of very greatly differing dishes, all accompanied by rice.  It's not only a meal -- it's an experience.

This will be one of the days on the tour you'll never forget. [Buffet Breakfast, Dinner]

DAY 4 -- TO COLOGNE AND A RHINE RIVER CRUISE
In the morning we bid a reluctant farewell to Amsterdam and travel southward, passing the battlegrounds of Arnhem, across the German border through the industrial Ruhr Valley.  Several miles before we get to Cologne a most magnificent sight comes into view; the filigree twin spires of the Cologne Cathedral, the world's largest Gothic structure.  You'll want photographs taken both close up and far enough away to capture its full scope.  You have time to visit this awe-inspiring cathedral and, after time for lunch, we continue on for yet another treat.

Since January 1, 2002, when 300 million Europeans bid farewell to their national currencies, life has become simpler and cheaper for the overseas visitor.  No need to exchange your Dutch Guilder leftovers into German Marks and memorize another exchange rate.  Just keep the EUROs and spend them in Germany and France.

We're driving southward, though UP the Rhine.  (We say "UP" because the Rhine flows from south to north.)  At one of the quaint and historic villages along the way, we'll board a Rhine River steamer for a trip through the most spectacular part of this great river.

You'll see vineyards located so precariously on the hillsides that you will wonder how they could ever be farmed.  Castles are perched on such steep hilltops that you really can't imagine how they were built in such strange and wondrous locations.  Barges churn up and down the river, and you'll be intrigued with the fact that many families live on the barges.

We'll see the infamous Lorelei Rock, where an enchantress supposedly bewitched sailors with her song, leading their vessels to disaster.  Along the whole length of the Rhine, there is no castle, island or even rock without its tale of chivalry or legend.  In the entire world there is no river quite it; it is an experience you'll never forget.  Our hotel for the night is in the Rhine Valley. [BB,D]

DAY 5 -- RHINE VALLEY - HEIDELBERG AND THE FABLED BLACK FOREST
This morning we head south to the valley of the Neckar River and the romantic city of Heidelberg, immortalized by Sigmund Romberg in his "Student Prince."  Perhaps Romberg was persuaded to use Heidelberg University as the venue for his operetta because it is the oldest in Germany; but the romantic setting of the centuries-old university, nestled below an imposing castle, might have also sparked his artistic imagination.

Then it's on to the renowned Black Forest, where towering spruce, pine, and cypress cover the hillsides so thickly that shafts of sun can hardly penetrate to the fern-rich forest floor.

In the Black Forest, one will marvel at seeing spic-and-span villages that seem to have come right out of a child's storybook.  An added attraction is the preservation of folk traditions -- and you are sure to see native customs much in evidence.  Along the way we will often see the Schwarzwaldhaus, a huge wooden farmhouse characteristic of the Black Forest, sheltering both people and animals under one roof.

Another delightful experience will be today's train ride.  For part of the way through the fabled forest, we'll board a German train.  The view from the rail car gives you a different and equally interesting perspective of the lovely landscapes through which we pass.  You will look down upon the tiny, flower-filled yards of "gingerbread" cottages, look up to the tree-crowned tops of dark-hued hills.  The track follows the sparkling course of crystal-clear streams, and passes through towns and villages that have changed little in the last 400 years.

This evening we'll stay at a typical, charming Black Forest 

Rhine River Cruise

Heidelberg Castle