bobcatalfie

We stayed in Liege in eastern Belgium for a few days after our cruise ended in Cologne. Took the train to Liege. I wanted to go to Liege to see the train station designed by Santiago Calatrava; it did not disappoint. We stayed in a small hotel downtown and walked everywhere. Highlights were the Archaeology Museum, the long stone stairways, the food (especially the waffles), and wandering around the city. There were very few tourists there, compared to Bruges and Brussels (where we went for a few days each after Liege).

I really enjoyed our extra week in Belgium before heading home. My favorite city of the three we went to was Liege, hands down.

We were on the River Queen for the cruise in 2019 and loved the whole experience. Our cruise started in Frankfurt and ended in Cologne. Favorite tours were the castle in Cochem, Trier walking tour, visit to the American WW2 cemetery in Luxembourg. My husband took several bike rides on his own, borrowing the bike from the boat's collection. I bought a map of the Moselle River and followed our route from the sun deck. Late one afternoon I took the chair lift to the top of a hill in Boppard for the fabulous views (it's a short walk from the boat dock to the chair lift).

All day and night, whenever the bar is open. Or if not open, often you can find someone to make you a drink. At least that was how it was on the two Uniworld cruises I have taken (last year and the year before).

Last month we did a 12 day Rhine/Moselle cruise and spent four additional days on our own in Germany. Never needed to use a pin with our credit cards.

We've only done two river cruises (both Uniworld): Bucharest to Budapest and Rhine/Moselle. I liked the Danube cruise better although there was nothing bad about the Rhine cruise. I loved Romania, spent a few days there pre-cruise (in Bucharest and Transylvania). And the former Iron curtain countries were so interesting, not as crowded with tourists. All of the tours were fascinating. Recent and older history, archaeology, agriculture, for example. It was quite the shock when we cruised into Budapest: all the ships, the crowds, but ended up liking Budapest a lot.

We have reminders of this cruise all over the house: Bulgarian lace tablecloths, Romanian woven mats, Bulgarian art, and the "I ❤️ Romania" magnet on the fridge. There were so many opportunities to meet local artisans in their towns and purchase their products. Very different from the Rhine/Moselle cruise.

We just got back from our second Uniworld cruise - the Magnificent Moselle and Rhine. Last year we went on the Highlights of Eastern Europe. Neither tour was on a supership, but we loved both our boats -- River Princess last year and River Queen this year. I'd like to try a supership sometime in the future.

Both years there was only one extra tour offered for extra fee and we did both of them: Heidelberg this year and Hungarian Parliament last year.

I thought there were more possible daily tour options offered this year, sometimes there were 3 possibilities in the morning. Many more bicycling opportunities and also hiking options. It was harder to choose our daily tours this year because so many were offered. And definitely a "gentle walking" group for all the tours.

Hope to do another cruise next year with Uniworld!

Uniworld cruise July 2 - July 11, Magnificent Moselle and Rhine, Frankfurt to Cologne. Last July we did Uniworld's Highlights of Eastern Europe on the Danube, Bucharest to Budapest. Can't wait~

We saw many boxes of produce being loaded on our boat in Bulgaria or Croatia (can't remember which port).

We went from Bucharest to Budapest last summer, our first river cruise, on Uniworld. Parts of the river were beautiful, particularly the Iron Gates. We didn't see many other cruise ships; it was a shock to see the crowds of boats in Budapest. I really liked all the countries we visited especially Romania. We spent a few days there pre-cruise.

Yes we did see Communist era buildings and industry from the river or bus, otherwise we toured the countryside and saw fabulous scenery, castles, Roman relics, and so much more. I appreciated the recent history lectures and cultural shows,  and seeing the changes in these countries since the fall of the Iron Curtain. Our local guides gave us a real sense of what it was like before/after the changes.

We're going on Uniworld’s Highlights of Eastern Europe (Bucharest to Budapest) in July. This will be our first cruise ever!!

We're getting to Romania 2 days early and have visit Transylvania and a take food tour in Bucharest. We're also staying in Budapest for 2 more days post cruise, then taking the train to Berlin to visit a good friend (stopping in Bratislava for a night).

Wish we could spend more time in Europe, love it there!