Comeback to the World

It’s comeback time – ours, yours and the world’s.

We don't know about you, but we've been missing the world - a lot. 

Last year was going to be amazing for us. We started out in Australia on a Princess Cruise which was sailing through Southern Australia, and then heading for Thailand and Singapore. Just after our trip began, we were notified by email that our cruise would terminate after the last port of call in Australia. Heartbroken, we flew home and shortly after that went into hibernation like the rest of the world. 

We've been dreaming about our next big adventure, waiting for the day that we can plan our own trips, and help our clients turn their dreams into memories. Well the moment has finally come to leave normal behind and get back to amazing! We are ready – and excited – to invite our clients back to the world they love! 

North America & Europe Tours Restarting

Last week, Globus Family of Brands began operating tours in North America, welcoming travelers to our beloved, postcard-perfect national parks. And, this week, the EU announced plans to open borders to vaccinated travelers. As a result, they are solidifying plans to begin operating Avalon river cruises in July and have hundreds of departure dates for Globus, Cosmos and Monograms vacations THIS year!

Soon, we can step inside the colossal walls of the Colosseum; drink-in the splendor of French vineyards; sail through the storied history and storybook scenery of Central Europe and breathe-in wonder from the coastal cliffs of the Atlantic to the picturesque coves of the Mediterranean. 

Lucky for you, Globus unveiled even more opportunities to fall in love with the world again – in North America and Europe. They have introduced Choice Touring by Globus which promises wayfarers and wanderers all the wonder of discovering the world with a touch of whim and all the fun of exploring new destinations with the infusion of flexibility. They are kicking-off this new program this year with 13 NEW Choice Touring vacations in Europe and North America! 

Contact us to learn more about this new way of touring, but before you go, watch this video to get you ready for your Comeback to the World.

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Avalon Grill Lunch

Strasbourg Mid-Day

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After completing our complimentary morning tour of Strasbourg, we returned to Avalon Artistry II for lunch.  We had signed up for the Grill Lunch the night before.

Due to the seating capacity on the Sky Deck, it was necessary to limit the number of passengers that can have the lunch on a given day.   In order to allow all passengers to experience this special lunch, it was requested that only passengers who had not already had the grill lunch sign up. 

Don't Miss The Grill Lunch

Each night our Cruise Director held a briefing where he'd go over the excursions for the next day, special meals, and entertainment.   If you didn't attend the briefing, you could miss out on opportunities to sign up for things like this.

The food was great - there's nothing like freshly prepared food over a grill.   Who would have thought you could enjoy a lunch like this on a river cruise?

 
Leave Room for Ice Cream

After everyone had been served the main course, the staff brought out the ice cream.   Today they served vanilla, chocolate, and pistachio ice cream.   We couldn't decide, so we had all three.  The pistachio was our favorite.

Just as in the dining room, you could have complimentary soft drinks (Coke products) with your meal.  The tables were set with water pitchers as well.   If you wanted something from the bar, they also had beer specials for purchase.


 
^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:}



Strasbourg - Grill Lunch

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Strasbourg Complimentary Visit

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Avalon Artistry II
Strasbourg, France

We sailed from Breisach, Germany over night, arriving in Strasbourg around 3 AM.  When we awoke, we were greeted by a beautiful sunrise.

Situated on the border of France and Germany, this city blends the cultures of both countries in a delightful way. As capital of the Alsace region and seat of the Council of Europe and European Parliament, it is, without a doubt, an important city that manages to retain its historic charm.

Due to the early tour, which departed at 8 AM, buffet breakfast was a little earlier.

 Canal Boat Tour

Unlike the day before where we had to be transported by motor coach to the starting point of our tour, we didn't have far to go this day.

The canal boat pulled up a short distance from our ship and we all walked there to board it.   The canal boat tour was followed by a guided walking tour and some free time.


Walking Tour

We visited the monumental red-sandstone Strasbourg Cathedral de Notre-Dame with its ancient murals, stained-glass windows, and fascinating astronomical clock.   It is known as one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe.

Another highlight of the tour was the magical LA PETITE FRANCE district, home to half-timbered houses, quaint shops, inviting bistros, and a waterfront promenade.

At the conclusion of the tour, we were transported back to our ship by motor coach.  We returned just in time for lunch.

When we returned, we found the captain and one of the crew members in a small boat working on the ship's hull.   They were always keeping things "ship shape" for us.

Inside the vessel, we'd sanitize our hands and were handed a wet towel, to refresh from the tour, along with a glass of fruit drink.  These were always waiting for us upon arrival.

After lunch we'd depart for our optional tour to the Maginot Line (which we will cover in another post).



^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:}

Strasbourg - Canal Boat Tour

Strasbourg - Walking Tour

Strasbourg - Cathedral

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Artistry II Embarkation Dinner

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Dining on a River Cruise

Dining on a river cruise is very similar to the large cruise ship experience, but on a smaller scale.  Each evening the menu will offer starters, appetizers, main courses, and desserts that are unique as well as selections that are always available.

On Avalon, several wine and beer selections are also offered - some for free, and others at reduced pricing.

Our Dinner Selections

• Lamb's Lettuce with Potato-Bacon Dressing
• "Zuricher Geschnetzeltes" Pan fried strips of Veal Loin in Creamy Mushroom Sauce served with Rosti Potatoes
• Classic Vanilla Custard with Berries
• Freshly Sliced Fruit

View the rest of the menu in our photo album.

Dining Room with a View

Dining on an Avalon river cruise is open seating.  There were several different size tables for you to select from.   Pictured here was a typical table for six. 

You'll notice the large picture windows in the background.   We had a front row seat for all the action as our ship entered one of the 35 locks we'd traverse during the cruise.  If you look at the rest of the pictures in our photo album, you'll see that we were lowered quite a few feet before our ship exited the lock.  Also, the sun was setting making for an enjoyable backdrop.

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Artistry 2 - Embarkation Dinner

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Artistry II Embarkation Evening

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Schedule at a Glance

Besides the printed schedule that was on our bed in the cabin, the computer monitor in the lobby had the day's events posted. You could also pull up the schedule, as well as other information, on the TV in your cabin.

It is very easy to find out about the schedule.

Safety Exercise

All passengers assembled on the sky deck at 6:15 PM where they were provided with a life jacket. Unlike large ocean cruise ships, the life jackets are stored in compartments on the open top deck. Instructions were given on how to put on the vests and after everyone was accounted for, we returned them and headed to the lounge for the actual safety briefing.

Welcome Aboard

Our Cruise Director (CD), Mark, introduced the First Captain who welcomed us onboard and introduced the rest of the crew.  This was followed by a champagne toast (the crew had ginger ale).

Mark then took over and provided the safety briefing.   In the event of an emergency, we would assemble on the sky deck where we'd be given life preservers like we were in the exercise.


Port Talk

Prior to dinner every evening, our CD held a briefing about the next day's activities.  On this first evening, he gave an overview of the first few days by showing us a presentation.   Most days started with an included excursion in the morning, followed by lunch, and one or more optional excursions in the afternoon.  There were some days where we'd have an afternoon sailing to our next destination.  Some days included overnight stays, where we could explore on our own in the evening if desired.

Following the talk, there were sign-up sheets for those passengers that had pre-booked included and optional excursions or for those that might have changed their minds after hearing more about the ports.  Then it was time to head for the dining room for our Embarkation Dinner.

^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page}

Basel - Embarkation
Artistry2 - Embarkation Evening

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Artistry II Embarkation Basel

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Embarkation Process

If you've been on ocean cruises before, and not on a river cruise, you'd notice several differences upon arrival at the embarkation port.

You'll probably first notice it's a much smaller ship with not as many people.  Perhaps one of the most dramatic, and welcome differences, was how easy the embarkation process is. 

As our motor coach approached, we got our first glance at the ship.   Within minutes, we were onboard the ship, with just our hand luggage.  There were no porters greeting us, since our checked bags would be handled by the crew.   We walked up the gangway and were directed to the lounge.

Checking In

Once everyone was in the lounge, one of the crew members directed each family to the reception desk.  We turned in our passports and were given our cabin "keys" (plastic cards with a magnetic strip keyed for your cabin).   One of the crew members then escorted us to our cabin.  That was the entire embarkation process.   We'd pick up our passports the next day and could provide our credit card information, for the onboard account, at any time during the cruise - no hassle.

Embarkation Day Information

Once we were inside our cabin, we found welcome aboard information about the schedule for the rest of the evening.  We had some time before the mandatory safety drill, so we went up on the sky deck to start checking out the ship.

It's time to freshen up a bit before the evening program, so we'll take a break and continue with the rest of the story in our next post.

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Excursion to Mount Pilatus

Our First Avalon Excursion

We'd had a wonderful day in Zurich on our own, but now it was time to let Avalon take over with the excursions.  We pre-booked the Excursion to Mount Pilatus and had been looking forward to this tour.

We boarded a bus headed at the Movenpick Hotel  with several of our fellow passengers.  Our checked baggage was in the storage compartments and our hand luggage (mainly cameras & computers) were with us above our seats.  This is the reason why the cruise line had requested carry on bags without wheels.

Gondola Ride

Mount Pilatus (2132m / 7000 ft) presents its visitors with a thrilling ascent by cable car, spectacular summit views of the 10.000 ft. Bernese Alps (Eiger, Monk and Jungfrau) to the south and Lake Lucerne to the north, followed by the steepest cog-wheel descent in the world.
In 1868 Queen Victoria made the excursion riding on the back of a mule.

When we arrived at Mount Pilatus, we were given a card which we'd need to insert in several turnstiles  during the tour.   To make it easy to identify the group, we were also given Globus Mount Pilatus baseball caps.

Click images to enlarge

The view from the gondola was spectacular.  There had been some cloud cover, but the visibility was improving as time went on during our visit.   Once to the top, we had free time to explore from the observation deck and the caves (which we highly recommend).   There was also a restaurant and shops, all of which we visited.   You are actually inside the hotel lobby when you get off the gondola.

Mount Pilatus Caves

In medieval times, it was believed that dragons with healing powers lived in the rugged clefts and crevices of Mount Pilatus.  Read more

We spent about 30 minutes exploring the caverns taking pictures framed by the openings.  If you get chilled, you might want to bring a light jacket or sweater as it is cooler inside the passages.

Don't miss this part of the excursion.   It is also possible to climb stairways to get even a higher vantage point if you are so inclined.

 Enjoying a Snack

Our guide said that the barley soup and apple strudel were very good.  She also suggested having a cup of Swiss hot chocolate.  We took here advice and tried all three of them.  They were very good indeed.

After our snack, we had just enough time to check out the gift shop before it was time to meet for the descent via cogwheel railway.


Cogwheel Railway

The descent from Mount Pilatus isn't by gondola.  It is via the world's steepest cogwheel railway with the maximum grade of 48% and the average of 38%.  It takes approximately 40 minutes to complete the descent.

Tip:  If traveling with someone else, we'd suggest sitting across from each other so that you can take photographs in various directions, if so inclined.   The best view isn't always ahead of you, as you can see from our photos.

Next Stop - Lucerne

We boarded our bus for a short ride to the city of Lucerne for the second part of the excursion.  We'll discuss that in our next post.

This is day one of the cruise and I'm already smiling in a picture. I posed in front of the famous Lion Monument.  For those that know me, I'm not a big fan of being in pictures, so I rarely smile in them. When I do, that means I'm really enjoying the trip.

^{Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:} 

Pilatus - Gondola
Pilatus - View
Pilatus - Cave Tunnels
Pilatus - Cogwheel Railway

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Felsenegg Lookout

Zurich's Panoramic Restaurant

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After touring the National Museum, it was time for some lunch, so we inquired about getting to the Panoramic Restaurant.

The guide book that came with the ZürichCARD didn't provide details about how to get to the restaurant for some reason. Since we'd left all our printed information back at the hotel, we figured the main train station information booth was our best bet for obtaining directions. They could tell us about how to get there and they also directed us to the tourist information desk for more details about our other plans.

 
Getting There

This short trip takes you up to one of the nicest lookout points in the Zurich area: Felsenegg. Getting up there is fun, with the only aerial cable car operating in the canton of Zurich.

First, take the S4 train in direction Langnau-Gattikon and get off after 15 minutes in Adliswil. From there it's a well sign-posted 10-minute walk to the valley station of the aerial cable car, which leaves every 15 minutes for Felsenegg.

  Journey to the Top ...

Once you are up there, refresh yourself in the restaurant and of course take in the view of the city, the lake and the Alps.

 We had ham & Swiss cheese sandwiches with an apple strudel for dessert.   It was excellent (and the view was great too).   It was well worth the effort to get there.

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 Zurich - Felsenegg

 
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