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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.

Graffiti in Vienna

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 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.

baroque beauty and symmetry

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 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.

Ornate stove in Hapsburg apartment

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.

Organ concert at Gottweig

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.

Simple advent wreath at Gottweig

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…

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 spires of the Rathaus

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.

You too can be an angel

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 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.

Hidden courtyard

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…

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.

Driving along the ringstrasse

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.

assembling outside the Library

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.

so many books, so little time

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.

The Angel theme of the exhibit

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.

Ceiling fresco in the National Library

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 the greatest, but you get the idea.

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 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 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!

Interior renovation

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.

Sausages and Gluhwein

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.

No crowds today

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.

River Beatrice lobby

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.

Long view of dining room

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

Table setting

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.

River cruising in Europe, senior citizen travel, The Georgia Rambler

# The Rambler decides on the Danube!

July 5, 2015 1954 Leave a comment
The AMA Amacello

I had not seriously researched river cruising before my husband agreed to ramble along with me. But as river cruise literature filled our mailbox and spilled over onto our dining room table, I quickly realized that it would not be easy to pick the perfect cruise. And it wasn’t!

River cruising has become amazingly popular in the last decade, mainly I think because it is so comfortable AND because the world’s population is aging. What senior citizen wouldn’t enjoy cruising down a river with mostly awesome views and delightful stops while living in a luxury hotel disguised as a boat. Many river cruise lines also provide bicycles and hiking for the more active cruisers, but since the average age, as I found out, hovers around 60 plus or minus a few years on most river boats, it’s not usually a good trip for children. However some companies have already begun to schedule special family cruises that include activities for young people.

Because of increased demand, a growing number of river boats now sail all the major rivers of Europe during the spring, summer and fall, and even during the winter months. Because of limited dock space in certain parts of the river, the boats are forced to tie up alongside each other and their passengers have to scamper up and over perhaps as many as three river cruisers to reach the shore. Rafting mainly happens during the summer months but is certainly not an usual occurrence.Similar river cruises can also be found in many other parts of the world, where there are navigable rivers, of course.

So which company to choose? I met several folks who had cruised on the Viking line. They all spoke very highly of Viking and certainly their prices are among the best out there. They have the most ships and seem to be constantly launching new ones. My travel agent at AAA, Michelle Shirley, told me that 95% of the river cruises she books are on Viking. So we went on Viking, right? Actually no, ever the contrarian, I decided to chose a smaller company that has been on the river for a long time, Uniworld. This company is part of the Red Carnation Hotel chain and calls itself a “boutique” river cruise line. So what is a” boutique river cruise?” I’m still not sure, but I can tell you that we would thoroughly enjoy all aspects of our cruise on the River Beatrice…except the weather!

Why does one pick one cruise over another. After a while, all the descriptions in the their brochures look the same,. There are variables such as cabin size, all inclusive vs. pay for what you want, the size of the ship, etc. In the end, my gut feeling was to choose the Uniworld Danube Christmas Markets cruise from Budapest Hungary to Passau in southern Germany, and so we did. The cruise we selected also made a stop at Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia where we hoped to meet cousins on my mother’s side of the family.

In the end, almost all of the better river cruise ships are similar, though the size of the cabins varies as does the quality of the food and service, not to mention the cost of the cruise and tours. There are multiple reviews on all the cruise lines, their ships and their cruises on the web. A good place to start is CruiseCritic.com . The Cruise Critic website has reviews not only of all the river cruise lines but of their individual ships. They also separate them into Cruise Critic’s executive reviews, and reviews made by people who sailed on the cruises.

Keep in mind, that one is moved to review something if it was really bad or really good. As a result, the individual reviews range from extremely positive to extremely negative. It is up to the reader to determine which are closest to reality. Some of the best known river cruise companies besides Uniworld and Viking are AMA, Avalon, Scenic and Tauck which features land as well as river cruises.A-Rosa and Croisi-Europe are European lines that cater mainly to Europeans but have good prices and are trying to recruit American passengers.

Finally, unless you are reading this in Europe, you will probably have to fly to your embarkation point. That can be an adventure and an expense in itself.

After a while, all the boats look alike but there are subtle differences, both exterior and especially in the interior.

Emerald Cruise Lines Swiss Emerald

Budapest Airport, Delta and KLM, River cruising in Europe, Schipol Amsterdam, senior citizen travel

# Finally time to go, the Ramblers reach Budapest!

July 5, 2015 1954 Leave a comment
Leaving the rainy Budapest Airport

For those of you who are thinking about a river cruise and have never taken one, it took us several months to zero in on the cruise we wanted. Then there was the matter of price. There are many travel agencies who advertise on the web so price comparison is no problem. All will probably match the price quoted by a competitor at the time.

What is more problematic is when to book. Of course both the cruise companies and the travel agencies want you to book right away. One can’t blame them as competition is fierce. Even though river cruises are extremely popular, the cruise companies have responded by adding more ships and cruises. Viking in particular, added a dozen new ships for river cruising in 2015, while most of its competitors added at least one. Unless you want a particular ship at a particular time and place, it seems to me that it might benefit you to wait, especially if you don’t have to travel during summer vacation. We booked six months ahead, which used to be the optimum time, and I thought I got a good deal. My training as a historian has made researching and finding the best trip and the best price almost a compulsion, and I was lucky the first time. I decided to work with Michelle Shirley, our travel agent at AAA, with an office two miles from home. My reasoning was if there was a problem, she was right there. Many travel agencies seem to be based in states far from Georgia like California and Texas, which is well and good if everything goes according to plan, but it doesn’t always.

Alright, so we had our cruise, our trip insurance, our passports, our carry-on’s; we had decided to go with only our carry-on luggage and one extra checked bag. Now all we needed were our flights. Today there are dozens of sites that offer the cheapest air-fare wherever you want to go. When you check them out, they often have the same information as the airline sites or the cheap flight advertised is no longer available. Then, of course, you can look on the airline sites which often have the same prices. I did all this religiously and could not find a reasonable fare from Atlanta to Budapest. Finally went to AAA for help (remember I really am a good researcher and feel I don’t need help) as I wasn’t getting anywhere and we surely couldn’t drive to Budapest… Michelle Shirleychecked with Uniworld and was able to get a great fare through them, with only one connecting flight on the way out and a direct return. I am not a fan of flying anywhere but there simply aren’t any direct flights from Atlanta to Budapest. So if you are going on a river cruise, it is likely that your cruise company can offer you a better flight deal than you can get yourself. However, I have heard that some cruise lines have arbitrarily changed passenger flights once in a while, but this did not happen to us. What we booked was what we got.

November 8, our departure date finally arrived. I was excited about the cruise but nervous as usual about the plane ride. The weather was clear at Hartsfield airport when we got dropped off by our daughter, Lisa, at the International Terminal. We hadn’t flown anywhere since 1998, so the security lines were all new to us as would be the sardine like conditions inside our plane. Security wasn’t too bad, except that my husband forgot his sunglasses and cigarette case in the basket after going through the detector. We had time and walked back but they were no where to be found. After I had my hips replaced, I received a card from the manufacturer which I was supposed to hand to the TSA folks, but they weren’t interested in it and did a good job patting me down after I set off the machine. The good thing for us was that people over 75 are considered too old to have shoe bombs installed so we were allowed to keep our shoes on as we went through the line. LOL

Our daughter Robin, is a world traveler and she insisted on buying us extended comfort economy seats for our trip. Since I’m retired teaching faculty not a high-up administrator, business class is just out of reach, but economy class without the luxury of extended comfort can be rough as we found out. If you can afford it and it is available, grab it. We flew out Delta and I must say the quality of the food was not good. Extended comfort included drinks and early boarding, but the food was not memorable. However, most important was that we arrived safely in Amsterdam and the flight was smooth.

One thing we didn’t know then was that Schipol airport in Amsterdam is very spread out. It took us about 15 minutes to taxi to our gate. I learned later that we landed in the area called the Polder. And, as you might expect, the KLM gate for the flight to Budapest was on the opposite side of the airport. We hurried as fast as we could, unable to look at the interesting shops on either side, since we didn’t have a lot of time between flights. This had caused me quite a bit of anxiety ahead of time as I wondered what might happen if we missed our flight or were late.

As it turned out, we reached our gate in plenty of time, after going through security yet again, and were wedged into our seats in a fairly old plane. No extended comfort on the connector flight which still boasted red no smoking lights, though they didn’t turn them on. The connecting flight was run by KLM and the service and food was much better than that on Delta. The flight attendants were a very jolly group who seemed to enjoy their work. They happily served us excellent Dutch-style sandwiches and cookies and before we knew it, the plane touched down in Budapest, Hungary. Could the Danube be far away?

After collecting our luggage, we exited the small airport and quickly spotted a smiling Uniworld staff member holding up a sign with the Uniworld logo. There was another group bound for a Viking longship who all sported little red carry-on bags with the Viking logo. With a sigh of relief, we joined a growing group of folks headed for the River Beatrice patiently waiting for all the cruisers to arrive. My husband deemed it time to dash outside, despite the cold rain, to have a long-denied cigarette. I was just happy to have reached the country my mother had left almost 100 years ago, never to return.

The Georgia Rambler

# Where to start?

July 3, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

As the head planner of our rambles, I have talked my husband into taking a number of trips over the years of our marriage though the United States and Canada and even to Europe. Although he hadn’t wanted to visit Europe, in the end it we both enjoyed it and planned to go back in the near future. However, the following years were filled with many events but not another European trip.

With retirement closing in last spring, I got the bug to go back to Europe. At first we though we might go on our own as we felt comfortable doing so, but in the end, we thought it might be too exhausting. On a road trip, the most tiring part is packing and unpacking when you move from hotel to hotel. In Europe we would be taking public transportation which would be harder. With his aching back and my replaced hip joints, we were not exactly candidates for climbing the Matterhorn, though healthy and active. A river cruise might be just the thing. We would have to get from the airport to the boat, but after that we would be home free, traveling in a luxurious floating hotel along one of Europe’s many rivers. I had already received numerous catalogs picturing smiling folks admiring scenery from the decks of a river boat, obviously marketing to our age group. After perusing the literature, I soon felt this would be a feasible solution.

In 1998 , two much younger Ramblers spent 5 weeks in France riding herd on students doing a study abroad. We were headquartered in Metz, a medium sized town in Alsace-Lorraine. and then for a week in Paris. We rented a car and traveled to many interesting places with and without students, even traveling overnight by train from Metz to Salzburg. We now needed a different kind of European trip. Why not, I argued go back to Europe now that I was retired, this time for a real vacation, with no student responsibilities. And, I continued, instead of moving from hotel to hotel by car or train, we could glide down one of Europe’s many rivers on a luxurious floating hotel on a river cruise. Although somewhat interested, my husband would not be excited about the theme of the river cruise I finally selected.

As much as my husband loves boats, he is not a fan of Christmas; I on the other hand love Christmas but am not fond of boating. The Christmas Markets Cruise, I thought would be a compromise, each of us getting half of what we enjoyed most. Never truly enthusiastic, he finally agreed to go along with my plan albeit reluctantly. That was all I needed. Surrounded by gorgeous color brochures, all I had to do now was complete my research, chose the absolute best cruise company and select the date.

The date was easy; the European Christmas Markets begin with the first Sunday of Advent, or the fourth Sunday before Christmas. We certainly didn’t want to miss Christmas with our family so my plan was to select a cruise that would leave at the end of November. Since most of the Christmas Market Cruises last for 8 days, we would be back in Georgia in plenty of time for our own holiday preparations. I also thought that the markets might not be so crowded with local people and tourists early on and the weather might be a little better. I also didn’t consider the fact that it would be dark by 3:30 in the afternoon.

I would be right about the crowds but very wrong about the weather. Of course even though the Christmas Market Cruises do visit a number of Christmas markets, each with their own style, we all got to tour a variety of historic and cultural sites.. Because of this my partner grudgingly agreed to go along with my plan.

Now all that remained was to pick the perfect cruise!

## Ramble the world with us