Bamberg, Germany

It would be easy to become overwhelmed by the number of stops, ports, cathedrals and town squares on this journey. Each stop is unique for reasons of location, history and beauty. Bamburg is no exception. Located on the old Regnitz Island and stretching across seven hills, Bamberg owes its appearance to a bishop's love of pomp and splendour and to the fact that it suffered very little damage during World War II. It is truly a beautiful city and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It lists over 2,000 buildings as historical monuments, and it's old city center is Europe's largest existing group of historic buildings...it is also famous for having over 30 local breweries, proudly producing a smoky-tasting beer!
The present day cathedral was built in the 13th century. Cathedral Hill is truly a must see site while wandering this city. I found the climbing quite exhausting... A climb which definitely required the reward of an ale in the Gruner Markt (Green Market...for vegetables). All around this city are large agricultural lands, with rich soils for market gardeners, whose cultivable land provides quality goods for the market. Learning the terms medieval and baroque is important in learning about this largest intact old town in Germany. Today it is a vibrant city with approximately 70,000 inhabitants, a university and numerous schools. Our guide today was a student from the University of Bamberg, knowledgable beyond her years, working as a guide as she prepared to become a teacher. Sites seen today included The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. George, with its four towers, The Chancery and, "Beautiful Gate", The Residence of the Prince Bishop, the Rose Garden

Bratislava

Having passed through the Gabcikovo Lock and and power station at km1819, we are traversing a huge canal like area that directs the power of the Danube towards the power station. The lock itself is one of 68 that we will encounter on our journey to Amsterdam. One of the deepest locks, the Bragi was lifted approximately 60 feet. The river is fast flowing and quite an earthy brown. One is taken by the amount of floating trees and deadheads along the way...
The following is from an email that I attempted to send (unsuccessfully) earlier today to family and
friends... It captures much of what we have experienced along the way.
Good morning! It's Tuesday already. The early morning views along the Danube are awesome. This part of the river is quite narrow, heavily treed and except for the quick current, could be the Rideau River between Poonamalie lock and Rideau Ferry.
Everything about the Viking Bragi is amazing...the comfort, the quiet, the quality of the wine, beer and food. Our cabin is very complete, although quite compact. The floor to ceiling patio window offers a great view of all there is to be scene. The last thing I do at night is draw the curtain...so anxious not to miss anything.
We had a terrific bus tour yesterday in Budapest with a very knowledgable tour guide, who shared both the history of the city and the discouraging thoughts about Hungary's struggle to move from communism to a democratic society. Simply, being from Canada, we have no idea what an amazing lifestyle we have and how important it is to keep things democratic...
Enough about political situations...
We are so fortunate to have chosen this cruise and to be sharing it with Garnet & Shirley and Pam & Jim, is a bonus. Everyone is getting along wonderfully, getting together for meals and having enough space to do our respective own thing is working out well. I can't believe that Marion & I are the nighthawks of the group!
This afternoon around 2:00, we'll dock in Bratislava in the Czech Republic. We'll tour the area both by bus and walk. This evening we'll have local entertainment on board prior to departing at 11:00 for Vienna, Austria, where tomorrow night we'll be attending a Mozart & Strauss concert. Vienna is a city of music!
Hoping all is well at home...we'll keep in touch!
It's time to get ready for a safety/fire drill...life jackets and all!
Cheers and as they say in Hungary,  Szia...pronounced see-ah!

Marion & Brian

A quiet time right now, comfortably at my desk with wonderful views out the patio window, about 12" from my right shoulder, I get to see all that goes by.
Next on our agenda, having just completed the mandatory fire drill on the cool and breezy sun deck is a presentation prior to lunch about Vienna Coffeehouses and a briefing on the famous composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Needless to say we are very much looking forward to attending a Mozrt and Strauss concert, tomorrow evening in Vienna.

Nuremberg

I was somewhat leery about our visit to Nuremberg because of its past, mostly because of my having read about the Nuremberg that the Nazis saw as the ideal setting for their activities. Our tour guide took us first to the great coliseum that Hitler had constructed, the site where Nazi Party rallies were held. This was a monstrous area, large like the Roman Coliseum, where Hitler staged fanatical party rallies.The building was never completed and sits literally untouched from 1945 with the exception of the creation of The Documentation Center, a site which contains thought provoking exhibits, as well as detailed material on the history of the rallies, showing the manipulative nature of the Nazi propaganda. Our guide put that entire era into an understandable perspective, moved from there past the site of the Courtroom of the Nuremberg Trials, then proceeded to show us Bavaria's second largest city, with its medieval old town and grand castle. He explained that over 80% of the city had been flattened in January 1945 by Allied bombers and how lead by women survivors of the war had with painstaking care rebuilt the city, including the castle and the old churches. The city is surrounded by massive walls. The Aldstadt or old town was a challenging walk, following our climb to the top of the city to see the grand castle; the view from there gave an appreciation of the effort required to complete the reconstruction. It is a vibrant, tourist-laden area. Our good fortune was to experience a wonderful Bavarian market...and to enjoy a pint of local beer...rather a half litre of local beer. The other treat was to experience sizzling finger-sized bratwurst, locally known as, 'three-on-a-bun'. A feature that we learned about but didn't take time to try was the gingerbread cookie, traditionally eaten at Christmas, available all year.
Nuremberg is an overwhelming city, one which tourists could spend days exploring. A return visit would allow us time to explore museums and galleries to understand more of the German culture, art and history. This is a must return to part of Germany!

The Main-Danube Canal

Over the past 18 hours we have travelled along the Main-Dabube Canal, which was completed in 1992, creating a continuous waterway 2,200 miles long passing through 15 countries and linking hundreds of inland ports. The canal is 106 miles long, running from Kelheim on the Danube to bam berg on the Main River. It's 16 stair-step locks rise to a watershed 1,332 feet above sea level, the highest point on any European waterway. I point this out as through the night we entered and departed several long, narrow locks with plenty of contact with lock walls, making sleeping a tenuous activity separated by short periods of quiet! At sun-up we started the decline, some locks gently lowering us 80 feet at a time. One would hardly know that this is an artificial waterway. Great care has been taken to see that the canal blends harmoniously with the beautiful landscapes through which it passes. While travelling through this canal this morning a professor from a local university, boarded the Bragi and presented an overview of the European Union. When completed, she departed the Bragi, passed her bicycle and lecture notes on to a Viking Riverboat heading in the opposite direction for a ride back through the locks to her home.
We are about to disembark for a shore excursion to Nuremburg...more sightseeing!

Regensburg, The Oldest City on the Danube

The main branch of the Danube flows through the 16 arches of the Stone Bridge., Built 1135-1146, this masterpiece of medieval engineering is 1,017 feet long and still carries traffic from the left bank of the river through the last remaining tower into Regensburg's unique Old Town. Anyone who has crossed the 5 span bridge that crosses the Mississippi in Pakenham wil be familiar with the construction of the Stone Bridge... This charming town traces it's roots to the the sixth century. During the 12th and 13th centuries, Regensburg became the wealthiest and most populated city in southern Germany, and extensive trading was done with Venice via the Brenner Pass. Many churches, dynastic towers and patrician houses not found anywhere else give this city it's medieval appearance. It has had a glorious past, now a much less important town in terms of political or economic significance, it continues to shine as a visitors hot spot.
Gothic St. Peter's Cathedral, with its Romanesque tower called the Donkey Tower, is a remnant of the old cathedral, which was left as a support for the new Gothic construction. Finished in 1869. With twin towers , 344 feet high, we're added from 1859-1869.
Today has been a wandering day, following our guided tour; meandering up and down quaint narrow streets built hundreds of years ago. Cobblestone is the form of pavement, somewhat difficult to walk; well worth the effort to see countless shops, specializing in German clothing, clocks, watches, and the never-ending souvenir shops! Restaurants abound...the pub that we found was a famous outdoor sausage kitchen, where a mid afternooon snack included sausage, mustard, sauerkraut, pretzels and the ever required Bavarian beer. This particular area was also seriously flooded as recently as 12 weeks ago. A tile marks the level on the exterior wall to which water rose this Spring. Again the perseverance of the people amazes us. Floods are a part of life here; once the water recedes the population picks up and carries on with the tidying up

Passau, Germany

Known as the City of Three Rivers, Passau lies at the confluence of the Inn, the Danube and the Ilz rivers. It is the first major German city on the Danube near the border of Austria.... Dating back to Celtic tribes, later the site of a Roman camp; in the year 739, a Celtic monk founded the diocese of Passau. Our guide told us of how Passau was an important medieval centre for the salt trade and later famous for the making of high-quality knife and sword blades. The old town, with its baroque churches and patrician houses, is crowded onto a narrow point separating the Danube and Inn rivers. St. Stephen's Cathedral, built in 1688, is one of the town's most important landmarks and boasts the largest pipe organ in Europe. From our view, we look up to see the Oberhausen fortress. I found it interesting that our brilliant young guide made no mention of the significance of Passau relative to Adolf Hitler growing up here, learning the distinctive lower Bavarian dialect that marked his speeches, nor the fact that Pasau was the home to three concentration camps during WWII. For us it has been a delightful visit to an old German town, where we were entertained with a wonderful tour and audience to a truly powerful organ concert.
A final thought about this part of our visit... It is amazing how accepting of the power of the river and the damage of resulting flooding earlier this year was to our guide. We saw the height of flood waters from June of this year, the highest water lines on buildings ever recorded. Complete sections of the old town were in the midst of reconstruction. Many shops, particularly in the artisan section are replacing complete first floors. Because of the strength of the structures and doors, exterior damage was minimal; whole interiors are needing complete replacement.
We are ready to depart this afternoon for a Saturday visit to historic and vibrant Regensburg, one of Germany's best-preserved medieval towns.
I've commented very little about the cruise itself... The quality of the staff of the Viking Bragi is unbelievable! Everything is first class, for sure. Our meals, their preparation and the serving of same are top notch. The six of us, Garnet & Shirley, Jim & Pam and  Marion & I are together at a table for
6 both at lunch and dinner. The staff that takes care of us goes far and above what would be expected. The chef is a young man with 9 years experience, this being his first cruise experience.  The quality of his daily menu is a really special. I had the pleasure to travel to the farmers' market with him in Vienna. What a special treat that was. Service is exceptional...humour and class go a long way to adding to the pleasure of our travels! At the conclusion of this experience, increased exercise and attention to diet will be high on our respective 'to do' lists!

The Melk Experience

This morning the Bragi sailed through the Wachau Valley, the heart of Austria's wine country. This is a truly spectacular area of the Danube and is recognized for its cultural and historical significance and is of such unsurpassed beauty, that it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Upon arrival in Melk, we disembarked for an excursion to the ostentatious Melk Abbey, perched on the sheer cliffs high above the Danube. 900 years old and in a elaborate Baroque style, pictures don't do it justice.  It's stunning library with one of the largest collections of medieval manuscripts, in addition to a kaleidoscope of red, orange and gold, with its magnificent carved pulpit and shimmering ceiling frescoes makes the Benedictine Abbey in Lower Austria truly sensational. Melk is a masterpiece of the typically Austrian period of art - the Baroque. Monks of the Benedictine Order have lived and worked here for over 900 years. In the monastery itself, monks run a public secondary school with nearly 900 students. The monastery sees the religious and intellectual formation of its pupils as an important spiritual duty. I found out that the monastery's income from agriculture and tourism is used to fulfill these duties and to finance the costly and difficult maintenance required for this outstanding building.
Back onboard the Bragi, we continue to experience outstanding service and attention. Every detail is taken care of, from room service, to concierge , to meals. One could not ask for better service!
Tomorrow sees our arrival in Passau...if all goes well, we should hook up briefly with friends who are doing a similar tour, only in reverse. Here's to connecting with them!

Country Number Three...Austria

Following an excellent day in Bratislava, Slovakia we find ourselves in Vienna, Austria this morning.
Yesterday's experiences included a tour and guided walk of Bratislava, Slovakia's charming capital. Our bus tour included a drive through Embassy Row, a stop at Bratislava Castle overlooking the city from its hilltop location. Set at the foot of the Little Carpathian Mountains, the city is dominated by this massive square castle. Our tour through the quaint old town, we saw St. Martin's Cathedral Michael's Gate with its 15th-century tower, Main Square with its quirky sculptures all over the place...even passing by the Canadian Embassy. It is interesting to note the proximity of two capital cities, Bratislava and Vienna, a mere 68 miles apart, closer than any two other capital cities in the world! Our Slovakia day was complete with evening entertainment aboard the Bragi with a Slovakian Folkloric Show...traditional music, songs and dance. it was a show not to be missed!
A night of cruising has brought us to this next city, Vienna. The rows of longboats are unbelievable, so many so that we are rafted onto each other. One needs to be sure one is dressed prior to sliding open the patio curtains, at the risk of looking right into a neighbour's patio. This will be an event filled day, with a city tour this morning, an optional tour to the farmers' market with the ships chef to select groceries for our next meal, then this evening a Mozart/Strauss concert...so much to report on. Weather has been very autumn like with cool breezes on the river. Sweaters are never far away.
Our morning tour exposed to us a grand and glorious mix of what was once the seat of the Habsburgs and the centre of the Holy Roman Empire. It is clearly one of the world's greatest centres of art, music and architecture. The splendid selection of  museums and palaces in the area of the Ringstrasse, the grand boulevard  which encircles the medieval city is almost overwhelming.
We took some extra time to visit St. Stephen's Cathedral, a gothic structure which is a testament to Vienna's status in the Middle Ages.
I chose to take an option trip to the Farmers' Market during the afternoon, accompanied by our longboat's chef, a young man from Slovakia, who while being a chef foe nine years was a Viking chef since this past May. He had the opportunity to set up his kitchen on the brand new Bragi. It was a short ride on the subway where fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish, cheeses and breads were readily available. There was also a pleasant mix of bars and eating places intertwined with the stalls. Chef arranged for a tasting of cheeses, hams,  and breads as part our visit...very tasty!
Heading back to the Bragi, I knew that the best of the day was yet to come. Following yet another outstanding dinner, we boarded buses to head to a local palace. More than any other European capital, Vienna is a city of music. Even the elegant buildings along the famed Ringstasse seems to sing. concerts abound and on any evening, one is sure to succeed at finding a concert in a high-style venue. Ours was in a place concert hall/ballroom and presented by the Vienna Residence Orchestra. It.was so easy to lose ourselves in the amazing presentation...Vienna's most beloved music, with costumed singers and dancers, selections such as Mozart's The Magic Flute, the beauty of Strauss's waltzes... All that and a delightful drive from the concert through the nightlife of Vienna back to the Bragi. It was such a complete day!
To my friends in Ottawa eager to know about the Austrian take on Christopher Plummer, Julie Andrews and the movie The Sound of Music, there is little interest and a lot of disdain for both the actors and the movie, itself. It is as if the Austrian feel insulted by the presentation of that story. Only Hollywood they say could make up sauce a fairy tale.
On a personal note, seeing the winter stables, right down town of the Lippizaner stallions was truly opportunistic. I managed some great photos as we'll of the horses being walked to the training ring...no show, just being in the right place at the right time!

Budapest...Old World Charm with a Cosmopolitan Air

It is late Monday evening...having departed Budapest about 60 minutes ago...what a great day! Today has been such a whirlwind of old world charm and cosmopolitan lifestyle. Budapest is a glorious mix of art and a joy to walk; Buda on the east bank and Pest (pronounced Pesht) on the west. Combined, it is brimming with history, culture and attractions; a mix of several architectural styles, with plenty of exciting things to do. Following breakfast, we boarded buses and began a classic tour, including stops at Hungary's most impressive square, Heroes' Square, which stands in honour and memory of great leaders in Hungary's history. We also drove through the Jewish district, site of the largest synagogue in Europe. Dohany Street is where the city's 19th century Christian designed synagogue is located. It is also known as the Great Synagogue. We were reminded of the years leading up to World War II when over 250,000 Jews perished. It was bombed and used as a stable during World War II, but in the 1990s, after the fall of communism, was restored.
Crossing the Danube River, we reached Castle Hill in the Buda section. Buda is an amazing place for photography as it stands high over the river, looking down upon the Pest region. It is in Buda where one sees the city's old streets, many under street reconstruction; Matthias Church, with its colorful tiled roof and interior murals; Fishermen's Bastian, an elaborate neo-Gothic arcade built on fortification walls is an awesome location for taking pictures. From there one looks across the Danube to see the grand Parliament Building, a huge collection of buildings with over 300 towers...currently going through a massive restoration costing millions! One also has an amazing view of the famous Chain Bridge and Elizabeth Bridge, two of the many that connect the two halves of this vibrant city. Following a pleasant on board meal, we enjoyed a quiet afternoon working off post flight fatigue...a fancy expression for a good nap. This evening's meal was another awesome eating experience. We were joined by another Kanata couple for dinner. Departure from Budapest was at 7:45 under the stars. One could hardly feel the departure of the Bragi. Being on the sun deck was both exciting and frustrating...camera batteries expired at exactly the moment we cruised by the Parliament. We are presently curing upstream towards Brataslava ...planned arrival is around noon tomorrow.
I'll try to post pictures here...if unsuccessful check out my Facebook page...

At YOW and Ready To Go!

The big day has finally arrived. I thought that departure time for YOW would never arrive. It was July 17th, 2012 that this plan hatched! Along with friends Garnet & Shirley and Jim and Pam that the decision was taken to book a river cruise. It's been months of planning and imagining about what our trip of a lifetime will be like; now it's time to find out! We will be aboard AC 838 to Frankfurt, a short time in Frankfurt, then on to Budapest, Hungary aboard LH1338. We should arrive at our first destination around 8:30 Frankfurt time....the day has moved so quickly! Already it is late evening in Budapest. It has been like a whirlwind... We found the Frankfurt Airport almost overwhelming and somewhat poorly organized in terms of getting passengers through passport control and on to the next leg of the adventure, taking almost 90 minutes from disembarking from AC838 and on to LH 1338. Service was excellent through both carriers. Our second flight was aboard an Airbus A32, a very comfortable, quiet flight. Upon arrival in Budapest, the Viking crew took over. Before we knew it, we were on a luxury coach, headed for boarding the Viking Bragi! Once aboard,we quickly met up with friends Garnet & Shirley and Jim & Pam. Right from the outset, the service has been excellent! The cocktail hour became the embarkation briefing, where we learned about the ship and about what we could look forward to during our time on board. It's like a fairy tale, things are that well planned!
Tomorrow we will learn about Budapest. What we know already is that few cities
can compare to this city. Hungary's captivating capital combines old world charm with a cosmopolitan lifestyle.  It is home to 1.7 million people; the city is actually the merging of two cities... .... So much to know...so little time one has to learn it all!

Getting Down to the Short Strokes

Five days and counting...From one of my favourite writers..."Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long journey that spans the continent ...Sooner or later we must realize that the true joy of life is the trip!". Anticipation is a wonderful thing!
Tickets/Travel Package have been procured...and hats off to Viking River Cruises and  Expedia CruiseShipCenters (Kanata) for excellent information ; checklists have been written and double checked; emergency information sheets have been prepared and printed in triplicate; passports are current and ready; prescriptions and meds are organized; photocopies of photocopies are up to date; instructions for the care of the house and plants completed;  all of my packing is complete, although I have not yet moved my suitcase to the front door. My partner is a little more casual about the urgency to get things packed..."It'll all be done on time", she says!
An additional exciting item has been the procurement of an iPad Mini...no big laptops for this traveller. I'll be keeping in touch with the world and blogging from my new toy...first lesson is today at the Apple Store!
To my friends who have blogged their river cruises before me...if there are last minute items about which I should be reminded...this would be a good time to do so!
Next blog..."Sitting at YOW"!
How many more sleeps?

Two Week Countdown

In less than two weeks, immediately following the Richmond Fair Demolition Derby, we board the big bird! Preparation began today. The first thing that I've discovered is that choosing what to pack for a 30 day trip that includes 15 days of cruising European rivers and 15 days of wandering English countryside and fitting all that clothing/stuff into one medium sized duffle bag is a challenge. Clothing for warm days, breezy days and cooler days is proving to be interesting, to say the least! I think that my dilemma is that I promised myself that I would follow Rick Steves', "Essential Packing Checklist" and realize that I can't travel that lightly! Some tough decisions are going to have to be made! The next challenge is to decide what toys and electronics to take. I'm toying with the notion of gearing up with an iPad Mini rather than my laptop, my new Nikon (do I take a tripod?)...well you get the idea.
And wouldn't you know it; since I purchased Euros two weeks ago, the cost has gone down! Had I waited until this week the cost of purchasing foreign funds would have gone up! It's all part of getting ready. Luckily, the next few days are intended for making the several decisions that need to be made.
I can tell you this also, the anticipation is mounting. This will be a trip of our lifetime!

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