Petes-Pix

Peter F May

To Criccieth for five nights from 24 August to see Starlight Memories, on the 50th anniversary of The Starlight Players, and of course Dan & Krisie.

On Monday 26 we all went to Plas Newdd house and gardens on Anglesey.

In the dining room is Rex Whistler's 17.5 metre long Trompe l'œil mural

In the extensive gardens is this Cromlech

The stable block is in the background.

The weather that week was very windy and often rainy. We didn't have a nice enough day to take advantage of the balcony.

Fortunately Dylan's is next door, and Dan brought dinner one night from a chippy.

Peter F May

When we woke we were moored in an industrial complex on the Swiss side of the Rhine on the edge of Basel.

https://what3words.com/zips.imitate.metals

View from front of Scenic Jasper

Although our documentation said the cabins had to be vacated at 09:00, we were told 08:30. Our flight was at 12:20, the taxi for the airport left at 09:15 for the 30 minute drive through Basel to the airport.

Viking passengers were already in the line for checkin, fussed over by a Viking rep in his bright red fleece. When he saw one of our arriving Scenic group had mobility problems he got her a wheelchair, pushed her to the front of checkin, loaded her bags onto the conveyor belt, then pushed her through security. There was no Scenic rep.

And so ended our Romantic Rhine & Moselle cruise There had been some great parts, there had been some that could have been better.

Peter F May

Day14 – Saturday 18 August 2024

When we woke the boat was moored at Breisach, rafted on portside to Avalon Vista which luckily had its exit at the same level as ours so we could walk through their reception.

https://what3words.com/shove.hyphen.alligators

This was in an industrial area some 15 minutes walk from Breisach town.

Our policy on excursions is that, unless it was to somewhere we really wanted to go, we’d pick wine tastings or the latest departing excursion. Kaiserstuhl wine tasting was also the latest departing of three excursions at 09:30.

The coach took a scenic route, making a stop on high so we could get out to look at a vine clad valley below. But drizzle and low cloud obscured the view then a heavy burst of rain sent us back to the coach.

The tasting was at Oberbergen cooperative in Kaiserstull - https://www.bassgeige-wein.de The co-operative was founded after WW I because grape growers couldn’t afford winemaking equipment of their own. Then every village had its own cooperative to which every grape grower belonged, now there are 15-20% private wineries.