We had never been to Germany, and with a name like Schuler it seemed that we should know more about our heritage. So, we set about to rectify that. We were very fortunate to find an eight-day river cruise on the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The river cruise would give us the advantage of moving up the river without having to pack and unpack our luggage. In addition, we had beautiful changing views, tours at various locations, outstanding meals, and fellowship. Another benefit of river boats is that their crew-to-passenger ratio is about 1 crew member to every 2.4 passengers. On top of all these great things we ended up on a WINE cruise. That’s right, wine at every dinner, free.
We got to be friends with many of the crew. I especially enjoyed talking with the captain. He had many years sailing on the river and was very pleased with his position. After a few days at sea, I happened to notice a slight bump. Nothing any of the passengers would be concerned about. I couldn’t wait to talk to the captain about it. He said that we hit something on the bottom, and we would have to change the propeller. I asked if we would have to change boats and he said, “Oh no, we will change the propeller tonight at the dock.” I was confused, the diameter of this propeller had to be about 6 feet, and I am sure it weighed a few hundred pounds. But sure enough, a barge came up alongside, a few SCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) divers got into the water and changed the bent propeller for a new one. The rest of the passengers never knew anything about what had just happened.
One of the most enjoyable things was looking at the castles as we cruised through the Black Forest. We were told that Walt Disney got his inspiration for his castle logo from this area. We did take a tour of this area and sampled the Black Forest Cake. What a treat. The locals who worked there were dressed in clothes of the time, with their puffy sleeve blouses, and Bollenhut hats. This is a lady’s hat with large red woolen pom poms on it. The Black Forest has a rich history going back many years. It was noted for its wood, then they started mining and now it is primarily recreation and tourism.
We also got to tour a modern German city, Cologne. This is an old city with a history going back a thousand years and a population of about one million people. As we walked through the town, we kept looking for signs or businesses with the name “SCHULER”. It means student, pupil, or schoolboy. We found several places where it was spelled the same as we do.
There was another couple that we became friendly with, and they mentioned that they heard a replica of Noah’s Ark had been built in the area. This was not on the agenda, and nobody seemed to have any details. The four of us decided to exit the boat at the next stop, rent a van and try to find this ark. It took quite a while, but we found it. They had built it on a huge barge so they could move it around. It was built to scale, 440’ to 500’ long. The ancient scale varies by the length of one’s arm. Regardless of the scale, it was big. And it showed that the different species could easily fit aboard. You must remember that if they had dogs aboard, they didn’t mean the variety of dogs, but rather the species that all dogs come from. Webster quotes species as “a class of individuals having some common characteristics or qualities.” There were no windows, but a huge door on the side of the barge. Noah didn’t have to get the animals, God brought them.
We passed by Amsterdam’s Red-Light district. This was originally known as De Wallen district and established in 1385. A Red-Light District and I quote, ‘is a lively part of town that unlike most traditionally conservative European cities offers a whole list of usually taboo services.” It is now only about two blocks in size and picture taking is prohibited.
River cruising is an excellent way to travel and take in the sights. It has become increasingly popular in America, and with so many rivers to explore, we just might see you along the way. Bon Voyage!
