This write-up is only one year late... Writing it is like re-living the trip, so I'm not a bit sorry for the delay.
To celebrate our twentieth wedding anniversary, a little early, we travelled to central Europe for a week's cruise down the Danube river. We flew into Budapest, Hungary on June 1, 2018. The minor transportation difficulties for the first bit of the trip were really the only frustrations. A river cruise was an easy and pleasant way to see a new part of the world. Having a room that travels with you is a major convenience. If you had far-flung places that you were committed to seeing, it might not be the best way to travel because you need to be on the boat when it moves to the next city. We were up for anything and just wanted to have a good time and foreign adventure. We travelled on a boat called "The A" on cruise line U by Uniworld from Budapest, Hungary to Regensberg, Germany on a 7 day cruise. The people we travelled with and the local guides on the boat made the trip so enjoyable.
Our cabin was tiny but very nice. The boat itself was small, with only two levels with a central hall and a row of rooms on each side. The dining room was on the lower level and above that was the lounge. There was a roof-top deck over the length of the boat with plenty of comfortable seating the umbrellas. There was also a small gym, free laundry, and coffee machine bar. The decor was intentionally very modern and not ornate. Black and white throughout.
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| Actual airplane food - a complete meal |
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Day 1 - Budapest, Hungary
The cruise sent a very nice driver to take us from the airport to the boat. We flew overnight and arrived at the boat about 11 am, so the previous week's cruise wasn't actually done. We knew it would be a good week because the people departing had clearly had fun. We enjoyed an excellent brunch on the boat. Brunch and dinner were the only meals served with the cruise, and they were always fantastic. We checked out bicycles from the boat and followed the crowd of people streaming over the bridge. Where was everyone walking to? It turns out that we were docked right next to a long, narrow island in the river which was the home to a park similar to Central Park. There were beautiful formal gardens, a small zoo, a theatre, Olympic size swimming stadium, and a thermal bath. The people were there for a sports festival with all kinds of activities available for anyone to try. Brian did a tight rope and outdoor bowling. We tried badminton, terribly. There were drummers performing, signers, and vendors of all kinds. At a large fountain, American top-40 music blared and people sunbathed. In another area, families scurried around geo-caching. We enjoyed every bit of this experience and it was a highlight of the trip. Exploring this large and very active park by bike was just perfect. At the end of the island, another bridge crossed the river. We passed a clay tennis court with people actually playing, so that was another novel sport observed. The wind picked up and we had to ride through a sand-storm to get back, but that added to the adventure.
There was an orientation over happy hour. Dinner included paprika fish soup and Stephanie cake, both delicious. The first planned activity of the week was a group walk through the central city. Our guide took us to "ruin" bars where we enjoyed crazy decor and cheap Hungarian beer. It was a fun way to meet some of our fellow travelers and see the city.
Day 2 - Budapest, Hungary
We slept late recovering from jet lag, and enjoyed the excellent brunch. We skipped the planned walking tour since we had received a basic orientation the night before. We took the subway system, which had helpful signs in English, to the House of Terror museum. The museum was dedicated to the dark time in Hungarian history where they were first occupied by the Nazis and then by the Russians. The house itself had been headquarters for the occupying leadership with torture rooms in the basement. It was pretty dark and not that enjoyable, but we learned a lot about the recent history of the area. Returning by the metro, we found an Aldi store and did some grocery shopping. Cheese, sausage, and excellent fresh bread made for a great lunch which we munched on by the river looking at the boat.
That afternoon we walked across the Liberty bridge to St. Gellert Thermal Bath and Swimming Pools. This was another highlight of the trip. Budapest is famous for thermal baths and there was a swanky one right by the boat. On the advice of some of our new friends from the boat, we paid for a cabana, or private changing room. All areas were very ornate with blue tile on the walls, mosaics, and skylights. We only sampled a few of the things to do there and still had a great time. There were two very large hot tubs at 38 and 40 C. There was also a steam room, which Brian enjoyed but Stephanie felt panicky in. We both enjoyed the large sauna with three rooms getting progressively hotter. A small pool at 19 C was a shocking change from the hot pools and rooms. All the guests wore swim suits in the areas we were in, so was similar to visiting a public pool at home.
Day 3 - Monday - Bratislava, Slovenia
After a quick breakfast with Kelly and Mark, we joined the tour group for a walking tour of Bratislava with Mic. This is an medieval city that was once the capital of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The old city center is closed to cars and has beautiful cobblestone streets. We visited St. Martin's cathedral and stopped at a cafe for a cold drink on a hot day. Next was a walk up to the castle, closed, but a very impressive structure with fantastic views. Coming down from the castle, we left the tourist area and explored the modern city a bit. The destination was the Blue Church, although it was also closed. Monday is a tough day for tourists. The National Gallery was right next to our boat. While it was closed, the cafe was open. This was the best meal of our trip by far. We had an amazing vegetarian meal, very fancy at a very reasonable price. We hit up a small grocery for drinks and snacks, ran into Ed and Liz and returned to the boat.
We docked in Vienna late that evening. Brian and I joined the walking tour which basically just showed you how to take the subway to a fun bar scene. From there we took the subway to the Ferris Wheel. It was in an amusement park which was already shut down, but we made the last trip of the day on the Wheel. The cars were big enough for maybe twenty people and a small group from London shared the car with us. We had no idea what we were looking at since we'd just arrived, but it was a romantic adventure.
Day 4 - Vienna, Austria
We started the day with a special walking tour with Dieter. (Pronounced like Peter with a D) For walking tours, the boat provided little handsets with ear buds so you can hear the guide. Dieter helped us navigate the subway, which was useful for our stay in Vienna. In the central city, we walked past the Opera House, the Winter Palace, a statue about the plague, and an enormous cathedral. Dieter had pointed out the oldest cafe in Austria and we came back after the tour for sacre cake and coffee. It was amazing. The cafe had a history of catering for the royal family, and fanciful candy sculptures were on display. On the lower floor you could see the bakers at work.
We intended to visit the art museum, but the entire area was closed for a state visit from Vladamire Putin. Instead, we took the subway across town to see Hunderwasser Village (meh) and the museum dedicated to the same artist down the street (awesome). This was a very modern art museum with wavy floors and trees growing throughout to simulate nature. While we didn't understand it all, we enjoyed the art work very much and especially enjoyed the photography. The museum had a lovely courtyard cafe and we relaxed with a Radler (lemonade beer) before heading back to the ship.
We had an early dinner and then joined the bus tour of the summer palace on the outskirts of town. Our group was there after the public tours, so no crowds. This is a Hapsburg palace and is probably very similar to every other palace in Europe. It was designed to impress, but it is disturbing to see the excess of the royalty. This is especially true when we learn how little this place was actually used. Visiting a palace is something to do once and doesn't need to be repeated. The grounds were by far the most enjoyable part.
Day 5 - Durnstein, Austria
The day started for Stephanie with yoga on the roof. The boat stopped mid-morning at the small town of Durnstein, in the Wachau Valley. We took the short walking tour offered by the boat and hiked up the castle ruins. This is supposedly the castle where Richard the Lionheart was held captive during the crusades. It was an adventure and absolutely lovely view of the green valley below. Many of our friends from the boat also took the hike, so that aded to the fun. There were hiking trails all around. Apparently, you can hike or bike from town to town in Austria. In the small village, we stopped into a wine tasting room and enjoyed the local wine, Gruner Veltliner. There were dozens of wineries in the area. The last activity in Durstein was a quick wade into the Danube river off the beachy shore.
Brian went for a message in the afternoon. In the evening, we rode the boat through the beautiful Wachau Valley and saw castles and churches along the side. We arrived in Melk and took a bus tour of the Abby. This is not what we expected. It was unbelievably ornate. Back on the boat, we had a fabulous dinner except for goulash on white pants! The evening ended with fun karaoke in the lounge.
Day 6 - Wachau Valley and Passau, Germany
The boat offered a morning bike tour for the adventurous. The boat stopped, let anyone interested off with bikes, and continued on. Brian did this 18 mile tour with a group from the boat. The guide was apparently Brian's long lost cousin, Lars. The certainly look a lot alike. Stephanie stayed on the boat and enjoyed a massage. We arrived in Passau after noon and met up with the bike group. In a small cafe we had awesome german lunch of white sausage for Brian and cold cheese & meat plate for Stephanie. A word for the wise - the large lightly colored piece that's slimy to the touch is butter, not cheese!
In the afternoon, we took a paddle tour with the group. We rode bikes to the Passau Kayak Club with a couple of local guides. The were 10 people from the boat plus the 2 guides in one giant canoe on the Danube river. This was super fun! We also had a chance to single kayak and stand-up paddle board. It was so enjoyable to try an activity done by the locals and we were overrun by school kids learning to kayak at the end. We also saw mothers with young kids playing on the beachy shore and shared the river with majestic swans. We learned that the colorful houses in town have a meaning. Before reading was common, a tradesperson would advertise by painting their house a certain color. For instance, a baker's house may always be blue in a region. This town is full of brightly painted houses.
After the boating, we rode bikes back up the hill to town. There was a sign by the side of the road and stairs going up the mountain. With the help of Google translate, we figured out that this was the way to get to a fortress at the top. About that time, Brian and Amy from the boat walked up. We joined them for the hike and were rewarded with a fantastic view. There was a restaurant at the top where we all had a good German beer and some snacks.
Back at the boat, we had a fantastic dinner. The evening entertainment was a Beer mixology class where we learned that a Diesel is beer + coke and a Radler is beer + sprite. We also learned the critical skill of opening one beer bottle with another one or a soda bottle. Apparently, it's a point of pride in Bavaria to open up a pint of beer without an opener.
This was followed by a silent disco where everyone was given blue-tooth headphones. There were three different channels of dance music at the same time, and it was fun to dance with people doing their own thing. This is a great offering for dancing on a small boat where noise would otherwise be a problem.
Day 7 - Staubing, Germany
Stephanie started the day with exercise on the roof. We walked with the group into the small city. There was an open air market and some shops in a pedestrian zone. This stop might have been designed to show us what life is like in a medium sized town. We bought some souvenirs, and stopped in a gas station to by some beer. Walking back to the boat, we ran into Mark and Kelly, who were coming up the hill away from the ship. They were taking the train to Regensburg rather than ride the boat all afternoon. What a great idea! We ran to the boat, grabbed a picnic lunch from the brunch buffet, and told the steward that we'd see them in Regensburg. Then we made our way to the train station too. We had to wait an hour for the next train and took a 20 minute train ride. This saved us six hours of sailing on the boat. While we waited, we enjoyed watching the school children head home on a Friday afternoon. There were hordes of kids getting on buses and trains, all without adults. It was quite a contrast to our culture.
Regensburg has another giant, gothic cathedral and medieval pedestrian zone. We were trilled to find a restaurant called Dean and David, which is basically like Panera at home. It was nice to have a light salad. We got to the history museum just 45 minutes before closing at 4, which had the upside of half price admission of 2 euro. We had time to see the Roman items which were found in the area from the days when this was a Roman outpost. We also saw a family who was celebrating a wedding the museum courtyard. The groom's side was clearly Baviarian with lederhosen. The bride's side was African in traditional dress.
From here we walked across the river and found a park where the locals were swimming and sunbathing. Teenagers were jumping off a pedestrian bridge into the river like crazy teenagers. Apparently, partying in public parks is completely normal. When the boat finally arrived, we changed into swim suits and grabbed bikes to join the fun. On our bike ride, we saw a large tent with tons of people wearing lederhosen and derndl. Inside the tent, people sat at long tables and waitresses carried platters and beer steins. We tried to join the party but learned that it was a corporate event. Bummer! We were almost super cool. We settled for a very pleasant time by the river were we sat and drank more Radlers and swam. The water was cold and really swift. This was our last night on the ship. We had dinner with a nice group. Sharing meals and tours with our fellow travelers was a great bonus for the cruise.
Day 8 - Munich, Germany
A van picked us up at 7 am to take us to Munich. It was about an hour drive and we were joined by Kiwi and Riannah from Australia and the two sisters from Canada. We rode on the Autobahn and that was a fun experience even if we weren't driving. We had reserved a hotel at the airport where we dropped off our bags and then took the train into the central city. We bought fabulous sandwiches from a bakery in the metro. While munching our sandwiches at the base of the ornate and enormous New Town Hall the giant Rathaus-Glockenspeil gave us a show. Knights joisted and Bavarian men danced in the mechanical display. It was very crowded in the main square and we were lucky to catch this event that only happens twice daily.
We took the metro and walked to the art museum. The building itself was really beautiful. The collection was pretty limited but there were lots of Reubens and a da Vinci. We enjoyed a fancy piece of cake in the cafe then walked past the palace. We entered the famous Hofbrouhaus but it was hot and crowded. Instead, we had a traditional Bavarian meal at a nondescript restaurant next door that was very good. In the subway station we bought some beer and sausage for later and took the 45 minute train ride back to the hotel. There was apparently a big music festival happening next to the hotel, but we were too exhausted to check it out. Instead, we enjoyed our very nice and spacious hotel room, watched the BBC, had our snacks, and went to bed early.
Day 9 - Travel home
This was just a travel day from Munich to Philadelphia to Dallas. What a fabulous trip! The picture below is of a group of folks from our boat. It was on a tour that we didn't join, but I like to think that they were toasting us in the picture.
