Best Vacation Ever

Best Vacation Ever! Don’t dismiss this as mere hyperbole. Had our Boat-Bike tour from Cochen to Aschaffenburg gone according to plan I would have called this a Great vacation. “Best Vacation Ever” requires clarification because our tour did not go as planned….it went better. We have Mother Nature to thank for derailing our original tour: the three rivers our tour was to transit were flooded, including the easy bicycle paths alongside them. Our captain and tour guides kept working on contingencies: what would happen if authorities shut down the rivers? Where would we go if berths were unavailable? What routes could we take to continue to visit each city as planned if the easy bike paths were flooded.? Some contingencies worked as planned; others did not and it was back to the drawing board. Throughout it all our guides and the boat crew were upbeat while they arranged for alternative lodging, dining, and bike route options for every contingency. One day’s announcement to we passengers might be “We’re on to Plan H,” and the next day’s might be “We’re now on to Plan N!” Having to travel inland to reach our next destination because the easy bike path along today’s river was flooded, we cycled amongst gorgeous German countryside we would not have seen had we stayed on the easy paths. We visited small towns off the beaten path that specialized in local cuisines, wines, beers. And at the end of the day, if our boat had not caught up with us Boat Bike Tours arranged for us all to be together in excellent hotels and fine restaurants. Fueled by the resiliency of our guides and boat crew, we 31 passengers bonded together stronger, even developing an appetite for adversity. We were all part of a larger adventure, one that we came to call “Our Magical Mystery Tour.” No vacation has ever left us and our new-found friends feeling this way. Best Vacation Ever! Will my wife and I do this trip again? In a heartbeat. Would we like it to go as planned? Perhaps not ☺ Keep up the great work