The Rhine River

This European river cruise is not what you might think. See if you can keep up.

by Mae Hamilton

I’M OUT OF BREATH and panting, somewhere near Heidelberg, a historic German city located near the foothills of the Odenwald. My cycling group and I are pedaling toward Schwetzingen Palace, renowned for its Versailles-like gardens, about six miles away from our ship docked along the Rhine. As I pause in the middle of a cornfield, all my groupmates are a glimmer of silver hair in the distance.

“Don’t worry,” the wellness instructor says sympathetically. He had stayed behind with me so I wouldn’t get lost.“Some of these older people have been cyclists for years.”

“They’re in such better shape than I am!” I say.

He gives me a look. “Well, yes.”

It’s day five of AmaWaterways’ seven-night “Captivating Rhine” cruise. I’m sailing from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland, on the 156passenger AmaLucia, which was christened in 2022. One of the newest ships in the company’s