Bratislava (Slovakia)

We enjoyed the opportunity for a later breakfast this morning (well, I did anyway) and it was nice relaxing in the lounge afterwards as we sailed down the Danube towards Bratislava. I got my blog entry for Vienna done, but am having trouble uploading photos here.

I was thrilled to find my missing earring from last night, sitting on the reception counter under the lost property sign - I have no idea who found it, or where it was found, but phew.....

At 11 am we had a big briefing from Marion about disembarkation day in Budapest on Tuesday morning. She has kindly enquired about a taxi for four people, knowing that was my preference, so I'm very grateful to her. She said to avoid the taxis in Budapest and Prague wherever possible as they can rip you off big time. But she has a reliable contact she uses for the boat passengers.

We arrived earlier than expected in Bratislava (also known as 'Pressburg'), the capital of Slovakia, or the Slovak Republic. The weather had been gloomy and drizzly all morning. Slovakia became independent of Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s. In 1918 the Slovaks had joined the closely related Czechs to form Czechoslovakia. Following the chaos of WWII, Czechoslovakia became a Communist nation within Soviet-ruled Eastern Europe. Soviet influence collapsed in1989 and Czechoslovakia once more became free. The Slovaks and the Czechs agreed to separate peacefully on 1 January 1993.

After lunch we chose the Tour of Communist Bratislava by coach. The first half of the tour was on an old 1970s style orange bus, then we switched to a newer bus. We covered a lot of the city, including the new Slovak National Theatre, over the New Bridge with its UFO restaurant, the Square of Liberty, the so-called upside-down pyramid building, an Ice Hockey arena which apparently hosted some recent world ice hockey championships (couldn't get a photo, but it looked flash), various slab housing apartment buildings from the Communist times and more. We went up a hill to the Soviet War Memorial (Slavin) where there were great views. Then across to the Castle (that Empress Maria Theresa had built for her daughter, and which was rebuilt in more recent times after fires). The Castle was rebuilt in the Baroque style, although they did find a single Gothic Window which they left in place. The view from there was amazing too.

I have to say that this trip left me feeling depressed and so grateful that we live in NZ. The tour guide told us a lot about the way of life in Communist times, the housing systems, the corruption, the supposedly free elections, the difficulties buying many goods, the rules, treatment of the churches... it was all dreadful. We noticed the graffiti everywhere, everything was looking run down and tired, and I forgot to ask if they had graffiti in Communist times!

With relief we got back to the boat and I couldn't face a walk into town to look at the older section. So, it was back to the lounge to relax. The trip has been so busy, that it's good to have time to just sit.

At 6 pm we had the Farewell Captain's Gala Cocktail in the lounge, followed by the Farewell Captain's Gala Dinner in the Restaurant. We had to dress smartly. The dinner was wonderful. All the staff on the boat were introduced and thanked (including the ones who wash the dishes), it was a lovely thing to do and very interesting to see who did what, especially out in the kitchen. We were each given an APT serviette ring as a souvenir, and our wonderful waiter, Gabriel (from Romania), found some extras for us to make up sets of four.

Entertainment after dinner was by the group, Aphrodite, a group of young women from Bratislava, playing an eclectic range of modern songs on classical instruments - flute, piano, violin, cello, viola. All in all, a very pleasant evening.



At 10:30 pm we set sail for Budapest, Hungary.

Vienna

After sailing since midnight, we arrived in Vienna this morning before 8 am. By 9 am we were on a tour bus for a drive around Vienna's Ring Road (Ringstrasse) around the historical centre district of the city. Again, a lot of the city had been damaged during WWII and rebuilt. We were shown a lot of key sights along the way, but it wasn't great because what you really saw depended on what side of the bus you were on, and it was virtually impossible to get photos.

We had a commentary along the way as we passed the Opera House, various places where musicians like Mozart and Strauss and Hayden had lived, statues of various composers, the Parliament, City Hall, and a famous ferris wheel (Riesenrad) etc. We were dropped off near the central St Stephen's Cathedral (Stephansdom - another dark, gothic church, but with a single beautiful spire).

Our guide gave us time to look inside the Cathedral, then walked us around the central streets and exclusive shopping area, and then lead us into Cafe Central for coffee and cake that was included with the tour. I was rapt after asking about gluten free, to be served with an amazing kind of vanilla mousse/brûlée cake, covered in a coating of gorgeous chocolate. They said it was the best 'cake' in the house when they delivered it to me, and it sure looked like it! This cafe was a popular spot in the past for poets to meet.


We didn't have much time, and wanted to make the most of the hour of free time we had left, so took Rick Steve's suggestion of visiting the Hofburg Treasury in the Hofburg/Imperial Palace (the winter residence of the Habsburg rulers until 1918). It was very interesting and worth seeing if you only have a short time - lots of amazing, rich embroidery and jewels and old crowns.

Unfortunately, the Spanish Riding School (Lipizzaner Stallions) wasn't operating because it was the summer break. We also walked past the Imperial Music Chapel where the Vienna Boys' Choir sings, and on to the Albertinaplatz (Square) where there was the thought-provoking Monument Against War and Fascism. This is situated on the spot where several hundred people were buried alive when the cellar they were hiding in was demolished during a WWII bombing attack.

Then, it was back by bus to the boat for lunch. David and Steve decided to stay on the boat for the afternoon, but I'd fortunately read Rick Steve's recommendation to visit the silver collection, and then the Sisi Museum and the Imperial Apartments (Kaiserappartements) of both the Emperor and the Empress.

So Jan and I headed back into town on the bus for a quick tour of these places. An excellent audio guide was provided with the entry fee and then we proceeded to move quickly around the fascinating exhibits. We thought we were in for more Versailles type displays, but this was different and the audio guide brought the displays alive. Most interesting was the Sisi Museum which told of the tragic life of Emperor Franz Josef's wife, Empress Elizabeth (nicknamed Sisi), in the mid/late 1800s, and who was eventually assassinated. The Imperial Apartments, were also interesting to see, especially the table setting used.


We finished up in Heldenplatz (Heroes' Square), with an impressive view of the curved facade of the Neue Burg (New Palace, a new wing of the main palace).



We finished earlier than expected, and rather than wait another hour for the bus back to the boat, and with me hobbling around with a very sore ankle by then, I suggested we get a taxi to take us back, and have more time back at the boat to rest and prepare for an early dinner before the concert we were attending in the evening. I quickly hailed a taxi, and gave him the address where the ship was located. But, too late, we found he seemed to speak no English. I showed him the map of where I thought the location was, going by our bus trips in the morning, and he headed in the approximate location. I kept showing him the map and the road we needed and where to go, and he kept indicating that the address we wanted was in the other direction along the wharf. In the end I insisted that he take a right turn, when he wanted to turn left, and I was correct. We had been told by our tour director that a taxi trip back to the boat should be $12-15, and this trip was $14.95 and as soon as we drew near where the boat was we told him to stop and let us out. If I'd had more change I would have given him just $12 and walked off, but we didn't. I think he genuinely didn't know what the address meant and where it was, even though he was shown the written words and spot on the map. Goodness knows where we would have ended up if we'd turned left as he had wanted!

So, we were back for a well-earned cup of coffee, or tea in Jan's case, although I could have done with a gin! Being back earlier than the bus gave us more time to get ready for an early dinner, followed by a concert in Vienna in the evening.

David decided that a classical concert featuring the music of Mozart and Strauss was money wasted on him, so I went with Jan and Steve. The concert was an hour and a half long and was held in the Hofburg Redoutensaal (which was where famous musicians had performed over the past 300 years, but it had burnt down in 1992 and been rebuilt). It featured orchestral pieces played by the Wiener Hofburg Orchestra, and also vocal soloists. I enjoyed watching the piccolo player, and a couple of the singers were amazing, in particular a tenor called Bohan Choe, we think from Korea. He was stunning. One of the sopranos was also excellent (Andrea Olah), with a voice like a bell in what I'm sure was a very difficult piece - Johann Strauss's 'Fruhlingsstimmenwalzer'. Michelle et al would have loved it. The concert was fun and entertaining in other ways too, with a percussionist shooting a pistol and a shotgun, blowing whistles, and playing one piece of music by clanging two hammers on some metal and striking notes for the piece. Very clever and funny too.

On the way back to the boat by bus, we saw the city lights, and a lot of the old and famous buildings were all lit up. We were given a CD of pieces by the orchestra with some of the soloists, so I'll look forward to listening to that when I get home! We arrived back at the boat by 11 pm, and found a supper of soup and sausages being served - I gave it a miss! When I was getting changed I discovered that I had lost one of my earrings - a Marion McKellow one - oh no, couldn't find it anywhere!

Melk/Durnstein/Weissenkirchen (Wachau Valley)

We travelled 102 km overnight and docked in Melk at 7:30 am. It was nice to have a 9:30 am start for today's tour of Melk Abbey (Stift Melk), and a more leisurely start to the day. At breakfast, David was getting compliments for his performance during last night's show, and being asked if he'd had theatrical training!

Since 1089 the Abbey has been a Benedictine monastery, founded by Leopold II. The monastery was destroyed and rebuilt several times. Today's architecture dates from the beginning of the 18th century (Baroque). It was a short bus ride to the Abbey, where we had a one hour guided tour. It was very interesting to hear the history of the Abbey. Highlights were the views from the balcony, the amazing ancient library, and the church.

We had a quick look in the gardens, then walked down the hill to the small, quaint town. Then it was a longish stroll back to the boat for lunch. It was very sunny and warm. On the way through the town, David noticed the following sign, with the first mention of gluten-free we had seen anywhere in Europe.

After lunch we sailed for an hour and a half through the Wachau Valley. It was very picturesque, but the weather was alternating between warm sunshine, and drizzle.

Steve did another bike ride alongside the river, to meet up with the boat when it docked at Durnstein, beneath the castle where Richard I (Richard the Lionheart) had been imprisoned in 1192. We had a short tour of the town and it was sweltering hot. We had some samples of chocolate, then headed back to the boat to cool down.

This area is famous for its white wines, and apricot brandies and liquers. After another wonderful, special dinner served in the restaurant in the back of the boat (where we dined on NZ Lamb done to perfection) David and Steve joined a wine-tasting tour that included Austrian entertainment. This was back upstream at the town of Weissenkirchen, the boat sailing the short distance back during dinner, so that guests could enjoy the evening of wine-tasting. Jan and I retired to our cabins to get off our feet and relax.

Passau and cruising to Linz, Austria

Today there were three choices for tours, two involving long, winding bus trips. Jan and Steve took the trip to see the Austrian City of Salzburg (where much of the 'Sound of Music' was filmed), others took the trip to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic.

We stayed in Passau, where the ship had docked in the morning, wanting a quieter, more leisurely day for a change. We took the 1 hour guided tour of Passau, then briefly wandered around the shops. I wasn't in a shopping mood, but did pick up a couple of little music novelties that Michelle and I usually look out for. My goodness, it sure was sunny and hot, and we were later told the temperature had been 28 degrees.















Passau was the last German, and Bavarian, town we would visit on this cruise. With 50,000 inhabitants it is located at the confluence of three rivers; the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz. The main part of town sits on a tongue of land, squeezed between the Danube and the Inn. In the centre of the town is the famous St Stephen's Cathedral. Unfortunately, most of the cathedral was covered in scaffolding because it was being cleaned. Inside is one of the largest church organs in the world. We both felt a little sad when the guide had us exit to the Square outside, which she called "Cathedral Square". We also saw a staircase inside the former bishops' residence. The streets, like most we have seen, are mostly cobblestone, so you have to watch your footing. I use my walking pole in these towns.



The town has an Italian Baroque appearance because it was destroyed by fire twice in the 1600s. Dominating the town is a former fortress of the prince-bishops, named the Oberhaus Fortress.


Only about 52 passengers had remained in Passau, and we had fabulous views back over Passau and the confluence of the rivers as we left and continued our journey down the Danube towards our next port of call, Linz, the third largest city in Austria. At the end of WWII this was the border between the Soviets and the Allies, with the main bridge across the Danube forming "no man's land".

The scenery as we sat inside and ate lunch was beautiful - green, clean, forests, scattered with green jewels of fields. We noticed that the style of housing had changed to a more "alps" style, as I imagine it anyway. All the little towns have their church steeples dominating the scene.

After lunch (see the photo of the fish I had, everything is so beautifully presented), we went and sat back up on the sun deck. But the sky had clouded over, and we could see lightning in the adjacent hills, and hear crashing thunder. It had cooled down so we made ourselves comfortable back in the lounge. The boat had organized tours of the wheelhouse, for those who were interested, but we just relaxed. Likewise with a later cooking demonstration with the chefs on how to make strudel.

After a while the weather turned drizzly and low mist covered the along the sides of the Danube. The river zig-zagged its way down the valley, and we wondered what picture would be around each corner. It was absolutely beautiful and so peaceful.



I read my iPad book, sipped cappuccino, and ducked out now and then to capture a moment on camera. The drizzle didn't last long but the sky was still cloudy. Eventually we made our way to another lock (there had been a big one just after leaving Passau, in which we sat with 2 barges). From then on the landscape was a lot more open.

We arrived in Linz at 7 pm. After dinner there was an operatic performance by a group called 'Sounds of Austria", comprising a pianist, soprano, and a tenor. They sang a lot of Mozart, and got people up from the audience to join in some of the theatricals. David got taken up by the woman and put on a very good performance that I'm sure he'll love to tell you about if you ask ;-)

Before heading to bed, we popped out on deck to look at the lovely lighting along the shoreline.

Regensburg/Liberation Hall/Weltenburg Abbey - Wednesday 27 July

This morning we awoke in Regensburg near the top of the River Danube. During the night we had left the canal, and reached the Danube itself. Our wonderful local tour guide had gone to the trouble of dressing in national costume, and she led us on a walking tour through this medieval town for two hours. It was a glorious, sunny day with blue sky - must have been in the mid 20s for temperature. This town was left untouched during WWII.

The town started way back in Roman times, and we did see part of what had been a Roman tower. The city has cobbled streets throughout the old town. We saw the original stone bridge, still crossing the Danube, and still a main bridge. We also saw the oldest sausage (bratwurst) kitchen in all of Germany, dating back to the year 1135. We didn't sample the sausages, which come in a roll with mustard and a side of sauerkraut. We also saw the old salt storage house. We walked through a variety of squares, small alleys and a number of the famous towers of the wealthy citizens who lived here in the middle ages. We walked through Regensburg Cathedral, a Gothic church.

Regensburg was once home to Oskar Schindler, remembered in "Schindler's List". Another proud son of Regensburg is the current Pope, Pope Benedict XVI. Today the BMW factory and the university are amongst the largest employers.

After lunch we headed off on our tour to the Liberation Hall and then the Weltenburg Abbey which is the world's oldest monastery brewery. The Liberation Hall was a monument erected by King Ludwig I to celebrate the defeat of Napolean and the union of Germany. It looked like a copy of the Pantheon in Rome. It was impressive, with spectacular views toward the Danube River.

Then we were back into the bus and heading towards the Abbey which was located on a beautiful spot beside the Danube Gorge. The Abbey itself had an amazing church, with incredible decoration inside - the most impressive we've seen on this trip. We had time for a drink - a Weltenburg dark beer, and a Coca Cola for me. Huge pretzels were also served.



Then we had a short walk to a boat that took us for a 20 minute trip along the gorge. It was absolutely beautiful - very scenic. 

Back at our boat we had dinner and then headed to the lounge to blob out for the evening, while we sailed along the Danube. During dinner we sailed past another incredible monument built by King Ludwig - the Walhalla Monument (Steve had biked to this while we were on our trip to the Liberation Hall/Weltenburg Abbey). It looked like the Parthenon on top of the Acropolis, and completely out of place. Impressive though!

Nuremberg

I struggled to wake up this morning, so took my time and gave breakfast a miss. I have to say that the novelty of all this food is starting to wear off! I wasn't very hungry last night, and had no appetite this morning.

We were on the bus at 9 am for our medieval tour of the city of Nuremberg, where we'd sailed to overnight. The alternative tour was the WWII tour, which Jan and Steve took. I was thinking I might be sick of hearing about and seeing medieval things, but we thoroughly enjoyed the tour with an excellent guide.


Nuremberg is the second largest city in the German state of Bavaria, with a population of 500,000 and first appears in the records in 1050, and during the 13th century developed into one of Europe's greatest trading towns. The "Burg" (Citadel) was built in the 11th century and the medieval city walls were completed in 1452 with a total of 126 towers. In the mid 19th century, a train engine was brought to the town, and from then it became a huge rail centre, and the population grew even more.

90% of the city was completely destroyed during WWII, (in 90 minutes in 1945) and the historical buildings we saw had mostly been rebuilt, using the very same stones. Adolf Hitler chose the city as the site for his annual Nazi Party rallies. Later the city became the location of the Nuremberg Trials.

On the main square is the market (Hauptmarkt), and there is a famous fountain known as the Schoner Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain - it has no water in it now) and the Marienkirche, Nuremberg's most famous church. The famous St John's Cemetery has some famous names in it, and is very pretty. But you have to pay rent to be buried in cemeteries here, and here, when the rent stops, a body will be disinterred, and a new one put in its place. In this cemetery you are not allowed to change the name or details on the headstone, so it could have the name of someone buried 500 years ago on it!

The Imperial Castle (Kaiserburg) was especially interesting. Its construction, with the entry gate located on a curve so that battering rams and canon balls could not get a suitable angle or speed for attack. Through the gate was a tunnel, where you could be attacked by boiling oil and fire dropped through holes in the roof. Next was a small courtyard with very high walls where you could be further attacked. And there were high and cleverly constructed walls around the castle, the length being 5 km. The castle walls were never breeched in its entire history. In WWII it was largely saved, too, because the bombers needed to keep it as a landmark in the dark. Ironically, the easiest to see landmark in the city, became the safest place to be!

Under the rock that the castle was constructed on, are lots of tunnels, up to 4 storeys high, and dug out by hand over the centuries as a storage place for beer! During WWII these tunnels became the ideal location for safe storage of various treasures, stained glass windows from the churches, art works (their own as well as those pillaged during the war and taken from the Jews). It was a safe location for people to take shelter as well. It was amazing to hear how the city decided to rebuild/reconstruct the medieval town after the war, in the same plan as from former times. There are, no doubt, some great ideas on this for Christchurch, although we also have to overcome the earthquakes.

We walked down from the castle and looked at some interesting statues (hearing the stories behind them), then past St Sebaldus Church, and then we were into the market square with an hour to look around the shops and fruit/vegetable stalls. There were some great buskers performing in front of the Church of Our Lady, and later St Lawrence's Church. I hope Christchurch eventually takes on the look and feel of the shopping area around here, it was lovely, the most pleasant to walk around of all the city areas we've been in so far. And what is more, it was a gorgeous, warm, sunny day with blue sky that we hadn't seen for a while!

Back to the boat for lunch (note, you can choose from the 5 course a la carte menu at lunch or dinner, or have the "light" lunch up in the lounge). Then we adjourned to the lounge to relax and read our books (in my case on the kindle app on my iPad). I got some photos and videos as we went through one of the enormous locks on this part of the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. Marion also gave an interesting slideshow presentation of the development of the canal - it was amazing to see the steps we were going up with each lock (sometimes we moved up a 25 metre step) as we made our way towards the Continental Divide, and the Danube River, and then we were stepping down towards the second half of our journey.



At this point where we changed from going up to the Continental Divide, we were all on deck with a glass of champagne, to witness the moment we passed the monument marking the spot. We also now have a certificate to mark the occasion, rather like crossing the equator.



After dinner we had an enjoyable '60s Night' with great music. Jan and Steve were in the dancing game, and got down to the final 3! Marion and the waiters dressed up in 60s attire and wigs to match!

Our Cabin

I thought you might like to see some photos of our cabin. The TV is also a computer. The bathroom is tiny but has a spacious shower on the right, with a choice of shower fitting and great water pressure. It also has a clothes line. The last photo is a view from our cabin window - we are right down by the water level. We all agree that it wouldn't be worth the extra thousands of dollars to have a cabin higher up, with a balcony, as we only use the cabin to sleep in. The views up on deck, or in the lounge, are better because you can see both sides of the river and what is coming up as well.