More choices require more research to target experiences that are right for you
BY DAVID G. MOLYNEAUX
In Germany on the Rhine, my riverboat, the Viking Hild, stopped in the historic city of Mainz. The vessel’s basic complimentary walking tour included monuments to art and history, markets, churches, and the fascinating museum of Johannes Gutenberg where travelers may see two of the 29 remaining copies of the Gutenberg bible.
All good, except what I wanted to see in this port, on this visit, were Marc Chagall’s nine stained glass windows in St. Stephen’s Church.
Chagall viewed these amazing church windows as a sign of post-World War II goodwill between the Jewish and Christian faiths, finishing the final window just before his death in France in 1985. He declined ever to return to Germany after the war so he never saw his windows in place. They did not exist when last I visited Mainz in the 1970s.
St. Stephen’s was not on the basic tour, which most passengers on the ship chose, but I had noticed the itinerary and picked a different guided walk. How did I know about the windows? I had read a magazine travel story about them while doing pre-trip research.
Even in this world where everything in organized travel seems to be handed to you on a silver platter — especially on river cruise tours — you need to know what you want to see and do.
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