Explore the Wonderful Sanssouci Palace

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Sanssouci Palace in Potsdam

A brief hop over from the beautiful Elbe River is one of the most breathtaking historical culture sites in all of Germany. The elegant city of Potsdam is home to the Sanssouci Palace and the grounds of Frederick the Great. This German palace was the summer playground of the Prussian royalty, and has recently been renovated to some of its former glory. Sanssouci is one story tall and is designed in the Frederician Rococo style, so named after Frederick the Great. It is definitely worth taking a short bus ride from your Elbe river cruise to see the palaces, grounds and the nearby town.

894444_sanssouci2Why Sanssouci Palace is “care free”?

Unlike nearby Berlin, Potsdam was spared much of the bombing during World War II, so continues to display the charm and opulence that it has always had. The entire city is worth exploring, and they make sure that their crowning jewel of Sanssouci along with the surrounding grounds and other palace stay immaculate and ready for visitors year round. Every season is beautiful at these culture sites, and you can spend an entire day perusing this German palace and park. It is certain to be a day that you will never forget. Along with the Neue Palais and all the surrounding temples, statues, and unbelievable gardens, you will leave Sanssouci with a complete understanding of why Frederick the Great named this place “care free.” He designed Sanssouci to be a great escape from court life in Berlin, and you too might find it to be an excellent short retreat away from your Elbe River Cruise.

Berlin vs Sanssouci

If you have the time, you should definitely take the short train ride from Potsdam to the amazing capital city of Berlin. In stark contrast to the quiet of Sanssouci, Berlin is a bustling city full of vibrant life in every corner. You can continue with the royal theme by visiting Charlottenburg Palace and wandering around the beautiful gardens there sure to be full of picnickers  if the weather allows. You can travel to the city center and go up in the Television Tower to view the city in its entirety. Take a stroll around the city that has been at the center of so much history, and you are sure to be amazed.

Cruising the Elbe River

By the end of your Berlin and Sanssouci excursions, you will be ready to float away on your Elbe River Cruise once more. Contact us today to learn more about cruising the Elbe River.


The Belgium River Cruise

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Experience Beauty- The Belgium City of Antwerp On The Belgium River Cruise

The Belgium River CruiseAntwerp is a charming and relaxed city that’s very much medieval at heart. It is the second city of Belgium and is more captivating than the capital Brussels. Antwerp takes pride in being the birthplace of Rubens and being a place where 70% of world’s diamond trade takes place. Antwerp is filled with exemplary architecture, fine cuisine, thousands of bars, enthralling river cruises, wonderful museums and its red-light district. The city is compact but has a lot to offer and everyone will find something exciting in this relatively small city.

Antwerp is a wonderful walking city. Opt for a walking tour various sights as the major sightseeing attractions are easily accessible from one major street that changes its name as you move along: Italielei, Frankrijklei, Britselei, and Amerikalei. Some of the major sites that can be experienced on a walking tour include: Antwerp Castle, known as Het Steen ( “The Stone”). At the time of The Stone’s rise in the 13th century most buildings were still made of wood. The Grote Market is a masterpiece of 16th century architecture. It is beautifully surrounded by the Town Hall and the so-called houses of the Guilds or corporations richly decorated with golden statues, like in Brussels’ Groote Markt. Brabo Fountain stands in the middle of the Grote Market. The Rubens House, former home and studio of Peter Paul Rubens, the famous 17th century Flemish Baroque painter is a an amazing place. Antwerp Cathedral, which houses two of Rubens’s masterpieces, the ‘Descent from the Cross’ and the ‘Elevation of the Cross’ is yet another wonderful place you can see on your walking tour of Antwerp. The superb architecture and sights of the city are something you do NOT want to miss!

You Do Not Want To Miss The Belgium River Cruise

With so many attractions, Antwerp is a superb place where you can find everything from history to beauty to architecture to art and culture. Our Belgium River Cruises and Barge Cruises in Belgium offer walking tours of Antwerp where you get an excellent opportunity to see its attractions, marvel at its architecture and imbibe the Antwerp culture. Call us to book your holiday on one of our Belgium River or Barge Cruises and visit the wonderful city of Antwerp!

Casual Bike and Barge Cruise to the Italian City of Ferrara off the Po River

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lotg_mooredCruise and Casually Bike along the Po River

A casual Bike and Barge cruise is offered along the Po River that includes excursions to the historically and culturally significant city of Ferrara. Located in Northern Italy in Emilia-Romagna, Ferrara is the capital city of the province of Ferrara, and it lies along a branch of the main Po River named the Po di Volano. The cultural attractions of the city have been recognized by UNESCO, and numerous palaces that date from the 14th and 15th centuries– a time during which the city was the home of the court of the House of Este. In recognition of the city’s historical significance, the Italian Hermitage Museum began using the location for its headquarters in 2006. A barge cruise on the Po River is a perfect way to explore this fascinating city.

Enjoy Italian Culture Cruising the Po River

The cultural resources featured around the city mainly consist of a variety of architectural landmarks. The city wall itself, which was constructed in the 15th and 16th centuries, still stands and is in fact one of the best preserved Renaissance walls in all of Italy.

One of the most important structures to visit in the city is the Castello Estense. This building is found in the absolute center of town, and its construction began in the late 14th century. The Castello Estense is a brick building that is surrounded by a moat and four impressive bastions.

Another must-see building is the City Hall. The City Hall was at one point a residence of the Este family, and it is found near another important architectural landmark, the former Cathedral of St. George. This cathedral is an interesting combination of several different architectural styles– Romanesque, Baroque, and Renaissance– that were incorporated as additions were made to the cathedral over the years.

Italian culture is reflected in the many palazzi that are found in and around the city. Some possible places to visit when wishing to view a typical Italian Renaissance palazzo are the Palazzo dei Diamanti, the Palazzo Schifanoia, and the Casa Romei.

Barge Cruise on the Po River 

There is no better way to take in all of these sites and enjoy the landscape of the areas surrounding the Po River than by barge. Contact us today to book a casual bike and barge cruise in Italy.

 

Explore Cawdor Castle on the Highland Barge Cruise

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Experience Cawdor Castle and Explore MacBeth

MelkCawdor Castle is a splendid, turreted gothic castle situated amid gardens in the parish of Cawdor, around 10 miles east of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands. The castle was built around a 15th-century tower house, with generous additions in subsequent centuries. The castle was, originally, a property of the Clan Calder which passed to the Campbells in the 16th century. It continued to remain in Campbell ownership, and is now home to the Dowager Countess Cawdor, stepmother of Colin Campbell, 7th Earl Cawdor.

A curious feature of the castle is that it was built around a small, living holly tree, the remains of which may still be seen in the lowest level of the tower.

The castle is renowned for its stunning gardens, which include the WalledGarden which was originally planted in the 17th Century, the Flower Garden planted in 18th century and the WildGarden added in the 1960s. In addition to these gardens, the castle property includes a wood featuring numerous species of trees as well as over 100 species of lichen.

Shakespeare and Cawdor Castle

Cawdor Castle is best known for being immortalized in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Macbeth where the title character is made “Thane of Cawdor”. But the playwright has taken several artistic liberties and has highly fictionalized the story. The fact is that the castle itself was built many years after the life of the 11th-century King Macbeth.

Notwithstanding the fact that the real Macbeth never entered the castle – he died around 400 years before it was built – the atmospheric medieval keep and battlements are pervaded with a sense of romantic history.

Our 8 passenger scottish highlander barge will be a perfect choice for you if you want to visit Cawdor Castle. So get aboard our highland barge cruise and make a visit to the amazing and immortalized castle!

Barging on the Burgundy Canal in France

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Burgundy has been a rich and prosperous area of France since ancient times. The Romans were the first to plant vineyards there, during the time of their occupation of Gaul, and their efforts were richly rewarded. The amazing red wines that come from the region are so famous that their color is known to the English language as “burgundy.”

 

Dijon And Burgundy

Burgundy was once an independent nation, easily the rival of Paris in power, and Dijon was its capital. The city still retains much of the structure of the Middle Ages, and half-timber buildings can be seen from the ancient canal. The famous Tower of John the Fearless overlooks the city, watching over your deluxe barge cruise down the canals of Burgundy. The salient historical, and geological, fact about this area is that one of the most important and essential of all early canals was cut through here. The river that runs through Dijon, the Ouche, drains into the Saone, and then the Rhone, and then the Mediterranean. On the other side of the rolling plains of the Burgundian region is the Yonne, which drains to the Seine and then travels past Paris on the way to the Atlantic. As one could imagine, this was of tremendous importance to medieval France. The ability to carry freight from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic without having to brave the ocean or sail around Spain was central to the economic life of the Middle Ages. Water travel was no longer a matter of life and death for an ancient merchant, but a pleasant opportunity to see the country and conduct business. The fascinating historical architecture that grew up around the canals shows this history of growth and profit.

 

What To Expect On A Burgundy Canal Cruise

The canal path through the beautiful hills and green mountains of Burgundy is well used and well-traveled. While enjoying a grand and luxurious Burgundy canal cruise you can walk alongside the barge at a leisurely pace, and even participate in opening and closing the locks as they arrive. A wine cruise on the legendary canal from the Yonne to the Saone can unlock a world of viticulture and wine culture for you and your family. If you would like to book your Burgundy Canal Cruise, please feel free to contact us today.