Billy Braxdale

<p>I will never forget my first river cruise!  My wife and I traveled on the Rhine River with Ama Waterways. We visited the small village of Riquewihr, France that largely escaped damage during WWII. It provided us with a perfect glimpse of a 16th / 17th century village.  It was so charming and we were hooked on river cruising from then on!  Strolling through the streets of Strasbourg, Cologne, and Rudesheim; visiting Castle Heidelburg and cruising through the Rhine Gorge viewing castle after castle from the deck of our ship were also highlights from the trip.  Since that time we have been on the Rhine twice more, sometimes escorting a group and experiencing the cruise at different seasons.Another memorable cruise was on the Danube visiting the historic cities of Nuremburg and Regensburg and the beautiful cities of Budapest and Vienna.  A visit to Vienna always includes a stop at one of the many Viennese coffeehouses for a coffee and pastry!  What fun we had- taking a large group of travelers on the Danube during the holiday season and getting to experience the Christmas markets!Cruises on the Seine have a focus on Paris, but also present an opportunity to spend a day visiting the Normandy beaches- a truly powerful experience that we will never forget.  We were on able to visit the apartment where Vincent Van Gogh painted his final masterpieces, the field where he shot himself and his final resting place next to his brother. We pretended to be Van Gogh on the ship after taking a painting lesson on the ship!We had an incredible time on the Rhone River with an AMA wine cruise. If you are a wine lover, we highly recommend these cruises on AMA! In Vienne (not Vienna) we toured the city and several Roman ruins including a Roman Amphitheatre. We toured Lyon a wonderful city founded by the Romans, the third largest city in France and world renowned for their cuisine and Micheline chefs.  I particularly enjoyed viewing the numerous mural frescos adorning the facades of buildings.  The highlight of this cruise was visiting a working truffle farm and seeing a demonstration of a truffle dog at work!We have worked with clients booking river cruises for the past ten years, booking hundreds of cruises rivers around the world; predominantly in Europe. We love booking river cruises because we know our clients will be delighted with their experience! History, culture, art, geography, food and drink experiences… and you only have to unpack once!Whether you are a first time cruiser or an experienced river cruiser, we can add value to your planning process as you look for the next river to sail!</p>