A brisk north German wind is scouring Hamburg as I board MS Dresden.
I’m a bit dubious about committing myself to this “Historic Elbe Cruise”.
Can I stand being cooped up in a boat on the flat, unexciting waters of the
River Elbe? Will the other guests be too well heeled or too moribund to talk
to? Won’t it all be rather boring?
The boat looks comfortable, anyway. One of the Peter Deilmann fleet of river
cruisers, Dresden is smart and white outside, gleaming with brass and
mirrored glass within. She has room for 109 guests, though she’s only about
three- quarters full for this trip.
The staff are smartly uniformed and friendly, attentive without being
obsequious. I’m one of only three non-Germans on the cruise, but I’m
welcomed by name, in excellent English, and put at ease straightaway. The
menus look fabulous, but I needn’t get too fat: the ship has a sauna and
some exercise bikes; some real bicycles, too, which guests can borrow for
shore excursions when the ship is moored.
At ten to four, we slide discreetly away from the jetty and make headway up
the Elbe. I’m only along for a couple of nights, but the other passengers
are beginning a 400- mile journey upriver to Dresden: a week-long trip that
will introduce them to the beautiful towns of Saxony and carry them from the
flat green farmlands of northern Germany into the mountains and gorges of
“Saxon Switzerland”.
Why would people opt for a river cruise? I ask around. Some of the guests say
they love travelling by water, but get sick at sea. Some like the idea of
seeing a big swathe of Europe, the historic towns and the always changing
landscape, while being spoilt with good food and service. Others enjoy the
slow pace of it, the freedom from hassle — long days with nothing to do but
watch the riverbanks slip by.
That’s the aspect that grows on me. Through my binoculars, I watch otters, red
kites, marsh harriers, fishermen and cyclists, all the life of the Elbe
unreeling at slow jogging pace. There’s a feeling of involvement with one’s
surroundings: I wave to fishermen and they wave back; canoeists keep pace
and exchange banter with my fellow voyagers. You wouldn’t get this on an
ocean-going liner.
My German is no better than it ought to be, but the staff have thoughtfully
set my table placing next to the only other Angloglots, Eric and Kathy Gall
from Chicago. As people tend to do when brought together like this, we get
along so well that we’re habitually the last three left in the restaurant,
still gossiping as the tables are cleared.
The water level on the Elbe is unusually low after a couple of dry months, and
the ship is delayed by having to negotiate sandbanks. On the second day of
the cruise, we miss out on our planned walking tour of the old Saxony town
of Tangermunde. I don’t care, though — by now I’m feeling so relaxed that
I’m practically horizontal.
I am due to leave the cruise when we get to Magdeburg, and I promise myself a
walk around that city. But after the Dresden has sailed away, I find myself
feeling delightfully indolent. What I actually do is sink into a cafe chair
and go on watching the river. Exercise, shmexercise...
The details: the cruise runs from Hamburg to Dresden, taking
in the half-timbered houses of Tangermunde, Magdeburg and Wittenberg
(“Cradle of the Reformation”), with Martin Luther’s house and grave, as well
as the church door to which he nailed his 95 theses. Other high spots are
the celebrated porcelain factory at Meissen, the “Saxon Swiss” gorge around
Bad Schandau and a full day’s excursion to Prague.
A seven-night package starts at £1,064pp, based on two sharing and including
open-jaw flights from Heathrow, with Peter Deilmann River Cruises (020 7436
2931, www.peter-deilmann-river-cruises.co.uk).
Christopher Somerville travelled as a guest of Peter Deilmann River Cruises
All package prices are per person, based on two sharing
More great European voyages
THE RIVER OF GOLD
The route: a cruise through northern Portugal and Spain,
starting and finishing in Oporto.
The highlights: this cruise explores the River Douro from
Portugal’s second city, taking in the port- producing region around Peso da
Regua, the baroque manor house and gardens of Casa de Mateus, a day’s tour
of Salamanca, the old city of Lamego and Oporto itself.
The details: seven nights from £1,595, flying from Heathrow,
with Noble Caledonia (020 7752 0000, www.noble-caledonia.co.uk).
BACKWATERS OF IRELAND
The route: north from Killaloe to Athlone, through the Irish
Midlands.
The highlights: a cruise with a difference: not by boat, but
aboard a luxury hotel barge with a maximum of 10 passengers. Your voyage
along the Lower Shannon takes in Lough Derg, the reconstructed Celtic
settlement at Graggaunowen and the city of Galway. You’ll also see Birr
Castle and the glorious Clonmacnoise monastic site.
The details: six nights from £2,400, meeting in Dublin, with
European Waterways (01784 482439, www.gobarging.com).
RIVERS RHONE AND SAONE
The route: through Provence, Burgundy and Beaujolais,
starting and finishing in Lyons.
The highlights: follow the Rhône and the Saône via Roman
Arles; the Camargue; le pont d’Avignon; the vineyards of Châteauneuf du
Pape; the Renaissance houses and romanesque cathedral at Viviers; Cluny
Abbey; and — you can’t have too much wine — a wander through the Beaujolais
vineyards.
The details: seven nights from £999, flying from Heathrow to
Lyons or Gatwick to Marseilles, with Peter Deilmann River Cruises (see
above).
THE BEST OF HOLLAND
The route: a grand circuit of Holland’s waterways, starting
and finishing in Rotterdam.
The highlights: from Rotterdam, which is rapidly making a
name as one of the funkiest port cities in Europe, you’ll set off into the
Dutch hinterlands, via Arnhem, Deventer and Hoorn. One star moment is a
visit to the old fishing village of Volendam, on the banks of the great
Ijsselmeer inland sea, where the old folk still wear traditional costume.
The details: seven days from £695, flying from Gatwick or
Stansted, with Cruise In (01264 350750, www.cruisein.co.uk).
THE HEART OF EUROPE
The route: from Amsterdam to the Black Sea — a mighty
European crossing via eight countries.
The highlights: this is the cruise of a lifetime — three
weeks spent traversing the continent at an easy pace, through the Alps and
across the great plains of eastern Europe. From Amsterdam, you sail across
Germany and Austria, then into Hungary, Slovakia, Serbia, Bulgaria and
Romania; journey’s end is Bucharest.
The details: 23 days from £3,595, flying from Heathrow to
Amsterdam (back from Bucharest), with Noble Caledonia (see above).
A TASTE OF THE RHINE
The route: south from Düsseldorf to Basle, taking in Germany,
French Alsace and Switzerland.
The highlights: this tour starts in northern Germany, paying
a visit to Cologne, with its glorious cathedral. Then it’s on to the
historic cities of Koblenz and Speyer before crossing into French Alsace for
a look at the capital, Strasbourg. The tour ends under the Swiss Alps in
Basle.
The details: five days from £595, flying from Heathrow to
Düsseldorf (back from Basle), with Bridge Travel (0870 191 7170,
www.bridgetravel.co.uk).
THE ITALIAN RENAISSANCE
The route: a River Po cruise, starting and finishing in
Venice.
The highlights: this classic Lombardy tour follows the River
Po to Cremona, pausing for excursions to Verona (where you’ll visit
Castelvecchio, the basilica of San Zeno Maggiore, the Roman area and
“Juliet’s Balcony”), Padua and Bologna. The cruise also takes in the
Renaissance town of Ferrara; Mantua, with its ducal palace; and the islands
of the Venetian lagoon.
The details: seven nights from £1,140, flying from Gatwick,
with Peter Deilmann River Cruises (see above).
WATERWAYS OF THE TSARS
The route: from Moscow to St Petersburg (or vice versa), on a
cruise up (or down) the rivers Volga and Svir.
The highlights: this journey takes in the Volga, the Svir and
assorted canals and lakes to link Russia’s greatest cities. The itinerary
includes a Moscow city tour, a Kremlin visit and circus performance; the
famous churches and cathedrals of Uglich; and the 14th-century Ipatyevsky
Monastery at Kostroma. Moving in stately fashion along the Volga- Baltic
Waterway, you’ll enjoy the wooden houses and churches of Kizhi and the
myriad islands of Lake Lagoda, before arriving in the grandest possible
style in St Petersburg, with its Winter Palace, the Hermitage Museum,
castles and cathedrals.
The details: 10 nights from £1,495, flying from Heathrow to
Moscow (back from St Petersburg), with Viking River Cruises (020 7752 0000,
www.vikingrivers.com).
