It wasn’t Carnival during our Venice cruise but we & our fellow cruisers purchased masks to wear on our last night on board. Dating back to the 1200’s Venice’s Carnival or Carnevale in Italian is one of the oldest celebrations. While there are many versions of celebrating revelry & feasting is the highlight. 🎭 🇮🇹 🧭 Travel-Lyn LLC #lovetravelleyn . . . #celebratewithtravel #traveleducates #liveeachday #instatravel #enjoythejourney #smallbusiness #travelmore #takethetrip #travelling #tourism #instapassport #view #womeninbusiness #carnival #venice #italy #celebrations #localculture #history #fattuesday #feast #ballisimo (at Venice, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2tiW-OWEr/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Mount Mitchell, North Carolina

Driving the Blue Ridge Parkway an American gem!

Breathtaking views in every direction.

The amazing gardens & arboretum at Biltmore Estate.

Touring the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina

Our cruise ended in Amsterdam, our flight was 8 hours delayed so we took advantage and toured Amsterdam.  Once again get a little extra out of vacations that don’t go quite as planned.  Bottom picture is flying into Newark always a beautiful site seeing the Statue of Liberty as you land, on this trip we had seen where she began so even more special landing this day.

Cologne Cathedral

As we cruised towards Cologne past Remagen our waiter alerted us about the bridge so took a quick picture out the window. The Ludendorff Bridge in March 1945 was one of two remaining bridges across the River Rhine in Germany when it was captured during the Battle of Remagen by United States Army forces towards the end of World War II.  

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress & Basilica of St. Castor Koblenz, Germany

At Koblenz, you sail past Deutsches Eck (German Corner) with its historic monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I, at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers. Another gondola ride providing an amazing view of the whole area. A rain shower came through but passed quickly. @uniworld

Boppard, Germany we stopped here for the night part way through the stretch of castles. We like getting the chance to enjoy a smaller town. As we cruised up the river the bottom picture shows how high the water still was. This trip was in June 2016 but the river levels can change quickly.  We had a July trip where the river was to low.  If you are river cruising for the first time just be aware but also remember you are on vacation so enjoy it.

"Castles on the Rhine" River Cruise @uniworld

@uniworld

Sailing from Rüdesheim you enter the upper middle Rhine Valley.  This 40 mile stretch was inspiration to all types of artists. Castles, ruins, quaint villages, trains running along the rivers edge, vineyards, and the most amazing scenery.  So here we go "Castles on the Rhine" offered by every river cruise line is "the cruise'. The crew brings you drinks, snacks answers every question and alerts you to upcoming sites. I would do this cruise again and again. @uniworld