River cruise “A sea of tulips for the senses” with the RHEIN MELODIE from Cologne

A river cruise to Holland during the tulip blossom season is an unforgettable experience. The gentle journey on the Rhine reveals a picturesque landscape and stops at exciting cities. The world-famous Keukenhof is the heart of the tulip blossom in the Netherlands and of course the highlight of the trip.

Our trip on the RHEIN MELODIE from nicko cruises was simply wonderful and has given me a taste for more river cruises.

Cologne, the starting point of the trip

We had already spent the night before the trip in Cologne, with the idea of “no stress on arrival!”. So we were able to stroll around the city in the morning and then take a cab from the hotel to the ship’s docking position.

How does embarkation work?

Officially, embarkation begins at 3 pm. We arrived at the ship at around 2 p.m. and discovered that you could drop off your suitcases from 1 p.m. onwards. They very kindly took our luggage from us, quickly checked whether we were on the right ship and then we were allowed to step onto the sun deck.

The relaxation began here in the most beautiful sunshine…

The sun deck gradually filled up. Two tour groups were looking for their places between the individual travelers, it became more restless, you could feel the nervousness and anticipation of the passengers. Then, punctually at 3 p.m., the first official announcement came, welcoming us all on board the ship and explaining the procedure that was about to begin.

I was really thrilled. Everything was sorted and there was no more “I have to check in first…” scramble. Here you checked in by deck. Passengers on the main deck were asked to go to reception first, followed by the guests on the middle deck. Our cabin was on the upper deck, so we waited our turn.

We then comfortably climbed down the steep ship’s stairs to the reception. After a friendly welcome, we handed in our ID cards (which were returned the next morning), gave the cabin number we had booked and received our keycard for the cabin. A member of staff showed us the way to our cabin.

The cabin

Our suitcases were already in front of the cabin. Now we were ready to go. Door open – first look into the cabin – really nice. I really liked our accommodation straight away. The bathroom was so big that you could shower comfortably. There was plenty of storage space for clothes and there was room for our suitcases under the beds.

The beds were still together as a double bed when we arrived. I had asked for two single beds when booking and so I went to reception before we had even started unpacking and asked for the beds to be put apart. It didn’t even take 5 minutes for two women from housekeeping to come and rearrange the beds. Super service!

The program for the first day, the tickets for the excursions we had booked and the drinks package were already waiting for us in our cabin. A glance at the program told us that coffee and cake were ready. We were ready to start enjoying ourselves before casting off!

Departure from Cologne

The time of departure was approaching. I was drawn to the sun deck. In this beautiful weather, it was just the right place to watch the maneuver.

The ropes were released and the huge river cruise ship slowly moved backwards out of the small harbor basin and onto the Rhine. After we had passed a few paddlers and barges, the captain turned the ship around. I was able to catch a few wonderful glimpses of Cologne Cathedral before the journey towards Rotterdam began.

As soon as we had left the city behind us, the first item on the day’s program was on the agenda. The tour guide was waiting for us in the bar area to give us a safety briefing, introduce the crew and, of course, present the program for this trip.

Phew, that was a bit too much information for me to be honest. Of course safety briefing is important and is definitely part of it. But the crew’s “show run” wasn’t really my thing. However, I heard from fellow passengers how great they thought it was. They knew who was responsible for what (I would have simply asked at reception or from the tour guide if necessary).

The program presentation is actually a great idea. However, it was too detailed for me. Getting the information for day 4 on the first day, for example … I didn’t remember it. And it wasn’t necessary to memorize the information. Every evening, the program for the next day was delivered to the cabin in written form.

Dinner

After this event, there was time to change before dinner was served in the restaurant.

During this river cruise, every passenger has a fixed seat in the restaurant. We had already received a card with our table number at check-in. There were 2 very nice couples at this table of 6 with whom we had a lot of fun over the next few days.

On the first day we had a 4-course menu, where we still had a choice of courses. After we had expressed our wishes, the excellently seasoned and prepared food arrived for all guests at the same table at the same time. What an organization!

The dinner was not finished until around 9 pm and we were looking forward to a relaxing night as our ship approached Rotterdam.

Day 2: Rotterdam in a roundabout way

I woke up quite early and that was really lucky! I was able to see the sunrise. What a fantastic view of the banks of the Rhine!

From 7.30 a.m., the restaurant offered breakfast that day. Over the next few days, the timing was always quite similar and the morning routine was to remain the same.

The breakfast buffet included various cold cuts, cheese, jam, bread, rolls, fruit, sweet breakfast cereals, Birchlermüsli… A pretty good selection where you are sure to find something.

During breakfast, we were able to find out what was on the menu for the day. The waitress then asked us what we wanted every morning. This meant that less had to be prepared by the kitchen and, above all, there wasn’t so much surplus. At lunchtime, we had the choice between a multi-course menu and a small buffet with a reduced selection. For the evening, we were asked to decide whether we wanted to eat each course and which of the dishes should be prepared for us. I thought it was a good idea, even if I didn’t really want to decide whether fish or meat would suit my taste in the evening with the smell of coffee in my nose.

According to the program, we should arrive in Rotterdam around 10.30 a.m. after breakfast and then have enough time in the morning to explore the city on our own. Ideal, because according to the sketch on the daily schedule we were to dock very centrally. I was already looking forward to entering the city and decided to experience it on the sun deck.

The ship stopped just before the city. We lay in almost the same place for almost an hour and nothing happened. Then the engines started again and the ship turned around. We sailed away from the city again… What had happened?

Detour to Utrecht

An announcement came relatively quickly. The port authority had refused some river cruise ships entry to the berths they had booked. Why? The captain didn’t know. He and his crew tried to find an alternative berth and were finally able to tell us that we would be docking in Utrecht.

This meant two crucial things for us:

• The morning excursion that we had planned to take on our own was canceled.
• We drove towards Utrecht in beautiful weather and were able to experience the stunningly beautiful river landscape and even a trip through a lock. There were windmills to see right on the riverbank.

I don’t know whether the other passengers also enjoyed the trip. As many of the rides during the trip were planned to be in the dark, I thought it was just beautiful. But I can understand if others were disappointed. However, I would like to emphasize one point here, the tour guide really did a great job. Buses were organized to take us from Utrecht to Rotterdam so that we could experience the pre-booked excursion.

We didn’t dock in Utrecht until after lunch. Now it was time to check out for the first time during the trip. At reception, you hand in your room card on the Rhein Melodie and receive an “exit card” in return. This card shows the name of the ship, the cabin number and an emergency telephone number. After the excursion, you return the card and receive your room card again. A very simple system to check that everyone is back on board.

We boarded the buses and drove to the Dutch port city.

Rotterdam in 3 hours

It took us almost an hour to reach the city. A tour guide boarded each bus at the Erasmus Bridge. He told us a bit about the city (in German) during a mini tour.

For example, we passed the Euromast, the market hall and the cube houses. Unfortunately, the heavy traffic prevented us from discovering more. The real highlight was still waiting for us.

Back at the Erasmus Bridge, we boarded the Spido boat for a tour of the harbor. We quickly found two free seats on the sun deck and then the boat set off.

I had already taken this harbor tour a few years before and I loved it again the second time. Huge container ships, the SS Rotterdam, harbor cranes and hustle and bustle on the water, there was always something to see and it never got boring. As far as I was concerned, we could have gone on much longer.

After about an hour, the harbor tour was over again. We had to get back on the buses. We headed back to Utrecht.

The ship remained at anchor for a while that evening. It wasn’t until around 2 a.m. that we continued on towards the IJsselmeer.

Day 3: Cruise on the IJsselmeer and visit to a museum village

A new day begins on our journey and another beautiful sunrise awaits us. Today we first sail across the Markermeer.

Markermeer

The Markermeer is a lake located between the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland. It borders the larger IJsselmeer to the north. The lake has an area of around 700 km² and is relatively shallow, with a depth of only 2 to 4 meters.

Originally, the Markermeer was part of the former Zuiderzee, which was transformed into the IJsselmeer when the Afsluitdijk was built in 1932. In 1976, when the Houtribdijk was built between the towns of Lelystad and Enkhuizen, the south-western part of the IJsselmeer was separated off. This part is called Markermeer.

The name “Markermeer” is derived from the former island of Marken, which is now connected to the mainland by a dyke. Originally it was planned to turn the Markermeer into a polder (the so-called Markerwaard) through land reclamation, but these plans were never realized. Instead, the Markermeer remained a lake and developed into an important nature and recreation area.

The region is an important nature reserve. Of particular note are the artificially created Marker Wadden, a group of islands that serve as a habitat for birds and plants.

IJsselmeer

The ship sails up to a lock on a dyke. The lock passage does not take very long, then the journey across the IJsselmeer begins.

The IJsselmeer is a large freshwater lake with an area of around 1,100 km². The lake is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 4.5 meters. The river IJssel, a tributary of the Rhine, flows into the lake, which gives it its name.

The freshwater lake was created by the separation of the former Zuiderzee bay from the North Sea. Originally, the Zuiderzee was an open bay that repeatedly caused major flooding due to storm surges and rising sea levels. The flood disaster of 1916 in particular caused massive damage and made it clear that a solution had to be found.

In 1918, the Zuiderzee Act was passed, which provided for the separation of the Zuiderzee from the North Sea. Construction of the Afsluitdijk (Afsluitdijk) began in 1927 and was completed in 1932. This 32-kilometer-long dike connects the provinces of Friesland and North Holland and transformed the Zuiderzee into a closed freshwater lake, which was henceforth called the IJsselmeer. The IJsselmeer serves as an important freshwater reservoir for agriculture and the drinking water supply of the Netherlands. The lake is an important area for migratory birds and other animal species that live in the wetlands around the lake.

Today, the lake is a popular destination for sailors and tourists. Historic harbor towns such as Enkhuizen, Hoorn and Lemmer attract many visitors.

Cruise across the IJsselmeer

Our river cruise ship continues across the IJsselmeer. The sun is shining and it looks much warmer than it actually is. The wind is quite cool and so strong that the water is rippling and you can even see the occasional foam crest. This is the first time during our trip that I realize we are on a ship. It sways a little and what surprises me is that it creaks in every corner. The large window fronts and sliding balcony doors creak in particular.

While we walk around the sun deck, we can watch some water birds. A silhouette of a town appears on the horizon from time to time. It’s almost like being on a “real” sea. The glittering water invites you to dream, I enjoy the time on deck.

If you feel like it, you can find out about other river cruises this morning and even book your next trip on board. The tour guide shows pictures and advertising trailers in the bar area for a good 1.5 hours, which brings a sparkle to the eyes of some of my fellow travelers. And who knows, maybe one or two of them have already booked a cruise.

Our ship docked in Medemblik at around 11.30 am. The port for this trip is actually Enkhuizen, but we had already been informed of this change before departure.

We had booked the half-day excursion, so there was still time for a small lunch before departure.

Off to Enkhuisen

The buses were waiting at Medemblik station. This was the first highlight of the trip for me. An old train had pulled in and the locomotive was steaming merrily along. It was even possible to take a look inside one of the passenger carriages.

The railroad line was opened in 1887 and was originally used to transport passengers and goods. It was an important part of the local transport network and connected the port city of Medemblik with Hoorn. In the 1960s, the line was taken over by an organization that preserves historic railroads. Since then, the line has been operated as a museum railroad. Today it has been fully restored and is operated by historic steam locomotives and carriages. A popular option for visitors is the so-called triangular trip. This combines a trip on the steam train from Hoorn to Medemblik, a boat trip on the historic steamship “Friesland” across the IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen and the return trip on the regular train to Hoorn. The steamship Friesland was also moored in the harbor.

Then it was time for us to leave and the coaches took us to Enkhuizen (journey time about 30 minutes). Once there, we were divided into smaller groups. We first spent some time in the Zuiderzee Museum and then strolled around Enkhuizen.

The Zuiderzee Museum consists of two areas: the open-air museum and an indoor exhibition. We explored the open-air museum, which is modeled on a real 19th century village with more than 100 historic buildings. Houses, workshops and stores furnished with great attention to detail give a tangible impression of life back then.

A really great trip that I would have liked to have had much more time for. It was super exciting!

Back on board

We were back on board shortly before dinner. During dinner, the ship set sail again across the IJsselmeer with its wind and waves towards Markersee and on to Amsterdam.

Day 4: Tulips and Amsterdam

The next day started very early. The ship docked at 3.30 am. Unfortunately, it wasn’t very central, but in the Coenhaven. The harbour is rather industrial, so it makes little sense for me to sit on deck and look around. If you want to go on a private excursion from the ship, you need a cab to get to the interesting areas of Amsterdam.

For us, this day was the most exhausting day of the trip. We were already sitting at breakfast at 6.30 a.m., and at 8 a.m. the excursion that everyone had been waiting for began. We drove to the Keukenhof to see the tulips in bloom.

Keukenhof

It took us about 30 minutes to take the bus to the large parking lot. A tour guide had already accompanied us on the bus and provided information about the tulip, tulip blossom, Keukenhof and the places we passed on the bus throughout the journey. What a flood of information, which, although nicely told, didn’t quite reach my brain in the early morning.

Keukenhof is one of the largest and most famous flower gardens in the world. It is located in the Dutch town of Lisse about 35 kilometers southwest of Amsterdam.

Keukenhof has its origins in the 15th century, when the estate was used as a herb garden for Countess Jacoba van Beieren. The name “Keukenhof” translates as “kitchen garden”, as the herbs for the palace kitchen were grown there.

In 1857, the grounds were designed in the English landscape style by landscape architects Jan David Zocher and his son Louis Paul Zocher. This design forms the basis for today’s park.

In 1949, Keukenhof opened as a spring garden to encourage Dutch flower growers. Since then, the park has developed into an international attraction.

Today, Keukenhof covers an area of 32 hectares and is home to around 7 million flower bulbs every year, including tulips, daffodils, hyacinths and other spring flowers.

Although the park is only open during the spring months, it attracts around 1.5 million visitors from all over the world every year. And I can understand why visitors love going there. For me, it is one of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen.

Amsterdam an einem Nachmittag

After about 4 hours, we went back to the ship, had lunch and immediately afterwards the bus was waiting at the ship again. Now we were off to Amsterdam.

A bus tour and a canal cruise had been announced. It should be noted right away that both took place and for those who were not yet familiar with Amsterdam, it was certainly very interesting. We passed some of the city’s highlights and it was great to get a first impression. I liked this excursion the least compared to the other excursions on the trip, but this was certainly also due to the fact that I had already visited Amsterdam several times. I just missed the flair of the city.

The bus tour must not enter the city center. Fortunately, buses are banned there. So there is no choice but to visit a few places outside the city center. We saw some beautiful streets, a mill, a soccer stadium and the museum quarter. Getting off to take a photo was only possible at the mill, which for me is the least interesting place in Amsterdam.

Canal cruise

From the bus we boarded a rather old canal boat with a loud and smelly engine. The 40 passengers sat tightly packed under the glass roof of the boat. If the weather had been bad, we would certainly have been glad of the roof.

Only the sun was shining, it was warm on the boat and only after quite a while did we open at least part of the roof. This boat was only partially suitable for someone who wanted to take photos of the sights during the trip. The side windows and the glass roof were not particularly clean, slightly curved and so it wasn’t that great visually.

The tour lasted around 45 minutes and took us past the NEMO, Central Station, the A’DAM Lookout and Anne Frank House, among others. It was actually a nice tour that would certainly have been a lot more fun in a more modern boat.

The evening on board

We were back on the ship at around 6 p.m. and the ship set sail for Nijmegen.

That evening, before dinner, there was an information session on disembarkation. For over an hour, the tour guide talked about colorful ribbons for the suitcases, when the tour groups should be picked up and where, how to order a cab, etc. The information just poured in on us and again I was glad to find this information later in writing in the cabin. Yes, and actually it wasn’t time yet. We still had one more day to go.

Day 5: Half a day in Nijmegen

The ship docked in Nijmegen in the middle of the night. As with the other mooring maneuvers, I didn’t notice a thing. I slept well every night!

Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands and is close to the German border. The city is located on the River Waal, one of the main branches of the Rhine, and is known for its rich history, cultural diversity and lively atmosphere.

A visit to the city was on the agenda for this morning. Those who wanted to could book one of the limited places on a guided tour. However, most passengers opted for a quiet morning on the ship or went off on their own.

We had decided to go off on our own and take a look at the old fortifications, the town hall and the church as well as the pedestrian zone. We strolled off at a leisurely pace.

Nijmegen was founded over 2,000 years ago and was originally a Roman settlement called Noviomagus, which means “new market”. The city was an important trading and military base in the Roman Empire. In the Middle Ages, Nijmegen developed into an important trading town. It was a member of the Hanseatic League.

During the Second World War, Nijmegen was heavily bombed, especially in 1944 when the city was accidentally hit by the Allies. After the war, the city was rebuilt. This is very noticeable in some areas. Restored historic buildings stand next to ‘sins’ of the 60s/70s and modern new buildings.

Worth seeing in Nijmegen

Despite the relatively short time, we saw some of the most important places in the city.

Stevenskerk:
St. Stevens Church is the town’s landmark. It dates back to the 13th century and impresses with its Gothic architecture.

Waalbrücke:
The striking bridge over the Waal is a symbol of the city and connects the two banks. It played an important role during the Second World War.

Old town:
With its narrow streets, historic buildings and cozy cafés, the old town of Nijmegen is an inviting place to stroll and shop.

I thought it was a pity that there wasn’t enough time to follow a signposted trail about what happened in the city during the Second World War. I will save that for a longer stay.

Back on board – the journey home begins

We were back on the ship around midday. In the meantime, we had received the disembarkation information sheet and were able to complete the first tasks before lunch. More on this in a moment…

We enjoyed our last afternoon on board the ship. I had chosen a seat in the bar area at the very front of the ship. From there you really had a fantastic view of the Rhine. What traffic there was: cargo ships, river cruise ships, private boats… It was almost like being on the highway. Everyone drove at their own pace, there were overtaking maneuvers and sometimes you got stuck behind a barge. The riverside landscape sometimes elicited a squeak of excitement from me. There were actually wild horses grazing on the banks under the trees. In other places, I admired huge factories, towns and sometimes areas that looked completely untouched. Simply beautiful!

The farewell reception took place before dinner. The crew were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine before heading to the gala dinner. In addition to the excellent food, this time we were treated to an ice bomb with sparklers. Pure dream ship feeling and shining eyes among the passengers.

Back in Cologne- How does disembarkation work?

First of all, I have to say that everything was super organized and actually very easy.

Step 1: Depending on the type of travel (group, solo, with arrival booking through the shipping company…) there were different colored ribbons that you should attach to your suitcase. For us as individual travelers with our own transport, striped ribbons in lilac and white were provided. These could be picked up from the tour guide.

Step 2: We needed a cab to the train station. The tour guide accepted our preferred time (up to 9 a.m. was possible) and organized the pick-up.

Other travelers, in our case two tour groups, found out where and when their bus was leaving.

Step 3: On the last evening, passengers who had not booked a drinks package, for example, had to settle their on-board bill by 10.30 pm.

Step 4: On arrival in Cologne, the suitcases had to be packed and ready in front of the cabin by 7 am. The crew carried them to the sun deck while we enjoyed our last breakfast. Later, we found the suitcases already sorted into groups in front of the ship and just had to grab them.

Step 5: We had to leave the ship by 9 am. After we had handed in our key cards at reception, it was time to say goodbye. It had been a great, eventful few days. We saw each other, relaxed and enjoyed our time together.

Step 6: With the suitcase to the cab and then to Cologne Central Station.

Will we go on a river cruise again?

Yes!!! It was a great time and a very pleasant way to travel. You always have the floating hotel with you and you can experience really interesting places. The guided excursions gave me ideas for longer stays and we will definitely visit one or two places again.

I enjoyed it and I’m already looking forward to the next trip.