Category Archives: Wachau Valley

After another day in Vienna, on to Durnstein…

August 25, 2020 1954 Leave a comment

As the heat wave subsided, we spent our last day in Vienna taking advantage of the plesant weather and strolling along the quay. We also got to watch the crew polishing the ship. The people who work on river cruise ships have distinct tasks and distinct uniforms. The crew of sailors who are responsible for docking, getting the ship through the locks, and keeping it shipshape, wear blue shirts and shorts on Uniworld ships. The sailors on the ship rafted next to us wore a uniform of orange t shirts and shorts as they busily swabbed the deck.

I don’t remember what company it was from, maybe Croisi Europe, as it was slightly smaller than the Princess. A bridge across the Danube is in the background. No doubt those sailors are preparing the ship for the next group to board.

On our last day in Vienna, only one tour was offered. It was part of the Masterpiece Collection and therefor had an additional cost. This was a visit to the Schonbrunn Palace which would last most of the afternoon.

The Rambler is not a fan of touring palaces – if you’ve seen one or two, you’ve seen them all. The gardens are another story, but this tour promised to spend much time in the Schonbrunn itself. Thus we didn’t sign up for the palace trip. Though it may sound heretical, the Ramblers never did see the famous Schoenbrunn Palace on any of our cruises tho we had opportunities.

The front facade of the Schoenbrunn Palace; It has a mere 1441 rooms of varying sizes. The public rooms are VERY ornate as you might expect. The kings and emperors who built them were showing off their wealth and power. As you can see, much walking is involved. Schoenbrunn Palace was constructed over a period of 300 years, starting in the 17th century and currently is administered by the Republic of Austria.

The Gloriette, the very famous architectural folly of the Schoenbrunn gardens which, by the way, are also enormous. The center portion of the Gloriette has recently been made into a cafe. Not a bad idea, as most people would appreciate some refreshments after wandering around the huge but beautifully kept gardens.

Shortly after the tired tour group returned at 5 PM, our crew got the Princess ready to sail to Rossatz, Austria. We would arrive at our next stop in the middle of the night. Rossatz was not our objective that morning. Instead it was a port of convenience for our visit to Durnstein.

Durnstein, a small town of around 800 inhabitants is one of the most picturesque stops along the Danube. The Ramblers had seen it twice before but only as our ship sailed past. First from the Beatrice on a cold December day and from the Maria Teresa during the prime tourist season.

This fascinating glimpse of Durnstein, its landmark blue and white church and the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lion heart was held captive made nearly everyone on board wish we were stopping there. But it wouldn’t actually be until our third trip on the Danube that we stopped there. This photo was taken with a powerful telephoto lens from the opposite bank. The castle ruins look close but they are not.

Because it has much to offer visitors, Durnstein is a popular stop for all the cruise companies although not all Danube cruises stop there. Because it is so popular, docking space is at a premium, and ships often have to stop at a close-by port instead of docking at Durnstein. Even the Durnstein docks are across the Danube from the town and accessed by a small ferry. Thus the Princess stopped at Rossatz and we were bussed to Durnstein.

The dock at Rossatz, not close to anything.

Since the Rossatz dock was not close to the town, the senior Rambler was coaxed into coming along for the ride. Fortunately there were many places to sit down and wait for us more determined sight-seers when we got to Durnstein. The beautiful sunshine of the previous days had left us but there was no rain in the forecast. We were lucky to avoid rain on this trip as Austria is the 11th rainiest country in the world. By this time, the gentle walkers had sorted themselves out, and if not walking with the senior Rambler, I might pair up with Laura from Florida or Kathy and Jean from Australia. We had become good friends by the end of the voyage and we all usually much preferred the slow pace of the gentle walkers.

There were three options for touring Durnstein; a visit to an organic wine estate with tasting, a visit to a saffron grower or spending time on your own in Durnstein. Uniworld provided a shuttle bus back to the ship for everyone who had gone to Durnstein on the hour from 10:30 to 12:30, as even those who took a tour would have free time afterwards. Durnstein is in the Wachau Valley. famous for beautiful scenery, picturesque villages and wine, but also for its apricots or marille as they are called in Austria.

A typical apricot orchard in the Wachau valley. These small trees were heavy with ripening fruit. AND they are picked when they are ripe, as the apricots are processed into preserves, liquors and many other products right in the valley. I had bought some last time, and wanted to get more. They are not sold in the US, unfortunately.

It also has a well justified reputation as a good place to shop for gifts to bring back home. Thus while Laura and Jean went off on tours, Kathy and I wanted only to tour Durnstein and visit the shops. The senior Rambler tagged along with us for a while and then turned back to wait and people watch. But first we had to get to the village…

Along the way we got a glimpse of not one but two castle ruins. The closer one is where King Richard spent several months in captivity. The Danube is on the left.

Unfortunately, the bus drop off spot was quite a ways from the little town. So the three of us strolled up the road towards our destination; it was a pleasant walk at first, a paved path along the Danube. On the way we got a good look at the ruined castle where Richard the Lion-heart was imprisoned for a time. King Richard angered an Austrian noble when he tossed his flag off the fortress walls whilst on the crusades. When he tried to make his way back to England without his retinue, Richard was captured and thrown into a dungeon. Tho he was later transferred to another castle, Richard was not released until a huge ransom was paid. The money was raised in England with much difficulty, by his mother Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. It is possible to hike up to the picturesque ruin, but we would have enough trouble getting to the main street of Durnstein.

Our uphill climb. You know it is steep when the Austrians provide benches for resting along the way. Most of the tourist from the river cruise boats are older, and while some are amazingly fit, others are not.

Unfortunately, as we neared the village our path took an upward turn and when we got to its end, we saw with dismay that we had a choice of two ways to get there, both were very steep and paved with my nemesis, cobblestones. After a serious discussion, Kathy and I decided the further path was a better option, while the senior Rambler told us he would find his way to the bus stop and meet us there. It took us a while because when we reached the top , we found there was yet another uphill stretch before we got to the top. Then, to our dismay we found we were in a courtyard, in back of the Abbey and church. However, we could see the main shopping street accessible across a lumpy cobblestone courtyard.

When Kathy and I reached the top, we ended in this courtyard. We didn’t know it but if we had entered the gate on the left, it would have taken us to the Abbey and Church. We could however, see the main street of Durnstein to the right, with its row of shops and that’s where we headed. The cobblestones were particularly lumpy.

What we didn’t realize was that if we had ventured into the Abbey building on the left, we would have been able to able to access the church as well. There really hadn ‘t been any signs either in German or English to point us in the right direction, so we never did get to see the church interior. Of course we would have many more chances to tour historic churches on the cruise but we both felt just a little disappointed that we had missed it. NOT as disappointed as we would have been though if we had missed our chance to visit the charming Durnstein shops which was our primary goal.

Here is what we missed. There is so much going on inside the church that the photo almost looks like a double exposure. Luckily the Rambler didn’t see this picture until much later or I would have been very sorry I missed it. .Although, the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption dates to the 14th century, it was transformed into a blue and white baroque landmark 300 years later. Unfortunately the Augustinian monastery was dissolve along with many others, by reforming Emperor Joseph II. However it survived and is not back in the hands of the Augustinians. The church interior had been deteriorating for 200 years until restoration began in the 1980s. Not only has it been beautifully restored, but a museum has been added to showcase its history and treasures.

We were not disappointed. The shops lived up to their billing and both Kathy and I were able to find just what we were looking for. In fact it was fun to spend some time on an activity that was not educational, historical or inspiring. Just plain shopping was what we enjoyed that morning. The Rambler headed to the stores that sold Marillen products and there were several to choose from. In the end, I bought several bottles of marille liquor, two different varieties. Of course when flying these days, one has to be careful not to purchase too much of anything considered a liquid, and then pack it in the right bag for the trip home. I have had some edibles confiscated by the customs police in the EU before and didn’t want to make the same mistake.

One of the many shops that sold a variety of apricot products, along with cold drinks and non-food products with an apricot theme. It is amazing that these shops have their doors open to the outside and yet you see very few, if any flying insects. I bought my marille souvenirs at another shop but this one was the most picturesque.

With our purchases secured, it was time to find our way back to the bus stop. Of course, we could hardly get lost as there was one way in and one way out. This time we would have to carefully pick our way downhill towards the Danube and then head left. This was not so easy for the Rambler, as she has been paranoid about falling since hitting her head on concrete at home. Going down the steep cobblestone path was not easy, but with Kathy’s encouragement, we finally reached the road.

Not fancy, but just what we needed, and great tasting EisKaffe!

When we reached the large parking lot, we spied both the senior Rambler and a little hut that sold beverages and snacks. Although food and drink are so plentiful and easily accessible on a river cruise, there are a few times when they are not. Fortunately, not only did we have time, but there was also a place close by where we could enjoy one of my favorite Austrian beverages, an EisKaffe. Kathy had never had one but who can resist coffee and ice cream? Thus we got to enjoy an a treat alongside the Danube, after a very enjoyable morning.

Kathy shows her approval of the EisKaffe!

Mission accomplished, we boarded the next bus for a brief ride back to the River Princess. Of course, when we got back, they were already serving lunch, but the EisKaffe did not spoil our appetites too much. I will admit the senior Rambler and I don’t eat too much for lunch even tho the food is fresh, varied and tasty. Overindulgence at lunch generally encourages an afternoon nap, yet that is when our ship often cruises past the most beautiful vistas.

The River Princess set sail at 1:45 PM for Engelhartszell, Austria; we would arrive at 9 AM the next day. This would be just a brief stop to drop off the the cruisers who had signed up for the Bavarian River Bicycle Ride. Several others departed in a van for a Masterpiece Collection Cooking Class. More about this next time.

A last look at Durnstein as we sailed past on our way to Englehartszell and Passau. The ferry across the river is on the left foreground.

The rest of us enjoyed a pleasant morning cruise on the Danube until we arrived at Passau around 1:00 PM

Brandner Cruises, Cafe Schwarzenberg, Ritz-Carlton Vienna, Wachau Valley

The Wachau Valley and then on to Vienna (Wien)

May 3, 2016 1954 Leave a comment

We straggled onto our busses for the short ride to the town of Melk situated below the abbey on the Danube. If we had still been on the Maria Theresa, our ship would have been docked there. Then we would have gone on to dock at the ancient town of Krems. Our original tour choices for the day had been a visit to Melk Abbey, which we had just finished, a farm day tour to the pretty little town of Weissenkirchen, or a bike ride along the Danube.

The ticket office for Danube excursions and other things at Melk

Unfortunately we were not able to chose options two or three this day. The Ramblers enjoyed Melk Abbey but probably would not have taken this option if we had a choice. I was attracted to getting up close to the producers of the wonderful fruits and apricot products of the region in Weissenkirchen. However I did manage to get a variety of fairly priced and attractively packaged apricot gifts in the Melk Abbey gift shop; all was not lost, but still…

Instead of cruising the scenic Wachau valley in wonderful style on the MT, Uniworld had arranged a substitute cruise with a local company, Brandner and we trooped onto the Austria Princess.

Photo of the Austria Princess from the Brandner website. She is much smaller than the MT.

It was quite nice and is reviewed well on Trip Adviser, but it was not the MT. The crew and waitstaff would do their best to accommodate the somewhat spoiled passengers from the MT but they were not accustomed to dealing with such a large group at short notice. Uniworld had contracted with them to serve us a buffet lunch, as we were by this time fairly hungry. Unfortunately as I learned later, they don’t usually serve lunch and as it turned out, they probably shouldn’t. To make matters worse, there was barely enough seating for all of us as they usually don’t carry so many passengers.

As the Princess moved away from the dock, we got a better lock at a charming in and campground along the Danube. Looking through the colored windscreen actually makes the Danube look blue.

The Ramblers had not scurried to get into line and found themselves scrambling to find a place in line for the buffet. After we finally did reach the food, it took a while to locate a table where we could sit and eat what we had selected. They did serve wine and had an open bar in the dining room, so all was not lost except for the Senior Ramblers and others who don’t drink alcohol. I don’t want to be too hard on the crew of the Austria Princess. They did their best but the food was certainly not spectacular.

To make matters more difficult, the weather changed and a gusty wind blew in cloudy weather, blowing over glasses and table settings on the upper deck.

As we stepped onto the top deck, we could see Melk in the distance. The wind has started to blow away the napkins.

This was the best place to view the scenery. We Ramblers had sailed through the Wachau Valley on a Christmas Markets cruise. That day it was chilly and overcast, so no one went up to the top deck. To our surprise, we saw the Beatrice, the ship on which we had taken our first Uniworld cruise, pass us in the other direction. Of course we waved enthusiastically. However no one on the Beatrice knew that the people waving away were actually exiled passengers from the Maria Theresa and didn’t pay much attention to us.

The Uniworld Beatrice heading towards Melk.

Also since the Beatrice was moving at a good clip going the other way, they were soon out of sight. The Beatrice sails from Passau to Budapest and then from Budapest to Passau. They don’t go as far as the low spot in the Danube which kept us from completing our cruise.

As the Danube flows through the Wachau Valley, it is bordered by a variety of pretty little towns, resort hotels with attached campgrounds and castles. One of the towns we passed is Durnstein. It’s claim to fame is that Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in its castle. Durnstein is hard to miss because its church is painted blue and white rather than the more common pink or gold and white. It also has some what of a Disneyesque appeal. However, the Ramblers did miss it. The Princess must have sailed past it as we were standing in the buffet line.

We did see the well kept-up Schloss Schoenbuhel which I learned had been restored in the early 1800’s when it was nearly a pile of rubble.

Pretty hard to get to it from the river side, over those cliffs.

It is a real castle though, and a fortress has stood on the spot since the 11th century. Not far from Melk, although not visible from the Danube is the museum that houses the famous Venus of Willendorf, the prehistoric fertility figure that was discovered near there.

It had been a busy day and we were not sorry to disembark from the Princess and climb aboard our bus. The first leg of our bus trip had been about 200 miles, but the second would be slightly shorter. According to our schedule, we would arrive in Vienna between 5 and 5:30 PM, depending upon traffic. They do have rush hours in Europe but not like those in Atlanta or Chicago. To be honest, I don’t remember just when we did get to Vienna, just that we were glad to get there. The checking in process didn’t take very long and we were soon headed to our room on the 4th floor. Although I didn’t take a picture, too tired, the Ritz Carlton building started life much earlier and when it was transformed into a 5 star hotel, the builders left some of its earlier features.

The amazing bathroom, all chrome, marble and mirrors.

Our room was next to a sitting area paneled in dark wood with comfortable chairs and a coffee table. It seemed quite large compared to our cabin on the MT, although it was good sized. The bathroom was spectacular, all marble chrome and mirrors.

In the hallway there was a counter set up with a coffee service. It was my first experience with a Nespresso machine.

Although we were only there for two nights, I used up all the coffee capsules although we were in a city famous for its coffee. I would receive one just like it for Christmas from the Senior Rambler.

All though we didn’t feel much like going anywhere, it was a nice evening and we needed to get a bite to eat. Fortunately we weren’t that far from one of Vienna’s old style coffee shops, the Cafe Schwarzenberg which had opened in the 19th century. We carefully dodged cars, trams, scooters and bicycles to reach our destination and were not disappointed.

The senior Rambler relaxing at the Schwarzenberg Cafe. The windows look out onto the busy street and are great for people watching.

We both had traditional Austrian dishes which were excellent. Afterwards we headed back to the hotel. This was one night where we appreciated the comfort of our room, in spite of the fact that the Ritz has a wonderful roof-top bar which provides a view of many of Vienna’s favorite buildings.

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!

Georgia Rambler

Category Archives: Wachau Valley

After another day in Vienna, on to Durnstein…

The Wachau Valley and then on to Vienna (Wien)

Krems and the Wachau Valley

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