From European Christmas Markets to Deer Stands: Missing Cruise Ships, Hot Tugs, Singing Trees, & Holiday Hunts

Oh. My. Goodness!

December has completely flown by! I feel like I blinked and all of November and most of December disappeared before my eyes. As a hunter, I didn’t get much hunting done at all this year due to work, and then November was spent prepping for a two-week European trip. But let me tell you, it was worth every second!

A Dream Come True

Visiting the Christmas markets in Europe has been a bucket list trip of mine since I was a little girl. I’ve always been fascinated by the festive atmosphere, the gorgeous lights and the beautiful decorations. So, two years ago, we finally decided to take the plunge and book a Viking Cruise Christmas on the Rhine trip.

The cruise was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. We sailed up the Rhine River from Basel, Switzerland to Amsterdam, stopping at charming towns and villages along the way. Each stop was more magical than the last, with twinkling lights, festive music, and delicious food…I’m surprised I somehow lost 3 pounds and didn’t gain 8.

Viking Cruise on the Rhine

Our Viking Cruise was on the longship Mani, was absolutely lovely. The ship was decorated for Christmas in a perfectly minimalist Scandinavian way, and the staff were incredibly friendly and helpful. The food, curated by an Austrian chef with 30+ years of experience, was amazing, with a wide variety of options to choose from.

Breisach, Germany: We visited the fortress at Breisach, which was beautiful despite the rain. I was disappointed to learn the schnapps tour had been sold out before it even became available on the app. Annoyed, we put together our own shore excursion and enjoyed a private tour, a history lesson on champagne complete with sparkling wine tasting, sabrage demonstration and visit to Geldermann’s cellars.

Strasbourg/Le Petite France: What a lovely little part of Strasbourg. I wish we could have had 3 days to explore. The locks were interesting but provided quite the pedestrian chokehold.

Strasbourg, France: We visited the Strasbourg Cathedral, which is one of the tallest churches in the world. We tried to explore the Christmas markets, full of French charm but as it was a Sunday, the crowds were too intense, and we had a very short time there. The last shuttle back to our ship left at 5:15 so we had just enough time to grab some “just past dark” drone shots” and jump on the shuttle

Koblenz, Germany: Exactly what you’d expect from a German Christmas Market, old world stalls and food in the middle of a contemporary atmosphere. Greeted by an equestrian statue of William I, the first German Emperor, you wander into the town and find yourself surrounded by baroque buildings. We took the gondolas up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress which was gloriously decked out for Christmas.

Rudesheim, Germany: A clear favorite, cobblestone streets, and fun decorations we walked past vendors selling handcrafted ornaments and regional specialties. We ate dinner at a lovely restaurant and would definitely come back to visit this sleepy little town.

Cologne, Germany: We visited the Cologne Cathedral, which is one of the largest Gothic churches in the world. One of the stops I was most looking forward to.

DIY Switzerland

The Basel, Switzerland pre-extension was sold out, so we (in true Carrie fashion) decided to DIY our own trip. We spent a week in Switzerland, staying in the Ruby Mimi in Zurich (chosen because they offer in room Marshall amplifiers and complimentary guitars…). We got to see the Singing Tree and got rained on in the Christmas market, but it was still a magical experience.

https://youtube.com/shorts/7oQLRZyGmlY

We rented a car and drove west into this tiny little country, spending three days exploring Grindelwald, where we rode the gondolas up the mountain to First and enjoyed the stunning scenery. This one day will need its own 2,000 word blog post. First Flier, and First Glider: think Batman ride at Great America surrounded by now, on a mountain at 7,000 ft above sea level…Then step out onto Cliff Walk, a 1,000 ft long metal walkway suspended from the side of the  mountain which offers jaw-dropping views of the Eiger and Wetterhorn.

We also spent a day at Hotel Des Alpes in Lucerne after spending two hours in a hot tug (a floating hot tub) on Lake Lucerne. It was the perfect way to relax and warm up after the day before playing in the snow.

A River Cruise Surprise

When we finally arrived at our port in Basel, Switzerland, we were surprised to find that our river cruise ship was nowhere to be found! It turned out that the ship was unable to make it’s way through the lock at Grand Canal d’Alsace due to a French lock worker strike. So the Viking Mani was docked in Kembs. We made our way back to the airport, grabbed a taxi and headed into French country…crazy, a bit stressful…but it was all part of the adventure.

Back to Reality

We came back from our trip on December 13th and have been trying to prepare for our annual Christmas party ever since. We have about 100 people attending, so it’s a ton of work. But we love hosting parties, so despite zero downtime it’ll all be worth it in the end to get the tree bought and trimmed, all the decorations up and the lights up on the roof. Even though they’ll only be up for about two weeks it’ll be all worthwhile. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and I wouldn’t want to bypass the joy, even for a shorter amount of time.

Hunting Season

The Wisconsin Holiday Hunt, and the extended metro archery hunt is my light at the end of this whirlwind December tunnel! After all the Christmas chaos subsides, I’m trading my party dress for some blaze orange and heading straight to the woods. It’s the perfect way to unwind, reconnect with nature, and hopefully fill the freezer before the year ends. I’ve got my eye on that Antlerless-only Holiday Hunt (Dec 24th – Jan 1st) – a little peace and quiet after the holidays sounds absolutely perfect (if the deer actually show up during the day and I can avoid the crazy amount of human traffic on public).

Maybe this year I’ll even get lucky with a post-new year archery buck! Fingers crossed for some crisp mornings, clear shots, and that satisfying “thwack” of an arrow hitting its mark

I’m not sure if my readers or podcast listeners will even care about my crazy overseas adventure with this amazing experience. But if you’d like to hear about it or see photos, please leave a comment below!

I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season!