One big surprise during my cruise on Crystal Bach was the Moselle. It wasn’t my first time on the river, but the weather and the time of year conspired to make the Moselle Europe’s most beautiful river – at least in my view.

On Crystal Bach, we cruised from Amsterdam along with sister ship Crystal Debussy. In Koblenz, Crystal Bach docked with its nose pointed up the Moselle, while Debussy docked in the direction of the Rhine. We each departed, and after a few hours of sailing, my feeling was that we got the better end of the bargain.

The Moselle gave the impression that we were sailing through a gorge, flanked by vineyards running up steep slopes. We docked in fairytale villages, such as Bernkastel and…

In the south of Germany sits the birthplace of many fairytales inspired by magical surroundings and castles. A place where the meadows are a pleasant sight and walled towns from the medieval times continue to flourish. Bavaria is cozy and dreamlike, with the Bavarian Alps rising along the border to Austria.

There is a thin line between “customer service” and being a doormat. Remember, you can’t be all things to all people.

If there is one common refrain I hear (and if I’ve heard it once I’ve heard it a hundred times), it is:

Potential clients contact me to milk me for information before they head out to book their own vacation on the…