First, allow me to apologize to my more loyal readers for how long it has taken me to release this and the posts that will follow. It’s been years since I’ve spent a summer at home in Montana, other than the time after my husband got sick and most of my days were spent avoiding Covid and caring for him. I’ve taken the time this summer to truly enjoy the Big Sky country where I was born, and sitting at my computer wasn’t on the agenda!
After two nights aboard ship in Budapest, we woke to find ourselves cruising the Danube. First, let me advise you: the famous song notwithstanding, the Danube is not blue. I’d call it a brownish green. But hey, if you want to write a romantic waltz, you make the river blue. It’s easy to overlook the color when you are looking at vistas you’ve dreamed about for years.
We went through our first set of locks, and of course the mechanically curious in our party had to rush up to the top deck to watch the entire operation. I was more interested in breakfast.
Bratislava, Slovakia
Our first port was Bratislava, and we took a walking tour of the city. Our tour guide Richard had spent a year in Oregon so he spoke excellent English. This was our first example of the advantage of river cruising: you are often able to dock right in the main part of the city or town. We met our guide as we went ashore and walked with him through the historic old town area. It’s a vibrant neighborhood filled with both history and modern day delights like pastries…and beer! We again ran into our old friend Mozart, and experienced what was left of the original walls of the city. Next to the wall and St. Martin’s Cathedral, there was a monument to commemorate the Jewish Temple that was destroyed by the communists
At the end of our walking tour our guide gave us the option of exploring on our own, and carefully explained how to get back to our ship. We spent a couple lovely hours wandering the area and of course sampling the excellent local beer.
Vienna, Austria
The next stop was Vienna, where we again did a walking tour of the old town. Unlike Bratislava, Vienna is a very large city, which meant we were transported to the city center by motor coach. While I prefer small towns and villages, Vienna is a lovely city with a long history and beautiful architecture.
There was a market going on next to the church that seemed much like the traditional Christmas markets of Europe. The merchants were friendly and I spent most of my time chatting. Thank heaven most Europeans know English, since I’m embarrassingly poor at languages. I bought some gifts, and got into a conversation with a merchant who had funny pins. After I purchased one for a friend and another for myself, I spotted the “It is what it is” pin, telling him that was my mantra when I was growing up. So he gave it to me. Because of that chat, I’ll always think of Vienna and that gentleman every time I look at my pin.
Of course, if you go to Vienna you have to go to a concert. Our whole group went off to a performance that included traditional Austrian music, a piece by Mozart (naturally), and a delightful bit of opera performed by two excellent singers who were also fun performers.
I ended the evening with a stroll on the top deck of the boat, capturing a view of a nearby church. Farewell, Vienna.
Wachau Valley
Cruising the Wachau Valley in Austria is one of the highlights of a Danube cruise. It’s filled with castles, vineyards, and lovely towns. There’s something interesting in every one of the 18 miles along this stretch of the Danube. All those castles you see in the advertisements? Here they are.
Melk, Austria
Welcome to the nicest little town you never heard of. Well, I never heard of, anyway. After the big city vibe of Vienna, this was more my speed.
The town is home to the 1000 year old Benedictine Melk Abbey. The abbey is in a commanding location on a hill overlooking the town and the Danube. We were taken up the (fairly steep) hill in a bus and given a guided tour of the abbey. The interior is stunning, with a breathtaking library and an imposing long marble hallway. Unfortunately, photos are not allowed inside the abbey, or I’d be loading up this post with pictures! The abbey has continued as a school, today with about 900 students of both sexes attending.
I chose to walk down the hill back to our boat, giving me an opportunity to wander through the town. Another delightful conversation with a shopkeeper at “The Cat’s House.” She assured me the only reason she kept the business going was because the cat expected to be fed and housed. I told her the story of the long service of the mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska, who was a cat. She loved the story and wrote down the name of Talkeetna so she could look it up online. The shop was filled with kitty-related items, and I came home with the perfect sign.
In the evening I was given a late birthday gift from my cousins: a bottle of gin from the Melk Abbey.
Linz, Austria
Our next port was Linz, Austria. While some of our group hied off to learn to make Linzer Torte, I opted to take a longer trip to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic. It’s a medieval village with about 13,00o residents and again that many tourists.
The town exists thanks to the castle complex, which was started around 1250 and added to over the centuries by the many varied owners. Today the castle complex is something like 17 acres, and seems to go on forever. Unlike many castles of the era, this one was guarded not by a moat, but by bears. There are a few remaining bears (I counted three) but I was told that when these bears die they will not be replaced. I’m glad to hear that-how boring to live your life in a stone moat that gets so hot in the summer!
The town and castle are a World Heritage site, and the area has been preserved as it was in the Middle Ages. Cobblestones and all. I’m so glad I didn’t live in the Middle Ages. I’m beginning to really dislike cobblestones! They are pretty, but treacherous to walk on.
My tour included lunch in Mastal Restaurant, which is in a centuries-old building that was originally a stable. “Mastal” is “stable” in Czech. The setting was delightful, and the food was great. So was the wine! I was seated at a table with several others on our tour, and we had a good time sampling the dishes and sharing our experiences from the trip.
Passau, Germany
Our last port was Passau. We spent the day there, and then departed from the ship the next morning. We did a walking tour of the town with an amusing guide who had a good amount of “attitude” about her. I love a guide who tells it “like it is” rather than sounding like a tourism brochure.
I found the architecture amazing, if a little over the top at times. It’s interesting that the town has suffered many floods, but still looks lovely today.
St. Stephen’s Cathedral
In the evening our group signed up for a traditional German dinner with music. It turned out we were the only people to sign up, so we had the evening all to ourselves. Our guide turned out to be the same woman who was our guide earlier that day, so we knew we would have a good time. Especially after she made sure we all had a beer in front of us immediately.
With such a small group, we had one musician instead of a whole band, and that turned out to be a lucky event. He sat with us, ate with us, and talked about his music and his instrument. He played his Chemnitzer concertina, which he had made to his specifications. It’s similar to an accordion, but the keys are different. He also had some fun wooden clackers that we got to use to keep time with his songs. He even explained his traditional German clothing.
What a lovely evening to finish our river cruise.
The next morning we were all packed and headed for the train station-Anna and me to head to Frankfurt, and the rest of our group to Munich and more beer. The train ride is a post of its own.
Travels with Billie 