Day Three - Vienna -- Day Four - Melk

Today we spent visiting the beautiful city of Vienna. Our ship docked at the city port and we were taken by bus for a tour of the inner city, first by a travelogue and secondly by a walking tour in the very city center.


I was not prepared for how big is the city, although as the capital of Austria, I should have known. It is a bustling metropolis as well the home of great music and art.

In the afternoon we visited the Schonbrun Palace, the summer residence of many of the Hapsburg royalty. The state rooms were heavily decorated with lots of gilded ornamentation and the floors were masterpieces of wooden tiles. The gardens were extensive, laid out in formal patterns. Jan and I found the original "beautiful spring" from which the name Schonbrun comes.

In the evening we attended a live concert of selections from Mozart and Strauss, including, of course, the Blue Danube Waltz. The ensemble was top-notch, as the organization has just been named the official chamber orchestra of Austria.

The weather has been beautiful and we hope it continues. So, more to come!

Day Four - Melk


Our ship sailed just after midnight, again heading upstream from Vienna toward the village of Melk.

On the way, we passed through the Wachau Valley, one of the most scenic spots on the Danube. The weather was beautiful so we were able to sit on the top outside deck to watch the scenery roll by. Villages, castles, ruins, vineyards, were the main attractions.

At lunch, the ship's chef and crew put together an outdoor picnic of Austrian specialties, including sausages, warm pate sandwiches, potato salad and strudel rolls.

After lunch we took a short bus ride to the Melk Abby -- a Benedictine monastery built over two hundred years ago formerly as the palace of the ruling Austrian family before the Hapsburg ruling family took over. The abbey was turned over to the Benedictines who made it one of the most progressive sites in Austria. During a forty year period the buildings were rebuilt in a lavish baroque style -- ornate, yet beautiful.

At 4:00 p.m. our ship again set sail, this time for Passau, which we will see tomorrow.

(Internet connection is very poor, so these blog posts may come sporadically.)

Day 2 - Budapest and on to Vienna

Today was spent on a bus and walking tour of Budapest, the capital of Hungary. The city has many architectural wonders, including castles, cathedrals, war monuments and government buildings. Much of the city was bombed in World War II, so much of the rebuilding has been replications. Budapest is actually a good-sized city with much to see and do. Over 1/3 of the population of Hungary lives within its confines.
Today was a memorial day for Hungary so we were able to see a military wreath-laying at the Heroes Plaza. Then we went higher to the Buda side to view the city from above and marvel at the restored St. Matthias cathedral.
After lunch we set sail for Vienna -- a trip that will take 10 hours. So the afternoon was spent basking in the sun on the open upper deck was the river rolled by, enjoying an apple strudel making demonstration by the head chef and pastry chef, with a sample at the end.

Tonight we will sleep while the ship continues on to Vienna, arriving there in the morning.

(Internet connection has been erratic today, so this blog will be short.) But, more to come...

The Adventure Begins

Our long-planned Viking River cruise on the Danube began today.

After a 6 1/2 hour flight from Newark, we landed in Frankfurt and made a transfer to the flight to Budapest, where the cruise starts. The travel went smoothly, arriving on time with German precision. The folks from Viking met us at the airport and shuttled us to the waiting ship.

Budapest is a city with a colorful history. Some of it dates back to Roman times, has a strong Christian influence but was captured by Moors in the 17th century and had churches turned into mosques. Later the Moors were turned out, Germany took over the city; the Germans were routed by the Russians and Hungary became part of the Soviet bloc. As such the city is a conglomerate of architectural styles, some stunning and others the worst of utilitarian planning.

Today we spent most of the time around the ship, waiting for our room to be ready, then given the mandatory explanation of shipboard safety (life jackets, etc.) and our first taste of the excellent cuisine we'll enjoy. We enjoyed a stroll around the outside deck where we got a view of the Chain Bridge, the first span to join the two cities of Buda and Pest. The photo is of Jan with the bridge behind.

More to come...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 7

Our wonderful vacation is coming to an end. Today the Viking Sun docked at a German border town -- Breisach --where we boarded buses for a trip to a portion of the Black Forest. It was very picturesque despite the fog and rain because we traveled through an agricultural area with vineyards, corn fields and many fields of vegetables before winding up a mountain road to the town of St. Maerget. It was a typical Black Forest town, complete with a baroque church perched right next to a cow pasture. The photo shows us standing next to the village road waiting to re-board the bus.

From there we headed to a narrow drive back down the mountain, stopping at a tourist attraction selling the famous Black Forest cuckoo clocks. There was a demonstration of how the clocks were made (the carving is done by local farmers during the winter months) with the pieces assembled at a nearby factory.

After lunch aboard the ship we took a bus to the French town of Colmar, famed for its half-timbered houses. After a walking tour of the city, Jan and I checked out a museum where the famous "Madonna in the Rose Garden" was displayed.

We returned to the ship for the captain's farewell toast and dinner, the only dress-up event of the week. Soon we will be packing for an early departure to Basel for the flight back home.

After we get back we will upload our photos to either Picasa or Kodak and send information about how to access them. There are lots...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 6

Strasbourg was our destination today. It's a city with a split personality -- in the last 80 years, it has been either French or German four different times. Since WWII, it has remained French and now is the location of the European Union legislative assembly.

The Viking Sun, our floating hotel, docked in Kehl, on the German side of the river and we took buses across the river to Strasbourg. After a guided bus tour of the city, we visited the Strassbourg cathedral with it's unique "astronomical clock", and did a walking tour of the city center including "petit France" -- the section of the city that has the most "French look". The photo is of me in that area, in front of a covered bridge.

After lunch, Jan and I went back to Strasbourg for more sight-seeing. Then, a highlight upon our return was a tour of the Viking Sun's galley -- the relatively small kitchen area where six chefs turn out all of our meals, under the guidance of a German head chef.

After dinner, a lecturer from Freiburg University gave a talk on the future of the European Union, especially timely given the concern over the economic crisis and the bail-out of Greece.

Our last day includes a bus tour of a portion of the Black Forest, a tour of the French village of Colmar, and the captain's farewell dinner. More to come...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 5

If yesterday was castle day, today was church day. It was Ascension Day, which in Germany is a holiday (and Fathers Day), so the banks and retail stores were closed. While it was a disappointment to some of our traveling companions, it gave us a chance to visit churches.

Our ship docked at Mannheim, but buses took us to Heidelberg for the main excursion of the day. Heidelberg Castle, destroyed three times, either by religious wars or natural disasters, remains a ruin much revered by local residents. You will see a portion of it in the photo.

After the castle tour we descended to the old town. Heidelberg is a Protestant town, so we visited first the large parish church in the center of the city. Next came the Catholic church (pictured), redolent with incense from an earlier service, and then, further down the main shopping street, an Evangelical church.

We met the ship again at Speyer and after warming up a bit (it has been unseasonably cool) we walked into Speyer to see the huge Kaiserdom (the imperial cathedral). It was Romanesque in structure with beautiful, spare, modern furnishings. We even got to hear a brief organ recital before walking the length of the immaculately clean main street. True to the Fathers Day tradition, many families were out celebrating.

Tomorrow we will visit Strasbourg, a French city. More to come...

Rhine River Cruise - Day 4

This was the day that Jan has been waiting for ever since she was in college doing a second major in German: to see the Lorelei cliff and the castles along the Rhine. And it did not disappoint!

After breakfast we boarded buses to the Marburg Castle -- reportedly the only castle never to be conquered over the centuries. One could see why -- first because it was on a cliff high above the river, and four levels of gate security, some sections traversing rough-hewn stones that it was hard to walk on even in modern hiking shoes. There was the obligatory moat, plus passages so narrow that a soldier in armor could not have gotten through. The the castle is seen above us in the picture.

We returned to the ship and began the section where all the castles had been built. Steep hills and cliffs were on both sides of the river, with the castles perched on the tops. We went above to the outside sun deck to take pictures as we passed. We'll post these on a Picasa or Kodak site once we get back. Needless to say, even though it was cloudy, we enjoyed the passing scenes.

After another great dinner, we took a brief stroll through the village of Ruedesheim, a touristy place on a more level section above the valleys.

Tomorrow, we're on to the university town of Heidelburg, for another castle tour and some free time. More to come...