On their way back to England, the group charters passage on various boats traveling the Rhine. The river has long been used as a political boundary (since Roman times) and as a means of moving goods inland (as it stretches from the Netherlands and all the way into switzerland). The Rhine is the second longest river in Europe after the Danube. From the time the Shelleys leave Switzerland, all the mentioned cities are located on this waterway. The earlier parts of the river are more difficult to navigate due to sharp turns and varied depths of the river bed. Notably just this past summer, there has been devastating flooding.

 - Jayde Hoppe