Earlier this year my wife and I took our first Saga river cruise which was selected purely on the itinerary along a European river we had  not cruised before, the Moselle….

 

….onboard the Amadeus Elegant….

We additionally opted for a method of joining this river cruise that we hadn’t in the past used, Eurostar from St Pancras to Brussels and a coach transfer between Brussels and Schweich – in the Trier-Saarburg district, in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.

 

For this particular cruise we had chosen a French Balcony cabin on Strauss Deck….

 

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The Amadeus Elegant is an older river cruise ship….

 

….on charter to Saga from an Austrian family company, Luftner Cruises….

 

The basic layout of Amadeus Elegant follows a similar pattern to most other European river cruise ships with a lounge style Panorama Bar….……….

…forward on the deck below the Sun Deck.

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…and on the deck below the Panorama Bar, the Restaurant….

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All three main meals are served in the Restaurant with buffet service meals at Breakfast and Lunch…..

 

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…and a full service Dinner each evening….

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During two afternoons while transitting along the Moselle special teas were laid on in the Panorama Lounge, a High Tea…

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…and keeping within our geographical area, a traditional Frühschoppen….

 

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Keeping well within the Saga tradition, the willingness to queue  for all food events were a sight to behold….

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The Sun Deck was spacious and there was plenty of seating….

 

…with a number of collapsible shaded areas……

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…very useful when transiting under low bridges….

….along with other Sun Deck features.

A 24 hour coffee facility was available at the entrance to the Panorama Bar…

 

…though this fell woefully short of similar facilities on other European river cruise ships…

…..as was an early starter mini breakfast buffet at the forward end of the Panorama Bar…

 

 

For a better quality morning coffee the walk aft to the ‘Club’ room was most beneficial….

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…with its excellent coffee vendor…..

 

 

That just about covers the facilities onboard Amadeus Elegant.  Most evenings the ship was underway between the hours of 6:00 pm and midnight and the entertainment in the Panorama Bar centred around the Saga resident vocalist, Martin…

…while on one evening a local troupe of German entertainers came onboard for a show…

They were very good and proved to be the highlight of the entertainment.

 

As with most of our river cruises the itinerary was the key attraction to us and the Moselle certainly proved to be another excellent choice where the itinerary was concerned.

 

ITINERARY

 

Our first morning onboard, having embarked the previous afternoon, was spent sailing along the Moselle between our overnight stop in the town of Schweich and our first stop, Piesport-Niederemmel….

 

Probably the most well known of the Moselle’s wine growing towns along this particular river and better known as Piesporter Goldtröpfchen….….

The vineyards in Piesport are among the oldest in Germany with winemaking traditions spanning centuries.

The steep slopes of the Moselle valley provide optimal conditions for viticulture, with the river reflecting sunlight onto the vines and the slate soil imparting unique mineral qualities to the grapes.

The region is famed for its Riesling grapes, producing high quality wines of considerable international aclaim.

One of Piesport’s most iconic landmarks is the restored imposing Roman wine press….

 

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 …. a testament to the areas wine making heritage….

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The twin towns of Piesport-Niederemmel had a number of  buildings that aroused one’s curiosity,  one of which contained a record that we would become accustomed to as we travelled along the Moselle, the perennial problem of river flooding….

 

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And finally for Piesport-Niederemmel….

…the legendary home of the ‘Child of Krames’….

Amadeus Elegant slipped its moorings at Piesport…

…at around 16:45 pm and we spent the evening pleasantly cruising as far as our next stop, Traben-Trarbach….

…where we arrived 6 hours later.

 

Traben-Trarbach

My wife and I had some well laid plans for Traben-Trarbach and were delighted to learn that we had been berthed adjacent one local landmark, the ‘Buddha Museum’….. 

 

The  former winery Kellerei ‘Julius Kayser’  we had no desire to visit the museum in its present incarnation –  there were greater challenges ahead, particularly an ascent to Grevenburg Castle….

 

….or at least, the ruins of said castle…..

Firstly though there were other places of interest  to see according to our homework….

A short walk into town…..

…and we were at the first of our target sites and historical landmark, the Town Tower and Glockenspiel…..

 

The glockenspiel….

 

…is made from 28 bronze bells, making it the largest glockenspiel in the Moselle region. The largest bell weighs 80 Kg and the smallest 7.6 Kg. Total weight of all 28 bells is 611 Kg.

On our list and close by was the town’s Rathaus….

Not overly impressive as Rathauses go but hey, we ticked it off our list before heading back to the river and the rather impressive ‘Brückentor’… 

 

The Bridge Gate which is the symbol of the twin city of Traben-Trarbach …

…and was completed in 1899.

On the opposite side of the river, the Traben side, two buildings dominate the landscape, the Old Post Office…

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…and a few yards along, the rather ornate Countess Loretta Haus….

Having crossed back to the Trarbach side of the river it was now time to make the assault on  Grevenburg Castle….

…which we decided most sensibly was a task for just yours truly. Again, my pre planning had paid dividends and the start point was easily identifiable…

…not however before I discovered this rather strange collection of headstones….

Onwards and upwards I climbed passing through the obligatory vineyards…

….until I reached the historical landmark, Untrue Franzosentreppe….

 

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……which was at roughly the half way point up to the castle….

 

 

The climb was well worth the effort…..

The view, despite the inclement weather, was superb….

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Of course, little remains of the original castle…..

…though some idea of its original standing can be found on information boards….

 

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To my delight I was to discover a bonus. Nestled behind the cafe premises there was a walkway that would allow me to go even higher above the castle….

 

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…and that opened up a whole new vista….

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All in all a most  successful morning at Traben-Trarbach. Back onboard for lunch as we set sail at 13:15 pm for the 8 hour sail to the town of Cochem.

 

Cochem

If anything on this river cruise itinerary attracted us the most, it was the brochure view of Cochem that included its fairytale vista featuring  Reichsburg Castle

 

We had a plan for our visit to Cochem….

…that included a number of places we knew would appeal to us. However, the main thrust of this visit was to be one of Saga’s additional paid for excursions to the Reichsburg Castle…

Soaring over Cochem on a mighty crag, this fairytale castle is the largest castle on the Moselle and charms the eye with its delicate bays and imposing battlements.

 

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All tours of Reichsburg Castle are guided whether one arrives as an organised group or as an individual. We were very fortunate in that our small Saga group was first to arrive at opening time and were well ahead of the daily individual groups forming up….

 

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The tour certainly proved interesting, particularly when we came across this most unusual example of early day central heating…

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One off the most intriguing rooms accessed  onto a balcony area…

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…which afforded uninterrupted views of the Moselle…

One of the final stops on our tour was at the castle well…

 

…which in medieval times provided the castle’s water.

 

Our visit complete it was now time to explore Cochem, having first made a mental note of two of the points of interest in relation to the Castle…

 

Cochem actually boasts two town gates, the Balduinstor gate…..

 

…with a good view of Reichsburg Castle behind it, and the ‘Enderttor’ Gate closer to the river….

As with Piesport, there are markers on prominent buildings indicating Moselle flooding data ….

A number of equally interesting sites were easily identified and all in pretty much close proximity. The Geschiedenis Monument or History Wall…

 

The wall covers an enclosed staircase leading to the bridge sidewalk and consists of Clay tiles of different sizes, shapes, and colors each having  images and dates on them that relate to important events in Cochem’s history.

Most noticeable in the centre is the red cross placed on a white background – the emblem for the Archbishop of Trier who held this area through the early middle ages to the early 1800s.

 

Another interesting feature easily missed is  the FuchsLoch Foxhole Gate….

That’s it in the corner…..

From the Moselle promenade you can enter the pedestrian zone through the “Fuchsloch”, a passageway that was once the smallest town gate in Cochem.

The final destination for me was to ride the chairlift to the ‘Pinnerkreuz….

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Once at the top it was a short walk….

…to the the Pinnerkreuz lookout point located high on top of the Pinnerberg mountain.

 

with a fantastic view of the Moselle valley….

 

…and another opportunity for a selfie…..

(Shame the sun was in the wrong position)

That completed our visit to Cochem bar for one task I had set myself. Having been impressed with the ‘Balcony’ on the side of Reichsburg Castle I was determined to capture its position as we sailed past later in the evening.

Sods law dictated that we would pass under the castle at dinner time but that would not be allowed to interfere with my wish….

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Job done…..

We sailed through the evening arriving at Bernkastel around 22:00 pm

 

Bernkastel

Our first scheduled activity today in Bernkastel was a complimentary Land Train Excursion….

We had booked places on the first of three rides at 9:55 am. Having read up on the architectural splendour of Bernkastel we undertook a pre-breakfast walk into town in an attempt to avoid crowded street scenes. It worked….

…and we got to appreciate the uninterrupted historic and beautiful ‘Fachwerk’ half-timbered buildings….

 

…..that dominate the central part of town…..

Dominating the square is the Rathaus…..

 

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…..with its rather unique medieval pillory…..

….chains and cuffs that these two old travellers couldn’t resist when we returned later in the morning……

 

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Probably the most famous of Bernkastel’s houses is the Spitzhäuschen or ‘Pointed House’…..

The base of the house is extremely narrow, with the upper floors jettied out wider, making this 600-year-old home look like it is about to come crashing down at any minute.

Built in 1416, this distinctive building has been described as “the most photographed building in Bernkastel-Kues,” and with good reason.

The pretty bay window and the half-timbered facades bear witness to the traditional architecture on the Moselle.

 

In “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ”  Harry enters Lord Voldemort’s mind and travels to the lodgings of wandmaker Mykew Gregorovich in Diagon Alley. In this alley stands a tall, narrow half-timbered house with two narrow windows at the front: the pointed house on the market square in Bernkastel.

 

 

Another point of interest found by accident on the early morning walk was the Bears Fountain…. …

Legend has it that the place name Bernkastel comes from the term Bärenkessel, which also explains the bear in the Bernkastel coat of arms which also appears in the old fountain …

 

My research had indicated that an infamous  tragedy had occurred in Bernkastel during the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s. I headed to where this took place taking in some more architectural gems….

 

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…and this particular piece of religious artistry…..

In front of the wall with the sculpture there is an amazing dramatic and expressive Crucifix. This double sided cross, surrounded by two women, one of whom represents the highest feminist perfection and the other of whom teaches that there is a way out of the depths of human weakness.

The wall behind supports a  captivating sculpture that stands out against the yellow wall background with elaborate inscription. Resting on the console are the sculptures of a boy playing lute and a sitting girl listening to the music. Above the sculpture is the 19th century new years prayer of the pastor of St. Lamberti in Münster painted on the wall. The sculpture was created by the German sculptor Helmut Bourger. 

On Kristallnacht (9 November 1938), there were great riots against Jewish inhabitants, and the synagogue was destroyed and looted by the Bernkasteler National Socialists….

No longer a synagogue today, a plaque marks the site and there is a room for cultural events and overnight accommodation in the former synagogue.

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The final piece in my Bernkastel jigsaw was to make an ascent on the Burg Landshut, the castle that dominates the Moselle as it flows through the town…

 

We had learnt that there was a regular tourist shuttle bus to the Landshut however, I wanted a challenge and opted for the climb….

…the route for which was relatively easy to find….

…and, as always, proved interesting and photo opportunistic…..

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I even managed to capture a later land train excursionas to the one we had earlier taken as it once again crossed the Moselle….

Eventually the Landshut came into view……

 

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…and at last I arrived ……

…at the gates…..

…A visit to the castle ruins is rewarded with impressive and commanding views of the Moselle cultural landscape…..

 

 

….on offer in either direction…..

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The Landshut castle ruins are not only one of the most popular excursion destinations in the region, recent discoveries proving that it is one of the oldest buildings on the Moselle. In addition to a restaurant….

…that affords magnificent views…..

 

The castle offers  numerous areas for exploration and there are plenty of information boards to keep the visitor informed of its history.

 

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The visit to the  Landshut Castle completed, our day in  Bernkastel  was  deemed a resounding success. Following a late lunch we set sail from Bernkastel and headed for our next destination, GrevenMacher….

….where we were scheduled to arrive half an hour before midnight.

 

Grevenmacher

 

Grevenmacher is a town and commune situated on the left bank of the Moselle in Luxembourg and for our purpose was a convenient berthing point for our visit to Luxembourg City…

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We were given a full morning guided tour of the city including the Plateau Bourbon….

 

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…the Casemates du Bock

 

The Église Saint-Jean-du-Grund……

 

The Place d’Armes, home to The Centre Municipal……

…and theMonument to Dicks and Lentz….

 

 

The Palais Grand-Ducal…..

 

…and The Statue of King William on the Place Guillaume…..

 

We also took the opportunity to visit the Notre Damme cathedral….

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…and the Statue of the Grand Dutchess Charlotte….

…on the Place de Clairefontaine

Those on the Luxembourg City visit now had the opportunity to return to Amadeus Elegant or spend additional free time in the city.

We had opted to remain and catch the later shuttle bus back to Grevenmacher because we had arranged to meet up with a friend who works in the city and had kindly offered to take us for lunch at the Institutions Europeenes…..

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Lunch was outstanding and a big thank you to our generous host Helen.

We made it back to our coach pick-up with seconds to spare for the 40 minute shuttle bus ride back to Grevenmacher and the Amadeus Elegant.

Late afternoon we set sail for our final destination, Schweich.

 

Trier from Schweich

As with Grevenmacher, Schweich was the convenient berthing point for our final day excursion to the Roman inspired city of Trier…

Considered Germany’s oldest city Trier was founded by the Romans in the late 1st Century and was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy period.

Aside from the Romans, Trier’s most notable citizen, born there in May 1818, is Karl Marx….

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Again we were afforded a guided tour of Trier having been split into manageable sized groups linked to walking speed ability. Once again our Saga supplied ‘quiet boxes’ were an additional benefit….

Without any doubt the centre piece of Roman Trier is the Porta Negra (Black Gate)…..

Reportedly the best preserved Roman gate north of the Alps, it certainly dominates this particular corner of Trier…

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…and is open to visitors….

During the free time we were given during our visit I managed to reach two other notable Roman sites, both incidentally Roman Baths. The well preserved Forum Baths….

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…and the somewhat more challenging Kaiserthermen Imperial Baths….

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To give some indication as to the complexity of this site I’ve dug out a reconstruction model featuring the Imperial Baths….

Aside from its Roman heritage Trier had many other attractive areas and buildings to interest the tourist. These included the colourful Market Square…

…with its ornate renaissance fountain…..

Well worth a visit is the massive Constantine Basilica…..

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and not to be missed, its imposing organ….

Almost in touching distance of the Basilica and but a few metres walk can be found the Kurfurstliches Palace…

Originally built as the  Electoral Palace it was the residence of the Archbishops and Electors of Trier from the 16th century until the late 18th century.

It now houses various offices of the federal government and often hosts classical music concerts.

Returning to the main thoroughfare, the Simeonstrasse, another place of interest is the House of the three Magi…

A reflection on a past period where ostentation was the order of the day though equally of interest is the door on the first floor right hand side….

 

….nostalgically referencing the uncertain times that followed the extensive destruction of the ancient city wall, when fear of attack saw people try and protect their own four walls using mobile, easily removed wooden ladders.

Also along the Simeonstrasse and close to the Market Square is the Steipe Building…

This 15th Century  building,  originally for ceremonial functions, is the oldest such community centre in Trier. Its architecture stands out from the other buildings in the marketplace. Statues of the four patron saints of Trier (James the Elder, Helena, Peter, and Paul) surround the three pointed arch arcades leading into the building. It was completely destroyed in World War II, but was rebuilt according to its original state from 1968-1970.

Not far from the Steipe building  is the entrance to the old Jewish Quarter….

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….which appeared to attract numerous tour guides and their flock frustrating my attempts to take a human free photograph.

That basically concluded our visit to Trier which we deemed a most worthwhile experience. All that remained was for our shuttle to return us to the ship at Schweich and our final night onboard Amadeus Elegant before a coach ride to Brussels and the Eurostar onwards to London St Pancras.

 

Summary

The main attraction of this particular river cruise was the itinerary with the anticipated bonus that, it being a Saga cruise, we would enjoy the high standards of cruising we had previously enjoyed on Saga cruises.

The itinerary certainly met, if not even exceeded, expectations. However, we were rather disappointed with the ship, Amadeus Elegant. For this particular itinerary Saga chartered the Amadeus Elegant from an Austrian family company, Luftner Cruises and the expected onboard experience that we had anticipated fell considerably short.

The small ,dedicated Saga team worked hard and were eager to please whereas  the ship’s staff, with the exception of one or two waiters, also fell below the standard we expected.  There were  very few “included” drinks and those available were invariably of a lower quality: as were the minimal selection of wines with meals. If one wanted any propriety branded alcoholic drinks there was a hefty surcharge.

This disappointment said, I would still recommend the itinerary for its scenic and interesting destination stops.