Our trip home started without a hitch. Had last 'meal' in the Executive Lounge, finished last minute packing and left bags in the room. The bellman picked them up (per the Tauck List) and let us know when our transportation arrived to take us to the airport...one last drive through and look at some of the Prague sights. When we arrived at the airport the car was met by a Tauck rep. who put our bags on a cart and brought us to the correct line for baggage drop (we had checked in the night before online). We just looked at each other and said..."They think of everything". Got to the gate and boarded our plane to Frankfurt on time. On arrival in Frankfurt - the fun began. Much like our connection there on the way to Budapest, the trek to the gate led to a long and slow security line. This time we had more time to make the connection which included a long walk to the correct concourse and another interrogation. When this agent looked at our boarding passes, she said, "Did you change flights?". I said that I had noted when I printed the passes that we were now flying through Phila. instead of directly to Charlotte, but hadn't thought of it as 'our' change but, rather the airline's. That's how we found out that our original flight had been delayed to 4:30 PM which, while direct, would have gotten us home at midnight. Although changing from International to Domestic in Philly is a real pain, it was better than getting home at midnight, especially since our son-in-law, Mike, might not have appreciated a 4.5 hour wait :)
After our long, 3 legged flight, we were delighted to get home on time (7:25 pm here - 1:30 AM in Prague) to a private driver who smiled and was pleasant - maybe he works for Tauck on the side? It was good to sleep in our own bed AND, especially, to enjoy our own shower. One thing that leaves much to be deserved about European travel it the very narrow tubs, most without grab bars, that make taking a shower hazardous. And on the boat, we were clearly at the outer limits of size for the shower in our very nice cabin. The trials of travel are minimal compared to joy we get from seeing and experiencing new places, so take this as a hint of what to expect when you travel (if you haven't already).
Three loads of laundry done! Stayed up as long as we could to beat the jet lag monster. Unpacking complete. Missy picked up at the kennel with a new haircut and sooo glad to be home. Love the old line "I wish I was the kind of person that my dog thinks I am!). Now the challenge is the organization/posting of pictures and the next step in my current work project!
Time to set up the blog for our next trip :)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Final Day in Praha!
Wonderful last day...we actually stayed in bed until 9 AM - unheard of on this very busy trip. Had our last breakfast on Tauck this AM and shared it with 2 other couples who are here until tomorrow. It's been fun to see our tour group peeling off starting on the 23rd and ending the day after we leave.
This was our day to do whatever we wish at our own pace. Another warm, sunny day (sure wish that I'd brought more short sleeve shirts - the weather forecasts before we left home were for very cool evenings and mornings and mild days. Well, clearly, the definition of mild did not transfer well from one language to the others :) No complaints from us....it's been amazingly clear - the only rains occurred at night with one cool and drizzly morning that cleared in the afternoon.
We headed back to the Jewish Quarter to see the Spanish Synagogue which we missed on our previous tour...got as far as the gift shop where I purchased the Star of David that I had wanted from a very friendly and helpful lady. Very different from the totally uninterested salesgirl at the Maisel Synagogue. We passed the Franz Kafka Museum and Cafe and then headed to the Charles Bridge following our difficult to read map and moving through the zig-zag streets/lanes. We found it without difficulty and took lots of pictures of both sides of the Vitava River. It's a photographer's paradise. There's a picture in every direction, so that's what I did...took them all :)
Note: to all of my faithful readers - once I organize my large picture collection, I will post links in all of the appropriate places, so do check back to view them and vicariously enjoy the places we visited.
The Charles Bridge
is very busy, full of tourists crossing from the Old Town to the First Quarter and lined with musicians, vendors of jewelry, art, etc. and lots of caricaturists. Lots of energy on this hot day. When we got to the other side we tried to find the Lennon Wall (it is a wall that was formerly an ordinary wall in Prague and has been called Lennon´s since the 1980s, when people have filled it with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs. Lennon was a hero to the pacifist youth of Central and Eastern Europe during the totalitarian era. Prior to 1989 when communism ruled, western pop songs were banned by Communist authorities, and especially John Lennon´s songs, because it was praising freedom that didn’t exist here. Some musicians were actually jailed for playing it! (taken from Prague.net)
The wall is pretty amazing - the communists painted over it many times and the 'artists' just came back and painted over the white wash.
We found out about the wall from Rick Steve's Prague. He also mentioned a small cafe that could be entered through a door at the left side of the wall. It was like an oasis in the midst of the heat and crowds of the bridge. We stopped for beer, hummus and pita and a Caprese salad...all wonderful. We enjoyed the quiet walled garden with rhododendrons, the largest tree in Prague and flowers on the tables. We walked towards the river after lunch and found ourselves in the beautiful setting of Kampa Island which had some lovely old hotels and restaurants and a quiet park along the river. Then we climbed the steep steps back up to the bridge and crossed again to Old town. A slow walk and 2 Gelotos later, we made our way back to the Marriott (meeting 2 cruise friends along the way). Seemed so funny to be in a large city in the Czech Republic and bumping into people we knew.
Pictures of our Last Day in Praha!
And so....it was time to pack while Art took a nap! Much easier to pack for homecoming that for vacation. We didn't do much shopping this trip so at least our bags didn't have to be stretched much. Our Washer/Dryer will be busy when we get home.
Had a light dinner in the Executive Lounge and visited with another couple from the ship who was part of our group to Terezin yesterday. Then finished packing, paid our bill and arranged for an early wake-up call. This is it from Eastern/Central Europe. More when I get my pictures organized. Signing out from Prague.
This was our day to do whatever we wish at our own pace. Another warm, sunny day (sure wish that I'd brought more short sleeve shirts - the weather forecasts before we left home were for very cool evenings and mornings and mild days. Well, clearly, the definition of mild did not transfer well from one language to the others :) No complaints from us....it's been amazingly clear - the only rains occurred at night with one cool and drizzly morning that cleared in the afternoon.
We headed back to the Jewish Quarter to see the Spanish Synagogue which we missed on our previous tour...got as far as the gift shop where I purchased the Star of David that I had wanted from a very friendly and helpful lady. Very different from the totally uninterested salesgirl at the Maisel Synagogue. We passed the Franz Kafka Museum and Cafe and then headed to the Charles Bridge following our difficult to read map and moving through the zig-zag streets/lanes. We found it without difficulty and took lots of pictures of both sides of the Vitava River. It's a photographer's paradise. There's a picture in every direction, so that's what I did...took them all :)
Note: to all of my faithful readers - once I organize my large picture collection, I will post links in all of the appropriate places, so do check back to view them and vicariously enjoy the places we visited.
The Charles Bridge
is very busy, full of tourists crossing from the Old Town to the First Quarter and lined with musicians, vendors of jewelry, art, etc. and lots of caricaturists. Lots of energy on this hot day. When we got to the other side we tried to find the Lennon Wall (it is a wall that was formerly an ordinary wall in Prague and has been called Lennon´s since the 1980s, when people have filled it with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles songs. Lennon was a hero to the pacifist youth of Central and Eastern Europe during the totalitarian era. Prior to 1989 when communism ruled, western pop songs were banned by Communist authorities, and especially John Lennon´s songs, because it was praising freedom that didn’t exist here. Some musicians were actually jailed for playing it! (taken from Prague.net)The wall is pretty amazing - the communists painted over it many times and the 'artists' just came back and painted over the white wash.
We found out about the wall from Rick Steve's Prague. He also mentioned a small cafe that could be entered through a door at the left side of the wall. It was like an oasis in the midst of the heat and crowds of the bridge. We stopped for beer, hummus and pita and a Caprese salad...all wonderful. We enjoyed the quiet walled garden with rhododendrons, the largest tree in Prague and flowers on the tables. We walked towards the river after lunch and found ourselves in the beautiful setting of Kampa Island which had some lovely old hotels and restaurants and a quiet park along the river. Then we climbed the steep steps back up to the bridge and crossed again to Old town. A slow walk and 2 Gelotos later, we made our way back to the Marriott (meeting 2 cruise friends along the way). Seemed so funny to be in a large city in the Czech Republic and bumping into people we knew.
Pictures of our Last Day in Praha!
And so....it was time to pack while Art took a nap! Much easier to pack for homecoming that for vacation. We didn't do much shopping this trip so at least our bags didn't have to be stretched much. Our Washer/Dryer will be busy when we get home.
Had a light dinner in the Executive Lounge and visited with another couple from the ship who was part of our group to Terezin yesterday. Then finished packing, paid our bill and arranged for an early wake-up call. This is it from Eastern/Central Europe. More when I get my pictures organized. Signing out from Prague.
Visit to Terezin Ghetto May 23, 2011
Our visit to Terezin was an important highlight of our trip. I was concerned that, since this visit to Terezin was near the end of our trip, it would lend a somber note to our vacation and leave us depressed. That was not the case.
We had a wonderful guide, Ludmila Havlickova, who lived through the communist takeover of Czechoslavakia, and felt strongly about all that the Czech people have gone through for many centuries. She shared much of her background with us as we drove to and from Terezin from Prague. It was enriching to hear first hand about the impact on her family and her personal experiences.
It was a short 50 minute drive from Prague to Terezin.
First we visited the Small Fortress which served as a prison for the Gestapo and SS and also housed those sent from the Teresin Ghetto who broke any of the Ghetto's rules (such as stealing a piece of bread). Although I took many pictures, I'm not sure that pictures and written words can adequately express our feelings of being there. Near the prison was a cemetery where multiple bodies were buried - most in common graves without names. A large cross had been placed at the front of the cemetery and, after the war, with petitions by jewish survivors and others, a large start of David was added near the prison entrance section of the cemetery.
Our next stop was the drive into the city of Teresin - a walled city originally built as a military encampment to prevent Prussia from advancing on Czech land. The Nazis turned Teresin into a camp for Jews from Czech territories as well as from other countries and used it both as a transport center, prior to sending its inhabitants to Concentration Camps, often Auschwitz, and as a model camp to be used as propaganda when Red Cross leaders came from around the world to be ensured that the Jewish population was not being mistreated. We saw a short film that showed children playing soccer and performing plays, etc. for the visitors. They had been rehearsed for these performances for a long time before the Red Cross visitors arrived and told that if they 'behaved well' they would get a surprise. The surprise was transport to Auschwitz and death.
We visited the Jewish Ghetto museum where they had a model of both a women's and men's dormitory, then saw the barracks where soldiers had lived prior to the war and which became housing for the Jewish residents/prisoners. We also visited a secret Synagogue which was very tiny and still had some of the prayers and decorations on the walls (some had been destroyed by a flood in 2002).
Our visit was a sobering and moving experience reminding all of us that Never Again! is a living phrase that should be ever present in our hearts and minds.
On the way back to Prague, Ludmilla, our guide, had us drive through a small Czech city to show us how the people really live now and to share the current state of their government and economy. She also completed her family's story . We (all 12 of us from our Tauck cruise who planned this private visit) were completely convinced of the importance of this trip for each of us.
Private tour to Terezin
We had dinner at a local czech restaurant....I'm getting tired of so much 'unhealthy' food in large quantities. They must have heart disease in high numbers judging from the fat and salt in their everyday diets. But we enjoyed watching the locals and hearing the laughter. There seems to be so much joy in every day life here.
We used the evening to pack, catch up on email in the lounge and say good-by to some of our cruise buddies.
We had a wonderful guide, Ludmila Havlickova, who lived through the communist takeover of Czechoslavakia, and felt strongly about all that the Czech people have gone through for many centuries. She shared much of her background with us as we drove to and from Terezin from Prague. It was enriching to hear first hand about the impact on her family and her personal experiences.
It was a short 50 minute drive from Prague to Terezin.
First we visited the Small Fortress which served as a prison for the Gestapo and SS and also housed those sent from the Teresin Ghetto who broke any of the Ghetto's rules (such as stealing a piece of bread). Although I took many pictures, I'm not sure that pictures and written words can adequately express our feelings of being there. Near the prison was a cemetery where multiple bodies were buried - most in common graves without names. A large cross had been placed at the front of the cemetery and, after the war, with petitions by jewish survivors and others, a large start of David was added near the prison entrance section of the cemetery.
Our next stop was the drive into the city of Teresin - a walled city originally built as a military encampment to prevent Prussia from advancing on Czech land. The Nazis turned Teresin into a camp for Jews from Czech territories as well as from other countries and used it both as a transport center, prior to sending its inhabitants to Concentration Camps, often Auschwitz, and as a model camp to be used as propaganda when Red Cross leaders came from around the world to be ensured that the Jewish population was not being mistreated. We saw a short film that showed children playing soccer and performing plays, etc. for the visitors. They had been rehearsed for these performances for a long time before the Red Cross visitors arrived and told that if they 'behaved well' they would get a surprise. The surprise was transport to Auschwitz and death.
We visited the Jewish Ghetto museum where they had a model of both a women's and men's dormitory, then saw the barracks where soldiers had lived prior to the war and which became housing for the Jewish residents/prisoners. We also visited a secret Synagogue which was very tiny and still had some of the prayers and decorations on the walls (some had been destroyed by a flood in 2002).
Our visit was a sobering and moving experience reminding all of us that Never Again! is a living phrase that should be ever present in our hearts and minds.
On the way back to Prague, Ludmilla, our guide, had us drive through a small Czech city to show us how the people really live now and to share the current state of their government and economy. She also completed her family's story . We (all 12 of us from our Tauck cruise who planned this private visit) were completely convinced of the importance of this trip for each of us.
Private tour to Terezin
We had dinner at a local czech restaurant....I'm getting tired of so much 'unhealthy' food in large quantities. They must have heart disease in high numbers judging from the fat and salt in their everyday diets. But we enjoyed watching the locals and hearing the laughter. There seems to be so much joy in every day life here.
We used the evening to pack, catch up on email in the lounge and say good-by to some of our cruise buddies.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Prague - Old Town, Jewish Quarter and Castle District
Hard to get up this morning...long days of walking on uneven cobble stones have taken their toll on legs and feet and it's been warmer that expected so it's easy to get dehydrated.
We met our guides at 8:45 AM in the lobby - got our trusty Audio boxes with ear phone which have made all of our walking tours so pleasant. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable and tell engaging tales and bits of history without notes and ongoing manner. We started at the hotel, walked to the main Old Town square with constant narrative as we went...saw Franz Kafka's birthplace, a building where Albert Einstein held a meeting, and heard about every past leader in Czech history. The buildings are an amazing amalgum of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroch, and other architectual varieties. We then visited the Jewish Quarter - a moving and exhausting experience. We visited 5 different Synagogues (only one of which has a current congregation), heard about the history of Jews in Czech Republic and its earlier iterations, and were overwhelmed with the amount of relics and other items of Judaism that were saved and displayed in the Jewish Museum. The buildings, all restored, were beautiful and heartbreaking. About 100,000 buried in the Jewish Cemetary in shrouds and often in layers since they ran out of space. One Synagogue had 40,000 names engraved on its wall - took many years to complete by hand alphabetically and by names of cities and villages throughout the country. I could go on and on, but will save the details until we see many of my readers face to face. Pictures of Old Town Center and Jewish Quarter
We returned to the hotel with free time between 12 and 2 and then boarded mini-buses to go to the Castle District where we toured the Cathedral and had a special appointment to visit inside of the Monestery Library (usually tourists can only view the rooms from the doorways). In all of the rooms of the library combined there are more than a million books, categorized by subject and in the most beautiful rooms. We must have walked about 5 miles this afternoon alone and loved every minute of it. I don't know how I will ever organize my pictures...I've lost count of the number :) Pictures of the Castle District (Cathedral and Monestary Library
Relaxed with heavy appetizers, wine and dessert in the hotel lounge while visiting with a couple from NJ. As we talked, we discovered that he, Dr. Patel practiced at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, NJ when my friend, Pat Johnson, was the Director of Nursing! And she was originally from Roumania and her last name was Fulop (the same of my father's name) - we decided that we may be related!! What a small world this really is.
Tomorrow a group of us have booked a private trip to the site of the Teresin Concentration camp. Hope to have an informative post tomorrow....very scary to be going there, especially because of the number of child who died in their Children's Haus.
We met our guides at 8:45 AM in the lobby - got our trusty Audio boxes with ear phone which have made all of our walking tours so pleasant. The guides are incredibly knowledgeable and tell engaging tales and bits of history without notes and ongoing manner. We started at the hotel, walked to the main Old Town square with constant narrative as we went...saw Franz Kafka's birthplace, a building where Albert Einstein held a meeting, and heard about every past leader in Czech history. The buildings are an amazing amalgum of Gothic, Renaissance, Baroch, and other architectual varieties. We then visited the Jewish Quarter - a moving and exhausting experience. We visited 5 different Synagogues (only one of which has a current congregation), heard about the history of Jews in Czech Republic and its earlier iterations, and were overwhelmed with the amount of relics and other items of Judaism that were saved and displayed in the Jewish Museum. The buildings, all restored, were beautiful and heartbreaking. About 100,000 buried in the Jewish Cemetary in shrouds and often in layers since they ran out of space. One Synagogue had 40,000 names engraved on its wall - took many years to complete by hand alphabetically and by names of cities and villages throughout the country. I could go on and on, but will save the details until we see many of my readers face to face. Pictures of Old Town Center and Jewish Quarter
We returned to the hotel with free time between 12 and 2 and then boarded mini-buses to go to the Castle District where we toured the Cathedral and had a special appointment to visit inside of the Monestery Library (usually tourists can only view the rooms from the doorways). In all of the rooms of the library combined there are more than a million books, categorized by subject and in the most beautiful rooms. We must have walked about 5 miles this afternoon alone and loved every minute of it. I don't know how I will ever organize my pictures...I've lost count of the number :) Pictures of the Castle District (Cathedral and Monestary Library
Relaxed with heavy appetizers, wine and dessert in the hotel lounge while visiting with a couple from NJ. As we talked, we discovered that he, Dr. Patel practiced at Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield, NJ when my friend, Pat Johnson, was the Director of Nursing! And she was originally from Roumania and her last name was Fulop (the same of my father's name) - we decided that we may be related!! What a small world this really is.
Tomorrow a group of us have booked a private trip to the site of the Teresin Concentration camp. Hope to have an informative post tomorrow....very scary to be going there, especially because of the number of child who died in their Children's Haus.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Final Cruise Day; Regensburg and on to Prague
We've had a very busy day. Up early to finish packing and have our bags outside of our cabin by 7:30 AM, breakfast and final briefing on our 1/2 day in Regensburg and our 4 hour trip to Prague. We had a good tour of this lovely city with the oldest existing stone bridge in Europe which connected the north and south shores of the Danube and enabled Regensburg to become a commerical center of Europe. Of course, Regensburg Cathedral was added to our list of beautiful architectural phenomena - this time we didn't go inside, but walked the city with its contining stunning architecture. We saw the house where Oscar Schindler lived and heard that they would be adding the name of his wife to the plaque on the wall since she was also instrumental in helping to save Jews from the Nazis. We had a prearranged lunch at the old BratHaus by the river - it was wonderful sausage, saurkraut and sweet mustard on a roll. We then walked across the stone bridge to our bus and were on our way to Prague. It was nice to have a short excursion on our last 'sea' day on the Swiss Jewel. After last night's reception and dinner and the 'joys of packing', a 3 1/2 hour bus ride to Prague sounds restful...reminds us that 'leave the driving to us' takes on its own sweet charm on a busy, active trip.
It's amazing how the little things add up to a wonderful trip...after a brief "comfort" stop, Jeremy - one of our wonderful Tour Directors - passed out ice cream pops on the bus. Just an example of the right touches.
When we got to the Prague Marriott, the check-in was so easy (including getting access to the Executive lounge for us - thanks to our standing with Marriott Rewards). We took a short orientation walk around the town square with Fero, another Tauck Tour Director, to orient ourselves to the old town center area. Then we changed clothes for dinner, had a glass of wine and a beer for Art in the lounge and headed downstairs to meet our friends for dinner. We were transferred to a lovely restaurant with 6 other of our shipmates. We were seated a table outside overlooking the Charles Bridge at sunset and right on the water. Perfect! We watched riverboats filled with tourists go up and down the river while we ate. Food was good, conversation was fun and despite a large, noisy group that was seated near us, we had a good evening. We asked our waitress to arrange for our shuttle back to the Marriott; the driver arrived a few minutes later, courtesy of Tauck.
We were all exhausted so, although it's only 9:30 pm....I'm off to bed knowing that our tour of the old town and the Jewish section leaves the hotel at 8:45 AM. Another good day.
Pictures of Regensburg
It's amazing how the little things add up to a wonderful trip...after a brief "comfort" stop, Jeremy - one of our wonderful Tour Directors - passed out ice cream pops on the bus. Just an example of the right touches.
When we got to the Prague Marriott, the check-in was so easy (including getting access to the Executive lounge for us - thanks to our standing with Marriott Rewards). We took a short orientation walk around the town square with Fero, another Tauck Tour Director, to orient ourselves to the old town center area. Then we changed clothes for dinner, had a glass of wine and a beer for Art in the lounge and headed downstairs to meet our friends for dinner. We were transferred to a lovely restaurant with 6 other of our shipmates. We were seated a table outside overlooking the Charles Bridge at sunset and right on the water. Perfect! We watched riverboats filled with tourists go up and down the river while we ate. Food was good, conversation was fun and despite a large, noisy group that was seated near us, we had a good evening. We asked our waitress to arrange for our shuttle back to the Marriott; the driver arrived a few minutes later, courtesy of Tauck.
We were all exhausted so, although it's only 9:30 pm....I'm off to bed knowing that our tour of the old town and the Jewish section leaves the hotel at 8:45 AM. Another good day.
Pictures of Regensburg
Friday, May 20, 2011
Passau, Germany
Got up early this AM because Jeremy, one of our Tour Directors, told us that it was a beautiful cruise into Passau.... he, was right, it truly was lovely, very green and forested right down to the river with the ever present swans along the way, then the approach to Passau was so unique...the confluence of the Inn, Ilz and Danube Rivers with lovely red roofed buildings (some dating back to the 15th century) on all of the shores. The waters are supposed to be 3 different colors, but we didn't see the difference. Much like the Danube which is NOT blue! The stories are that blue does not represent the color of the water but, rather, means drunk in German. Another story is that blue means depressing (from "I feel so blue:" and there are several other variations on those themes. Any way it clearly does not reflect the color of the water.
We had the most delightful tour guide in Passau. A lovely young woman, clearly enchanted by her city and funny, cute and knowledgeable. She had stories about most of the buildings, shared that 70% of the 50,000 population is Catholic, with the remaining 30% Lutheran. There is a town nearby that has 2500 Jews living there and the Rabbi and the Archbishop are friends so activities are planned between the 2 religious groups. We felt quite enightened by her stories (historical and current) about the place of the church in the politics of the area, taxation, the frequent flooding of the rivers, etc. Many buildings show high water marks from recent and long ago floods which seem to occur quite frequently in the rainy season. We also had tickets to an organ concert at the cathedral (the 2nd largest in the world and the largest in a cathedral). It was very powerful and we were glad to have had the opportunity to attend.
We walked around a bit after our guided tour, then returned to the boat for a Bavarian buffet lunch and packing in preparation for disembarkation in Regensburg tomorrow.
Pictures of Passau
We had a briefing to prepare us for the bus ride to Prague, hotel arrangements and transfers to the airport. Tauck takes care of everything...people are staying for different amounts of days in Prague - 2 days as part of this tour with many people adding extra days. They provide transportation to the airport no matter when you leave. We will be picked up at 7:30 AM on Wednesday for our 10:30 AM flight home.
After the briefing, we finished packing and dressed for the Captain's farewell dinner....consisting of open bar service reception pre-dinner, a fabulous multi-course dinner with touches such as a strawberry vodka shot between courses, silver metal napkin rings which they gave us as gifts to take home (not really silver :)), Baked Alaska with each plate including a mini-eclair, kiwi fruit, mousse filled chocolate cups as well as the Baked Alaska and after dinner brandy!
We waddled back to our room to finish packing and organize our carry-on stuff for the morning. We will be leaving the boat at 9 AM, our luggage will be taken to Prague awaiting our arrival there, and we will have a 1 1/2 hour walking tour of Regensburg prior to boarding the buses to Prague.
I think we'll have better Internet access at the Prague Marriott and, hopefully, I'll be able to work on my pictures...off to bed now...more tomorrow.
We had the most delightful tour guide in Passau. A lovely young woman, clearly enchanted by her city and funny, cute and knowledgeable. She had stories about most of the buildings, shared that 70% of the 50,000 population is Catholic, with the remaining 30% Lutheran. There is a town nearby that has 2500 Jews living there and the Rabbi and the Archbishop are friends so activities are planned between the 2 religious groups. We felt quite enightened by her stories (historical and current) about the place of the church in the politics of the area, taxation, the frequent flooding of the rivers, etc. Many buildings show high water marks from recent and long ago floods which seem to occur quite frequently in the rainy season. We also had tickets to an organ concert at the cathedral (the 2nd largest in the world and the largest in a cathedral). It was very powerful and we were glad to have had the opportunity to attend.
We walked around a bit after our guided tour, then returned to the boat for a Bavarian buffet lunch and packing in preparation for disembarkation in Regensburg tomorrow.
Pictures of Passau
We had a briefing to prepare us for the bus ride to Prague, hotel arrangements and transfers to the airport. Tauck takes care of everything...people are staying for different amounts of days in Prague - 2 days as part of this tour with many people adding extra days. They provide transportation to the airport no matter when you leave. We will be picked up at 7:30 AM on Wednesday for our 10:30 AM flight home.
After the briefing, we finished packing and dressed for the Captain's farewell dinner....consisting of open bar service reception pre-dinner, a fabulous multi-course dinner with touches such as a strawberry vodka shot between courses, silver metal napkin rings which they gave us as gifts to take home (not really silver :)), Baked Alaska with each plate including a mini-eclair, kiwi fruit, mousse filled chocolate cups as well as the Baked Alaska and after dinner brandy!
We waddled back to our room to finish packing and organize our carry-on stuff for the morning. We will be leaving the boat at 9 AM, our luggage will be taken to Prague awaiting our arrival there, and we will have a 1 1/2 hour walking tour of Regensburg prior to boarding the buses to Prague.
I think we'll have better Internet access at the Prague Marriott and, hopefully, I'll be able to work on my pictures...off to bed now...more tomorrow.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Salzburg
Another lovely day weather-wise. We left the ship at 8:30, which made for an early wake-up so that we could eat breakfast before leaving for the bus. We had an almost 2 hour bus ride to Salzburg with a rest stop near Lake Mondsee surrounded by mountains 
. Strange to see road signs pointing to Salzburg, Passau (where we will go tomorrow) and back to Vienna (Wein). We arrived in Salzburg on time to meet our city guide. Walked a few blocks to the Gardens where Julie Andrews played around the fountain with the children in the Sound of Music. Lots of Sound of Music scenes along the drive to Salzburg - the church where Maria and Count Von Trapp married, the meadows where she danced, etc. and in the town itself. In fact, one exhibit upon which we stumbled was devoted to pictures taken during the making of the film. Julie looked soooo young with a waist of about 17 inches :). We walked across a pedestrian bridge from the New Town to the Old Town and then saw the monestery, university of Salzburg, the Cathedral, lots of shops, etc. It's a beautiful town but got very warm and crowded as the day progressed.
We really enjoyed visiting Mozart's birthplace, up four flights of steep steps with knees aching. Very interesting and learned a lot about his life, his family relationships, and his argument with the ArchBishop which got him thrown out of his birth town leading to his time in Vienna. Then we decided to walk back across the river (Salzauch) to have a quiet lunch on a shady patio at the Sacher Hotel. Since our lunch at their Mozart Cafe in Vienna was so good, we figured it was a good idea. So we enjoyed sitting on the patio overlooking the river, shared two types of sandwiches with beer then splurged with a shared Sachertorte and coffee. And, of course, excellent service! Wunderbar! After our respite from the warm day and crowded streets of old town, we returned to find Art's requisite tee shirt...that's now 3 old ones headed to Good Will! We strolled down Judengasse...the street where the Jews were placed in a ghetto during the war...looking for the old synagogue...finally found our way to the Information office where the 1st clerk didn't know what a synagogue was, Her colleague told her where it was located (in the new town). Not satisfied we asked a walking tour guide standing outside of the office if he knew and he pointed us back down the street to a building whose sign said it was a Creative Arts SCHULE (which could have been translated as school or the yiddish word for synagogue. I went into the building and it was beginning to be renovated....curved brick ceilings and thick, rough stone walls suggested a previous use but there were no signs to help us out. We also found a large plaque in German that indicated that Theodor Herzel had worked there...the guide told us that he was a lawyer who wanted to be a judge but could not be appointed because he was Jewish. Herzel was born in Pest, Hungary, moved to Vienna with his family and studied law there, practicing in Vienna and Salzburg. He is considered the founder of Zionism. Interesting that he was considered important enough to have a substantial plaque on the wall of the old Magistrate Court when there were no other indications of the presence of Jews in the Judengasse.
Pictures of Salzburg and Linz
After a pleasant drive back to the boat, we changed and went to the lounge for the complimentary open bar prior to dinner. Another good dinner during which we passed through 2 more locks, we played a fun game of Name that Tune Trivia. Our team lost by one point with a lot of childish competitive grumbling afterwards :)
We can't believe that we have only one full day and one more night onboard before we head to Prague to end our trip. The thought of packing tomorrow night is enough to make me call it a night and block out the thought. Tomorrow we cruise into Passau at 9 AM.
. Strange to see road signs pointing to Salzburg, Passau (where we will go tomorrow) and back to Vienna (Wein). We arrived in Salzburg on time to meet our city guide. Walked a few blocks to the Gardens where Julie Andrews played around the fountain with the children in the Sound of Music. Lots of Sound of Music scenes along the drive to Salzburg - the church where Maria and Count Von Trapp married, the meadows where she danced, etc. and in the town itself. In fact, one exhibit upon which we stumbled was devoted to pictures taken during the making of the film. Julie looked soooo young with a waist of about 17 inches :). We walked across a pedestrian bridge from the New Town to the Old Town and then saw the monestery, university of Salzburg, the Cathedral, lots of shops, etc. It's a beautiful town but got very warm and crowded as the day progressed.We really enjoyed visiting Mozart's birthplace, up four flights of steep steps with knees aching. Very interesting and learned a lot about his life, his family relationships, and his argument with the ArchBishop which got him thrown out of his birth town leading to his time in Vienna. Then we decided to walk back across the river (Salzauch) to have a quiet lunch on a shady patio at the Sacher Hotel. Since our lunch at their Mozart Cafe in Vienna was so good, we figured it was a good idea. So we enjoyed sitting on the patio overlooking the river, shared two types of sandwiches with beer then splurged with a shared Sachertorte and coffee. And, of course, excellent service! Wunderbar! After our respite from the warm day and crowded streets of old town, we returned to find Art's requisite tee shirt...that's now 3 old ones headed to Good Will! We strolled down Judengasse...the street where the Jews were placed in a ghetto during the war...looking for the old synagogue...finally found our way to the Information office where the 1st clerk didn't know what a synagogue was, Her colleague told her where it was located (in the new town). Not satisfied we asked a walking tour guide standing outside of the office if he knew and he pointed us back down the street to a building whose sign said it was a Creative Arts SCHULE (which could have been translated as school or the yiddish word for synagogue. I went into the building and it was beginning to be renovated....curved brick ceilings and thick, rough stone walls suggested a previous use but there were no signs to help us out. We also found a large plaque in German that indicated that Theodor Herzel had worked there...the guide told us that he was a lawyer who wanted to be a judge but could not be appointed because he was Jewish. Herzel was born in Pest, Hungary, moved to Vienna with his family and studied law there, practicing in Vienna and Salzburg. He is considered the founder of Zionism. Interesting that he was considered important enough to have a substantial plaque on the wall of the old Magistrate Court when there were no other indications of the presence of Jews in the Judengasse.
Pictures of Salzburg and Linz
After a pleasant drive back to the boat, we changed and went to the lounge for the complimentary open bar prior to dinner. Another good dinner during which we passed through 2 more locks, we played a fun game of Name that Tune Trivia. Our team lost by one point with a lot of childish competitive grumbling afterwards :)
We can't believe that we have only one full day and one more night onboard before we head to Prague to end our trip. The thought of packing tomorrow night is enough to make me call it a night and block out the thought. Tomorrow we cruise into Passau at 9 AM.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Durstein and cruising through the Wauchau Valley to Linz
We awoke to a crystal clear, sunny morning with temperatures forecast to hit the mid-70s. Today was the way I had imagined a river cruise when we booked this trip. We were divided into 4 groups, walked off of the boat at 9 AM and met up with the local guides (all of whom were residents of this small town). Durstein has a population of 400, is in the middle of the Wachau Valley that is known for its high quality white wines and apricots.
The whole town has 2 streets and a rush hour consisting of 2 cars trying to pass each other and no sidewalks. We moved to the edge of the cobblestone street every time a car came in either direction. Twice we saw cars back up to allow a car to pass in the opposite direction. It's a beautiful town ( we would call it a village but the folks who live here are insulted if you don't think it's a 'town'). Lots of small shops selling apricot products (from soap to chocolates to liqueurs and schnapps). We, of course, tasted all of them, except the soap, multiple times and bought some apricot jam to bring home as well as the requisite tee shirts. Art has commited to giving away one shirt for each new one that he buys....we'll see if that transpires. After an hour's walk through the town, some hearty souls hiked up to the ruins of the castle where Richard, the Lionhearted was imprisoned on his way back to England from the Crusades (only for the ransom paid...not to do him harm). We then wandered around on our own taking lots of pictures of the charming building some dating to the 14th century and the many vineyards bordering the town.
Then we had a wine tasting at a local winery that opened just for our group. We didn't especially like the 5 wines that we tasted (and it was at 11:30 AM) but that didn't stop anyone in the group from imbibing. Then a slow walk back to the boat where we had lunch as we sailed through the Wauchau Valley and gorge. We had a lovely afternoon....sitting on the sun deck at the top of the boat, enjoying the magnificent scenery, taking lots of pictures AGAIN and going through 2 locks on the river. We continue to be in awe of the process of going through the locks - even though we did one before and have done the Panama Canal locks.
Unfortunately, as the afternoon was ending, I started to feel ill....perhaps from all of the alcohol tasting in the AM followed by an unhealthy high fat lunch??? So I spent the rest of the afternoon in the cabin and skipped both the local entertainment and dinner. Thankful, as always, to PeptoBismol :) When Art came back from dinner, he stopped one of the waitress to ask her if I could get some dry toast in the room....it arrived almost at the same time as he got back to the room. Another example of the level of service and concern that we've experienced from day 1 of this trip. Our cabin is very close to the Lido Bar in the rear of our level where coffee, hot chocolate, tea and snacks are available all day and evening....so getting tea to go with my toast was a snap. Feeling much better now and looking forward to our bus trip tomorrow morning to Salzburg after we dock in Linz late tonight. It's so cool to site in bed with a large picture window that opens to a French balcony and watching the scenery go by!
109 PICTURES :)
The whole town has 2 streets and a rush hour consisting of 2 cars trying to pass each other and no sidewalks. We moved to the edge of the cobblestone street every time a car came in either direction. Twice we saw cars back up to allow a car to pass in the opposite direction. It's a beautiful town ( we would call it a village but the folks who live here are insulted if you don't think it's a 'town'). Lots of small shops selling apricot products (from soap to chocolates to liqueurs and schnapps). We, of course, tasted all of them, except the soap, multiple times and bought some apricot jam to bring home as well as the requisite tee shirts. Art has commited to giving away one shirt for each new one that he buys....we'll see if that transpires. After an hour's walk through the town, some hearty souls hiked up to the ruins of the castle where Richard, the Lionhearted was imprisoned on his way back to England from the Crusades (only for the ransom paid...not to do him harm). We then wandered around on our own taking lots of pictures of the charming building some dating to the 14th century and the many vineyards bordering the town.
Then we had a wine tasting at a local winery that opened just for our group. We didn't especially like the 5 wines that we tasted (and it was at 11:30 AM) but that didn't stop anyone in the group from imbibing. Then a slow walk back to the boat where we had lunch as we sailed through the Wauchau Valley and gorge. We had a lovely afternoon....sitting on the sun deck at the top of the boat, enjoying the magnificent scenery, taking lots of pictures AGAIN and going through 2 locks on the river. We continue to be in awe of the process of going through the locks - even though we did one before and have done the Panama Canal locks.
Unfortunately, as the afternoon was ending, I started to feel ill....perhaps from all of the alcohol tasting in the AM followed by an unhealthy high fat lunch??? So I spent the rest of the afternoon in the cabin and skipped both the local entertainment and dinner. Thankful, as always, to PeptoBismol :) When Art came back from dinner, he stopped one of the waitress to ask her if I could get some dry toast in the room....it arrived almost at the same time as he got back to the room. Another example of the level of service and concern that we've experienced from day 1 of this trip. Our cabin is very close to the Lido Bar in the rear of our level where coffee, hot chocolate, tea and snacks are available all day and evening....so getting tea to go with my toast was a snap. Feeling much better now and looking forward to our bus trip tomorrow morning to Salzburg after we dock in Linz late tonight. It's so cool to site in bed with a large picture window that opens to a French balcony and watching the scenery go by!
109 PICTURES :)
Crew Show
What fun...after dinner last night, we found front row seats for the crew show. It was so funny and gave us yet another reason to love the staff on the boat. The show started with a bed (made up of side by side lounge chairs with bed linens) in the middle of the lounge. In walked (in a bent over old-age way with canes) the Captain and one of the ladies at the registration desk dressed in pajamas. They crawled into bed with an audience of 100 passengers and proceeded to enact a hilarious performance of 2 old people in bed. I wish I had their script to share...so funny. This was followed by 5 more acts by folks in all types of positions on the staff from our housekeeper to the wait staff and including officers as well as bartenders. Needless to say we enjoyed every minute.
Then on to Durstein, Austria over night.
Then on to Durstein, Austria over night.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
May 16, 2011 - 2nd Day in Vienna
Pictures - 2nd day in Vienna
Today dawned sunny and cool...we took the 10 AM shuttle into the city center from the boat dock on the Danube and spent a few hours wandering the beautiful streets and side streets of Vienna. Lots of traffic - cars, trucks, taxis, horse-drawn carriages, bikes (all of whom ignored the pedestrians). You really take your life in your own hands trying to cross a street even at a crosswalk. Took lots of pictures which will SOMEDAY be uploaded for the 'reading public' to view. I promise to make an announcement when that happens.
We were on a quest to find the Demel Kafe Cafe. Demel and Sacher Hotel have a running feud over who has the best Sacher Torte. We found Demel and had lunch first then it was time for coffee and dessert. The choices here are amazing. We were able to view the chefs preparing a variety of pastries, cakes and strudels through glass viewing windows - prior to ordering. Our group had a variety of things. Art had Apple Strudel and I had Rhubarb Strudel. Both were quite good but not the best we've ever had. We found out when we returned to the boat that we are having Apple Strudel tonight so we'll have some measure of comparison. Then lots more walking in hopes of burning off a few of the calories that we've been inhaling since we got to Europe.
We wanted to walk to the Parliament but realized it was too far to walk and still make our return shuttle. So we went into the Albertina Museum's Gift Shop to look over their unique offerings, took some pictures of the Roman Ruins and the Monument to those who died in a building directly across from the museum that was bombed during the war, saw the Lipizzan horses of the Spanish Riding School, and took pictures of the Palace where we had dinner last night. Lots of walking and enjoying this very beautiful city led us back to the pickup spot to take the shuttle back to the boat. Nap and Blog time seems to work for us in late afternoons.
Pictures - 2nd day in Vienna
We are off to our next stop tonight thinking that it is good that Tauck is making so many decisions for us....since we'd rather spend time socializing and relaxing and thinking about our next adventure. Tonight is the show put on by the boat's crew...they are a funny, friendly bunch and it should be a hoot!
Today dawned sunny and cool...we took the 10 AM shuttle into the city center from the boat dock on the Danube and spent a few hours wandering the beautiful streets and side streets of Vienna. Lots of traffic - cars, trucks, taxis, horse-drawn carriages, bikes (all of whom ignored the pedestrians). You really take your life in your own hands trying to cross a street even at a crosswalk. Took lots of pictures which will SOMEDAY be uploaded for the 'reading public' to view. I promise to make an announcement when that happens.
We were on a quest to find the Demel Kafe Cafe. Demel and Sacher Hotel have a running feud over who has the best Sacher Torte. We found Demel and had lunch first then it was time for coffee and dessert. The choices here are amazing. We were able to view the chefs preparing a variety of pastries, cakes and strudels through glass viewing windows - prior to ordering. Our group had a variety of things. Art had Apple Strudel and I had Rhubarb Strudel. Both were quite good but not the best we've ever had. We found out when we returned to the boat that we are having Apple Strudel tonight so we'll have some measure of comparison. Then lots more walking in hopes of burning off a few of the calories that we've been inhaling since we got to Europe.
We wanted to walk to the Parliament but realized it was too far to walk and still make our return shuttle. So we went into the Albertina Museum's Gift Shop to look over their unique offerings, took some pictures of the Roman Ruins and the Monument to those who died in a building directly across from the museum that was bombed during the war, saw the Lipizzan horses of the Spanish Riding School, and took pictures of the Palace where we had dinner last night. Lots of walking and enjoying this very beautiful city led us back to the pickup spot to take the shuttle back to the boat. Nap and Blog time seems to work for us in late afternoons.
Pictures - 2nd day in Vienna
We are off to our next stop tonight thinking that it is good that Tauck is making so many decisions for us....since we'd rather spend time socializing and relaxing and thinking about our next adventure. Tonight is the show put on by the boat's crew...they are a funny, friendly bunch and it should be a hoot!
Monday, May 16, 2011
What an Amazing Evening!
We can't remember a time when we were at a loss of words to describe the perfect evening out...but this one was very close. The bus stopped at the entrance to the Palace where we walked up 2 flights of winding stairs to the most opulently decorated room...with walls with gold molding, 5 large gold and crystal chandeliers and tables elaborately set with silver and china. A string quartet was playing classical music, followed by ballet dancers and opera singers throughout the evening between courses. We were offered champagne as we entered the room followed by red and white wine offered and replenished endlessly throughout the evening. The menu included salad with balsamic dressing, potato and leek soup, veal au jus, mixed vegetables and rice and a Bombe dessert with Chocolate Sauce.
Dinner at the Palais Pallavicini pictures.
We found out that we were eating in the room where Bethoven and Saleri had their falling out. It was truly a magical evening with lots of applause, good conversation and no complaints heard by anyone. Clearly, although we still have lots of days to come, there is no way they can top this evening. Even the tour directors agreed with our statement.
And we have another day in Vienna tomorrow!
Dinner at the Palais Pallavicini pictures.
We found out that we were eating in the room where Bethoven and Saleri had their falling out. It was truly a magical evening with lots of applause, good conversation and no complaints heard by anyone. Clearly, although we still have lots of days to come, there is no way they can top this evening. Even the tour directors agreed with our statement.
And we have another day in Vienna tomorrow!
May 15, 2011 - Day 1 in Vienna
Lovely day today....cool but sunny. Bus to Vienna from the boat left at 9:30 AM with a drive-by condensed tour of the city. The most wonderful old buildings (Opera House, of course....every city seems to have one, as well as very old municipal buildings and palaces as well as churches and museums...) the architecture is breath taking. We toured the Silver Chamber and Porcelein collections of the Hufberg Palace and then had free time to continue to explore this wonderful city. We had lunch at the Mozart Cafe in the Sacher Hotel (a variety of sausages and Vienerschnizel) and beer with friends Don and Carol. Service was excellent, prices were reasonable and the food and ambiance were terrific. Carol and I had some retail therapy as we strolled down one of the major shopping 'strasses', then we returned to the boat for naps before dressing for an Imperial Viennese evening with dinner and musical entertainment at Palais Pallavicini.
Pictures of our first day in Vienna
Dinner at the Palais Pallavicini pictures.
Pictures of our first day in Vienna
Dinner at the Palais Pallavicini pictures.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Bratislova, Slovakia
Wow, a good example of how the Internet can thwart your best attempts at communicating. First, no access, then very slow speeds, then Blogger server problems and, finally, only German headings so that I couldn't figure out which word meant "sign in".
But here we are in Slovakia. I'll fill in the posts for our time in Budapest soon....but, for now, it's enough to say that we are having a wonderful trip, loved Budapest, had wonderful guides and tours and boarded the Swiss Jewell yesterday after a tour of Buda that was terrific.
The boat is charming; we've met a lot of interesting people and had a great time getting acquainted starting with the welcome dinner in Budapest at the Academy of Sciences and continuing on the boat. We were given an orientation to the boat, found our cabin and unpacked (with, of course, not enough space for everything) then there was a safety drill followed by a wine reception and introductions to the whole staff and crew. We had a wonderful and elegant welcome dinner which rivaled excellent restaurant food and terrific service.
After chatting with a Cruise Critic friend and his wife, we called it a night and looked forward to our first night of cruising on the Danube with all of the creeps and engine noises we expected given our cabin was at the rear (stern) of the boat. We slept very well...on awakening found that we were going through a lock and looked out on a gray wall :)
Had a sumptuous breakfast buffet .... we eat seemingly every 5 minutes and relaxed until about 11 when we had a lecture on the history of Slovakia....very interesting, but long and detailed. I know more about Slovakia that the Slovaks (according to the lecturer) :). We disembarked after lunch to go on a walking tour with our guide, Elena. I must add that, after 3 days of glorious weather, we had payback today! We awoke to gray skies, and a 60 % chance of rain - which rapidly became 100%. Changed shirts several times and finally settled on a combination of sweaters and our warm jackets (along with scarf and gloves for me). We must be living right because although it was cool and misty, it was not unpleasant and our wonderful guide kept us entertained as we walked through this charming little city. The citizens are so proud of their country's complex history and love to tell stories and anecdotes along the way.
Co-incidentally, the World Hockey Tournament is here and Sweden and Finland are playing for the championship TODAY. We had fun wishing the fans well and seeing the Finnish team pass us on a narrow street. There are statues of hockey players around the city and I took pictures of some of the festivities to post soon. Slovakia has about 5.5 million citizens; 500,000 in Bratislava and the country is about the size of West Virginia. Until they became a republic in 1993, they had 3 state languages - Slovak, German and Hungarian. It always amazes me to find that most people in Europe speak more than 2 languages well and can read or understand even more. We have a lot to learn about from them despite the superior attitude of many Americans.
Pictures of Bratislava
10:30 pm - Had another multi-course delicious dinner with 2 couples whose company we enjoy! Then to the 'folkloric entertainment in the lounge. A string quartet and 2 dancers playing Slovakian music from each part of the country with examples of a variety of folk dances. Lots of fun, especially when they interspersed American country or old time songs (like Oh, Suzanna), an irish jig, etc. Interesting to guess at the derivation of similar music. Off to bed....Vienna tomorrow!! Weather to be in the low 60s with clouds.... we are looking forward to coach tour of Vienna (Opera House, Parliament, City Hall and the Ringstrasses followed by the Silver Chamber at the Hofburg Palace with free time for lunch and exploring on our own in the afternoon. Evening dinner at the Palais Pallavicini and an Imperial Viennese evening.
This trip is exceeding our expectations!!
But here we are in Slovakia. I'll fill in the posts for our time in Budapest soon....but, for now, it's enough to say that we are having a wonderful trip, loved Budapest, had wonderful guides and tours and boarded the Swiss Jewell yesterday after a tour of Buda that was terrific.
The boat is charming; we've met a lot of interesting people and had a great time getting acquainted starting with the welcome dinner in Budapest at the Academy of Sciences and continuing on the boat. We were given an orientation to the boat, found our cabin and unpacked (with, of course, not enough space for everything) then there was a safety drill followed by a wine reception and introductions to the whole staff and crew. We had a wonderful and elegant welcome dinner which rivaled excellent restaurant food and terrific service.
After chatting with a Cruise Critic friend and his wife, we called it a night and looked forward to our first night of cruising on the Danube with all of the creeps and engine noises we expected given our cabin was at the rear (stern) of the boat. We slept very well...on awakening found that we were going through a lock and looked out on a gray wall :)
Had a sumptuous breakfast buffet .... we eat seemingly every 5 minutes and relaxed until about 11 when we had a lecture on the history of Slovakia....very interesting, but long and detailed. I know more about Slovakia that the Slovaks (according to the lecturer) :). We disembarked after lunch to go on a walking tour with our guide, Elena. I must add that, after 3 days of glorious weather, we had payback today! We awoke to gray skies, and a 60 % chance of rain - which rapidly became 100%. Changed shirts several times and finally settled on a combination of sweaters and our warm jackets (along with scarf and gloves for me). We must be living right because although it was cool and misty, it was not unpleasant and our wonderful guide kept us entertained as we walked through this charming little city. The citizens are so proud of their country's complex history and love to tell stories and anecdotes along the way.
Co-incidentally, the World Hockey Tournament is here and Sweden and Finland are playing for the championship TODAY. We had fun wishing the fans well and seeing the Finnish team pass us on a narrow street. There are statues of hockey players around the city and I took pictures of some of the festivities to post soon. Slovakia has about 5.5 million citizens; 500,000 in Bratislava and the country is about the size of West Virginia. Until they became a republic in 1993, they had 3 state languages - Slovak, German and Hungarian. It always amazes me to find that most people in Europe speak more than 2 languages well and can read or understand even more. We have a lot to learn about from them despite the superior attitude of many Americans.
Pictures of Bratislava
10:30 pm - Had another multi-course delicious dinner with 2 couples whose company we enjoy! Then to the 'folkloric entertainment in the lounge. A string quartet and 2 dancers playing Slovakian music from each part of the country with examples of a variety of folk dances. Lots of fun, especially when they interspersed American country or old time songs (like Oh, Suzanna), an irish jig, etc. Interesting to guess at the derivation of similar music. Off to bed....Vienna tomorrow!! Weather to be in the low 60s with clouds.... we are looking forward to coach tour of Vienna (Opera House, Parliament, City Hall and the Ringstrasses followed by the Silver Chamber at the Hofburg Palace with free time for lunch and exploring on our own in the afternoon. Evening dinner at the Palais Pallavicini and an Imperial Viennese evening.
This trip is exceeding our expectations!!
Friday, May 13, 2011
May 13, 2011 - Tour of Buda and boarding the Swiss Jewel
Our final day in Budapest. Woke up to another sunny day (although some clouds moved in during the day), How nice to settle a zero balance hotel bill! Another buffet breakfast - not sure that I want to know what these meals are doing to our waistlines, but...will worry about that another day!
Our luggage was left in our room and magically appeared in our cabin when we boarded - the real way to travel! We boarded the bus which drove across the Chain Bridge (which now feels like our friend since we've viewed it every day, walked part way across and taken multiple pictures of it day and night). We went through a tunnel and up a steep hill and there we were on the top of Castle Hill (seems like most cities have such a hill since the castles were built there to protect the Royals from attack). The views were astounding, even on a day that wasn't as clear as we'd come to expect. We had a wonderful guide who shared all sorts of anecdotes and history and was funny to boot. Lots of pictures (some multiples because I loved them all) from scenic overviews. The old Ministry of War building with many pock marks from gunfire in WW II was sobering even though Buda escaped severe damage in the war. Mattias Church was a highlight with its multi-colored tiled roof as was the unusual shaped 7 towers on the Fishermen's Bastion built in 1905 with each tower symbolizing one of the Magyar tribes that came to Hungary in 896. The view from the bastion is considered one of the best in the city and I had no argument with that. Seeing the Parliament on the Pest side of the river completely, without traffic or scaffolds was amazing. We wandered down the steep hill (or I should say the bus did) to another scenic overview, rode back across the river with the excitement building...we were finally going to board the boat and get the River Cruise on the road (uh, river).
We were greeted in the reception area by Lynn, our Cruise Director, given our room keys, and explored our home for the next 7 days. We had splurged on a Junior Suite for this, our 50th wedding anniversary celebration, and found that it was a bit bigger than an average cruise cabin. But, not anywhere near as large as the 'real' suites that some of our new friends had. Nice size bathroom with a real shower (no more narrow tubs to shower in); queen-sized comfortable bed, small desk, 2 chairs near the window (a french balcony window with sliding doors and narrow bars to keep us from leaping into the Danube!). The french balcony was a lovely way to view the scenery, check out the weather each morning and have a bit of privacy when we didn't want to go to the sundeck. The location of our cabin was near the Lido Bar area where there was a community computer with Internet connection (slow), snacks and coffee/hot chocolate/tea all day long and a great place to get early morning coffee (thanks to Art). All in all a comfortable place to stay even without a lot of storage space.
We spent the next few hours attending an orientation meeting in the lovely lounge, viewing our departure from Budapest on the sundeck, meeting more of our companions for the next week and unpacking. There was a welcome aboard reception with the Captain and his staff and a splendid welcome dinner. Service was excellent, food beautifully plated, and a feeling of plain old enjoyment. The perfect end to a lovely day and beginning of the next stage of our trip.
Pictures of/from Buda and boarding the river boat
Our luggage was left in our room and magically appeared in our cabin when we boarded - the real way to travel! We boarded the bus which drove across the Chain Bridge (which now feels like our friend since we've viewed it every day, walked part way across and taken multiple pictures of it day and night). We went through a tunnel and up a steep hill and there we were on the top of Castle Hill (seems like most cities have such a hill since the castles were built there to protect the Royals from attack). The views were astounding, even on a day that wasn't as clear as we'd come to expect. We had a wonderful guide who shared all sorts of anecdotes and history and was funny to boot. Lots of pictures (some multiples because I loved them all) from scenic overviews. The old Ministry of War building with many pock marks from gunfire in WW II was sobering even though Buda escaped severe damage in the war. Mattias Church was a highlight with its multi-colored tiled roof as was the unusual shaped 7 towers on the Fishermen's Bastion built in 1905 with each tower symbolizing one of the Magyar tribes that came to Hungary in 896. The view from the bastion is considered one of the best in the city and I had no argument with that. Seeing the Parliament on the Pest side of the river completely, without traffic or scaffolds was amazing. We wandered down the steep hill (or I should say the bus did) to another scenic overview, rode back across the river with the excitement building...we were finally going to board the boat and get the River Cruise on the road (uh, river).
We were greeted in the reception area by Lynn, our Cruise Director, given our room keys, and explored our home for the next 7 days. We had splurged on a Junior Suite for this, our 50th wedding anniversary celebration, and found that it was a bit bigger than an average cruise cabin. But, not anywhere near as large as the 'real' suites that some of our new friends had. Nice size bathroom with a real shower (no more narrow tubs to shower in); queen-sized comfortable bed, small desk, 2 chairs near the window (a french balcony window with sliding doors and narrow bars to keep us from leaping into the Danube!). The french balcony was a lovely way to view the scenery, check out the weather each morning and have a bit of privacy when we didn't want to go to the sundeck. The location of our cabin was near the Lido Bar area where there was a community computer with Internet connection (slow), snacks and coffee/hot chocolate/tea all day long and a great place to get early morning coffee (thanks to Art). All in all a comfortable place to stay even without a lot of storage space.
We spent the next few hours attending an orientation meeting in the lovely lounge, viewing our departure from Budapest on the sundeck, meeting more of our companions for the next week and unpacking. There was a welcome aboard reception with the Captain and his staff and a splendid welcome dinner. Service was excellent, food beautifully plated, and a feeling of plain old enjoyment. The perfect end to a lovely day and beginning of the next stage of our trip.
Pictures of/from Buda and boarding the river boat
May 12, 2011 First Tour Day Budapest
Breakfast buffet at the Intercontinental hotel followed by a Bus Tour of Pest, hopefully to see things we didn't see on our own yesterday.
We first did a drive by of the National Academy of Sciences where we had dinner last night, then of the magnificent Parliament Building, part of which is under renovation. The bus then drove down Andrassy Avenue which has been recognized as a World Heritage Site known as Fashion Street. The driving tour stopped at the Budapest Opera House.
We were greeted by a darling young woman who was very enthusiastic about her job and made the tour of the ornate and beautiful building interesting and fun. We saw one of the private boxes, she described the Royal Box, and took us up to an elaborate level where the Royal families viewed operas from their special section. The light fixtures, ceilings, and carved wood work were lovely. While we were there, we were surprised by several opera stars who performed for us from the balcony!
After we left the opera house we drove to Heroes Square which is situated in front of the City Park at the end of Andrassy Avenue and is another World Heritage Site. The site was built in 1896 to celebrate the centennial of the Hungarians arriving in this area and is decorated with statues of famous people in Hungarian History. We then continued on our driving tour past the Great Synagogue and on to the Great Market Hall. Since we had visited this area yesterday, we didn't spend much time in the market except to buy a few pastries that looked like the Ruguleh that my aunt made when I was a child....they didn't taste anything like those I remembered...a disappointment
We then walked the full length of Vaci Utca - the main shopping drag from the Market back to the hotel. Finally found a US type drug store where I could buy a few things that I needed.
We decided to eat light tonight - met another couple from our tour group who had found an Italian restaurant close to the hotel that had free WiFi so we went with them to have a glass of wine (computer in hand). Unfortunately the sun setting reflected on my screen and I couldn't see what I was writing, but we did enjoy sharing a pizza and a couple of glasses of wine with Don and Carol who were celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary.
After dinner we walked to one of the famous dessert restaurants (Gerbaud House) and splurged on fancy Hungarian pastry desserts and coffee (overpriced and not as good as I expected :))
We're ready for tomorrow to come...tour of Buda on the other side of the Danube and then we'll be boarding the Swiss Jewel for our long awaited River Cruise.
Pictures First tour day in Budapest
We first did a drive by of the National Academy of Sciences where we had dinner last night, then of the magnificent Parliament Building, part of which is under renovation. The bus then drove down Andrassy Avenue which has been recognized as a World Heritage Site known as Fashion Street. The driving tour stopped at the Budapest Opera House.
We were greeted by a darling young woman who was very enthusiastic about her job and made the tour of the ornate and beautiful building interesting and fun. We saw one of the private boxes, she described the Royal Box, and took us up to an elaborate level where the Royal families viewed operas from their special section. The light fixtures, ceilings, and carved wood work were lovely. While we were there, we were surprised by several opera stars who performed for us from the balcony!
After we left the opera house we drove to Heroes Square which is situated in front of the City Park at the end of Andrassy Avenue and is another World Heritage Site. The site was built in 1896 to celebrate the centennial of the Hungarians arriving in this area and is decorated with statues of famous people in Hungarian History. We then continued on our driving tour past the Great Synagogue and on to the Great Market Hall. Since we had visited this area yesterday, we didn't spend much time in the market except to buy a few pastries that looked like the Ruguleh that my aunt made when I was a child....they didn't taste anything like those I remembered...a disappointment
We then walked the full length of Vaci Utca - the main shopping drag from the Market back to the hotel. Finally found a US type drug store where I could buy a few things that I needed.
We decided to eat light tonight - met another couple from our tour group who had found an Italian restaurant close to the hotel that had free WiFi so we went with them to have a glass of wine (computer in hand). Unfortunately the sun setting reflected on my screen and I couldn't see what I was writing, but we did enjoy sharing a pizza and a couple of glasses of wine with Don and Carol who were celebrating their 39th wedding anniversary.
After dinner we walked to one of the famous dessert restaurants (Gerbaud House) and splurged on fancy Hungarian pastry desserts and coffee (overpriced and not as good as I expected :))
We're ready for tomorrow to come...tour of Buda on the other side of the Danube and then we'll be boarding the Swiss Jewel for our long awaited River Cruise.
Pictures First tour day in Budapest
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Budapest First Evening and 1st Full Day - Great Synagogue/Great Market Hall
It's so hard to recreate all of the amazing reactions we had to being in Budapest. The Internet problems and desire to get out and explore kept me from taking detailed notes of all that we did.
On our first full day, we had breakfast in the lovely Executive Lounge overlooking the magnificent views of the Danube which, when we awoke, looked like a mirror reflecting all of the buildings and bridges on its still surface. It was really hard to leave our room with the lovely views in all directions. But...off we went with Rick Steves' Budapest in hand sure that, since we found the restaurant last night, we would be able to find our way to the Great Synagogue this morning. Attached to the Synagogue is the Jewish Museum which we also had on our list of places to visit. Touring these buildings was like walking in history. Since Jews were banned from the city in the 18th century, they established a Jewish quarter outside of the old city boundary and built their main synagogue there between 1844-59. It is the 2nd largest synagogue in the world and held 3000 people. The two towers symbolize the two columns of Solomon's Temple. During WW II it was used by the Gestopo who had offices in the balcony area. The restoration occurred in the 1990s and was funded partly by a foundation set up by Tony Curtis who had Hungarian roots. According to our guide, there were many other Jewish American philanthropists who contributed to the foundation.
Our morning was spent exploring the synagogue and it's grounds including the cemetery and monuments to those who died at the hands of the Nazis. We, especially enjoyed, our private tour of the relics collected in the Jewish Museum. Our guide was an elderly woman who lived in Budapest during the war and shared her childhood and family memories. She also shared the fact that there is an organization that helps families discovered documents about their ancestors in Hungary and told me how to get in touch with them.
We were a bit overwhelmed by all that we had learned and the emotions of this experience. So....we headed to the Great Market Hall to see this very old market and to have a traditional lunch. The market, constructed in the 1800s after the original was damaged by fire, was reconstructed between 1991-94. It is a working market where locals come to shop for fresh produce, spices, garlic and meats. Strings of red paprika and garlic, salamis, sausages, and fresh pastries and Hungarian wines were sold from a large number of booths downstairs and the upstairs consisted of a cafeteria styled restaurant and many booths selling everything from pizza to stuffed cabbage, etc. We each tried a new dish (whose names we didn't know). Art ended up with cabbage stuffed with turkey and rice and I had a stuffed sandwich which was delicious stuffed with ingredients I can only guess at - Hungarian is a tough language, many of the booth workers did not speak any English (sometimes a younger person who did was the one who dealt with customers) so we picked by pointing and did OK. After lunch, we decided to walk back to the hotel via the Vaci Utca which is a shopping street that runs from the market all the way to our hotel. Needless to say it was a long, tiring and rewarding day and we were ready to have a nap and shower and dress for the welcome dinner we were attending in the evening at the National Academy of Sciences - a short walk from the hotel.
First Evening and First Full Day in Budapest
We rested, dressed and met our fellow cruisers in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel at 6 PM. We walked the 2 or 3 blocks to the National Academy of Sciences (although they had buses available for those who didn't want or or were unable to walk). Dinner was in a glorious room fit for a very formal, elegant dinner. We met some of the Tauck staff and were greeted with trays of Champagne and lots of butler passed appetizers, then we were seated at round tables of 8-10 to a table. I was excited to meet the only other person who had posted on the Cruise Critic web site for this trip (Don and his wife, Carole). They turned out to be our 'pals' for this trip sharing many meals and lots of onshore excursions with us. We were seated with several couple with whom we had chatted during pre-dinner drinks and the fun and great food began along with a wonderful 4 piece string quartet. During dinner, one of pieces that they played was Hava Nagila and when they realized that we and several couples at our table were familiar with the song (from our animated responses), they played a few other pieces just for us!
All in all, it was a great way to create a positive and funfilled atmosphere as a beginning to our trip! We were ready to get started. Pictures from our welcome dinner
On our first full day, we had breakfast in the lovely Executive Lounge overlooking the magnificent views of the Danube which, when we awoke, looked like a mirror reflecting all of the buildings and bridges on its still surface. It was really hard to leave our room with the lovely views in all directions. But...off we went with Rick Steves' Budapest in hand sure that, since we found the restaurant last night, we would be able to find our way to the Great Synagogue this morning. Attached to the Synagogue is the Jewish Museum which we also had on our list of places to visit. Touring these buildings was like walking in history. Since Jews were banned from the city in the 18th century, they established a Jewish quarter outside of the old city boundary and built their main synagogue there between 1844-59. It is the 2nd largest synagogue in the world and held 3000 people. The two towers symbolize the two columns of Solomon's Temple. During WW II it was used by the Gestopo who had offices in the balcony area. The restoration occurred in the 1990s and was funded partly by a foundation set up by Tony Curtis who had Hungarian roots. According to our guide, there were many other Jewish American philanthropists who contributed to the foundation.
Our morning was spent exploring the synagogue and it's grounds including the cemetery and monuments to those who died at the hands of the Nazis. We, especially enjoyed, our private tour of the relics collected in the Jewish Museum. Our guide was an elderly woman who lived in Budapest during the war and shared her childhood and family memories. She also shared the fact that there is an organization that helps families discovered documents about their ancestors in Hungary and told me how to get in touch with them.
We were a bit overwhelmed by all that we had learned and the emotions of this experience. So....we headed to the Great Market Hall to see this very old market and to have a traditional lunch. The market, constructed in the 1800s after the original was damaged by fire, was reconstructed between 1991-94. It is a working market where locals come to shop for fresh produce, spices, garlic and meats. Strings of red paprika and garlic, salamis, sausages, and fresh pastries and Hungarian wines were sold from a large number of booths downstairs and the upstairs consisted of a cafeteria styled restaurant and many booths selling everything from pizza to stuffed cabbage, etc. We each tried a new dish (whose names we didn't know). Art ended up with cabbage stuffed with turkey and rice and I had a stuffed sandwich which was delicious stuffed with ingredients I can only guess at - Hungarian is a tough language, many of the booth workers did not speak any English (sometimes a younger person who did was the one who dealt with customers) so we picked by pointing and did OK. After lunch, we decided to walk back to the hotel via the Vaci Utca which is a shopping street that runs from the market all the way to our hotel. Needless to say it was a long, tiring and rewarding day and we were ready to have a nap and shower and dress for the welcome dinner we were attending in the evening at the National Academy of Sciences - a short walk from the hotel.
First Evening and First Full Day in Budapest
We rested, dressed and met our fellow cruisers in the lobby of the Intercontinental Hotel at 6 PM. We walked the 2 or 3 blocks to the National Academy of Sciences (although they had buses available for those who didn't want or or were unable to walk). Dinner was in a glorious room fit for a very formal, elegant dinner. We met some of the Tauck staff and were greeted with trays of Champagne and lots of butler passed appetizers, then we were seated at round tables of 8-10 to a table. I was excited to meet the only other person who had posted on the Cruise Critic web site for this trip (Don and his wife, Carole). They turned out to be our 'pals' for this trip sharing many meals and lots of onshore excursions with us. We were seated with several couple with whom we had chatted during pre-dinner drinks and the fun and great food began along with a wonderful 4 piece string quartet. During dinner, one of pieces that they played was Hava Nagila and when they realized that we and several couples at our table were familiar with the song (from our animated responses), they played a few other pieces just for us!
All in all, it was a great way to create a positive and funfilled atmosphere as a beginning to our trip! We were ready to get started. Pictures from our welcome dinner
Pictures of first evening in Budapest
First pictures are posted on this link. We've fallen in love with this city in just one day. Art even thinks it rivals Barcelona (an amazing statement coming from him since that is his favorite). We followed Rick Steves advice and stayed away from the expensive restaurants in the tourist area. Instead we ate in a little outdoor cafe in a small square within walking distance of the hotel. It was positively charming. Wish we could have seen one of the 18 hotel rooms above the restaurant that are reasonably priced and include breakfast at the cafe. The food was authentic Hungarian (see the pictures), delicious and nicely presented. The experience was delightful except for the smokers in the patio area. They do have a no smoking area inside but the evening was too lovely to move indoors.
The weather has been wonderful...in the high 70s all day and cooler on the walk back to the hotel. Tonight was our first view of the historic buildings lit up at night...Will add those pictures soon. Now off to bed after an exhausting but wonderful day.
The weather has been wonderful...in the high 70s all day and cooler on the walk back to the hotel. Tonight was our first view of the historic buildings lit up at night...Will add those pictures soon. Now off to bed after an exhausting but wonderful day.
Arrival in Budapest
First, we have found another airport where we don't want to make connections! Frankfurt. We had one hour and 40 minutes to connect (in the same terminal). Long line at passport control followed by long walk to our Gate only to find out that we had to go through Security. Two lines open for First Class and one line open for economy.....long Disney-like lines moving very slowly as we watched the minutes tick off of the clock while knowing that we had another walk to our gate after finishing the security check...dumped our water, put all things metal including our watches into the bins, pulled netbook out to go through separately and gladly kept our shoes on...still watching the minutes tick along (remembering that they close out flights 60 minutes before scheduled time. Finally got our stuff back together and made it to the gate on time. After we boarded, I saw from my window seat that they were removing luggage from the plane. The pilot announced that several people had been 'delayed' at security and didn't make the flight so they had to remove their luggage. A real benefit of flying 1st class...we deplaned first and, therefore, made it to the gate.
It was fun to see the Danube from the air and then again when we got into Budapest. We were met by the Tauck representative as soon as we exited the customs area along with 2 other couples on the same river cruise. Checked into the Marriott for tonight and were greeted with the info. that we had a suite overlooking the Danube and the Chain Bridge. We are now in the Executive Lounge awaiting the keys to our room. Oops, the bell man just came in to tell us that our luggage is in our room and to give us our keys. Complimentary Hungarian beer will be in our room this evening. Could easily like living this way. So nice to be a Platinum Elite in the Marriott Rewards program..... :)
It was fun to see the Danube from the air and then again when we got into Budapest. We were met by the Tauck representative as soon as we exited the customs area along with 2 other couples on the same river cruise. Checked into the Marriott for tonight and were greeted with the info. that we had a suite overlooking the Danube and the Chain Bridge. We are now in the Executive Lounge awaiting the keys to our room. Oops, the bell man just came in to tell us that our luggage is in our room and to give us our keys. Complimentary Hungarian beer will be in our room this evening. Could easily like living this way. So nice to be a Platinum Elite in the Marriott Rewards program..... :)
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
At the Airport
After an early arrival, thanks to our personal Chauffeur Ellen, effortless trip through security and lunch in an almost empty restaurant on Concourse D (with friendly, efficient and funny waiter service) we walked to the adjacent gate for a 3 hour wait to board. Did I say that we are eager to get started on this adventure. So....problem #1 - I decided to turn on my netbook to check email using the now 'free' CLT Internet connection. Turned on (should say TRIED to turn on the computer....nothing,...not even my most unfavorite Microsoft musical start up sound. After a few minutes up pops a screen that says something to the effect of "start-up problem" I say....tell me something that I don't know - but not exactly in those polite works. Then the message changes to "do you want to try to restore settings: YES!! After a few minutes of trial and error - music to my ears...the start-up ringtone. Problem #2 - I can't log into Gmail - passwords for both of my accounts don't work. Aha, I am given the option of having a Password reset code sent to my cell phone. After several attempts to decode the letters I have to enter as security....I'm in. Of course, it's now an hour later (good use of long wait time) and I'm afraid to turn the computer off for fear I'll have to go through this song and dance again. Another example of my love hate relationship with technology. And to think that my students actually thought I was an expert in all things computer :)
The Gate attendant has arrived and the gate area is getting crowded - seems like most people on our flight - including the screaming baby that I'm sure will be seated behind or across the aisle from us - believe the airlines when they say to arrive 3 hours before an international flight!
Next post will be from Budapest!
The Gate attendant has arrived and the gate area is getting crowded - seems like most people on our flight - including the screaming baby that I'm sure will be seated behind or across the aisle from us - believe the airlines when they say to arrive 3 hours before an international flight!
Next post will be from Budapest!
And the trip begins!
We're did all those things to help us change time by 5-6 hours (depending on daylight savings dates in Eastern Europe). Went to bed late last night; up early this AM; taking medications later than usual, etc. But, truthfully, the excitement of finally reaching today would have gotten us up early no matter what :).Final last minute check of documents and to be sure that we packed all of those necessities (that we could buy when we get there if we miss something, but.....). Ellen is taking us to the airport late this morning. We decided to get there at least the 3 hours before take-off that is recommended. We'll check-in - bummer that I couldn't do that yesterday like I do for domestic flights; international flights require ID checks with passports as part of the check-in process. Although it's a long shot, my plan is to tell everyone, with whom we have contact, that we're celebrating our 50th anniversary in hopes that we get an upgrade (not likely) or, at least, a free drink. Of course, drinks are still free on international flights so that one is a given :). I was able to book good seats on the first flight and was so glad that I did that a long time ago...when I checked last night all seats were full. And so we're off!
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