AMABELLA EUROPE RIVER CRUISE REVIEW DAY 1

Join guest blogger Simon Clifford on his few days onboard APT River Cruises AmaBella

Arrived onboard the Amabella, first impressions are that it's a great ship, bigger than I thought with good sized cabins. We had a Category P Cabin, with a balcony set into the cabin, perfect if you want some privacy.

Time for a quick lunch; this can either be taken buffet style in the lounge, or slightly more formally in the restaurant downstairs. Three courses are on offer, but you can take just one if you prefer, it's all very flexible

The afternoon was spent cruising the Main River, all very relaxing, with lovely views of the steep vineyards that line the banks.

In the evening, we had the opportunity to dine in the 'Chefs Table Reastaurant' at the aft of the ship. This dinning area seats about 24 passengers, here a private chef cooks up a different meal consisting of six light courses.

By the time dinner was over we had docked in the small town of Kitzingen, the centre of the Franconian wine region. My fellow passengers and myself were lead up through the winding old street to one of Germany's oldest wine cellars. We were taken down a flight of steep steps into a dark cellar full of huge wine barrels - one was easily 4 metres high! We enjoyed a selection of 6 different wines all very different, and quite unique to this area. I enjoyed them, although trying to impress a boat full of Australian pensioners - who clearly know they chardonnay from their sauvignon blanc isn't easy!

• River Cruise Blog Day 1
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