We had a sleep in this morning, as we travelled the Rhine to our final destination. Had some time to spend on the balcony, catch up on my blog and just generally have a cruisey day.  

We did attend the Dutch cheese and Jenever presentation so our housekeeper - lovely Ria could tidy our room, as she did every day. Cheeses all good, really like the Gouda, Edam and Maasdammer but the Jenever wine that is like mead, not for me nor Leanne, not nice at all – I think you have to have an acquired taste for it.

Hollands maze of waterways become apparent where the rivers become bays and inland seas;  a true delta. We start seeing little towns with one windmill so large it hovers over the township, so we must be getting closer to Amsterdam.

The Captain does take us in the port of Rotterdam just to see how big it is and to see the modern architecture, he turns around and then continues to Kinderdijk, where the UNESCO World Heritage Site of nineteen windmills are displayed.

Amsterdam being a maze of lakes, swamps and peat at or below sea level, we view dyke banks to keep the water out. The Netherlands is, of course, famous for its windmills, with none so captivating as those we explore at Kinderdijk, the network is an outstanding man-made landscape draining and protecting an area by the development and application of hydraulic technology.

Disembarking for an excursion in the picturesque Dutch countryside of the historic area, we are taken to a working windmill.   They are so much larger up close and the wind blades close up give me an understanding of how a mother with so many children would have to be so watchful with those blades turning as such a fast pace.   The families that lived in the mills had many children apparently. As we had the chance to view inside, the only place I felt comfortable in for long was the bottom floor family room, which was really no larger than a study but was larger than any of the other rooms over four floors.

Leanne and I made our way back, for a quick refresh and dress up, for the Captain's Farewell Dinner. The last dinner felt like a feast, the food kept coming, I think it was 6 courses.   We said our farewells to our newfound friends - sad to see the end of our Rhine Getaway.

The Rhine River is one of Europe’s most important waterways, at 820 miles long, it is Europe’s longest river, riving in the Swiss Alps and flowing to the North Seat at Rotterdam. A major international waterway, it runs through six countries and forms an international border in several places.

Through its tributary, the Main River, the Rhine is connected to the Danube by the Main-Danube Canal.

Today ships can travel safely between Basel and the North Sea, but that wasn’t always so. Robber barons, in their castles, guilds and corporations in the towns, and customs stations all used to make trouble for the ships captains. In the 14th century there were 62 customs stations, and many cities had staple rights, enabling them to force every ship to unload and offer its cargo for sale locally. That all ended in 1831 when the Rhine Shipping Act was signed in Mainz and the Rhine could prosper as an international waterway.

The Germans refer respectfully to their longest and most important river as "Father Rhine".

So we bid farewell to Father Rhine! Thank you Viking Cruises for a wonderful cruise, and thank you Leanne for being the friend you are, good memories we’ll have of cruising the Rhine, and it’s many adventurous stops along the way.

I think I might call it a day with some cheese and wine – cheers!