Danube cruise 2018
Before I even left home...flurry of phone calls and emails...things were in turmoil...historically low water levels in the Danube were causing major disruption with river cruise...so sadly instead of unpacking once we will be switching ships frequently ...big to little ..little to big ...With some bus time thrown in for good measure ....
Amsterdam.....Hotel gorgeous right on the river...for some reason they gave me the Dom Perignon suite....LOVE it.....took a stroll along the canals....so charming...even got a peek inside a barge...super funky....sod roof....plants all over the deck...just what you would want to rent if you here for a few weeks/months....BICYCLES BICYCLES and more Bicycles...mothers with baby in front or behind..some sort of wheelbarrow thing in the front for kids/groceries etc...women in heels....especially love a woman in heels talking on the phone and smoking a cigarette ..men in suits....couples holding hands....these people are one with their bikes...fluid poetry.....and they have the right away so pedestrians beware....all going at a fairly energetic pace...amazing that there aren’t more bike pedestrian accidents.
First night ....why not have a 7 coarse tasting menu....truly amazing..sitting lookinat the river...racing skulls zipping by...dodging tour boats commuter boats...families cruising...the sky was amazing...so happy to sit and enjoy …..wonderful breakfast along the river...met a couple that will be on the cruise....she had blue and pink hair ....and wait for it.............she was born in Bozeman but now lives in Cody...wonder how the blue hair works there …..bought an all day tram ticket ...super easy to get around once I figured out how to get on and off( not as easy as you would think!!! ) Plus had to reserve directions a couple of times….but by the end of the day.....was finally getting the hang of it.....street markets...flower markets..flea markets amidst all the picturesque houses and meandering canals...people super friendly and very helpful.….even if I didn’t ask for directions...hum...I must have looked confused ..spent the afternoon in the Museum district...had tickets for Van Gogh.....spectacular exhibit…..tired from walking on all this pavement but I have to get rid of that chocolate croissant somehow...super lucky with the weather...sunny and cool....perfect….took it easy this morning ... then off to the ship....seems to be a pretty jolly group.…. 30 + people cancelled because of the change in itinerary...so only 60 of us on board...works for me... spending the night in the harbor
First full day of cruise...could have gone on boat through canals and a museum but opted to stay on the ship to Nijmegen.....SUCH A GOOD choice ...farm land quickly replaced the cityscape.....swans.....wood ducks….cows….sheep......pastoral setting...tiny hobbit like houses pop up between villages along the sides of the (very large) canal....fisherman sit bundled waiting for a bite...popular trees are like sentinels along the banks……landscape is like a painting...hazy ... lush green...occasional windmills……decided to get a massage....treatment room about the size of a closet....masseuse was the size of a mid weight boxer....he told me to hang my clothes up and that he would turn to the corner while I got on the table.…..welcome to the Netherlands!!!!!…..tried very hard to keep my arms close to my body so the boxer and I didn’t have a close encounter.....since he had to wedge himself between the table and wall......finally managed to struggle up from the table after I was able to ascertain that nothing was broken.....OMG… After several massive locks we are now finally on the river.....arriving at the absolutely lovely town of Nijmegen....spectacular clock tower and cathedral....very pedestrian friendly...bustling town square...enjoyed my quiet day…...back into the fray tomorrow....
Sailed all night ..arrive in Düsseldorf …..do a quick tour of the charming old town...unfortunately it was a rainy cool morning and most of the shops weren’t yet open...jumped on the bus and then off to Cologne....you could see the spires of the cathedral from a long way off...one of the largest cities in Germany..quite a change from where we have been...had lunch in local pub...beer for all..luckily they were small glasses……I left the group to go explore...beautiful train station with wrought iron and glass roof...churches and cathedrals too numerous to count...wandered along the river....should have worn my down jacket...the humidity makes it seem much colder...many homeless people and some guy shooting up on the side of the street...too urban for me!!!!
Sailed all night and are now in Rudesheim em Rhein ....what a beautifully quiant little village...surrounded by vineyards....took a bicycle tour along the river and town...Ebikes are the way to go...if there’s a Hill...you just push a button and up you go...loved it....took the gondola to the hills above town.....wonderful view ....vineyards in every direction..some of the grapes were still being picked by hand....had lunch in colorful pub...lots of wine and shots of some terrible combo of grappa/schnapps stuff that several people all drank together off a long board with 4 shot glasses attached...would have made a great You Tube video....
The drive along the Rhine was gorgeous...castles interspersed with tiny villages...very picturesque...one tiny village had fig trees..banana trees and palms...lot of flowers still in bloom.....arrived in Frankfurt….very modern...skyscrapers...terrific skyline....left at midnight…..lovely watching the city with all its bridges going by....the ship has to navigate numerous locks and bridges...the bridge on the boat is on hydraulics so it can be lowered into the deck to accommodate for the very low clearances...today happily get to be on the ship ALL day...slight rain..so peaceful watching the world go by……arrived in Wurzburg...a bus ride through wonderful open farm country...large (modern) windmills line the ridges of most of this hilly area…. Rotenburg is a stunning medieval town...I saw several homes that were built in the 1500’s....cobblestone streets meander through colorful houses of yellow, blue and green....red and white striped shutters...most were 3-4 stories.....restaurants and tiny hotels with overflowing flower boxes ( STILL in bloom)....luckily the tourist season is winding down so we didn’t have to fight the crowds....I climbed the 10 story tower ...tiny wooden stairs really more like ladders in some sections...arrived panting at the top...finally pushed open last door and was too terrified to walk around the perimeter since the walk was barely one foot wide...clutching the door.... managed to get a couple of pictures with the wind and rain blowing in my face...AURGH...spent the rest of the afternoon strolling the village and the top of the wall that surrounds the town...this village is OVER THE TOP Christmas....everywhere you looked...either a Xmas shop...pastry shop...or a chocolate shop...good thing you have to walk everywhere ….huge pear trees heavy with fruit....must be like living in a fish bowl during high season...guess the Xmas market in December draws hundreds of thousands of people...had apple horseradish soup for lunch...when in Rome…
An aside about our cruise director Tea .....she’s from NZ ..adorable + great figure...the fun thing is she dresses in a complete 50’s vibe...all dresses or FULL skirts...matching very fun shoes…...what a hoot
Yesterday...Bamberg...gorgeous…..beautiful river.....very nice shops...took an 8 mile bike ride along the river and through several parks that were full of perfect fall colors...amazing murals on some of the building ..many structures span the river..could have spent more time there...sailed over night..numerous locks...arrived in Nuremberg...500K pop...didn’t get to enjoy a lot of the city since group takes FOREVER to move sometimes....I can barely stay warm moving at this snail pace ☺️…. how many Christmas ornaments can one person buy.???…...we do have one REAL shopper on the ship....she’s now in the market for another suitcase in addition to having a bunch of glass ornaments shipped....….after Nuremberg we enter the Main Danube canal ....set of 3 - 80 ft high locks to get us over the divide....a portion of the canal actually goes OVER a highway....it’s lovely…..very rural....not many town or villages....tall grasses along the banks and pine trees have joined the landscape.....coming into Regensburg........limestone cliffs ....ducks and geese swans cruising along...raining steadily...just before breakfast it turned to snow for a while...all the folks from Georgia and Florida were thrilled. BA HUM BUG to snow ….finally on the Danube...locks aren’t as frequent ….it being Sunday nothing was open and I mean NOTHING but a handful of coffee pantry shops....massive cathedral….medieval town along a river...ancient stone bridge across the river...fascinating to stroll around...luckily the rain had stopped for a few hours and it wasn’t until I was headed back to the ship did it start raining again....I looked like the Michelin Man ...2 coats and a vest...final day in Germany....quaint town of Passau...ancient town built on an island between the Inn River and the Danube....hiked up to the Oberhaus ...fantastic view over the town and both rivers....helps feel less guilty about those chocolate croissants…. Melk is our first stop in Austria....spectacular abbey....reminiscent of Versailles....12 monks currently reside there...the church segment was baroque on baroque on baroque...breathtaking...small town was nice as well...a gorgeous SUNNY day...finally able to skip wearing all my clothing...truly wonderful drifting along the Danube in the Wachau Valley....sipping apricot liqueur….twist my arm…...sunshine...castles..ruins...beautiful
Melk is our first stop in Austria....spectacular abbey....reminiscent of Versailles....12 monks currently reside there...the church segment was baroque on baroque on baroque...breathtaking...small town was nice as well…..a gorgeous SUNNY day...finally able to skip wearing all my clothing…..truly wonderful drifting along the Danube in the Wachau Valley....sipping apricot liqueur.….WHAT?…..sunshine...castles..ruins...beautiful fall colors.…vineyards...quaint little villages...heaven and our most perfect weather day so far....
Vienna....wonderful day..sunny…..not too hot...traffic was some how managed by our bus driver...public gardens with thousands of roses still in bloom...attended the morning exercise of the Spanish Riding school...horses were amazing ....the intensity of both rider and horses was fascinating to watch...horses with carriages drove tourists around the city..massive public art...statues...boulevards...several people actually planned ahead and had tickets to attend the opera…..they said it was incredible.
Have forgotten to mention that usually there is some sort of entertainment after dinner...it has for the most part been violins, guitars or some stringed quartets…..occasionally a singing group ....and one group of tuba, clarinet ,trumpet and drum...these guys had ENERGY...so fun....the musicians are all very accomplished and I even manage to stay up late enough to watch
Bratislava Slovakia....capitol of Slovakia...very old...hiked up to the castle then meandered through the town...it being All Saints Day everything but the restaurants were closed...much to the dismay of the many shoppers on board.
Sail tonite and arrive in Budapest in the morning……WOW and WOW...what a beautiful city...Buda on one side - Pest on the other..combined at some point...castles ...the absolutely stunning Parliament building...massive government buildings all so amazing....promenades along both sides of the river…..city of 2 million..everything a European capital should be and more (think I like it more than Vienna) statues..grandeur..trams..bicycles..all competing for the right of way…..hiked to the top of one of the small hills along the river to a huge statue...stairs that never seemed to end....occasional overlooks to the river and beyond...it has been a holiday here for 3 days All Saints Day etc...the side streets tend to be small and the sidewalks huge to accommodate all the restaurants ....a perfect temp of 70 today...so nice to have a day + to regroup before flying home....my room in the hotel faces the river with view of the castle...great way to end a great trip.
BTW the stretch of river that was so low that our ship had not been able to navigate it since June...managed to get just enough rain that allowed us to get through..so happy we weren’t forced to change ships again...
Till next time
