THE smell wafting from the pot decorated with edelweiss flowers is irresistible. Alplermagronen — a Swiss mac ‘n’ cheese — layers potatoes and pasta with velvety cream and melted cheese from cows that graze the grassy pastures of the Alps. The taste? Sensational.
The sights? Well, that really elevated the whole experience as we admired 360-degree views of snowy peaks, verdant slopes and, far below, sparkling Lake Lucerne. The revolving restaurant at the top of the Stanserhorn mountain 1,900 metres above sea level is a Swiss institution. We’d jumped aboard an open-topped wooden train, then a cutting-edge cable car to tuck into the speciality carb-fest.
And it was just the start of the culinary treats on our river cruise through Switzerland and Germany. Riviera Travel’s eight-day Gastronomy of Switzerland and the Rhine had us discovering delicacies as we sailed 310 picturesque miles from Basel in Switzerland to Cologne on the MS Geoffrey Chaucer. This luxury ship sleeps just 167 passengers in superb comfort.
It may be just five years old but the decor harks back to a glamorous era. The marble-floored lobby is flooded with light from the atrium above, while polished hardwood, shining brass and sparkling copper ooze understated style. Our first day on board, in beautiful Basel we were docked on the edge of France and Germany.
The city on the Swiss border gave us the rare chance to travel to three countries in the space of minutes. We had some time to meet other guests.