River Cruise – Travels with Billie

Cruising the Danube, Part 2

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!

One of the connecting walkways of the castle.

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.

Cruising the Danube, Part 1

Leaving Prague by rail, friend Anna and I headed off to Budapest to meet my cousins and friends for our Viking cruise on the Danube. The train ride was nice, but we had a rocky start. We had reserved seats, and our ticket showed a car number and seat numbers. It was a long train, with no car numbers visible. We tried to ask rail personnel, but no one seemed interested in answering questions by two old ladies dragging suitcases. We jumped on a car just before the train started rolling, and discovered car numbers on signs INSIDE the train car. And we were about five cars away from where we needed to be. Apparently we weren’t alone, since there commenced a Keystone Kops dance up and down the aisles as riders moved either forward or back with their luggage in the narrow aisle. When we got off in Budapest, we found that the car numbers were on the outside of the train, but on the opposite side from boarding!

Our next challenge was on arrival at the Aurea Ana Palace Hotel in Budapest. I chose the hotel for its proximity to the ship dock (it wasn’t that close-see later in the post) and because it claimed to be “on the banks of the Danube River” (it was two blocks away and surrounded by taller buildings.) On arrival we found ourselves at the bottom of a staircase-no elevator-to get to the front desk. And when we got to our room, I found that they had put us in a room with a King bed, when I had requested two queens. We were told they had only one room left with two beds, and it was downstairs. You guessed it: no elevator. Well, at least we had a lovely view of…the other side of the building. And the windows to the balcony were locked. Bottom line: if you go, choose another hotel. I’m usually pretty good at choosing lodgings, but once in a while I get skunked. Anyway, we met our travel companions and had a nice dinner with a little bubbly to make me less grumpy. I’d say the best part of the hotel was the bartender. That’s him in the back behind the bar.

The next day we took the hop-on hop-off bus to get an overview of the city. We just rode it around to get an idea of what we might want to see more of, since we had a guided excursion planned in two days. We also explored along the Danube, and came across a place I had wanted to visit. Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial to the 23000 people, mostly Jews, who were murdered during WWII by the fascist Hungarian militia. They were taken to the river and made to take off their shoes, because shoes were valuable at that time. They were then shot and the bodies tossed into the river to take them away. It was a moving reminder of that terrible time in history.

The Hungarian Parliament building by night was impressive.

The following day was the start of our river cruise. I again made a bad call: I ordered a Bolt taxi to take us to the ship. Our companions had the hotel order a taxi for them, but we wouldn’t all fit in one cab, hence the Bolt, which I’ve had great luck with in Europe.

To set the scene: it was pouring rain. The ship was at a dock over a mile down the river (there are several docks along the riverfront so the ships change docks from time to time.) We went out to wait for our taxi, and he pulled up on the corner a half block away. My friend went down and asked him to pull up to the hotel so we could load our bags. He did, with a surly attitude. He then drove us to an entrance to the riverside road, which had been closed for a marathon race the previous day, and told us to get out. We asked where the ship was. He said, “You walk,” using his fingers to indicate walking. We protested that the ship was nowhere in sight. He said “Road closed. You walk,” and he got out and unloaded our bags. So there we were, with the rain coming down like it was trying to fill up the Danube again, dragging our suitcases along a cobblestone road by the river. We walked a mile in the rain until we came to the ship. Which, incidentally, was docked in a place where taxis were pulling up right next to the boarding ramp. I know it was a mile because my Apple watch told me so. I also averaged two four letter words per yard. At least. And to make it even more ignominious, I got a text from my cousin telling me he was in the bar on the ship having his first scotch.

All that aside, we were welcomed and fussed over by the ship personnel, and headed directly to the bar in order to make me less grumpy. Again.

We spent two nights in Budapest aboard the ship, allowing us one full day to explore the city more throughly. We had booked a private tour, and that turned out to be one of our better decisions. There were six of us along with our driver and our guide. We met with our guide in the morning to decide on our itinerary, and off we went. First across the river to the castle district, where our guide gave us a great tour of Matthias Church.

The shoreline was crowded with river boats.

Then we went to the Citadel to take in the incredible view of the city. After a stop in a tiny art shop for my crafty and talented cousin to buy supplies, we went to a restaurant suggested by our guide. It was a great choice-the food was outstanding and it contained a museum of Hungarian life and artistry. I had a dish that included seared duck liver on a base of something similar to ratatouille. And a special drink that came with flower petals on the side!

Polly helped me celebrate my birthday with a special drink.

After lunch we headed out again, and made a stop at their thermal baths. How I wish I had come prepared with a swimsuit and more time! You can even bathe in beer!

Our final stop of the day was Heroes square, filled with statues of famous and revered Hungarians. Nearby was Vajdahunyad Castle, which I thought looked like Dracula’s Castle. Turns out it was actually used as a set for one of the Dracula movies. There was a lovely venue nearby that was unfortunately closed for an event, but we did get to walk through the courtyard. It has won awards for architectural design, and I think they were well deserved. And how interesting to find a statue of a familiar American figure! Yes, that’s George Washington. I never knew he had Hungarian roots!

Our day was brought to a close with dinner on the ship and a birthday celebration to mark my eightieth year. I can’t imagine a better way to mark such an important milestone.

When we were planning this trip, part of the reason we chose this week was to celebrate my birthday and my cousins’ anniversary. Celebrating my birthday aboard a cruise ship in Budapest was so far beyond anything I ever dreamed of that it felt a bit surreal. Growing up in a small town on the Montana prairie, and then in Alaska, I could not anticipate something so amazing. I feel so fortunate to have experienced it.

The Joy of Home

Traveling, to me, is a joy, an adventure, an education, and my personal prescription for staying young. HOWEVER, coming home is balm to my soul. That home is in Montana makes that return even happier.

The thing about this past year, of course, is the fact that I didn’t actually have a home to return to. My brief visits over the past year have involved hotels and Airbnbs. During my last visit in March I went apartment shopping, because I was starting to feel the need to have a real home base. I found the perfect place, one that ticked off all my wish list, so I rented it to start on my return on May 4.

The view from my balcony in March; Spring hadn’t yet arrived.

That meant I had only six days on my return to get moved in before leaving again for Prague. That’s my first stop on a Prague/Budapest/River Cruise/Ireland escorted tour itinerary, with a return to London for more theatre at the end.

At this moment I’m at the airport, starting my next trip. My apartment isn’t completely organized, but my kitchen is useable and I can find my underwear and shoes. All the important stuff.

So off I go on the trip that’s the culmination of my year of travel. I’m both thrilled to go, and sad that I’m leaving my lovely new home so soon.

I’ve had the privilege of seeing the world, but always Montana calls me home.