By Carol and Ray Fischer, our "Romantic Getaways" correspondents. They love to travel, together, to warm places, exciting cities, and any place with a casino. As long as they are together, it doesn't matter where they go. They can always find romance.

In his 1883 reflections, Life on the Mississippi, Mark Twain likened the mighty river to a “wonderful book," encouraging the reader to read and re-read its magical pages, promising a new story with each turn of the page. As early as the 1800's, Mississippi riverboating offered a luxurious way to explore its “chocolate tides." Today the simple elegance of riverboat travel lives on in the stately and historic Delta Queen, newly owned and operated by the Majestic America Line. Registered as a National Historic Landmark in 1989, she is a living lesson in the history of our country.

Born in California in 1927, the Delta Queen began life ferrying passengers between San Francisco and Sacramento. She served in the Navy during WWII and following an honorable discharge became the first and only steam driven paddlewheeler to transit the Panama Canal en route to her new home, the Mississippi River. During subsequent years she faced many challenges, from structural to financial, the most recent of which, Hurricane Katrina, brought devastation to her home port, New Orleans, Louisiana. For almost nine months she did not sail.

Once again, this fine lady has triumphed. She has returned to her route on the Mississippi in glory. We were delighted to be part of that return as the Delta Queen sailed on April 21, 2006 from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on her first voyage up the Mississippi since Hurricane Katrina, en route to Memphis, Tennessee.

Boarding the Delta Queen, we stepped through the looking glass into another era. Climbing up a flight of stairs (there are no elevators on the boat), we walked into the Victorian Forward Passenger Lounge, warm with polished woods, antique furnishings and leaded glass transoms over its panoramic windows. Captain Mike Williams later told us that the beautiful wood paneling and trim had once been covered with paint, but was later stripped by crew to restore its original magnificence---no small job, and a true labor of love. In the forward left corner we found brightly polished urns of coffee, tea, iced tea and lemonade, with a huge basket of freshly baked cookies (a staple on our voyage). A well worn chess board in another corner beckoned passengers to “rest a spell” and enjoy a quiet moment. Card tables with comfortable chairs promised many a grand slam to come. And the chalk board near the purser's corner invited requests for wake up times (with coffee?) to be delivered by a knock on one's cabin door; there are no high fangled gadgets like phones in cabins here.

Outside on the forward deck two wooden swings suspended from the ceiling moved gently in the breeze. We found they offered the best seat in the house to watch Old Man River swirl by and to contemplate the state of the world, particularly on dark nights when the navigation beacons were performing their ghostly dance on the water.

Hospitality abounds. A quick purchase at the cute gift shop before we registered our credit card with the purser proved that. Not a problem… Pat, the cashier, just jotted down our names to charge us later. After all, with just four passenger decks accommodating 174 people, we were all going to be friends soon, anyway.

Through the glass doors to the Betty Blake Library, en route to our stateroom, we found bookcases stocked with everything from novels to river lore, along with games and jigsaw puzzles, the latter of which became an ongoing source of enjoyment during our relaxing week. Both passengers and crew could be seen, day or night, stopping for a moment at a work in progress to add a piece or two as a contribution to the finished work.

This is a boat measuring 285 feet long with a beam of 60 feet; we expected our room to be small, and it was. But it was comfortable and more than adequate. The twin beds, crowned by a gleaming brass headboard, had been pushed together before our arrival (this is possible in some cabins; check when booking). A sink and mirror were in the sleeping area, while the shower (step up) and commode were housed in a small, separate closet.

Fixtures and furnishings, if not authentic, are excellent reproductions. All staterooms, in eight categories ranging from tiny to small, are outside, and with the exception of those on the Cabin Deck, are reached by outside stairways. The top two categories are suites and provide a bit of additional space in which to move around. All cabins hold a maximum of two people.

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Photos ©Ray Fischer