12.09.2018 Magazin , Flussgenuss

Crime, cuisine, cabaret and concert

Evening cruises for the Advent season

The Advent season is perfect for spending a special evening with friends, colleagues or family, with stimulating programs and a delicious selection of food and drinks. On board the modern event fleet with MS RheinEnergie and MS RheinFantasie, guests can expect peaceful and enjoyable hours away from the usual hustle and bustle in the run-up to Christmas, in front of Cologne’s Christmassy old town skyline. The motto on the festively decorated ships is: lean back, relax and enjoy.

“Tatort” inspector Dietmar Bär reads from Palatinate-based crime novel

The culinary reading with Dietmar Bär promises excellent entertainment. The actor, best known for his role as inspector “Freddy Schenk” in the Cologne-based show “Tatort” (Crime Scene), is not only a successful television investigator, he is also a brilliant reader. He proves this once again when the motto on board the MS RheinEnergie is: “Cuisine meets literature”. Dietmar Bär serves up crime canapés, garnished with charm, wit and a few thrills. The evening cruise in the Advent season offers a perfectly matched delight for the taste-buds with a 3-course meal including a sparkling wine upon arrival. Guests can look forward to an indulgence that appeals to all the senses.

Culinary delights to match the novel

The KD galley composes the menu based on the book that Bär has chosen for the culinary reading. The Palatinate region is the literary and culinary destination. Bär will be reading from Palatinate-based crime novel “Weinstraßenrache” (Wine Road Revenge) by Markus Guthmann. In it, the author has assigned his semi-professional investigative team, senior public prosecutor Benedikt Röder and winegrower Achim Hellinger, a bizarrely scary task. Of course, it’s about solving a murder, as always. But who on earth would kill Santa Claus at the Christmas market during the Advent season?

“Sternstunden” with Konrad Beikircher

“Sternstunden” (Magic Moments) with Konrad Beikircher is all about the ironic and comic madness around the festive period. The Rhineland cabaret artist prepares the audience for the festival of festivals with stories, poems and personal anecdotes. However, his Christmas special has little to do with peace and reflection. After all, Beikircher doesn’t have an untroubled relationship with Christmas. This is the fault of a trauma that struck him in his childhood. Because he was born on 22 December, shortly before Christmas Eve, the gift table in his home in Bruneck, south Tyrol, remained empty until 24 December. Gifts for birthdays and Christmas in the Beikircher home only came as combi-packs on Christmas Eve – and even then they were socks, shirts and underpants. Handy for the parents, frustrating for the boy.

Konrad Beikircher

“The guests expect funny, cheerful, bizarre and cosy Advent and Christmas stories, sometimes from the Rhineland, sometimes Bavarian, sometimes High German, but always entertaining”

So it’s inevitable that this mixture of storytelling, readings and cabaret interludes will not strike only a festive tone. Stories and poems by Bertolt Brecht, Erich Kästner, Hanns Dieter Hüsch and Loriot as well as personal anecdotes are all part of the package. The artist views his appearance on the MS RheinFantasie from a unique perspective: “Cabaret on a ship means landing solid punchlines on unstable ground”.

Swinging through the Advent season

With their concert “We Love Christmas”, “Die 3 Liköre” (The 3 Liqueurs) guide their audience musically through the Advent season on board the MS RheinEnergie. “Die 3 Liköre”, Frank, Daniel and Arvid, bring a touch of Broadway to the Rhine. They present elegant and stylish American swing classics, international crossover hits and songs from Cologne. The three singers from Cologne are accompanied by their Big Band with the promising name “The Gin Phonic Orchestra”.