Discover Wellington

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Discovery Recommended

Te Papa Museum & Cable Car

Our journey continued near the North Island’s southernmost point on the Cook Strait to Wellington, the capital of New Zealand. Just 30 minutes bus ride along the coast we arrived at our first stop, Te Papa Museum. The full name of the museum is "Te Papa Tongarewa," which means "the place of treasures of this land."

In Mana Whenua discover the world of Māori, the tangata whenua (first people) of New Zealand. Stories of voyaging, conflict, and survival are told though a powerful mix of cultural treasures, oral histories, and contemporary works. Step inside the body of Te Hau ki Turanga, one of the oldest and most significant meeting houses in existence, and visit our dynamic and beautiful marae (communal meeting place) for the 21st century, designed and created by leading Māori carvers. No photography is allowed in this part of the museum.  We suggest you plan your visit ahead of time.

Wellington on High

After leaving the museum, our motor coach headed to Lambton Quay in the central business district, home of the 111-year-old Wellington Cable Car.  Here we had a vertical climb in this funicular of over 390 feet in the air and traveled a length of 2,000 feet.  Three minutes later, we were at the top and overlooking the city.

We had a ringside seat to some of Wellington's most breathtaking views including the city's rolling hills, the downtown area, Te Whanganui-a-Tara (the Mâori name for the Wellington Harbour, also known as the great Harbour of Tara) and beyond.

Additional photos can be found on our Australia & New Zealand Shutterfly page

Wellington
Te Papa Museum
Wellington Cable Car

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Rhine Moselle Confluence

Birds Eye View

Rhine & Moselle Rivers

The Koblenz Cable Car, also known as the BUGA cable car, hovers over the Rhine River in Koblenz. Here you can discover the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Experience the unique views over a city with a tradition stretching back over 2000 years where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet.

 
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

The cable car has connected the Rhine area at the height of the Basilica of St. Kastor with the plateau in front of the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress since 2010. It is Germany's first three-wire cable car and with 18 cabins has a transport capacity of 7,600 people per hour, giving it the highest performance in the world. Following an agreement with Unesco in 2013, the cable car can be operated until 2026.

Deutsches Eck

Deutsches Eck is the name of a headland in Koblenz where the Moselle joins the Rhine.  In 1897, nine years after the death of the German Emperor William I, the former emperor was honoured with a giant equestrian statue bearing an inscription quoting a German poem: "Nimmer wird das Reich zerstöret, wenn ihr einig seid und treu" (Never will the Empire be destroyed, so long as you are united and loyal).


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

Koblenz - Confluence

 

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Castles Villages & Vineyards Oh My

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Sailing The Romantic

 Rhine Gorge 

Downstream from Rüdesheim is the dramatic RHINE GORGE, the most beautiful stretch of river. Here, ancient castles stand sentry on lofty cliffs rising 400 feet above the waters.

Our afternoon was spent cruising past castles, villages, and vineyards.  One highlight included sailing past the legendary rock of the Lorelei, where echoes of enchanted siren song lured unwitting sailors to their doom. We enjoyed the afternoon relaxing on board on the Sky Deck as Mark, our Cruise Director, provided narrative.

 

Rhine & Moselle

Confluence

The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine is at Koblenz and here we entered the Moselle River, some 312-miles long, which rises in the Vosges Mountains of northeastern France and enters Germany at Trier.


Watch this video for an example of the scenery along the Rhine River.  The highlight of this video is Pfalzgrafenstein (the Pfalz), a mid-river toll castle near Kaub, erected in 1328. We have lots more video footage to process. We'll be posting additional videos to our YouTube Channel, so be sure to subscribe to that as well.

   

Rhine & Moselle River Cruise (Play all videos)

Video Diary of Avalon Rhine & Moselle River Cruise on Artistry II. This was a 13 day river cruise that started in Zurich, Switzerland and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

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

Romantic Rhine Cruising

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Cable Car in Rüdesheim

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Seilbahn  Rüdesheim 

A highlight of any visit to Rüdesheim is the ride in a cable car up to the Germania (Niederwald) Monument. The awe-inspiring panoramic views over Rüdesheim's oldtown and the shimmering waters of the Rhine dotted with green isles make the smooth glide over the vineyards a very special experience.

Experience what the ride is like in this short video segment:




The entire visit took about an hour - 15 minutes each way by cable car and 30 minutes on top to go to the monument and take photos of the surrounding area.   The cost was not included in our excursion, it was 7,00 euro round-trip per person.

Niederwald Monument


The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire (Unification of Germany) after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. It overlooks the valley of the Rhine and was built in the 1870/80s.

The central figure is the 10.5 metres (34 ft) tall Germania figure. In the sculptured impression, Germania holds the recovered crown of the emperor in the right hand and in the left the Imperial Sword.

Rhine & Moselle River Cruise (Play all videos)

Video Diary of Avalon Rhine & Moselle River Cruise on Artistry II. This was a 13 day river cruise that started in Zurich, Switzerland and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

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

Rüdesheim - Cable Car

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Continuing Santorini Exploration in Fira

Welcome to Fira

The village of Fira, the capital of Santorini,  is known for its striking mix of Cycladic and Venetian architecture. The main square of Fira is "Plateia Theotokopoulou," a colorful meeting place. From here, one can easily walk to shops, jewelry stores and tavernas.  From here we could see our ship, Star Princess, anchored below in the Aegean Sea.

Fira is perched on the edge of an impressive cliff 260m high and offers a great panorama over the submerged volcano. It is made of many white painted houses in stepped streets with blue domed churches and sun-bathed verandas. 

The Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral is the first sight you see when entering the town of Fira.  The cathedral was built in 1827 and then rebuilt after the terrible earthquake of 1956. 

It is quite a striking building with rolling arches forming a courtyard. The arched design is mirrored in the impressive belltower above. The design is quite different from the churches we had seen in the village of Oia in the morning.

From the church we continued our stroll through the narrow lanes of Fira, passing white-washed buildings with splashes of color all around us.   Doorways open to the sea and frame our ship anchored below in the Aegean Sea.   Cafes hang over the cliff which offer their guests views of the volcano, the sea, and the rest of the village perched on the side of the steep cliff.  The views from Fira are amazing.

Getting to/from Fira & Tender Boats

There are two different tender points in Santorini.   One is for passengers on ship-sponsored shore excursions and the other is for independent guests.

Since we were on a Princess shore excursion, our motorcoach took us from our tender point to the winery, then Oia, and finally to Fira.   In Fira, we were on our own to explore at our leisure and return to the ship whenever we wanted to.  Once we were done, we needed to make our way back to the second tender point for return to the ship.

There are three options for getting between the tender boats and the town of Fira located on top of the cliff.   As you can see in the photo, some people decided to walk.   This is several hundred steps, so unless you are in good shape, and don't mind the walk, this wouldn't be your best choice.   Another option is by mule.   This is easier than walking but could be a little bumpy and smelly.   The final option is the cable car, which was complimentary for us since we were on a shore excursion.   The mule and cable car rides are the same for either one-way or round trip rides.   The cost currently is 3.5€ each way.

We explored the many shops and cafes on Fira and made our way to the cable car point.    We could have stayed there all day, just relaxing and looking out to sea, and enjoying the ever changing views.   Words just don't do justice to the scenery, so view our photo album, Village of Fira, on our Facebook Fan Page.

Entering our tender boat and sailing back to the ship, we had entered the live postcard of Santorini, Greece from a different perspective.  Once back onboard the ship, we would continue capturing postcard images of the entire island and surrounding area.   Santorini is a must see destination in the Mediterranean.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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