August, 2019 - Rick Braun Rhine River Getaway
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| We had been going to see Peter White's Christmas show at Rams Head in Annapolis for a few years with two other couples. Peter White is a guitarist but the show also featured Rick Braun the trumpet player. I really enjoyed Rick Braun's music so we he mentioned he was doing a river cruise in Europe I looked into it. That year it was down the Danaube River but the cruise was already filled. So we signed up for the cruise the following year which happened to be down the Rhine River. We have done Carribbean cruises and an Alaskan cruise but this would be our first river cruise. I figured we might as well do some additional sightseeing since we would already be over there so I penciled in three days in Berlin (I have a nephew there), Amsterdam (where the cruise starts) and Lucerne, Switzerland (the cruise ends in nearby Basel). |
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We were on the AMA Prima, one of the ships owned and operated by AMA Waterways. When you board the ship amidships, you are in this central area which has a front desk.
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On the left is Captain Ron -- no kidding! -- who is Captain of the cruise ship Ama Prima. He came across as a real pro, and always had a big friendly smile on his face. At least to the passengers. To a crewmember who had screwed up, probably not.
Second from left is Richard Butler who played the saxophone. Then Rick Braun who played the trumpet. Finally the South African Jonathan Butler who played the guitar and had an amazing voice.
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| Captain Ron is not to be confused with this Captain Ron from a 1992 comedy film of the same name. Kurt Russell has always been one of my favorite actors. |
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The bridge of the Ama Prima. This unidentified passenger snuck in for this unauthorized photo shot and spent the rest of the river cruise in the Brig living on bread and water.
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| The passengers of the Rick Braun Rhine River Getaway! This was the main area where Rick Braun and company performed. The ship had two decks for passengers. This area is on the upper deck forward. A bar is at the rear of this space. Gotta have a bar on a cruise. Everyone knows this. The messdeck, or wardroom, dining room -- whatever you want to call it -- was on the lower deck forward. The food and drink during the entire cruise was great, as you might expect. |
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| Just hanging out, waiting for something. |
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| The stage. Waiting for the show to begin! Every evening we enjoyed almost two hours of smooth jazz. |
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The man, Rick Braun.
To Rick's right is the keyboard player -- sorry, can't remember his name. We've seen him before at the Peter White Christmas shows in Annapolis.
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Rick Braun sings as well.
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| Rick has been in the business a long time. I enjoyed his stories about his career and playing for big names like Rod Stewart and Sade. |
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Saxophonist Richard Elliot In the rear is the base guitarist who we have also seen (and heard) at the Peter White Christmas shows. He can really play that big bass. |
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| Guitarist and singer Jonathan Butler on the right. That's his wife at center who plays a mean violin. |
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| Butler jamming on his big guitar. |
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Most of the band is pictured, along with Jonathan Butler and his wife. Rick Braun and Richard Elliot are off stage.
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| Rick Braun and the Cruise Director hamming it up before going hiking in the Black Forest. |
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The evenings were surreal, listening to world class entertainment while Germany floated by outside the window.
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During breakfast, we looked outside the window to see this large ship going by in a lock.
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