Danube
River Cruise

8 a.m. Our adventure begins. The truck was packed and we were off to pick up the Clark’s. A breakfast stop was made at the Mr. Waffle in Gaffney and the 4 of us enjoyed just anticipating the adventure that was ahead. Arriving early in Charlotte we made a side trip to the Whitewater Center and enjoyed just walking around. Hugh was happy to explain everything to Jim and Miriam. At the airport the long-term parking was closed so Hugh parked in the free field area, hoping that we won’t have to pay when we return. Check in and security was easy and we were at our gate in record time. Hurry up and wait is the name of the game!!! Our flight was a little late boarding and leaving but the flight was uneventful. When we arrived at JFK , we got our bags and rode the air train to our new terminal and checked in at the international terminal. Now everything is automated and we did it all by ourselves. We had to wait for someone to check our passports before we could print our boarding passes. There was one problem with Hugh’s boarding pass to Prague but our lovely Ms.Titley was most helpful and he soon had his pass in hand. We had a late lunch and made our way to the gate. We boarded on time and left on time. They served sodas and snacks, followed by dinner. Food was good and we tried to sleep. None of us was very successful and we arrived at Heathrow tired and just a little sleepy. We found our gate and a short time later we were on our way to Prague. Arriving in Prague with our luggage, we easily cleared customs and were out the door. Our Avalon representative was waiting and we were soon meeting some of our tour companions. Settled on the bus, we had to fight sleep to enjoy the scenery. We tried so hard to stay awake so we could get on the right schedule. The traffic was not bad for a city of this size and we arrived at the Hilton (hotel where Mick Jagger celebrated his birthday). Check-in was quick and we were settled and ready for a late lunch/dinner and some exploring before our orientation cocktail party. With recommendations from our guide, the 4 explorers started out. What looked so easy when he showed us on the map became a silly game when we tried it. We finally found our way and enjoyed a leisurely Czech meal with dark beer (coke light for me). Walking some more, we made it to the Republic Square and the Palladium Shopping Mall. We also saw the Grand Municipal Building that is a theater/music hall and several other performance venues. The grandeur of these buildings was amazing. Strolling back along the river we arrived just in time to have champagne and learn about our optional tours in Prague. We met our guide for the whole trip, Akos, and signed up for the Terezin concentration camp tour. Miriam and Jim signed up for the countryside one. We were dead on our feet and headed off to bed.

Up at 6:30, exercised and showered. Breakfast was a treat with all of our favorites. At 8:30 we boarded buses for our city tour. Our tour started at the Prague Castle which has been considered a separate town since the 9th century. We walked the courtyard; saw the guards in their uniforms designed by the person who won the Academy Award for costumes in Amadeus. After making a lot of pictures, we proceeded to St. Vitas Cathedral which is the highlight. Wenceslas first built a church here in the early 10th century. The present church was started under Charles IV in 1344 but was not completed until 1929! The crown jewels of Bohemia are kept here behind a door with 7 locks. We saw the Royal Palace and the summer home. We had time to explore and then make our way to the bus. From the castle district we drove to the old town along the Vltava River. We made our way through renaissance buildings to the Town Hall bearing the coat of arms and the famous Astronomical Clock where we saw the 12 apostles, the skeleton, and all the activity when the clock struck the hour. After exploring the area, we walked back along the Czech grand avenue where all the high end fashion designers have their shops. The buses dropped us off at our hotel and we had time for lunch at the Imperial Café. The décor was beautiful and the food good.

Charles Bridge. We drove back into the city and met Miriam and Jim. Walking along the river we came to the Charles Bridge. We walked across stopping frequently to make pictures, each one postcard quality. We stopped at the memorial for the priest who was thrown off the bridge when he would not reveal to the King what the queen had confessed. A star appeared over the water where his body was. You touch a spot on the memorial with your left hand for good luck. Our Czech dinner at an outdoor restaurant on the other side of the river under the Charles Bridge was a nice break in our adventure. There was schnitzel, spaetzel, and beer for all. Walking back to the hotel we took several wrong turns. It was a crazy way to see Prague. Back at the hotel we were off to bed.

This was a late morning, good rest and a great breakfast. Miriam and Jim went on a countryside tour and Hugh and I started out along the river away from Old Town. There was a church that needed exploring and from there we continued through a neighborhood, all uphill, to the crest on the other side of the river. Walking along the crest we saw where they are constructing the tunnel under the river. We entered a large park and after some walking made our way to the summer palace. Exploring this was fun and we got some good pictures. Up the hill we trudged to the Prague Castle and looked around a bit more. We walked in some areas where we had explored the first day and then on past the castle. The area around the castle is known as Hradcany. Walking back to the park we came to the Metronome, a sculpture made on this site where a Stalin statue had been blown up in 1959. We continued down the mountain until we were back at the river. Making our way along the river we came to the Charles Bridge. We crossed it and made our way to the town square and found a WC. Window shopping as we went, we slowly wandered back to our hotel. We stopped along the way for a double scoop of gelato for lunch. It was late afternoon when we made it back and we guesstimated we walked over 10 miles. Jim and Miriam were waiting on us for dinner. Italian was the call and we started out looking for a good restaurant. We found a cute, small pizza-Italian place and stopped. The food was great and the service excellent. We walked a bit more toward the Municipal building and then we had to hurry back as it started to rain. The adventurous foursome made it back to the hotel and went to the Cloud 9 bar on top. From here we could see the river and some kayakers on the course. We enjoyed a beautiful view and were able to go on the veranda when the rain stopped. We enjoyed our drinks and retired happy and not sure if we are ready to leave Prague tomorrow.

We were up early for breakfast and our final packing. We put our suitcases out and headed into town. Miriam and Jim stayed closed to the hotel but Hugh and I walked to Old Town and explored the neighborhoods. We watched the kids go off to school and adults off to work. We smelled the coffee and rolls from the cafes and just enjoyed this time of the day when it was not too busy. On our way back we actually found the street to our hotel that we had tried to find for 3 days. We made it back in record time. We checked out of our room and waited for the buses to Nuremburg. It was a 4 hour trip and the countryside was lovely. We napped, listened to our iPods, and this made the journey go much more quickly. We stopped halfway and had a potty break and a chance to buy some snacks. Before long we arrived at the Avalon Tapestry and we were very pleasantly surprised at how lovely and friendly it was. We were shown to our room and soon our luggage arrived. We unpacked and had our room in good order before our orientation meeting. The cabins are spacious with good storage and the beds are plush and comfy. At the orientation meeting, Akos got us up to speed on our journey and the ship. Everyone left excited to begin. Dinner was at 7:30 and had so many courses that we did not finish until almost 10. Dinner was fun with M&J and Connie and Jules. We eat as a group each night as there is only one seating. After dinner it was off to the cabin to read and rest!

This morning we woke to a lovely day and a great breakfast buffet. Oh how I love for someone to prepare me a custom omelet. Today is Ascension Day and a national holiday in Germany. The main shops were closed but the traffic was light and it made travel easy. It was not crowded at the sights we visited on our city tour. Our first stop was the sight of the Nuremburg trials. The court is much larger than we expected and the prison where the Nazi war criminals were held is still there. We made a lot of pictures but were not able to go in. We drove around the city which was interesting but not particularly pretty. We then visited the Nuremburg Castle (Kaiserburg). The Imperial Castle is located in the north of the city and is one of the most important fortresses in Europe. It is made up of three sections, the imperial castle, the municipal buildings, and the buildings of the Burgraves of Nuremburg. This fortress dates back to 1105. The Holy Roman emperors resided there. It originally had 80 towers but after the damage of WWII it was restored to what we see today. From the castle we made our way to the main square in town and although the big shops were closed we bought some wooden Christmas ornaments at a small shop on the square but we could find no gingerbread or bears. Jim went back to the ship before our shopping time and at 11:45 Miriam, Hugh, and I caught the last bus back. We sailed away as we ate our Bavarian lunch buffet. We had a talk on the Main-Danube canal which we were travelling on. I was amazed at how the locks came up at appropriate times during the talk. The speaker told us about the locks, the building of the canal, and its effect on the wildlife. What struck me is that we are climbing over 1200 feet until we reach the main Danube and then it will be downhill from there. We had our mandatory life boat drill which was easy with only 146 passengers. We had to sit in the lounge to make pictures as the bridges are so low that we could not go on the sundeck. We enjoyed the views and during the afternoon Hugh napped some and I read. Our port talk was at 6:45 and then we enjoyed a wonderful very slow dinner. We listened to music for a short time and then retired.

During our wonderful night’s sleep we made it to Regensburg where we joined the main Danube. The river is wider and still not blue. We were up early and off to a great breakfast. Our included tour was in the afternoon so our foursome headed off on our own. We walked to the old stone bridge. There we found the Sausage Factory where we would later have lunch. We walked to the main squares, looked into shops, and visited the churches. It was Miriam and Jims first hugely ornate cathedral and they were amazed that it looked plain on the outside and was so magnificent on the inside. We saw a wedding on the square and Hugh found a bookstore and bought a book on VW microbuses. We went to the ship for a potty break and then off to the sausage factory for lunch. It was crowded but we sat with some people from Munich and M&J sat with some Australian’s and then some Germans. The food was served at picnic tables with red and white checked clothes and large baskets of delicious bread. We had our choice of coke or beer and then we were served sausages which were thin but very tasty with outstanding sauerkraut. The highlight of the meal was the mustard. It was such a hit that Hugh and I found the mustard shop and bought some. This shop had been in business for 4 generations and is family owned. The mustard is called Altbayerisher Senf and is made by the Handlmaier Company. After some more window shopping we headed to the ship to join the walking tour. Hugh and Miriam decided they had seen the town but Jim and I decided to go forth. We were in different groups and I had the livelier guide. We were the fast movers and saw a bit more. We started at the Old Stone Bridge which is 800 years old. It is renovated inside and out every 5-7 years. From here we moved to the Roman gate. I was surprised there was some of it still standing but it had been incorporated into a building only 150 years old. We visited the town hall, the main squares, and Oscar Schindler’s house. Our guide filled us with legends and history and I was very glad I had gone. After the tour I walked in some shops and saw the cuckoo clocks. Back on board I read and Hugh slept. As I write this some of the highlights that come to my mind are: 1. The wedding in the main square; 2. The VW bus decorated as the bridal car; 3. Hugh’s excitement over the VW book he bought; 4. The very tall buildings that were part of homes, they were built to impress, the higher the wealthier; 5. Dr. Edith Stein's church. Hugh enjoyed this very much as he had studied her philosophy & history.

The Bavarian Danube River. In the afternoon we set sail on the Danube & went to a beer tasting on board. We tasted 4 local beers, brewed without preservatives so they cannot be shipped for distribution. Each was tasted in it’s appropriate glass. The first was lager and this was mild and meant to be served with food. This is the traditional beer of the area. Second was the Pilsner which was stronger with a slightly bitter taste. It is brewed cold. Next was the dark lager and this is the mostly widely drunk beer in Bavaria. It was the choice of our cruise. Last was a wheat beer which comes in a glass bottle with a spring cap. This beer is widely consumed in the area but least liked by all of us. We sailed at 6:45 and we watched the scenery along the Main Danube as we ate. The river bank is a hub of activity with walkers, runner, and bicyclist everywhere. After dinner we were entertained by a musician who played the electric violin. He played both classical and modern tunes and was funny and interacted with the guest. He flirted with me and gave me a rose. At the end he asked if he could go home with me and I turned him down. Regensburg was a fun day and we rested well from our adventures.

Today we had to be up early as we had an 8 am tour. We docked in Passau just as we finished breakfast and we joined our tour group. Most of the group went to Salzburg including Miriam and Jim. This was the Sound of Music group and they saw the church where they married and the fountain where the children sang. They also got a glimpse of the Austrian Alps in the distance.
Our group went to Cesky Krumlov, the jewel of Bohemia. As we re-entered the Czech Republic we saw the Czech countryside filled with small villages that reflected the Communist reign they had endured. Most of the communist industry was in ruins. We drove along the Moldau River, famous because of a musical work by Smetana.

Ceske Budejovice. Our next stop was Ceske Budejovice. It is the largest city in the South Bohemian region and is the political and commercial center. As we walked into town we came to the main square. The old town preserves architecture from the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. This includes the town hall with murals and bronze gargoyles, and the town clock tower. We enjoyed looking at an art display of Czech Olympic athletes. Ice cream was the food of choice and beer was the drink. Beer has been brewed here since the 13th century. The largest brewery, founded in 1895, is Pivovar Budejovicky Budvar which has the legal right to market under the name Budweiser in most of Europe. We ended up in a park watching ravens go in and out of their nest. There was a Jewish memorial in the park across the street. The ride back was through the Austrian countryside. This area was more prosperous and the houses obviously had not endured 40 years of the communist. We did not see solar panels here as the tax laws did not favor them as they did in Germany and Czech Republic. We saw a lot of small farms with hops and barley growing.

We were up and on deck when we docked in Melk. Hugh was excited that there was a park area with campsites near us. The thing that caught his eye was the VW microbus campers. There were paths through the woods and along the river which will be great for a run after our tour. There were lots of bicyclists, runners, and moms or nannies with strollers. After breakfast we walked a short distance to our buses. We drove to the Melk Abbey (Stift Melk). The abbey is located above the town of Melk on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube. Today this is an active Austrian Benedictine abbey and school. It is one of the most famous monastic sights in the world. Everyone had their cameras working overtime as this is a truly beautiful sight. We met our guide and entered the courtyard. We saw wonderful frescoed ceilings, a splinter that is supposedly from Christ’s cross, many handwritten manuscripts from the 8th and 9th century, and most unusual was the reusable coffin with the false bottom. We saw robes embellished with silver and gold still used today but our favorite was the library. The library has large rooms with frescoed ceiling and floor to ceiling shelves. The second room was two stories. The Library houses 1800 handwritten manuscripts, the oldest is by the Venerable Bede from the early 9th century. They have a collection of handwritten sermons from the 9th century and over 100,000 books. This is a library that is used every day for research; nothing leaves the library. Then we made our way to the Cathedral. Rebuilt in 1701 it is splendid in every detail. It includes a large dome and many frescoes with much gilding in gold. The carving at the altar reads, “Without a just battle there is no victory!” We left the cathedral and went to the abbey park which was originally in Baroque design in the 1750’s but was replanted in 1822 as an English garden. We saw the famous Linden trees (one is over 250 years old). We visited the baroque garden pavilion with its frescoes by Bergl which is a restaurant now. From here we walked through the town of Melk which was lovely and prosperous. It was filled with shoppes, bakeries, and restaurants. With its location on the Danube you can see why it is a busy vacation spot. We walked back to the ship with a group and we all agreed we were told to follow the road across the bridge and through the woods. There was just a little problem as the road split in one place, some went one way and the rest the other. Guess what, we all arrived at the ship at the same time, some to the front and some to the back! Hugh went for a run and enjoyed checking out the VW microbus campers and then he waded in the Danube.

Royal Waltz Concert, Vienna. We left dinner as we docked in Vienna. We boarded our buses for our concert of Mozart and Strauss. We had a lovely drive along Vienna’s Ring Road to Kursalon, a wonderful Baroque castle where both Mozart and Strauss had performed. The entrance was not made for large buses and every driver was having a hard time. Our driver decided to back in and if people had not tried to walk between the bus and the pillars he would have breezed through it without a stop. The castle was gorgeous but the concert hall was not air conditioned. The men shed coats and the women fanned. The concert was incredible with beautiful music, ballet, and opera. Each performance was better than the last. The concert master was an Asian with a most expressive face and a great personality. At intermission we went on the veranda and had champagne. The end of the concert was a rousing Strauss march followed by 3 encores. A great evening! On our way back we saw all the beautiful architecture of Vienna lighted and lovely. Can’t wait for tomorrow!!!

Today we were up early for breakfast and ready on time for our city tour. The first views of Vienna this a.m. are the Jubilee Cathedral and the giant 120 year old Ferris wheel in Prater, Vienna’s largest amusement park. We then drove around the Ring Road to see all the lovely buildings, the big and little Danube, the "beaches" along the little Danube and even the floating swimming pool. We stopped at the Maria Theresian Platz for our walking tour. Our first sight was St. Stephens Cathedral. Founded in 1137 the church was restructured many times before it was consecrated in 1263. It has been redone and added on to and in WWII the roof was destroyed. The south tower is the largest and most prominent. The north tower was to mirror it but money ran out. The roof is made of 230,000 richly glazed tiles. From the church we walked down a shopping street to see the cafes and bakeries. We were then given free time and M&J window shopped while Hugh and I went to the Hofburg Palace. This area housed some of the most powerful people in Austrian history including the Hapsburgs. The Hofburg has been the seat of government since 1279. This is the home of the Spanish Riding School where the famous Lipzzan horses train and perform. We went to the Heldenplatz and saw the Heroes Statue. We then walked back to our meeting area and went to the boat for lunch.

Schonbrunn Palace. Our afternoon tour took us to Schonbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. This Rococo style home has 1,400 rooms. This was a grand palace with lots of original wallpaper and furniture. Mozart performed here. No photos were allowed. On the grounds were magnificent gardens, The Great Parterre fountain, the world’s oldest existing zoo which was founded in 1752 and English gardens complete with a maze. We climbed the hill to the Roman Ruin and the view of the palace and the city was fantastic. We had to hustle to make it back to the Strudel show. We were ushered into a test kitchen and served apple strudel and coffee. A chef showed us how to prepare the strudel dough and filling. I was chosen to help. It was fun and informative. I was given a diploma as a master strudel maker. We went back to the ship and arrived just as the captain was heading to passport control. Passports have been a problem in the past but today we were castoff right on time. We are on our way to Budapest. We dressed for our Gala Farewell Dinner and secured seats on the starboard side because it would have the best view of Bratislava. The food was delicious but the sights were more enticing. Several of us from our table were up and down making pictures of the bridges, the ruins, and the colorful city. We saw swans, castles, old fortresses, and of course, churches. We continued our sail through Slovakia throughout the evening. We had our dessert and then headed off to our cabin to read about Budapest.

It was another early morning because our Budapest commentary began at 8:15 as we sailed into the city. We were on the sun deck with our camera ready as Akos gave us names to the sights and some history. The sights are more meaningful now that we know what they are. At 9:30 we were docked and our city tour began. Our first stop was on the Pest side at the Heroes Square where the tomb of the Unknown Soldier is. The square is surrounded by 2 important buildings, The Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Art. The neighborhood is filled with grand older homes and an amusement park that rivals Tivoli. We travelled downtown to the grand Parliament Building. This Gothic style building was the winner of an architectural competition. The second and third place winners are represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ethnographical Museum, both on Parliament Square. From here we drove down the street with the Embassy’s and it was pointed out that the only remaining statue to the socialist is across the street from the US Embassy; very comical. We then crossed the Chain Bridge to the Buda side of the river. We could see the funicular and the tunnels through the mountain. We headed up and passed the home Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis who is considered to be the greatest Hungarian for discovering that hand washing helped prevent puerperal fever. Our next stop was Buda Castle on Castle Hill. It is surrounded by medieval, Baroque, and 19th century houses, churches, and buildings. There are 3 churches, 6 museums, and a host of interesting buildings and squares. The grandest of the churches is the 700 year old St. Matthias. It has a colorful tiled roof and beautiful spires. Also on castle Hill is the Fisherman’s Bastion with 7 spires to represent the 7 founding tribes of the region. From here we had a panoramic view of the Danube, Margaret Island,, and Pest. We enjoyed the commentary on Castle Hill history especially the story that this was the last holdout of the Germans during the Russian siege. The shelling during this unearthed some ancient archeological findings. A secret underground German hospital was located here. The Germans destroyed all the bridges to stop the advance of the Russians. Back at the boat we had lunch and then walked to the Holocaust memorial on the side of the river. This is made up of bronzed shoes, women’s, men’s and children’s, placed at all angles along the wall. They represent the Jews that were shot and pushed into the river. It was very moving. We then walked to Parliament Square. It was barricaded because of a delegation of foreign dignitaries. We moved around front to the Monument of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 which was brutally suppressed by Soviet forces. One of the government buildings has a lot of bullet holes still visible from this uprising. We walked across the Chain Bridge and encountered some beggars and a pickpocket on a bicycle with a man chasing him. We tried to make photos but the light was too direct. We were hot and tired and headed back to the boat for a cool drink and some time to rest. Hugh slept and I read. Before dinner we took another walk across the bridge and made great pictures as the light was softer. We dressed for dinner in our travelling clothes as everything else was packed. We enjoyed champagne with the captain and officers and finished our meal with crème brulee. After dinner we joined a Budapest City Lights Tour and it was great. They stopped downtown Pest and then went to Castle Hill and further up to the top of the mountain. The views were wonderful but it was hard to get good pictures because of the bright lights. Back on the boat we finished our last bit of packing and went to bed. Tomorrow will be a very tiring day.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LORI
We slept in a bit this morning in preparation for the long day of travel. We had breakfast after we put our luggage out and since our bus did not leave until 10 I had time to send Lori a birthday message. We were the last bus to leave the boat and we arrived at the Budapest airport in plenty of time. We checked in and cleared security (Hugh and I both got patted down). Window shopping in Duty Free and some of the exclusive shops in the gate area helped pass the time. We had a snack and then it was boarding time. Our flight to London was uneventful and I had time to evaluate our trip. My main thoughts were;
1. The riverboat, though smaller than we have travelled on before, met all our needs beautifully.
2. Avalon was impeccable in service, cleanliness, good food, and convenience of docking sights.
3. We loved the intimacy of the smaller boat.
4. It was an excellent itinerary.
5. We will definitely travel this way again.
We arrived at Heathrow, changed terminals, and before long boarded and were on our way. We had good service and everyone slept a little. In JFK I had a run in with a customs official that didn’t speak English (imagine that in the good old USA). We claimed our luggage, met our hotel shuttle and we were soon resting comfortably in a comfy bed.

We slept in and then had a great breakfast with Miriam and Jim. We took the shuttle to JFK and checked in. Our flight was a little delayed but we had no schedule so all was well. The flight was smooth, everyone’s luggage arrived, and we made the drive to Spartanburg. We stopped a Wade’s for dinner as Miriam and I had no food in the house. After dropping M&J off at their house, it home sweet home, dirty clothes, stacks of mail, and all. Thanks Miriam and Jim for a great trip!!! /susan