My Travel Blog

The Rhine valley seems to hold a romantic fascination, with picturesque castles perched on high rocky points, built in the Middle Ages by princes who gathered enormous wealth by taxing the traffic passing along the Rhine River. On my recent Rhine river cruise with Lüftner Cruises, I kept a photo diary by posting pictures from my iPhone to my Instagram, Facebook and Twitter accounts.

View of the Mosel from the Castle at Cochem

Our journey took from Basel in Switzerland, the city of public sculptures and fountains where we embarked the Amadeus Princess, which took us to the city of Strasbourg where we learned how the local people have lived for centuries with the uncertainty of whether they would be citizens of France one week or citizens of Germany the next. We loved our visit to a family run vineyard where we tasted a few different Alsace wines with a view over the vineyards behind the property. Next stop was Speyer where we found the crypt in the cathedral where many of the kings and emperors of Germany are buried and had a look around the well-known university town of Heidelberg with the ruined castle on the hill.

At Rüdesheim we were charmed by the organs and music boxes in the Music Museum before the boat sailed down the stretch of the Middle Rhine that is known for the castles and the Loreley rock, where the gorgeous siren’s song may distract the unwary sailor. At Koblenz we found that while Brussels has its Manneken Pis, this town has a fountain of a spitting boy that has become its symbol. A detour along the Mosel river took us to Cochem where we visited another of those picturesque castles on the hill and borrowed bikes from the Amadeus Princess for a cycle along the river. Finally our journey finished in Cologne, where we visited the well-known cathedral, with a sweet ending at the chocolate museum. While we had to get back to work, the ship continued to Amsterdam with views of the windmills and a cruise on the city canals.

To delight in my instagram photo diary below, hover over each photo for my commentary. If can’t see the photos, click here to view them on my blog.

For more tales from our Rhine River Cruise

While I was on our Rhine River Cruise I also posted a daily account of our journey at the Online Travel Journal – Read my 6 part series on Cruising the Rhine.

My thanks to Lüftner Cruises who hosted my Rhine River Cruise – Lüftner Cruises specialise in European river cruises on the Rhine, Danube, Rhône and other destinations in Europe, with personal service and Austrian hospitality. You can also follow them on their Facebook Page. I travelled on the Amadeus Princess on a 7 day Classical Rhine Cruise which travelled from Basel to Amsterdam, although we disembarked at Cologne.

This article by Heather Cowper is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com - Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home

You’ll also find our sister blog with tips on how to build a successful travel blog at My Blogging Journey

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Graff Off: Competing for Banksy’s Crown

Raring to go after a excellent night’s rest, the finalists headed out to explore Bristol’s coolest subterranean culture: the Street Art scene. Armed with the knowledge of their guides for the day - Dan and Rob - the contestants traipsed around from College Green to Stoke’s Croft staring at  iconic street artists such as Banksy and Inkie. Getting to grips with this artistic outpouring in the city, the awestruck group got to witness first-hand how powerful self-expression can be (and they should know)!

Learning about the development of Street Art techniques, from stencilling to sculptural installation, poster art to fine art, the group absorbed how to construct a successful piece of public art. Breathing in the contemporary masterpieces sprayed, etched, scratched and scribbled along Nelson’s Street – the UK’s largest outdoor Street Art gallery – the contestants took notes for later (of course we were going to test them!).

So, after staring upon gigantic murals, prancing around in front of graffiti covered walls and getting up close to intricately painted tiles, it was time to place their creative skills to the test. Under the instruction of one of the city’s emerging street artists, the finalists got a glimpse of Street Art in the making. Following a quick spray-can tutorial, it was time for the Graff Off. Who would take Banksy’s crown?

After a scrabble to the canvas, Veronique was keen to hone her new-found skills. Delving deep into her subconscious for a meaningful representation, she produced a lifelike mural of SpongeBob Squarepants. Ceara followed suit with an eerie representation of Mr Buttons, a man who haunts her dreams, while Dave painted ‘The Pleased Anarchist’ using graffiti to clarify his work (all art should be clarified according to him). The Vagabrothers stayed right to their collaborative ethos, constructing a spray-can creation together. Cody proved to be a stand-out artist, but, painting a cartoon figure full of tortured self-expression and soulful intent. Cody, we salute you.

Pipping him to the post, but, it was Barbara who reigned supreme with her crafty prowess and ethereal bird portrayal earning her the Graff-Off crown.

A massive thank you must go to WHERETHEWALL and Hamilton House for this fantastic day of creative expression. 

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Graff Off: Competing for Banksy’s Crown