Unter der Linden und Uber dem Fluss
Under the Linden Trees and Over the Falls
River time may soothe you. Slower. The banks stream past the hull, drawing your gaze forward, amidship, ultimately aft as your vessel saunters past the hills, trees, vineyards.
The Lorelei. Castles and villages abound in this Rhein gold valley. Grapevines trellis the steep hills, facing south for sustenance. Villages of time forgotten dwell sleepily at the base of crags of immense geologic time. Spires reach toward heaven in praise of their gods.
River traffic is surprisingly brisk as barges long and heavy stream past your slower tourist trapeze twisting along the village passageways. Clean, straight and of some weight, each home is well constructed, sturdy. Germanic. Full breasted against the spring tidal stream, the flood of melted snows.
This, our last full day upon the Rhein, is the most picturesque.
Streaming through the industrial heartland of Germany. Industry bulges out against agriculture. Each well designed into the low river lands downstream from Basel. Small cities line the banks; French & German food, culture and wine diffuse across the river. As they have for centuries.
Passengers, mostly from Britain, Canada and America, we are of some wealthy stock. Well dressed. Slower than our children but limber in our Chaplinesque manner. The Chaplin home is now a museum with wax images of he and his Santa Barbara wife. We had no idea he was at the very center of the 1950s McCarthy extremism. His visa was withdrawn after living in the US for most of his life. He became one of the wealthy exile of Switzerland after WW2.
Well bundled against the cool spring wind, we run downstream to the sea. We meander into the hinterland of central Germany to Frankfurt. Stops for viewing and shopping, guided by polyglot locals of real language skill.
Here in the gorge, the river has narrowed and quickened under a warming sun, none too early. Temperatures in the high 30s keep all but the foolhardy indoors. One other meanderer joins me for few snaps. British, reserved. We had enjoyed 70 steps just two days previously. Now bundled against the stiff, shipborne breeze.
Winding to the East allows the river to reflect a warming sun. ‘Church pubs’ line the route- one enters the church via a few convenient bar stools. Sun-stained tile roofs reflect the warming ahead as we approach the Lorelei of the Rhein gorge. 300,000 ships ply the most traveled riverine passage in Europe. Trains runs on both sides tracking two lane roads through a series of brilliant small German villages. Imagine Disneyland through the Grand Canyon in miniature. Napa on Tahoe shores.
As we round yet another winding course, an enormous fortress looms over the narrow entrance as the Rhein rushes and digs the gorge deeper. Castle Reinfelds, from 1240, has resisted piracy ever since. Life in a castle was difficult. Walls dripped with moisture, cold damp air breathed death into the straw strewn rock floor. No wonder fair maidens wondered upon knights rescuing them from their dungeon keep.
Beauty and battle joined forces here to conquer and convince. For nearly a thousand years, these riverine walls have glistened with sun and blood. Now their vineyards promise repose, escape and dreamy escapade. Der Rhen geld. Beneath this verdant spring life and love trump politics and worry.
We had begun our European venture in Praha – Prague - in The Czech Republic. Three days of dreary rain had little effect upon our city hiking. Across the river, through university, Old Town and residential sects, we were lost in the maze each day. Discovered the free tramline ride for seniors. Knowledge of the language was zed, yet we managed every day to find our way back to The Mandarin. Beer? Yes. Germanic foods, check. The least costly capitol of Europe? Agreed. Friendly to tourists from all nations? Certainly.
On to Zurich and Vevey on the shores of Lac Leman.
As extensively as I have traveled across the globe, Switzerland remains my very favorite nation, culture. Clean, efficient, beautiful, friendly. The food is exceptional and the wine rivals France’s and Italy’s best. At a far better price!
As the 19thcentury ferry plies the still lake in the early morning mist, the Alps surmount all. Dropping directly into Leman between Evian and Montreux, the river valley reaches out to Brig and the Swiss heartland. To the East at the far end of the kidney shaped lake twice the size of Tahoe, Geneve is a small metropolis of wealth.
Our hotel, Le Grand Hotel du Lac, is an experiment, as was The Mandarin in Praha.
How do these compare to a cruise? For the same price, we found the hotels to be of far greater value, living room and amenities. The food, wine and service were exceptional. While we enjoyed the food on Emerald Sky and the suite, they cannot compare. Simply walking along the lake edge for a few miles each morning and afternoon, seeing the citizenry enjoying their first spring days, hearing of the wonderous snowpack still on the piste was a great pleasure.
And the flowers, trees that adorn the village streets!
Such color and variety. Trains are on time, clean and spacious – as they were for my first visit in the late ‘60s. speaking enough French and Italian to order and enjoy helps immensely. People respect your attempts with their own special words and pronunciations. Although Sweis and German are off limits for us!
We tried staggering our return over two days which helped well with our sleep and rest. The Hilton in Frankfurt was certainly the finest we have ever enjoyed. Lufthansa, British Air and Swiss Air remain our favorites, while Virgin has dropped off our list. For long haul flights we use miles so that we can ‘turn left’ as we enter the plane. Sleeping onboard is a must. European phone and internet service, quality and speed are remarkably improved. Europe is only 6 hours away vs. 9+ from CA.
After two weeks we are glad to be back into the hurly-burly. I kept in touch with those of you who had concerns while Ali and Sean answered immediate questions.
As for the markets, it appears the rantings and ravings of our chattering class run rampant in the financial data stream. Examples: ‘Shipping from China has disappeared. Empty container vessels arrive in Long Beach because of the tariffs.’ In fact, arrivals in LB have fallen slightly from their heights after the Wuhan viral attacks but remain above their annual averages.’ Markets are collapsing under the weight of inflation, interest rates and the administration’. Such disruptions were quite short-lived, as the markets have returned to their New Year levels. Inflation has subdued. Government deficit spending is in real decline. Peace is making a desperate attempt to infect the globe with prosperity and well-being.
We have recently acquired another financial planning firm in The Bay Area, our third acquisition over the past five years. Chris McDonald is our representative in Napa/Vallejo and we are very happy with him. Shout out to his parents Lynda and Dexter, my very first clients in late 1984! He is making us proud of his energetic work. Welcome to JD Miller and his office manager, Alice Carey, too! JD has been offering Financial Planning to his clients for 50+ years – longer even than my 40 years…! Welcome JD & Alice. We look forward to working with you and learning from you.
Eat wisely
Sleep well
Love with Abandon!