Changing currency, Getriedgasse, Mozart Kugel, Salzburg, Salzburg Cathedral and creche, The Sound of Music

Salzburg’s Alstadt

July 29, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

Crossing the bridge of locks, the Ramblers followed their guide into the Alstadt, crowded with both locals and tourists. Inside are an array of historic buildings; the magnificent baroque Cathedral, Dom, the Abbey of St. Peter and of course, Mozart’s birthplace. The old town is also home to a marvelous selection of shops selling both international and local brands, just about anything you might want.

McDonald's sign above Getreidgasse. — McDonald’s sign above Getreidgasse.

There are also restaurants and coffee shops and you will even find a McDonald’s and a Starbucks. By law, each shop along the Getreidgasse has to have a signboard, even McDonald’s, although there are many alleyways that are sign-less.

On the Getreidgasse, the main shopping street, at #9, is the Mozart Birthplace museum It is painted a bright yellow ocher, called Schoenbrunn yellow by the Austrians because it was a color favored by the Hapsburg’s. (You can buy it in their paint stores.)

Austrian seniors with matching outfits and walkers heading to the Christmas market

The narrow pedestrian only street was crowded this Friday with folks doing some Christmas shopping the second week-end in Advent. Our guide herded us fairly briskly past these attractions; luckily, there would be time to shop later.

Fiaker near Cathedral. — Fiaker kiosk near Cathedral.

On the way to the Cathedral, we noticed a stand offering horse and carriage rides. The carriages are called fiaker. You can take a carriage ride that might cost from 40 to 80 Euros. Just too chilly, and our time was limited so we easily decided against a fiaker ride.

Our final destination was the magnificent baroque Salzburg Cathedral or Salzburger Dom

Its patron saints are St. Rupert and Saint Vergilius. This was a surprise to me because when our youngest grandson, little Virgil was christened, the priest told us that he had had a hard time finding a saint with that name, but finally located one. I managed to find St. Vergilius by accident on a river cruise!

Oldest item in cathedral, may be Roman, used as Baptismal font.

The cathedral is truly beautiful with many interesting side altars, a frescoed ceiling, and a wonderful creche under construction.

Since I was little, I have always enjoyed the nativity scenes that are assembled in Catholic Churches before Christmas. In Catholic Austria, they are set up during Advent, and more figures are added as Christmas draws near. Unfortunately t was really difficult to photograph the one in the cathedral because it was protected by an extensive Plexiglas shield,

Wish they didn't have that Plexiglas shield but you get the idea. — Wish they didn’t have that Plexiglas shield but you get the idea.

The cathedral kneelers, like all the others I saw in the old churches in Hungary, Austria and Germany are made of sturdy, rough boards, and you really know you are kneeling on them. No easy on the knees, padded surfaces like we have at home. On the way out, we were asked for a small donation to help with the upkeep of the cathedral. The young woman who accepted my coins sat in a small, unheated enclosure by the door, and she looked very chilly. When I remarked on this, she smiled and said, “Oh no, I have volunteered for this job.” I hope she was rewarded with hot chocolate or Gluhwein when her shift was over.

The Alstadt Christmas Market was held on the plaza directly in front of the Dom. Our guide pointed it out and hustled off;, he really was a disappointment. We wouldn’t stay at the market either, as we wanted to see more of Salzburg.

Since we now had several hours to spend on our own, the Ramblers had to make some choices. We decided not to take the funicular up to the spectacular Hohensalzburg Castle, because it looked to be both chilly and time consuming.

This meant that we wouldn’t be able to seek out Nonnburg, the Benedictine Nunnery that played an important role in the ubiquitous Sound of Music.

View of Hohensalzburg Castle and funicular to get up up the hill

Although Maria was never a novice there, she did spend some time at Nonnberg, the oldest European nunnery in continuous operation. first established in the 8th century. It too was on top of the hill, with an excellent view of the mountains. Instead we headed towards St. Peter’s Abbey which was much closer and left us time for lunch and some sight-seeing on the way back to our bus stop.

A block away from the Cathedral, the crowds thinned out. Soon we found ourselves in the Abbey grounds where we were almost alone.

We enjoyed the peace of the cemetery and the old Abbey church which had been established about the same time as Nonnburg. Our goal was to eat at St. Peter’s Stiftskeller which claims to be the oldest restaurant in Europe in continuous operation (for 1200 years according to their brochure). Of course there is no way to dispute this claim and they may be right, because the monks who lived at the Abbey began serving meals in the 8th century.

St. Peter's Stiftskeller — St. Peter’s Stiftskeller

We finally found the entrance to the Stiftskeller after wandering completely around the abbey building complex which was extensive. Fortunately it wasn’t crowded and we were seated in the lower level which once served as the cellar of the Abbey in medieval times. This was an extra treat for the historian Rambler. The food and service lived up to our expectations and we enjoyed our meal; the only one we didn’t eat on the Beatrice.

After a leisurely lunch, we headed back to the Getriedgasse, tracking backward towards the river and our meeting place. On the way we had more time to do some window shopping . Our guide had talked a lot about the Mozart candies or Mozart Kugel and I wanted to get some.

His key points were that you had to try them, and they could be found in two different colors wrappers, red and blue. Although the composition of the candy was the same, the blue ones were made by hand and commanded a much higher price while the more pedestrian red ones were machine made and much cheaper. When he said much more expensive, he wasn’t kidding. The aristocratic blue Mozart candies were over 1 Euro each (actually about $1.50 US), while I was later able to buy a bag of the red ones

Red Mozart Kugel, the value price leader

for about 3 Euros (under $5.00). Well, I had to compare the two, so I went into the the exclusive blue shop and bought one, but only one. I found i really like Mozart Kugel; they have a nougat and marzipan interior with a chocolate coating. The senior Rambler only likes milk chocolate butter creams, so I didn’t have to buy any for him. That was a good thing, because to me, the expensive blue wrapped candy tasted pretty much like the red ones I bought later. We probably should have done a blind taste test when we got back to the Beatrice.! I later learned that the blue ones were the original, invented by a gentleman named Furst in the 19th century. Because of their popularity, they were soon copied by many other Austrian candy makers. These lowly candies have been the subject of many disputes because they became big business.

They are everywhere in Salzburg, but only the ones made by Furst are allowed to have blue wrappers. The Furst blue ones are only sold in three shops in the Alstadt, while the best place to buy the red ones is a supermarket.

Along with candy shops and designer clothing we did see a plebeian store in this high-rent district, that sold tourist souvenirs.

Austrian bobbleheads — Austrian bobble-heads including a Mozart one

Another shop had a very weird display; the Ramblers had no idea what they sold and didn’t really want to go in to find out. We took time out to stop at the local Starbucks, one of the few places, as it turned out, where you could actually sit down . Always a plus was the Starbucks rest room, not to mention the availability of familiar coffee.

Fortunately we were able to find our pick up spot with no trouble. A few members of our group were already there. Right across the street, there was a supermarket, and I jumped at the chance to check it out. For some reason, I enjoy visiting grocery stores where ever we travel. To me, they have a lot to say about the local culture. It was a neat little place, with an excellent selection and good prices. Behold, they had bags of the red Mozart kugel on sale along with several other kinds of Christmas candies which I bought for our family at home.

Just a little bit about European currency. Both Austria and Germany use the Euro(they are part of the Eurozone), but the Hungarians still use their national currency, the forint. During our brief stop in Budapest, I exchanged some dollars for forints on the Beatrice and paid for my purchases in Hungarian cash. When we got to Vienna, I exchanged my leftover forints and some dollars for euros. Be warned that most European stores will not take dollars, as the euro is worth more. You can use a credit card, but be sure that it has a chip, which is used in Europe and that your credit card doesn’t add a fee to each purchase you make in Europe. The fee is usually about 3% and most but not all, cards charge one. You can also use a currency exchange although again you will pay a fee, and the rate of exchange may not be so good. ATM’s may be the most convenient way to get cash, but you must find one that has the same system, like Cirrus, for example, as your home bank. However, the ATM fees can be quite high, and you will be billed on both ends.

Uniworld provides a currency exchange for its passengers, for small amounts of cash. If you have never traveled in Europe,it is a good idea to learn about exchanging money and using credit cards before you leave. Also, be sure to let your bank know when and where you will be traveling or you may find that your credit card is frozen, not a good thing.

My final act in Salzburg was to buy some roasted chestnuts from a vendor near our bus stop, They were a welcome treat. Then we climbed on board for the long ride back to our ship.

That night we would have the gala Captain’s Farewell Dinner, and later the Beatrice would sail to our last stop, Passau, Bavaria.

Austria, Bridge of Locks, Mozart, The Sound of Music, Uncategorized

Salzburg: Mozart vs. The Sound of Music

July 26, 2015 1954 2 Comments

As we prepared to embark on our Uniworld tour of Salzburg, the Ramblers recalled our first visit there 17 years ago. We used one of my week-ends while teaching history to Georgia students in Metz, France and traveled there by train. A married couple in my class had gone to Salzburg the preceding week, and highly recommended it so we decided to go as well. It was a wonderful week-end. On their recommendation, we stayed at a marvelous Inn, the Romantic Hotel Gmachl, up in the green hills surrounding Salzburg, which has been in the same family for over 500 years. The Ramblers hoped that the Uniworld tour would be just as much fun.This time we wouldn’t have to spend the night trying to sleep in a first-class train compartment, but would ride in a brand-new Uniworld bus.

In 1998, Eurail sold a pass that covered almost all of Europe. It was good for a certain number of 24 hour days of travel so it had to be used judiciously, and often involved traveling at night. Both students and faculty were issued rail passes which were used for field trips as well as independent travel Lengthy field trips were reserved for Thursdays. After the educational part was over, everyone, students and faculty, split for week-end trips of their own. Classes resumed on Mondays. These passes are no longer available and using a rail pass requires even more planning today.

The Beatrice had docked in Linz, Austria around 3 am. However, we wouldn’t see much of Austria’s third largest city and largest Danube port. Our expedition to Salzburg was to last a full day. Linz did sound like a fascinating place with a 13th century main square surrounded by restored Gothic houses.

By the time we got back to Linz we could only see their Christmas lights

Not only had Mozart composed a symphony there, but it was also a popular spot for many other musicians, especially the composer Anton Bruckner. Bruckner served as the Linz’ cathedral organist for more than 10 years in the 19th century. To sweeten the pot, the city is also the home of the delicious Linzertorte which prominently features almonds and raspberry jam. Hope we get back there someday.

However, even the Ramblers haven’t mastered the art of being in two places at once. We had made our choice and were off to Salzburg at 8:45 am. Despite the cloudy skies and chilly weather yet again ( high 39′, low 36′) the Ramblers enjoyed the drive. We traveled through a varied landscape of farms, field, woods, a lake or two and an increasing number of foothills on the excellent Austrian roads. Half-way through the 3 hour drive, we stopped at a rest area for several kinds of refreshment.

The rest area was crowded with tourists as three Viking busses had also pulled in, along with assorted cars and vans. There were long lines for both men and women’s toilets, but no one was left behind. This Rambler was much impressed with the quality of the rest area. We have stopped at hundreds in our travels over the US and Canada, and this was one of the nicest. Instead of the vending machines that are standard in the US, it included a shop that sold a variety of local products as well as drinks and tasty snacks. No wonder it was crowded!

Salzburg, the fourth largest city in Austria, and the capital of the Austrian federal state of Salzburg, has one of the best-preserved city centers north of the Alps. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1998 Salzburg is also home to three universities. However, most tourists come here for two reasons. to visit the birthplace of Mozart and because parts of The Sound of Music, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2015, were filmed there.

Cold looking tourists walking in the Mirabell Gardens, no fountain frolicking today

Although I might sound like a Philistine, the Rambler believes that most American tourists visit Salzburg because of The Sound of Music, and I expect, not a few folks from other parts of the world do as well. This is not the place to discuss WHY this musical is so popular, but just to admit that it is. Actually it was a contributing factor to our choice of Salzburg in 1998. We even took a Sound of Music tour, somewhat disappointing as we had a terrible guide and it was raining, yet we were eager to visiting this magical city again.

Our group was dropped off on the outskirts of the Aldstadt (old town) in a somewhat nondescript spot. I carefully noted the the street names on the map we were given, so we could find it later. It is no fun to be lost in an unfamiliar place. Our guide, unfortunately, was the worst( again, no luck in Salzburg with tour guides) we had on the whole cruise.

Cold looking statues bordering the Mirabel gardens. — Cold looking statues bordering the Mirabell gardens.

Fortunately the tour itself was relatively short, then we could spend the rest of the day on our own. Of course, the first site our guide pointed out related to the Sound of Music. the Mirabell Gardens, still green in December.

We then crossed the river on Salzburg’s lock bridge to the Aldstadt. The Ramblers later learned that the lock bridge was a modern phenomenon and lock bridges were now everywhere, but we dutifully checked out some of the locks. Actually the custom dates back over 100 years, but became somewhat of a fad in the 2000’s. Countless pairs of lovers have vowed their love by clipping a padlock on a bridge and throwing the key in the river. Don’t know what they do if they use a combination lock??? Some cities encourage this, others consider the locks a form of litter and remove them.

Crossing the bridge, we saw our first and only street musician, a zither player. He was bundled up against the chilly wind that blew down the Salzach river. Fortunately zithers are played sitting down which must have helped a little. I couldn’t tell if he was playing Mozart, as I had to hustle to keep with our group. He certainly wasn’t playing anything from Sound of Music!

On to the Alstadt!

Apricot schnapps, Austria, Durnstein castle, Krems, St Nicholas, strudel making, Wachau Valley

Krems and the Wachau Valley

July 21, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

The small Austrian city of Krems (population, 25,000) was named a UNESCO world heritage site in 1990. One of the oldest cities in lower Austria, Krems and its twin city Stein have many attractive restored homes build over a span of 1000 years. In addition it is the eastern gateway to the Wachau Valley of the Danube River, famous for its wines and its apricots or Marille, as well as its tidy vineyards and farms.

On the way back from Gottweig Abbey, we got off the bus close to the Krems medieval gate, the Stein Tor (stone tower) one of two dating to the middle of the 15th century. This was in walking distance of the River Beatrice. From there we wandered the streets simply enjoying the scene. Krems has several museums and an art gallery as well as a town hall, but the Ramblers were content to look from outside. It was not a museum kind of day.

It was very pleasant to stroll around enjoying the weak December sun. Yes, the sun actually came out for a while. We did some window shopping and had the opportunity to visit yet another Christmas Market. It was not large but had many locally-made items , small enough in size to tuck into my carry on.

Entrance to Christmas Market, with St. Nicholas on right.

Luckily I had enough Euro’s to purchase several attractive gift items. The ladies in charge were smiling and helpful, many wearing traditional Austrian dress.(more about this later) They carefully wrapped our treasures for their journey to the States.

Our next to the last stop was a store selling the wine and schnapps produced in the area. Here again I was lucky to find sets of small bottles of the various liquors produced in the Wachau Valley. Again, easy to stow in our checked bag. The most famous schnapps produced here is made of apricots (Marille). It is not like the apricot brandy you find in your local liquor store which often has little apricot flavor. Marille liquor is absolutely delicious tasting strongly of apricots.. Unfortunately it is hard to find in the US. Wachau Valley apricots must have a much better flavor than those sold at home in Georgia considering the wonderful end product. Austrians use the apricots not only in schnapps but in syrup, as jam, and in cakes, strudels, dumplings etc.

Although the area produces fine white wines, I didn’t buy any, too expensive to ship. Fortunately wines from each region we cruised through both white and red were served on the Beatrice, so I did get to try them. Unfortunately many of the wines made by the smaller wineries never find their way to the United States

Since we had to be back on board by 1:15, we wandered back to the boat; by now we had worked up an appetite. However, the Rambler made one more stop. Near the dock I had spotted a promising building which offered tourist information, a small gift shop and even a restaurant. The gifts in the shop were just what I had been looking for; St. Nicholas chocolates, and more apricot schnapps in different sized bottles.They were also priced well, for local tourists not for river cruisers. Since it was December 4th only two days before St. Nicholas day, December 6th, the shop displayed an array of of favors featuring the 4th century Catholic bishop. St. Nicholas leaves gifts for good children the night of the 5th, and is also revered by people of many lands, both Catholic and Protestant.

On board, we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon of cruising; No land tours were scheduled . Instead we were captivated by a series of villages we saw on both sides of the river as the Beatrice glided by. I wondered how the people who lived in the village and towns that lined the banks of the Danube got to the other side. There were no bridges for miles along this stretch of the river.

Then I noticed a dock and cable ferry on one side. They obviously use a simple cable-drawn ferry to get themselves and a car or two at the time across the river when they need to cross.

Ruined castles were often spotted on the highest hills; the most famous being the Burg-ruine Durnstein, where Richard the Lionhearted, the English warrior king was briefly imprisoned when he was first captured by the Austrian Duke. The remains of Durnstein Castle (Burg-ruine Durnstein)still brood above the small town of the same name.

Durnstein with Burg-ruine Durnstein in the distance

Richard was later moved to Trifels castle in Franconia.

In German, there are two words for castle, burg and schloss. A burg is generally a castle that was built for defense, while a schloss refers to a castle that was built as a ruler’s palace. Unfortunately, even in German, the words are sometimes used incorrectly, which can be confusing. This is one time English does it better, using only one word, castle.

Finally to enliven our afternoon, chef de cuisine Michael had set up a strudel-making demonstration. The strudel would be made by his pastry chef and samples would be handed out to the spectators.

Chef Michael leads the strudel making demonstration.

I was a little skeptical about the demonstration. My mother made dozens of strudels during her lifetime, stretching a ball of dough of the size used for a large pizza, paper thin. By the time she was done, it covered the white cloth which which she had spread on our dining room table. Strudel dough has few ingredients; just water flour,and salt, it is not a rich pastry. The rich ingredients are placed on top of the dough and it is rolled up and baked. Real strudel is delicious when done correctly. However,many restaurants and bakeries make a fake strudel with with phyllo dough which is simply not the same.

I should have know that the Beatrice’ pastry chef would know how to make a real strudel. Not only did he make the correct dough but he quickly stretched it to a paper thickness, even whirling it around like a pizza. Bravo!

ADA accessibility on river cruises, Docking on a river cruise, Gottweig Abbey, Vienna, Viennese food and powidl

Vienna to Krems, Austria, to visit Gottweig Abbey

July 20, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

A few words about Vienna, or Wien, before we move on to our next port. A large metropolis of close to 2 million people(1.7 M) has its problems just like any other metropolitan area. The Beatrice docked in a more industrial area; we were bussed inside the ringstrasse where we could see the beautiful buildings for which Wien is known. However, getting there, we drove to more gritty areas and I noticed graffiti on some of the buildings not so different than one might find in Chicago or Atlanta.

We didn’t get off the boat to explore the area around our dock, because the weather was against us but might have if the weather had been nicer. When you take a river cruise, you will find that sometimes your boat docks in an industrial area but other times will stop right next to a small town. One of the reasons for this is that the popularity of river cruising makes finding a suitable dock difficult. However, what the Ramblers like about river cruising as opposed to ocean cruising is that it is very easy to leave the boat when it is docked, just a quick scan of your photo id will allow you to walk up,, down or across the gangplank.

A final work on Viennese foods. Uniworld handed out a daily program that provided information about our daily activities which sometimes included a few paragraphs on the food. Having a Hungarian mother and a German father, they were familiar to me. I got a chuckle when they recommended dumplings filled with powidl (povidla to me) , saying it was something of an acquired taste… Powidl is made from prunes or dried plums, a filling that folks with an Eastern European heritage know very well. This Rambler loves it, her children, not so much. I expect that the same is true among Eastern Europeans.

When we docked along the river bank in the small town of Krems, the weather hovered around 34′, with a high of 37′ expected. However, it was NOT raining, which boded well for our tour of Gottweig Abbey, scheduled to leave at 9 am. We boarded our shiny Uniworld bus and headed through the town and along a series of local roads until we began climbing up and up the largest hill for miles around.

Going uphill towards Gottweig Abbbey — Going uphill towards Gottweig Abbey in morning fog

As we drove up, we could see prosperous farms and vineyards down below. Given its location on top of a mini-mountain, I expected to see medieval buildings at the top, but was instead greeted by more baroque architecture, with a decidedly Hapsburg stamp.

I was sorry I had not done my homework on the places we would visit before we left home. The guides don’t always provide information about the past, but focus more on what is currently visible. If you have an interest in history and culture, take the time to check out the places you will stop on your voyage. I guarantee you will get more out of the trip. Gottweig was worth seeing however, even though it was not a medieval abbey. I learned later that I was right, there had been an abbey on this spot since the 11th century.

Unfortunately, the parking lot was not on the same level as the monastery grounds, so the gentle walkers carefully trudged up a long ramp . They then found that they would also have to climb several long flights of stairs inside the Abbey. This tour was not appropriate for someone who had trouble climbing stairs.

Once we entered, we viewed a beautiful and inspiring place. The interior was ornate yet spartan. The common areas included beautifully designed baroque stairways and halls with few adornments except statues and ceiling frescoes,all painted white and shades of gray. The Hapsburg’s sometimes stayed at the abbey and because royalty did not appreciate spartan, their apartments were beautifully decorated, with a strong resemblance

to to the rooms of a royal palace. Unlike the rest of the abbey, they were heated.

paintings in the Hapsburg appartment — paintings in the Hapsburg apartment

The Hapsburg apartments are interesting because of the art and architecture they contain. One of their most interesting features, to me, were the white/gilt ceramic stoves used to heat their rooms. These stoves practical as well as beautiful because their ceramic exterior held the heat for a long time after the fire within had been reduced to embers.

Gottweig was founded by the Benedictine monks in the 11th century.

However, like many medieval buildings, the monastery burned in the 17th century and was rebuilt in the early 18th century, hence the baroque interiors and exteriors. I have always wondered how medieval churches and monasteries could burn as they seem to be mainly constructed of stone. However, no doubt there are plenty of wood beams in the structure and no fire departments on call.

Today, Gottweig is still run by the Benedictines. As we were walking around the grounds I noticed a young monk giving a tour for a group of high school students. He is wearing a black coat and hat in the middle of the picture.

Young monk giving tourIt is a popular place for tours as it stands as one of the largest monasteries in Europe. The church is rather plain on the exterior but inside it is magnificent and boasts a wonderful organ.

Gottweig is a popular place for tours as it stands as one of the largest monasteries in Europe. The church is rather plain on the exterior but inside it is magnificent and boasts a wonderful organ.

We had a chance to hear a concert of Christmas music which was, for me an added treat. I love organ music but some of our group, including the senior Rambler, didn’t much appreciate it. I must admit the church was not heated, and quite chilly inside although we were bundled up. It made me think of the medieval monks in this monastery who slept in unheated cells and prayed in an unheated church all year round.

Our last stop was the Gottweig Christmas Market.

This was quite different from the large market in Vienna. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Roman Catholic traditions, an Advent wreath is constructed by families before the first Sunday of Advent (the 4th Sunday before Christmas) Special prayers are said every night as the candles are lighted;one added each week until all four are lit. In Austria, they use red candles, in Marietta, we use white and rose.

At Gottweig, Christmas crafts and [products such as honey and soaps were sold by local folks. it was fun to look at their wares but I was not tempted to buy as we had little room in our carry-on’s for souvenirs and had checked only one bag.

Full of the Christmas shopping spirit... — Full of the Christmas shopping spirit…

Did I mention that the senior Rambler dislikes shopping even more than Christmas; here he was faced with both at the same time. Luckily there was a place for him to sit while I wandered the display of crafts. He was probably not the only man who was happy to board the bus at the end of the tour. However, we were not all going directly back to the boat but could choose to be dropped off in Krems, an easy walk back to the boat.

Chamber Music in Vienna, Vienna Christmas Markets

Vienna’s Rathaus Christmas Markets and a special concert

July 17, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

It may be that going to the Rathaus Christmas Market was anticlimactic after visiting the wonderful National Library, but so it seemed.

The Rathaus itself was impressive, a large 19th century Gothic building that loomed over the large square it bordered on one side.

A stall selling punsch and other spirits

The Christmas Market was equally huge, with dozens of stalls arranged in rows, but bigger is not always better. We later realized that it was more for local residents than tourists and there were several school groups at the Market. The booths for the most part held items that could be purchased anywhere, most of them imported from Asia.

Our Australian friends enjoying a sweet treat

Not that there weren’t a few items that were made locally, mainly things to eat and the ubiquitous Gluhwein, But all in all, there was not the selection of home-made items that we found at the Budapest Christmas Market. I was beginning to realize that I enjoyed the Christmas decorations, so different from those at home, to the Christmas Markets.

Admittedly we did not walk up and down all the rows so there may have been a few local product stalls tucked in somewhere, but we didn’t find them.

Of course it was also a gloomy day, but despite the dreary weather, the Christmas lights hadn’t been turned on, another disappointment. We did enjoy watching a young women pose in a angel tableau and right at the edge of the square, I finally found a chestnut stall.

chestnut stand in front of rathskellar — chestnut stand in front of rathskeller

This Rambler does enjoy roasted chestnuts but since we would soon be heading back to the Beatrice for an excellent lunch, I didn’t get any.

Disappointed in the market, we decided to look for a bank where we could exchange our money, and get out of the cold for a moment. It was not yet time for our shuttle bus to take us back to the Beatrice.

One would have thought that the area around City Hall would sport lots of banks but such was not the case. We finally asked, and found that there was a indeed a Bank of Austria not too far away. Taking a shortcut, we found this pretty courtyard tucked away between the buildings of the City Hall complex. It must be a lovely spot in warmer weather.

Uniworld thoughtfully provided several more afternoon shuttles for those who wanted to go back the city but the Ramblers were content to stay on board. There were many opportunities to meet fellow passengers in the lounge with its comfortable furniture and Christmas decor. This was also a time for me to use one of the computers in the Captain’s lounge to check my email.

That night, those who loved Mozart and Strauss had an opportunity to attend a special private concert performed by a talented chamber orchestra . The senior Rambler is not a fan of concerts so I joined friends to enjoy a wonderful intimate performance in a beautifully restored building, the Palace of the Austrian Association of Engineers and Architects. (Took no photos, as I wanted to concentrate on the music.) The first half was devoted to Mozart and the second to Strauss. Of course it concluded with a rousing rendition of the Radetzky March, the perfect ending to a day in Vienna!

ADA accessibility on river cruises, The Ring road, Vienna, Vienna National Library

Romantic Vienna in the rain

July 15, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

Sailing fairly late from Bratislava on Tuesday evening, the Beatrice arrived in Vienna at 6 am. Although Bratislava and Vienna are not that far apart by road, it took much longer to get there by boat even though we passed through no locks that night. Again it was a cold and rainy morning with temperatures hovering around 40 degrees. Sunset is about 4 pm in early December, but on a cloudy day it is dark by 3:30. This is something to consider if you are thinking of a Christmas Market cruise.

Uniworld offered two morning tours in Vienna, one for the active folks which included lots of walking , and left at 8:30 am, while everyone else would leave at 9, including the gentle walkers who were instructed to board bus three. On this tour, we were all to visit the National Library and then have free time to visit the Christmas Markets by the landmark Vienna Rathaus or city hall.

In the afternoon, there would be one of the few optional tours offered, to the Schonbrunn Palace, the home of the Hapsburg’s. We didn’t inquire as to the cost, since we had already visited Versailles, the model for all European baroque palaces including the Schonbrunn. Finally, there would be afternoon shuttles available for those who wanted to to return to the Christmas Market at the city hall.

All in all, this was one of the busier touring days on the cruise, especially since we also had an opportunity to attend a special Vienna music ( featuring Mozart and Strauss) concert at 7:30 pm that evening.

After boarding our bus, we were soon rolling along the famous ring

If you want to rent a bicycle... — If you want to rent a bicycle…

road, or ringstrasse. It was built in the late 19th century on the site of the original medieval city walls. Ironically, they were built with the ransom money Richard the Lion heart’s captors received for his release.

The ringstrasse circles the inner, romantic Vienna as many beautiful buildings., both public and private, border the ringstrasse. Even in the rain, it was a wonderful drive. Our destination, the Austrian National Library is part of the Hofburg Palace complex and it would take days to see it all. We were glad the cruise director chose it as our stop in a city with many museums and historic sites as it was excellent.

The Library was amazing, not only because of its wonderful 18th century interior but because of its marvelous collection of rare books, parchments and other artifacts. Needless to say, several tour groups from other boats had also assembled in the courtyard we got there. Waiting to enter, we craned our necks to see the sculpture on the roof which included a statue of Atlas holding up a golden globe, The sculpture groups were very difficult to see from the ground. As I found out later, the Library was a true working archives as well as being perhaps the most beautiful library in the world.

As soon as we stepped inside the main hall, I could smell the familiar scent of old leather bindings, paper and parchment which is familiar to any historian. If you are interested in the holdings of the National Library, it has an up-to-date website which can help you locate both books and documents. I was interested learn that it has an extensive collection of incunabula (hand copied books) as well.

Of course we didn’t have time to see everything, but our guide, a professor, pointed out some of the highlights. Because there were many tourists milling around inside, it was difficult to see everything.

Evidently there was an exhibit of medieval angels somewhere, and I really wanted a copy of that poster you see in the photo. Unfortunately we didn’t stop at the gift shop and it would have been difficult to transport on an airplane.

The gold embossed bindings of the old leather books glowed in the soft lighting and the ceilings were decorated beautifully featuring an an impressive fresco in the center of the main gallery.

Even better, the library had an elevator which was imperative for several of the gentle walkers who were unable to climb the two long sweeping marble staircases that led to the main gallery.

I was struggling to take a good photo of the ceiling fresco when the senior Rambler suggested I hold the camera over my head and point it up at the ceiling.

The photo you see was taken with this difficult technique. LOL Surprisingly it works fairly well, if you can get the camera to focus while holding it above your head. We saw a lot of ceiling frescoes on this trip and this was a useful trick.

After leaving the building,

The clever painted back stairway; note the poster advertising the Albertina, another museum in the complex

I turned back as we were queuing up to board the bus and noticed something unusual about the staircase we had just walked down. If you look at the picture , you can see that the steps are disguised as a poster advertising a Miro exhibit.

Next, on to the Vienna Christmas market at City Hall.

Bratislava, Fuji 100x, Hungarian Parliament Building, River cruising in Europe, Soviet War Memorials in Eastern Europe, The Georgia Rambler

Bratislava and historic memory

July 11, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

The River Beatrice got underway for the first time around 9 pm, Monday night after a delightful dinner. All assembled in the lounge to hear Tamas, the cruise director talk briefly about the next day’s activities. At the same time, we got to see the Hungarian Parliament Buildings brilliantly alight in the dark city. I wanted to get the perfect photo but conditions were against me, so if you want to see what the building really looks like, there are many good photos on the web. LOL

Not only was it raining, but there were lots of reflective surfaces in the lounge, not to mention the windows, and at the same time, the Beatrice was gliding down the Danube. It was a beautiful sight and I eventually stopped trying to take the perfect photograph and just enjoyed the scene. The camera I used to take nearly all the photos in the blog is a Fuji 100x with a fixed lens. It was brand new to me last December. I know, it is not best practice to take a new camera on a long awaited trip, but the Fuji had much to recommend it. It is small, easy to use, a mirror less digital camera with a viewfinder. This Rambler has never warmed up to point and shoot camera with a viewing screen. I will have to work on my night shots from a moving ship with the Fuji!

We woke up Tuesday morning to gray skies as we approached Bratislava. The distance on the Danube between these cities is actually shorter than by road or rail but it takes longer as the Beatrice averaged a stately 8 knots (A knot is slightly longer than a mile) per hour. Also, it was necessary to pass through a series of locks as well. More about locking through later. When we reached our dock, we could see in the distance, an odd space-ship-like structure high above a bridge pylon.

The UFO in the distance, pretty high up over the new bridge

We later learned that most Slovaks did refer to it as the UFO. It had been built during the Soviet occupation and houses an observation platform and restaurant reached by elevator.

After breakfast, we assembled in the lounge as Tamas explained the day’s activities. Because of the weather, cold and rainy again, the gentle walkers would do their touring in a small bus with a local guide. Our guide was an outgoing young man who had grown up after the fall of the iron curtain. Therefore, as he said, he learned his excellent English in school while his parents had learned Russian.

Crammed into the tiny bus, instead of the imposing motor coaches that we had come to expect, we soon appreciated the more intimate setting of our tour. On the way up Castle Hill, to see, what else, the famous Castle, we stopped at a bas-relief stone sculpture of soldiers carved in the heroic style.

Sculpture at the entrance to the huge Slavin memorial

We didn’t stay long because I don’t think it was a scheduled stop, but our guide pointed out the monument and mentioned it had been built by the Russians. I learned later that it was built in 1960 to honor to the 6,845 soldiers who were killed in the liberation of Bratislava from the Wehrmacht and a few Slovak soldiers who fought with the Germans. The stairway on the right leads to a huge cemetery which showcases an obelisk and statuary as well as the graves of the soldiers. As far as I can tell, most Slovaks are OK with it although it was built by the Russians to honor Russians in the years of Soviet occupation. Maybe because it is a beautiful spot on a nice day and has the best view in Bratislava. I didn’t think anymore of it until I started writing my blog entries during the Confederate flag controversy. The fate of Communist memorials in a post-communist era piqued my curiosity. I wasn’t surprised to learn that there had been literally hundreds scattered from Berlin to Estonia, and even one in Vienna. Many had been destroyed or moved, others like the Slavin memorial were still in place, and there was an on-going discussion about what to do with the rest. Vladimir Putin seems to have made a point to visit those that still, like Slavin, exist as both a thank-you and reinforcement of their retention. We Americans tend to think what happens in the US is unique but it is obvious that the war memorial issue in Europe could easily become toxic, especially since many have both positive and negative memories of living under Communist rule.

On to the Castle! Despite the dreary weather we enjoyed our drive up the hill as our guide pointed out some of the most sought after and expensive residential real estate in Bratislava.

Police presence on the way to the Castle.

The Castle is truly a beautiful building that has been lovingly restored in the 1950’s although it was a ruin in the 1880’s

One corner of the castle; it has 3 more just like it.

We didn’t go inside. but the exterior is still worth the trip and the view from the cliff edge was spectacular. The castle houses a museum along with offices. Evidently there has been a fortress here since the early middle ages, but not the current one. Unfortunately the bad weather made it difficult to see as much of Bratislava as we would have liked. On the way back we passed through one of the intriguing squares in old town and I also spotted several of the cities’ famous old churches

Interesting buildings seen only from the busfamous old churches.

I wished we could have stopped but unfortunately it was time to get back to the Beatrice if we were to walk back to the Christmas Market. However, my partner refused to venture out into the cold drizzle in the growing darkness, so I never got to the market, at least I missed the Gluhwein.

Instead I met my Slovak cousins who I had never seen in person met us at the Beatrice. My mother had come to the United States in the 1920’s “for a visit,” but she never went back although she kept in touch. My older cousins learned Russian in school, so their English is limited, though certainly better than my Slovak, but their children all speak and write excellent English so communication was no problem.

Miroslav and Marek Grezo and Gabriela Grezova, my cousins

The Beatrice staff welcomed them on board when I asked if they could visit us which was wonderful. They served us tea and coffee while we had a very enjoyable visit. It was the highlight of the day for me.

ADA accessibility on river cruises, Budapest, Heroes' Square and Matthias Church, River cruising in Europe

Rainy Budapest Redux

July 9, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

Although we boarded the River Beatrice on Sunday, November 30th, 2014, the cruise wouldn’t start until Monday evening, December 1 (Most river cruises do this, to provide ample time for passengers who may have missed a connection or had a flight delayed, to reach the boat before it sailed.) Thus we were docked overnight in Budapest and were to tour the city on Monday morning with ample time later to visit the Budapest Christmas Market within walking distance of our ship.

Besides enjoying an excellent meal Sunday night we first went through the obligatory safety drill. There are no lifeboats on board the Beatrice, the rationale being that we were always in sight of the shore, There were, of course, life jackets and certain procedures to follow. We were introduced to Captain Ivanov, who was an imposing but mostly silent figure. Carla de Behar, the Hotel Manager and Tamas Kocsis, the Cruise Manager more than made up for his lack of interaction. Both were very personable and always present to see that the passengers needs were met during the cruise. In fact, every ‘member of the Beatrice crew provided the best possible service. Tamas briefed us on the next day’s activities after Carla introduced her staff and welcomed us. Most of us headed for our cabins for a welcome night’s sleep, but others who were already in Europe and not jet-lagged stayed in the lounge to talk and listen to music.

The next morning we woke up to a cold and rainy day. This was disheartening but we would get to see if our new waterproof jackets worked. LOL(They did.) After breakfast, a buffet, but one could also order from the kitchen, we headed for the busses. We had decided to go with the “gentle walkers” group, for those whose walking speed was in the slow range. Among the gentle walkers were several folks with visible physical problems and canes, and others who just wanted to take their time.

Our first stop was at Heroes’ Square, a large plaza with some imposing statues of heroic Hungarians. It was still raining so I didn’t get out. It might have been fun on a nice day.

The smoking rambler lits up. — The smoking rambler lights up.

Some folks did brave the elements to get a closer look at the square; the smoking Rambler hopped out to light up. There was no smoking anywhere inside the Beatrice or the bus and he was feeling deprived, (more about this later.) The building in the background is the excellent Hungarian National Museum, a perfect place to stop on a rainy day except that all museums in Hungary are closed on Mondays.

Heroes' Square in the rain — Heroes’ Square in the rain

Heroes’ Square was was almost empty, because of the miserable weather. You can see the historic buildings in Buda’s Castle Hill in the background of my photo. Truthfully, this is not my kind of stop, especially in the rain. But both ramblers enjoyed our next stop, the Mathias Church, partly because although it was still cold and windy, the rain had stopped.

The church is one of the most important historic sites in Budapest; founded by King (St.) Stephen in 1015 and dedicated to Our Lady. It is also a survivor!

In the 11th century it was destroyed by the Mongols and rebuilt. it is called the Matthias Church because the late medieval Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus was crowned there twice!A raven, his emblem perches on the highest tower. Hungary was conquered yet again, this time by the Ottomans who turned it into a mosque, painting out or destroying any representation of the human form. After the Ottomans were defeated, the church was restored once more but severely damaged in WWII and treated badly first by the Germans and then by the Communists. After the fall of the Soviet Union, the church was restored yet again, with the exterior finished in 2013. However, I have never visited a historic building of any kind without noting some restoration ongoing and so it was with the Matthias Church.

The church was crowded with passengers from the Beatrice and a Viking boat docked nearby.

Baroque interior, small windows were common in older churches

I would have enjoyed spending more time , as they were setting up the creche that is found in nearly every Catholic church in Europe during the Advent season, the four weeks before Christmas

. From there we walked to the Fisherman’s Bastion, a fantastic creation with pointed towers like Sleeping Beauty’s castle. It was completed in the early 1900’s as a look-out. Though it never served any military purpose, it provides a wonderful view of Buda, Pest and the Danube in between, which we took a pass on.

Few folks lingered because of the icy breeze and rain droplets that swirled around. On the way back, I bought some paprika from a store near the church. Its door was open to the elements and provided little shelter for the cheerful salesladies On the way back to the boat, our guide took us through the elegant 19th century boulevard, lined with a variety of interesting buildings where a wonderful buffet lunch awaited us. It started for me, with a bowl of delicious soup.

The rain returned with a vengeance in the afternoon and my husband refused to walk to the Christmas Market. However, a couple we had met earlier were going and I walked along with them. I am one of those hapless people who tend to get lost in unfamiliar places so I didn’t want to go alone. As it turned out, the market was a good choice.

In the Hungarian Christmas markets unlike those we visited in other countries, everything has to be Hungarian-made. Thus I was able to purchase several wooden toys and ornaments that did not come from somewhere in Asia. Of course they were selling food, lots of Hungarian sausages and the ubiquitous Gluhwein. Everyone raves about it, but I have never enjoyed hot sweet wine.

It was so cold, though, that I did get a small foam cup of the stuff. Every town’s Christmas Market has a distinctive cup, and some of the passengers collected a bunch. Since they were always filled with that darn Gluhwein, I was not tempted. This market didn’t have any special cupsyet as it was only the 2nd day of Advent.

Needless to say, we were happy to board the Beatrice and enjoy a pleasant evening on board.

Note: River cruises are not particularly friendly to people in wheelchairs, or those who can’t climb stairs. While our boat had an elevator for going between floors, getting on or off was more problematic. In some cases, it was necessary to walk down or up a steep and sometimes slippery ramp. I was particularly careful on these as the mantra for folks who have had their hips replaced is “Don’t fall!” Once off the boat, there are many cobblestone walkways, especially in the historic districts which make pushing a wheelchair difficult. If you haven’t done a European river cruise, buy and break-in a good pair of walking shoes preferably with Vibram soles and your feet will thank you later..

River cruising in Europe, senior citizen travel

Before you book a cruise, consider this.

July 9, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

Before we continue our Danube ramble, I wanted to add some information that struck me as worth-while, especially for first time cruisers. It really is important to chose a cruise line that is right for you before you take your first cruise.Do your research up-front, read reviews,talk to people who have done this before, etc.

Of course, some folks enjoy trying out the cruises offered by different companies. This can be fun, of course, but just like on ocean cruises, loyalty to a particular line pays off. Admittedly the Ramblers have only taken one river cruise to date, although another is coming up, but here’s the deal. With Uniworld, our choice after much research, once you’ve taken a cruise, you are enrolled in their River Heritage Club. Membership offers some additional perks on board, extra discounts on your next cruise, and sometimes they will even upgrade your cabin to the next level if there is room. Luckily for us, we were absolutely satisfied with our first choice and had no desire to switch to another line, even if it offered a “better” deal. It isn’t a better deal if you keep thinking you should have stayed with your original choice during the second cruise.
I am pretty sure that most of the leading cruise lines offer the same sort of perks for repeat cruisers. So, if you loved river cruising, but weren’t entirely happy with your first cruise, you might well try another company. If so, you will be starting from square one again, without club benefits. Just a thought.

Finally, a word about “all inclusive.” Many cruise lines cay they are all inclusive, but relatively few are so do your homework. On our Uniworld Christmas Markets Cruise, we spent absolutely no money on board or for tours. Everything was truly included, all food and drink, tips, etc. If we hadn’t bought some souvenirs and enjoyed a meal in Salzburg, we would have headed to the airport with our Euro’s unspent.

Budapest, River cruising in Europe, single passengers, The Danube/Donau River

Rainy Budapest

July 8, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

Leaving the Budapest airport, we boarded a large bus sporting the Uniworld logo and headed for our ship, the River Beatrice, docked on the Buda side of the Danube. To get there we had to pass through urban gritty areas and truthfully, many resembled the slums of Chicago or Detroit. We were taken aback as we drove for several miles down streets lined with communist- era gray concrete apartment buildings intermixed with shabby or abandoned factories covered with graffiti. i didn’t get any photos as the bus was zipping along through the rain and the skies were very dark. The Ramblers wondered for a moment if this cruise had been the right choice, however, we couldn’t turn back now.

Although the area was still industrial when we got to the Danube , we could see several cruise boats docked along the river, and crossed over an impressive bridge. When the bus stopped, a member of the crew was waiting for us by the gangplank to welcome us.

The Beatrice docked across from Castle Hill.

He took the picture I used for my header. Once we got on-board, check-in was easy. On the Beatrice they made photo ID’s that were scanned every time we boarded or disembarked. I thought this was a pretty good idea, providing both security and a way to keep track of the passengers as well. As we walked through the door we were greeted by a festive gingerbread house and an assortment of fruit and cookies.

We found our luggage waiting for us in our small (150 sq. ft.) but very tastefully laid out and furnished cabin with a very comfortable bed and a picture window that looked out on a greenish-gray Danube. Our cabin #315 had a large old-fashioned brass key. We liked it but some would have preferred a key card. We thought it brought some old-world charm. After some time to freshen up and explore the boat, we headed for dinner.

Dinner is served at 7 pm on the Beatrice, although they don’t turn anyone away if they are late. Cruisers included both couples and individuals traveling alone, mainly women on this trip. Because there is no fixed seating, one meets a variety of interesting people on the trip. Many river cruise lines encourage single travelers by waiving the single supplement.

The table settings were elegant with complete with Christmas poinsettias

and we had our choice of wines with each meal, both white and red. My husband doesn’t drink alcohol, so while I tasted a variety of local wines as we traveled the river, he enjoyed orange juice or a soft drink. We felt very much at home in the Hungarian capital as we enjoyed an excellent meal.

Georgia Rambler

Monthly Archives: July 2015