex and human body parts), who is weighing a bag of money against his rather large erect penis on a scale.

Instead thinking this is lewd, the painting has a real message. The penis represents fertility; the money wealth; and the scale is a measure of both—without balance you can’t have abundance.

No wonder this house has been a favorite of visitors to Pompeii.

House of Faun

This was the largest home in Pompeii—it had 40 rooms and covered an entire city block. 

The house has a copy of the Alexander Mosaic, showing him in battle against Darius III of Persia and the small statue of a faun (half human and half goat). Both are replicas, as the originals are in the museum in Naples.

The home had 3 more mosaics that are now on display in the museum in Naples. There are the cat and hen mosaic, the dove mosaic, and the tiger riding mosaic.

A replica of the Faun

A copy of the Alexander mosaic on display in Pompeii. Over 50 figures are displayed in this mosaic. The original is on display in Naples. The mosaic is 18 feet long by 8 feet wide.

This picture is from the British Museum in London showing the detail of just Alexander the Great during the battle. It is a copy as the original mosaic is on display in the museum in Naples.

Villa Del Misteri (the Villa of Mysteries)

On the road leading to the city harbor is a villa that displays frescoes of a woman being initiated into the cult of Dionysus (Bacchus to the Romans)—the god of decadence.  This cult was forbidden, and the frescoes seem to depict a secret initiation right.

Pompeii’s Brothel

Lupanare (Brothel) fresco is the picture on the wall below. Romans used to call prostitutes lupe or she-wolves.  On the walls of this tiny house there are frescoes painted with sex scenes and we are not sure if it was an advertisement of services available or they served as decorations.

Archaeologists believe this was the largest of the 25 brothels that were in operation in Pompeii.

Gladiator Barracks

This is the living quarter of the gladiators and the area where they trained.

It is located behind the large theater. Armor, shields, and weapons were found here during excavations.

The gladiator barracks

4 Important Temples

Temple of Apollo (Forum Area)

This was originally a 6th century BC temple dedicated to the Greek and Roman God Apollo. Before Pompeii became part of the Roman Empire, it was a Greek outpost.

The Temple of Apollo is considered the most important religious temple of Pompeii. It was rebuilt between the 3rd and 2nd century BC and was the first temple in Pompeii. It is recognized as most important due to its age and Apollo was seen as the god of commerce.

Gradually, the Temple of Jupiter became more important in Pompeii and probably had more followers in the later era of Pompeii.

The Temple of Apollo

The Temple of Jupiter (Forum Area)

This Temple was built around the 2nd century BC. By placing the temple on a raised platform, it helped to make it more prominent.

While the Temple was originally to honor just Jupiter alone, the temple also later was used to worship and honor the Capitoline Triad (the gods Jupiter, Juno and Minerva). In 80 BC, after the city was besieged by Sulla, this temple became the main temple in Pompeii.

The Temple of Jupiter is on a raised platform, about 9 and 1/2 feet high. Entrance to the Temple was by the 15 steps.

Temple of Isis

This Roman Temple is dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Isis.  It was discovered in 1764.

This temple pre-dates Roman times and probably was bult in 100 BC. Isis was worshiped as the ideal woman goddess—an ideal mother and wife; a matron of magic and nature.

Temple of Vespasian (Forum Area)

Vespasian was the emperor of the Roman Empire from 69 to 79 AD. This temple is significant that the population of Pompeii not only worshiped gods, they also saw their emperor as a god.

The altar in the Temple of Vespasian. The carvings depict a scene of typical sacrifice in Roman times—a man leads an ox to the Priests as they prepare to make an offering.

The entrance to the temple of Vespasian.

Mt Vesuvius

The volcano mountain that made this site available to us today, is still an active volcano. Mount Vesuvius has erupted at least 30 times or more since 79 AD.

This famous eruption was the so significant, that geologists created a name for eruptions based on the Roman god of fire and forgery—Vulcan. That is why we describe the cone shaped mountains as volcanos today.

Vesuvius is the only active Volcano in the European mainland and there is a potential that the 3 million people living near this volcano could perish if a major eruption happen again, so some call it the world’s most dangerous volcano.

Here are 2 photos of looming danger in the distance—a silent threat until that fateful day:

Lurking in the background

Looking scenic but deadly.

Our Final Thoughts

This is an eerie but significant site and well worth a visit.  A word or two of caution—there is no shade in Pompeii, so bring a good hat, water, wear sturdy shoes and use sunscreen.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Medieval Treasures

Medieval Treasures

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We are taking a new route on AmaWaterways in the summer of 2022 that is called Medieval Treasures (we sailed in early August 2022).

So, let’s explore together and learn about this new route—perhaps you might want to try it out after reading this report.

Overview of Our Cruise

Starting in Switzerland in Basel, we will cruise to Strasbourg “The Gem of the Alsace” in France and then on to Speyer in Germany.

We will get to experience Europe on the picturesque meandering Main River beginning with Rüdesheim and finishing in Nuremberg.

Along the way, we will be captivated by the storybook villages of Wertheim and Miltenberg.

We will get to marvel at the Residenz Palace or visit Rothenberg.

Another highlight will be to savor the wine of the Rheingau; the smoked beer in Bamberg and the famous Rüdesheim Coffee.

Here is the route map:

Embarking the AmaPrima

Tonight, we gathered on board for a “Welcome Aboard” Wine Toast as we commenced our wine-themed itinerary through some of Europe’s most enchanting and historic wine regions.

We only boarded in Basel—there are no tours, but I thought you might like to see a couple of pictures of this wonderful city.

A bridge over the Rhine near the old town in Basel

The Basel Town Hall (the red building).

Strasbourg

Our first port stop is in Strasbourg.  It is the Alsace’s principal city and is situated on the Ill River (downstream it flows into the Rhine at the German border). Here are our options:

This morning, we could take a tour through this charming town lined with narrow cobblestone streets.  Our visit will include the “La Petite France” district, where we can see the sandstone Gothic Cathedral with its famous astronomical clock, timber-framed buildings, covered bridges and medieval watchtowers.

A canal in Strasbourg. In the background is the cathedral spire

La Petite France” district

As an alternative, we could take a guided bicycle tour (capacity controlled) past the Orangery, the town’s oldest park, the European Parliament, and Place de la Republique.

Ludwigshafen

There are some interesting options here for tours.  Here are the options:

We could visit the Mannheim Baroque Palace or go on the “Secrets of Speyer” tour or visit the Speyer Technical Museum. 

Here are a few pictures of the Mannheim Palace (the tour we chose).

The outside of Mannheim Palace

The music room inside the palace.

The Knights’ Hall

Here are some pictures of Speyer (from a previous visit):

A watch tower in Speyer

Speyer is part of the pilgrimage route.

Then we will sail to Rüdesheim.

Rüdesheim

This is a charming wine village.  It is famous for the great white wines grown in the region, along with a special coffee drink, aptly named Rüdesheimer coffee (Flambé Asbach brandy, sugar   cube, coffee garnished with whipped cream).

Our first tour will be a wine tasting after dinner.  We overnight, so we could visit other parts of the village such as the Drosselgasse a lively lane, is lined with taverns and wine-cellars.

In the morning, we could take the gondola ride to the Niederwald Monument or take a hike in the vineyards or visit Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum

Niederwald Monument commemorates the unification of Germany

The outside of Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum

Miltenberg

The old town of Miltenberg is about 150 meters wide but about 2.5 Km long from to banks of the Main River up the hillside.  There are over 100 half-timbered houses in this scenic town.

This is a place time seems to have stood still—almost all the older buildings have survived.  Its market square is often cited as one of the most attractive in all of Germany.  And, to just round out the fairly-tale feel of the city, there is a castle perched on a hillside.

Our tour options are taking the “Pearl of the Main” tour, or a Flavors of Miltenberg or a Miltenberg Castle hike. 

The market Square in Miltenberg

Colorful timbered homes. In the background is the castle

St Jacobs Church. Again in the background is the castle

For the active folks who like bike tours, they can pedal between Miltenberg and Wertheim.  We will take the bus to Wertheim.

Wertheim

Wertheim is located where the Tauber River and the Main River meet.  Overlooking the town are ruins of castle that was built in the 12th century.  The old town and its market square are ringed with several half-timbered houses. 

Market Square Wertheim

The Wertheim Castle is high on the hill.

Angles Fountain

This old walled city has an impressive watch tower that remains--the 115-foot tall Sprizer Turm.  It dates to the 1200s and was one of the original 18 watch towers that ringed this city.  The tower is 36.5 meter high (116 feet) and the tower can only be entered by ladder at 10 meters (33 feet).

Sprizer Turm

Our tour options are a Wertheim walking tour, or a pretzel bakery visit and tasting or a hike up to the Castle. 

After this tour, overnight, we will sail to Kitzingen.  When docked here are some very good options.  We could take an all-day tour to Rothenburg or visit the Residenz Palace after a walking tour of Würzburg.  The bike riders can take a ride between Kitzingen and Volkach. 

Let’s take a closer look at the hardest choice on this sailing—do you go to see the palace or go to Rothenburg?

Würzburg

Würzburg is in the heart of Franconia’s wine country.  As you move to the town from the port, your first sights are the Marienberg Citadel and the old stone bridge to enter the town. 

The key sight in Würzburg is the baroque Residenz Palace and its amazing gardens.  The tour the of the palace is excellence —about 40 of the 360 rooms are available for visitors. Here are some pictures from a previous visit:

Marienberg Citadel

Old Town Bridge

Würzburg’s baroque Residenz Palace

Residenz Palace gardens

Rothenburg

Rothenburg, Germany (the correct name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber—, ob means above the Tauber River), is one of the most visited towns in Germany.  We chose this tour.

This walled city has all its ramparts intact, has massive gates, and many folks walk the walls or part of the walls as I did during our previous visit.  Its medieval past is everywhere—the impressive town hall, half-timbered buildings, a criminal museum, a carved wooden altarpiece masterpiece in St. Jacobs Church--all are surrounded by massive fortifications.  

Here are some pictures of this interesting walled city:

This is from an earlier visit prior to us starting our travel agency

Many of you have seen this photo—it is the most famous picture of Rothenburg. Translated from German, Plönlein is actually the small square at a fountain”, not the lone timbered frame yellow, crocked tiled house and has 2 towers in the square area. On the left is the Siebersturm Tor and on the right is Kobolzeller Tor which opens to the Tauber Valley.

Market Square

Burger Gate (Castle Gate). This gate was built around 1460 and is the western gate entrance. It is the highest gate tower of the town fortifications.

Volkach

We attended a wonderful wine event in Volkach. It is an exclusive event where the small town puts on a wine festival with grilled brats, white and rose local wines, hosted by the mayor with a band and traditional dancers. It was a lot of fun—here are some pictures:

The Town Hall

The town band played for us

There were several traditional dances performed by the wonderful dance group

4 awesome ladies enjoying the festival. From left to right, Bianca, Jennifer, Marcia (standing) and Anne.

The local Silvaner wine we drank—it was very good.

Some folks enjoying the festival

Bamberg

Bamberg is about 7 Km from the Main River, in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria.  It has a wonderfully preserved old town area on the west bank of the Regnitz River. 

The key sights of Bamberg include the Altes Rathaus (old town hall), the Bamberg Cathedral, and the Neue Residenz (home of the prince bishops).

Town Hall of Bamberg

Bamberg Cathedral

Rose Garden

Bamberg has a special beer—it is a historic smoked beer.

Nuremberg

We will disembark today.  It was awesome trip and a lot of fun.

Our Final Thoughts

What a cool new route.  It is not offered often, so if you are interested, get hold of us so we can advise of the dates it is offered in 2023.

We hope you enjoyed this report—this route is really packed with great port options and enough free time to get an excellent feel of the charming villages, towns and treasures of a time past.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Trier, Germany

Trier, Germany

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We first visited Trier in 1989. It was impressive then and we wanted to go back and spend a couple days to see the oldest city in Germany in 2022.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Trier.

Overview and City History

The city of Trier was founded by Augustus in 16 BCE (before the common era) as the first supply base for the Roman Army of the Rhine.  It grew in importance and by 268 AD it was the capital of Gaul.  In 306, Trier became the capital of the Western Roman Europe and the Emperor Constantine resided in this city.

Among the impressive buildings and structures built during his residence were the Imperial Baths, the audience Hall of the Basilica and two large Christian churches.  Later these two churches became the Trier Cathedral and the Church of Our Lady.

By 402, the Rhine Army was withdrawn to protect Rome and Trier was sacked four times between 407 to 435.  The tough times continued and by 480 was under control of the Franks. The once thriving city, with a population of around 80.000 was reduced to about 5.000 during the 100 year period.

During the Frankish time, Trier continued to have up periods followed by down periods. In 882 Trier was sacked by the Vikings

The Trier Bishop’s slowly converted the folks around the town and as a reward for their efforts, in 1257, the archbishops became one of the 7 Electors of the Holy Roman Empire. The city prospered from the honor of being a seat of power in the Holy Roman Empire and Trier became an important trading city again.

From 1618 to 1648, during the Thirty Year’s Religious War , Trier’s population had declined to under 4,000.

In 1688, during the War of Palatine Succession, most of the villages and castles on the Moselle River were destroyed and burned, but King Louis XIV (the Sun King) personally spared Trier from destruction, except for the city walls and left a starving population of about 2,500.

By 1794, the French Revolutionary Army occupied the city, and the Electorate of Trier was finished (the ruling clergy) and never came back.  From 1794 to 1814, Trier was annexed by France.

Trier became part of the Kingdom of Prussia in 1815 after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and became part of the German Empire in 1871.

In 1818, Karl Marx is born in Trier.

Here are best sites in the city:

Porta Nigra

The Porta Nigra (Black Gate), built by the Romans from 160-180 A.D., was the northern most gate of 4 in the walled city of Trier.  It was built at the end of the second century and is 30 meters high and 36 meter wide.  It is the largest Roman gate that has survived of the many fortified gates built by the Romans in Europe. No mortar was used to hold the gate’s sandstone blocks together—they were held together with iron pegs.
The defensive system of Trier was massive—4 main gates like the Porta Negra, 4 miles of walls with 47 towers.

Here is a picture from our 2022 visit. To get a good sense how large this structure is, note how tiny the people seem walking through the gate.

By 1016 the gate was intact but in many parts of this large structure, there was a lot of rubble with the roof gone and other parts not usable or decaying. Archbishop Poppo had the gate repaired and converted it into a church.

The gate’s real name has really been lost in historical records but due to the smoke and soot of hundreds of years, the walls have turned black and has earned the name the Black Gate.

This picture is from our first visit in 1989.

This is part of the old monastery of St. Simeon. Today it is part of the Tourist Information office and the City Museum.

Trier Cathedral

The Trier Cathedral is the oldest in Germany—it has over 1,700 years serving as a church, being first established in 326 AD.  It is combination of architectural styles, as one would expect, for a house of worship that has been used for so many years.  There are elements of Gothic, Baroque and Romanesque styles in this church.

The treasury has many important Christian relics including the Holy Tunic, the robe that Jesus was wearing when he was crucified, and a “holy nail” that was used during the Crucifixion and can be visited.

The Trier Cathedral. Part of the Cathedral dates back to 380 AD, making it the oldest church in Germany.

The Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche)

Built in the 1200s, this is the oldest Gothic church in Germany. The Liebfrauenkirche still has a Roman foundation, but nothing of the Roman era construction remains above ground.

The Constantine Basilica

The huge single-room hall was the throne room of Constantine the Great.   It is 27 meters wide, 67 meters long and 33 meters high.  This hall was built to express all who might enter—let there be no doubt of the magnificence and power of the emperor Constantine.

This is the Throne Room of Constantine. It is so large that 2 Porta Negra could fit inside.

Inside of the Constantine Basilica.

Market Square

The Hauptmarkt is the largest market square in Trier.  The best part for most folks, beside the Porta Nigra, is the different well-preserved townhouses that line the square.  Among the architectural styles that line the colorful square are Renaissance, Baroque, Classicist and Historicist.

It also has great shopping in an awesome setting.

This photo was taken in 1989. On the right are some of the colorful townhouses. In the distance is the Porta Negra.

This 2022 picture is a good example of how large and ornate the Market Square is in the old town area. You can see the Market Cross and St. Peter’s Fountain in the foreground. The tall spire in the center of this picture St. Gangolf’s Church that was completed in 1509.

Another picture of the Market Square area.

The House of the Three Wise Men was built in 1230. While it is hard to recognize in this picture, since the outside café area hides the first floor and the structure has been modified for commercial use, the actual doorway is on the second level on the right side and was only accessible by a retractable ladder. The nobility liked to have the protection of a tower like fortress home.

The white building is called Steipe and was constructed to entertain visiting dignitaries. The red house is a 17th century baker’s guild house.

St. Peter’s Fountain in the Market Square was built in 1595.

The Market Cross has been standing in the square since 958. The cross is a tribute to the trading rights granted to the city by King Otto the Great.

The Red Tower was built in 1647. It is part of the Electoral Palace and also a bell tower.

The Red Tower

The Rococo Palace of the Electors

This was added to the Constantine Basilica in the late 1700s.  It is considered the best example of Rococo architecture in Germany.  The gardens are quite impressive with wonderful statues.

As one of the 7 electors of the Holy Roman Empire, Trier was a very important city in times past during medieval Europe.

Today, the palace serves as offices for some the government officials and there are only limited tours, if any, inside the structure.

The Pink Rococo Palace and the park grounds. This picture was taken in 1989.

Here is a picture of the palace in 2022. I’m not absolutely sure, but the palace appears to have been repainted since our visit in 1989. I have found several old pictures that show the color of the palace as pink as in our 1989 picture.

The garden area of the Rococo Palace of the Electors.

The fountain in the palace grounds

The Imperial Baths

While the baths were never completed, large sections of the 19-meter walls remain.  This is probably due to the fact that parts of the existing baths were later used to construct the ring wall built to protect Trier. 

The ruins of the Imperial baths.

Another picture of the Imperial Baths

The Trier Museum (Landesmuseum)

This is the best collection of Roman artifacts in Germany.  These finds give us today some very good insights into Roman life of that period.

Among the best displays are the mosaic floors, with the most impressive display is from the Imperial Baths (with 25 square meter charioteer with 4 horses), and excellent quality gold coins (over 2600 are on display) with Constantine’s head on one side of the coin (Trier used to be an Imperial Mint). 

Also notable is the sculpture of the Neumagen wine ship, which is a stone model of a wine ship carved for the tomb of a local wine merchant.

The picture here is from the wonderful Winestube Kesselstatt we found near the cathedral. It is a replica of the actual tomb and not in the museum.

The winestube.

Along the Mosel River there are 2 treadwheel cranes one that dates to 1413 (a Gothic style) and the other much younger one constructed in 1774 (Baroque style).

Since this is the birth place of Karl Marx, here is a photo of a statue of him. Our taxi driver told us it was donated by the Chinese Government.

Our Final Thoughts

Trier is a great city to visit.  We recommend a couple of days or more to see the sites and enjoy this unique place.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber

Rothenburg Ob Der Tauber

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

There are 3 totally intact walled cities in Germany.  The 3 towns are Rothenburg, Nördlingen, and Dinkelsbühl.  The most famous of these 3 is Rothenburg.

Rothenburg, Germany (the correct name is Rothenburg ob der Tauber), ob der Tauber means above the Tauber River, is one of the most visited towns in Germany.  Rothenburg again loosely translated means red fortress.  By 1400, it was the second largest city in Germany and its walls protected this important trading center. 

It also is a pilgrimage site on the route to Santiago de Compostela in Spain due to the relic of the blood of Jesus in the St. James Church.

This walled city has all its ramparts intact (some were reconstructed after WW II); has massive gates; and many folks walk the walls or part of the walls as we did during our visit in 1989.  

To add to this fairy-tale like city, there are 42 towers inside or on the city walls.

Its medieval past is everywhere—the impressive town hall, half-timbered buildings, a criminal museum, a carved wooden altarpiece masterpiece in St. Jacobs Church--all are surrounded by massive fortifications.  

It is very touristy but still fun.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

A Famous Picture—the Plönlein Square

Many of you have seen this photo—it is the most famous picture of Rothenburg.  Translated from German, Plönlein is actually the small square at a fountain”, not the lone timbered frame yellow, crocked tiled house and has 2 towers in the square area.  On the left is the Siebersturm Tor and on the right is Kobolzeller Tor which opens to the Tauber Valley.

Market Square and the Town Hall

The town hall has a glockenspiel that chimes every hour between the hours of 10:00 AM to 10 PM.  It tells the story of the brave mayor who drank close to a gallon of wine in one gulp to save his city from the Swiss invaders during the Thirty Years War (Count Tilly and his Catholic troops who laid siege to the mostly Protestant Rothenburg).

You can climb the town hall tower from April to October, if you want to navigate its 220 steps to get to the viewing platform.

Market Square has a large fountain built in 1608. 

During the Christmas Market season, it has a good market that is over 500 years old.

The Medieval Crime and Justice Museum

While this has some gruesome displays,the attempt here is to just tell the story of how justice and criminals were punished in medieval times. 

Outside the museum is the cage of the baker’s baptism—a dunking device to punish bakers who cheated their customers. 

This is not just a torture museum—it is a serious museum covering 1000 years of German legal history.  It covers torture devices which were primarily used to obtain confessions (true or not true), execution implements and a lot of displays of devices for public humiliation (used for minor crimes) such as shame masks (these were very symbolic and related to their behavior, such as acting like a swine, or big nose (getting into other people’s business) or even devil masks, iron shoes and neck violins where two individuals where placed in these devices until they settled their disputes.

Colorful Buildings, Fountains, and Wrought Iron Shop Signs

The Gates of Rothenburg

There are 5 main gates in the wall fortifications.  Here are the 5 gates used to limit the access to this walled city and some interesting facts about each gate.

Rödertor (Röder Gate)

Röder Gate is sometimes known as the red gate.  There are 2 twin huts, one on each side of the gate, which served as a toll booth and customs house and a gatekeeper’s hut.  Both have spiked helmets on their roofs.

Galgentor (Gallows Gate)

The gallows gate was built in 1388, on the highest point of the city.  It is also the most attacked point of the walled city.  It got its name from the gallows that were just outside the gate in a place called Little Head Meadow, where the condemned took their last walk prior to their execution.

Klingentor (Klingen Gate)

This gate is the northern entrance to Rothenburg.  It is unique among the gates, as it shares a wall with the church of St. Wolfgang Church and defenders could climb the tower from inside the church. 

Burgtor (Castle Gate)

This gate was built around 1460 and is the western gate entrance.  It is the highest gate tower of the town fortifications.  Just outside this gate, is the Castle Gardens.  While the castle has long been destroyed, the old grounds are quite lovely, and it is a 20-minute hike down to the Tauber River.  There are even some statutes near the old gardener’s residence.

Spitaltor (Spital Gate)

The Spital gate is the last part of the city’s fortifications, as it was completed in 1537.  It is known for the inscription over the gate’s arch, written in Latin “Pax intrantibus—salus exeunibus”.  The translation is “Peace to those who enter and health to those who leave”.

St. James Church

This is the largest church in Rothenburg.  It is a Lutheran church but instead of the usual plain interiors in many Lutheran churches, has some very interesting art works inside the structure. 

The most famous is the Holy Blood wood carved Alter by Tilman Riemenschneider. 

Our Final Thoughts

This is a great experience and place to visit.  We stayed there in 1989 and enjoyed our time there.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Château de Chillon

Château de Chillon

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Château de Chillon is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland.

It is Switzerland’s most visited historic building--many consider the castle fortress one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe. It was never burned down, damaged or destroyed since being built.

The site of the castle on Lake Geneva, built on the island of Chillon, makes it stunningly photogenic and it has gained even more notoriety from romantic writers such as Victor Hugo and Lord Byron.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Château de Chillon and take a tour of this impressive castle.

Above is the most famous view of the castle.

History of the Castle

Originally this was a Roman outpost fort site that was constructed to protect the Alpine passes. Only some of the foundation remains and was incorporated into the present day structure .

From the mid-12th centuries, the castle was owned by the powerful Counts of Savoy and the castle served as the summer home for this noble family.  They expanded the castle and even had a fleet of ships on Lake Geneva.  The castle location was ideal to collect taxes from merchants using the Great St. Bernhard Pass or from sailing ships on Lake Geneva, which made them very wealthy. For 400 years, the Savoy’s prospered by owning this castle.

During the 16th century instead of a residence, the castle was used as a prison.  One prisoner, patriot Francois Bonivard, who was held captive for 6 years in Chillon, later became famous due to the 1816 poem written by Lord Byron, entitled The Prisoner of Chillon.  Bonivard preached about the Protestant Reformation, was against the Roman Catholic Savoy rulers and was held in chains during his imprisonment.

In 1536, the castle was captured by a Protestant Bernese force after a 3-week siege (one source said it fell in 2 days, so I’m not sure how long it took to capture the castle), and all the prisoners were freed, to include Francois Bonivard. 

In 1733, the castle became a state prison.

In 1798, the Bernese (German speaking) occupants were ousted from the castle by the soldiers of the canton of Vaud (French speaking).  The Bernese left without a fight.  During this period, the castle was used as a munitions and weapons depot.

Some Castle Highlights

The castle is really two structures combined; as part served as a strong fort and part were living areas for the Savoy rulers, with magnificent views of the Lake and Mountains. Here is the fort side of the castle:

After entering the castle, you arrive at the 1st courtyard. Here are a couple of pictures:

The dungeons are probably the most important area for most visitors, due the Lord Byron poem, who enhanced this bleak area due to the poem and legend of the imprisoned Bonivard.

There are 50 rooms in the castle, and they are connected by passageways in almost an intricate internal manner than often is maze-like.

This area is part of the oldest fortifications on the castle. To the right is the second courtyard.

The Constables Dining Room area dates to the Savoy period. This area was restored to what it looked like in the Savoy period. During the Bernese period, it was a kitchen and seating room.

Here are some photos of the Bernese Bedroom. It probably has been used as a bedroom during the Savoy period, but the wall decorations date from the 17th century and are clearly Bernese.

My favorites rooms were the great hall area and the bedrooms. 

Great Hall of the Count in the Château di Chillon is a impressive room. It has slender black marble pillars: black and white striped zigzag wall decorations and a wooden ceiling dating from the 15th century. The four windows over the lake are topped by a beautiful four-leafed clover design.

Here are some pictures:

Coat of Arms Room was used for receptions. All of these coats of arms were to the administrators (bailiffs) who lived in the castle from 1536 to 1733.

The Lord’s Bedroom was the bedroom of the ruler of the castle. It has a spiral staircase that allowed the ruler access to the ramparts or the private chapel.

Dressing Room for the lord and on display in this picture is a replica of a bath that would have been used by the occupants.

Latrines

Wood Paneled Room was probably used by the ladies of the house of Savoy.

The Chapel was a private chapel for the Savoys; later it was used as a powder house in the Bernese period.

3rd Courtyard

The Allinges Room has served as bedroom (Savoy period) and then a powder room and wine press room during the Bernese period.

4th Courtyard

Ramparts and Bastions

Keep Armory Display

Watchtower

Our Final Thoughts

You probably know how much I love castles and we would recommend a visit here.  The history, the displays of power in the feudal times and the stunning views make it truly worthwhile.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent

Opportunity

Opportunity

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Sometimes where words come from is an interesting thing to learn about.  I recently came across where the word “opportunity” came from.

According to the website etymonline.com (the site has explanations of what words mean), opportunity comes from a Latin phrase “ob portun veniens” which means coming towards a port.

Since I speak Spanish, I instantly recognized “veniens” as very similar to the Spanish verb “venir” which means most commonly to come or to arrive in English.

So, let’s explore together travel opportunities and let our imagination run wild and think about opportunity, or coming or arriving towards a port.

Opportunity to Travel

In my humble opinion, folks just don’t travel as much as they should.  Research has found 5 scientific benefits of travel.  They are:

1. Travel makes you Healthier

2. Travel relieves Stress

3. Travel enhances your Creativity

4. Travel boosts Happiness and Satisfaction

5. Travel lowers the risk of Depression

Travel broadens your horizons and exposes you to new things.  Travel also helps you learn about yourself—what you like, dislike, your interests and reflect upon who you really are.

Why does this happen?  I think it is a break in our routine life, part excitement of neat things and experiences you will have and the challenge of a little fear of the unknown.

I also think we all need to reset occasionally.  There also is a great opportunity to learn—perhaps, a few new phrases of a foreign language, or new foods, or to marvel at how cultures adapt to the region folks live in. 

I also think there is a huge benefit to travel we sometimes just forget—how lucky we are to have the means and ability to travel.  Trust me, perspective is a great thing to learn and relearn and travel always provides that to us.

Maybe the best opportunity to travel is that it is fun!  Positive experiences are so important—we all need to laugh more and stress less.

Please take the opportunity to travel!

Opportunity to Visit Europe

Post Card I sent my parents in July 1971.

Since one of our specialties is Europe travel, you will always hear us promoting travel to this region.  We are not alone in our beliefs.  Of the 7 continents, based on the number of visitors, Europe always ranks number one, usually by a large margin.

So why do most travelers pick Europe as their travel destination?  I can think of many reasons for choosing Europe as your travel destination.  Here are just a few:

• It is quite possible to explore a single country in depth or visit many countries easily.

• Europe has quite varied landscapes, cultures and uniquely varied cities and villages.

• Europe is easy to visit, generally has very relaxed visa and entry requirements, is safe and has a well-developed transportation systems.

• It has a rich history, iconic sites, and distinct cultures all in a relatively compact area.

• Since it is a continent of peninsulas and has many navigable rivers, it is easily accessible by land, sea, rivers, and air.

Since we have been traveling to Europe for over 51 years, we would be delighted to help plan a trip there.  We have over 50 guides to the most important European Cities ready for you when you are ready to go.

Opportunity to River Cruise

It is no secret to us, that for many of you, the best way to see a lot in a little time in Europe, is to take a river cruise.

There are many reasons why we like to river cruise so much, but one key reason is there is so much value in the trip that it makes it a great vacation for most folks.  So here are 3 great reasons you should consider taking a river cruise in Europe:

1.      You will see so much in so little time. 

River cruising is all about the destinations.  Even though I have been traveling to Europe for over 51 years and we have led several group tours, I could not do what the river cruise companies do in one week—these folks are experts in showing you the best sights in the least amount of time.  It is truly a unique way to see the interior of a country.

It is different from a land-based tour and different from an ocean cruise.  One of the best advantages is that most often your riverboat will dock near or in the center of the city, town, or village you are about to explore.  In five minutes, all guests are off the boat and seeing the sights. 

Most lines also offer different groups during the tours—regular, active walkers or gentle walkers, so your desired way to see the destination is matched with your tour pace.  Even while onboard, there is always something to see on the riverbanks, as you cruise along to the next destination.

2.      Almost all is included in your trip.

On river cruise lines, your food, meals with wine or beer at lunch and dinner, your cabin stateroom, the tours, and even occasional entertainment are included in the fare.  The clear, upfront pricing helps make it easier to budget for your vacation.  River boats are small (only 100 to 190 passengers), friendly, and comfortable.

Food is generally good, but some lines are better than others.  Some cruise lines (Scenic, Uniworld, and Tauck) are completely inclusive (all liquor, gratuities, and even optional tours) but cost more than other companies. 

Viking, Emerald, and Avalon offer more optional choices, but usually have lower starting prices.

Our favorite river cruise company, AmaWaterways, is almost all inclusive.  It does not include gratuities, has added a free cocktail hour called “sip and sail with included drinks”, but some liquor outside of meals may result in extra charges. There may be an extra charge for some optional tours although there is at least two tours included at every port at no charge (many times there are 3 or more at no charge).

We know the advantages and disadvantages of each river cruise line, have written over 51 port guides to Europe’s rivers and are ideally suited to help you have a great river cruise experience.

Our Stateroom on an AmaWaterways cruise in 2013

Chef’s Table food on an AmaWaterways cruise

Themed cruises, like this wine cruise on AmaWaterways, make the trip even better.

3.      There are so many great routes and even repeating the same itinerary again is fun.

We have seen a lot of Europe (11 countries) while on river cruises.  Your floating luxury hotel is an awesome way to see some of the great sights of Europe. 

There are many themed cruises that could add to your trip and make the cruise even better for you.   Most lines offer 2 tours at each port stop, so even taking the same route twice or more is not boring—it is fun, and each trip is different. 

We have been 7 times on the Danube and 7 times on the Rhine and its tributaries, 4 times on the Rhone, 1 time sailing on the Bordeaux area and would not hesitate to go on any of these routes again.  There is so much to see in Europe on or near the rivers that repeat trips are not a waste of time or money. 

Our advice—go on a European River Cruise—don’t miss this great opportunity!

Europe’s Rivers. Map from AmaWaterways

Opportunity to Ocean Cruise

As certified Ocean Cruise specialists, we know the many benefits of ocean cruising.  While economic factors and coming out of a pandemic have been a real obstacle to the ocean cruise industry in the past 2 years, many well-respected industry observers, say this is the ideal time to cruise on the oceans.

Why?  They cite 3 factors that make ocean cruising very attractive now.  It is a combination of falling fares, extra perks, and plenty of space.

They cite the remainder of the 2022 season and early 2023 as times to get some real deals and upgrades—a rare opportunity for you.

Celebrity Summit in dock in 2019

Lost Opportunity

Perhaps this should really be called opportunity cost.  Opportunity cost is defined as the loss of potential gain from other alternatives by choosing one alternative over other alternatives. 

So how does this apply to travel?  You could simply choose not to travel.  You could opt for short trip instead of a longer trip.  You could choose a less expensive option over a luxury option.

We all must make decisions about our travel desires—some are real life due to budget and job situations.  But many are due to poor decisions and really a fear of the unknown, as many of us are afraid to stretch our comfort zones a little bit, or expand our budget a little to get a better experience.

I can’t tell you the right answer, but I do know 2 things that many people regret when reflecting on their lives.  First most say they should have told more people they love them.  Second, they regret not spending more time together with friends and family and sharing those wonderful times together.

This, my friends, is the opportunity cost of not traveling together before it becomes too late—we never know what is around the bend.  Travel enriches our lives and despite how much you might desire that nothing will change in our lives, change is one of the only constants we can expect to experience.

We can embrace it or remain static and miss a whole new world.

It is not hard to see where I stand--get out there, share good times with your friends and loved ones.

Go ahead--travel when you can to savor life and make memories—we give you absolute permission to do so!

Our Final Thoughts

You can read about place but until you experience it, you do not really understand it.  Battlefields, Biblical sites, ancient towns, stunning structures, different food markets, and jaw dropping scenery are all different when you visit in person.  Pictures and words are never the same as being there.  It is amazing how many times I have visited a new place and the visit completely changed what I thought the place was like. 

The opportunity is there--we hope you enjoyed this report and will take advantage of our advice to travel soon.  Please recognize that there are great travel opportunities for you—you just must ask and act.  Don’t wait and let travel opportunities pass you by.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

• AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

• Viking River Cruise Specialist

• Scenic River Cruise Specialist

• Emerald Waterways Specialist

• Avalon Waterways Specialist

• Brit Agent