Leanne and I had a peaceful continental breakfast on the front deck, instead of down in the main restaurant this morning, it was nice to be up viewing the river early morning at our first port – Breisach.

We collected our boarding passes for the first included excursion to the Black Forest. Our bus takes us on a journey through the densely forested, mountainous region famous for its traditional cuckoo clocks, cherry schnapps, Black Forest Cake and is the setting for the numerous legends and fairy tales that we all have heard; Red Riding Hood, Hansel and Gretel. It's easy to imagine how the dense canopy of evergreens that cover Germany’s most fabled forest hides dark secrets, magic and spells.

We pass by one of the oldest houses in the area, made for not only families to live in but the farm animals also - in winter.   Often the houses had a little pond beside them – in case of fire . Some had their own little chapels because of the difficulty of getting to church.    Farming is seasonal, so that is how the cuckoo clocks came about, local clock peddlers sold clocks all over Europe.     In the Black Forest if someone cuts a tree down they must plant one, so the forest continues to stay a forest.

Despite the cake of the same name, perhaps the greatest icon of the Black Forest is the cuckoo clock, we stop to see how the clock is made, the first clocks were quite basic and were nothing to rave about with a rock to keep the time but only on the hour, there was no minute hand. Following were folk art painted clocks that Marie Antoinette was fond of, then came the plain timber ones, with one cuckoo bird that came out and then followed the more enchanting mechanical with characters of all types, from woodcutters, dancers, farm animals and watermills that move on the hour.     We saw what makes the coo-coo sound, twin bellows that sent air through small piles, like a miniature pipe organ.

We then watched a cooking demonstration, famous around the world, the Black Forest Gateau – SchwarzwalderKirschtorte – has never tasted quite so good as when eaten along the Rhine. Layers of chocolate sponge cake, lashings of whipped cream, sour cherries and a drizzle of the locally produced Kirsch (cherry liquor), it’s beautifully moist, not too sweet and surprisingly light. Resistance is futile, Leanne and I both did resist until the evening dinner but then it was on the menu!!!!  

At the same stop, we had time to watch the colourful glass blowing, another popular locals craft.

We returned to the ship for a formal lunch, with a few hours spare, we then take up the optional visit - 30 minutes away - to Colmar in France.

We take the Petit guided train around the delightful, beautifully restored Alsace town laced with pedestrian friendly cobblestone streets, half timbered coloured houses,  canals and healthy flowers hanging from window sills.   There is a square, cathedral and an area called Little Venice because there are narrow canals running through the old town.   We had free time in the charming town, so we walked around a bit to view the scenery, looked at a few souvenir shops and a local craft like hall, it was very hot though, over 30 degrees, so Leanne and I enjoyed an ice-cream under a big old shaded tree in some of the time we had left.

I enjoyed a snooze on the way back to the ship, we then went back to the room to relax (and again me a cat nap) before dinner.    I will say the food is very good on the ship, the menu has a good selection, Leanne and I both had Chateaubriand, and as mentioned we gave in to the Black Forest Cake for dessert.

Leanne retired, I decided to listen to the evening entertainment, a mixture of Rhine to Seine favourites (German and French songs) which had the crowd captivated and in the end singing along.

Our first day on the Rhine was gorgeous – the weather couldn’t have been better for a mix of France and Germany.

Quote from a Fellow Traveller – Victor Hugo

The Rhine is unique: it combines the qualities of every river. Like the Rhone, it is rapid, broad like the Loire, encased, like the Meuse; serpentine, like the Seine; limpid and green, like the Somme; historical, like the Tiber; royal like the Danube; mysterious, like the Nile; spangled with gold, like an American river; and like a river of Asia, abounding with fantoms and fables.