My First River Cruise

River cruising certainly sounds great to me, and now I get to try it! You travel rivers, the original highways of wherever you are--in my case on this trip, the Netherlands--by river boat. Now, what that means is that you're docking in the oldest part of town--perfect, especially in Europe! You've got all day--and night--to explore the city. So you can go wander about the heart of an old city and return to your cruise ship as late as you want--as long as it's before the ship leaves. Back on board, you're watching the Netherlands (or Egypt or Russia or whatever part of the world with navigable rivers you've opted to see) glide by, as you sit, glass of wine or beer in hand (well, if it's morning, a kick-butt cup of coffee) atop your cruise ship (I’ll be on the christening cruise for Avalon Waterways’ new ship, the Visonary). I'm hoping to do some early morning runs at each port of call--Lelystad, Kampen, Arnhem, to name a few--to see these old ports waking up. Let’s see how ambition--and the internet--hold up.