Sunday, November 3

Today we are in Kalocsa, Hungary where we went by bus to visit the Paprika Museum where we learned about the history of paprika and its use. It was first brought to the area in the 16th century by the Turks and is now a dominant spice in Hungarian kitchens.

Our tour guide Gregory gave us his recipe for Goulash as follows:
2 lg onions, sunflower oil, 2 Tbsp. paprika, 1 kg cubed beef and water. Cook onion and beef in oil. Add paprika but do not allow to burn. Add water a little at a time. Cook for 2 hours.

Next we toured a very old library where they had books and maps that were from the 17th century, before they knew about the n/w part of America. There was also a copy of St Stephen's crown. The original had been taken to Fort Knox for safe keeping in war times and was returned in the '70's by the Carter administration.

Then we went to the Puszta, out in the Hungarian countryside where we were treated to a Hungarian horse show and wagon ride. Included also were refreshments consisting of red or white wine, apple juice and bread coated with lard and sprinkled with paprika. We decided it may be best to save our appetite till we returned to the ship! Then there was a short wagon ride before we were bused back to the ship.

Friday & Sat - November 1-2, 2013

Today we are in Hungary, a new country to us. We are in the city of Budapest. The city is divided into two halves, Buda on one side of the Danube which is very hilly and Pest on the other side which is flat. 

We entered Budapest around 10 PM and it has to be one of the most spectacular skylines that we have ever seen. Many of the buildings were lit up with external lights. Impressive to say the least.

On our guided tour we were taken to Heroes' Square,which was flanked by the museum of fine art. Our tour continued to the Matthias Church with its colorful ceramic roof tiles.

Heroes' Square

Matthais Church Roof

Parliament building at night

Wed, October 30, 2013

Today we are in Vienna, the capital city of Austria. There are many Museums, palaces and it is known as one of the greatest centers for art, music and architecture.

We started with a bus tour that ended downtown, then a walking tour that we left when we reached the Spanish Horse Riding Academy where we purchased tickets to enter and watch the famous Lipizzaner Stallions perform their daily exercise routine. We learned here that these stallions are born black but by the time they reach 10-12 years of age they have mostly turned white.

After watching the horses we walked back to the pedestrian shopping area for a while then found a local restaurant for a lunch of Goulash and Strudel. After lunch and a bit more shopping we found our way to the subway that took us back near the area where the ship was docked.

Tuesday - October 29, 2013

Today we have entered a new country, Austria. Our first stop is Melk. Here we visited the Melk Abbey, possibly the most famous abbey in all of Austria. 

From here we sail on to Krems A small Austrian town on the Danube. Before arriving in Krems we cruised through the scenic Wachau Valley. It is probably the most beautiful section of this majestic river, Both banks are dotted with ruined castles, medieval towns and terraced vineyards. Many of the towns reminded us of the Christmas villages that people build at home during the Christmas season. Outstanding is the only word that could be used to describe the view.

Melk Abbey

Melk Abbey

 

October 27 -28, 2013

We are falling behind in our blog, so much to see and do. So much history, more than we can even begin to comprehend. We are combining the cities of Regensburg and Passau, Germany our last two ports of call for this country.

Regensburg is the oldest and best preserved city on the Danube, with its history dating back almost 2000 years. One of the highlights is the Dom Cathedral, an example of pure German Gothic Architecture  in Bavaria. It was started in 1275 and completed in 1634, with the exception of the towers, which were finished in 1869.

A trip to Regensburg would not be complete without a visit to the Alte Wurstkuche - Old Sausage Factory Kitchen. This restaurant has stood the test of time. In the floods of last June it was completely under water. It has been on the same spot since 1135. One must try the finger sized sausages grilled over beechwood and served with sauerkraut and sweet grainy mustard. Awesome!

Next we move on to Passau, Germany, It is know as the city of Three Rivers. It lies at the confluence of the Inn, The Danube and the Ilz Rivers. One should visit the Veste Oberhaus, a 13th century fortress built by the prince-bishops. It is a tough climb to the top, but worth the view once you get to the top.

Dom St, Peters Gothic Cathedral

Saturday - October 26, 2013

Today we are visiting Nuremberg, the second largest city in Bavaria. It is located along the Mien Danube Canal. The city is more than 1000 years old. More than 90% percent of Nuremberg was destroyed by the Allied  bombing raids during WW2.
Much of the city has been restored to its former glory thru painstaking reconstruction using the original stone. The Gothic Church of Our Lady should be on everyone's  bucket list to be seen at Midday as it showcases the famous clock know as the Mannleinlaufen. Each day at noon the  bells toll and the moving figures of elector Dukes paying their respect to the Emperor as each in turns to face him as they rotate past.  Nuremberg is also home to the famous Christmas market, although it was not open during our visit. There were many stores with locally manufactured Christmas toys.

From Bamberg on Main River to Kelheim on the Danube River we traveled along the Main-Danube Canal For 106 Miles.Two of the locks has vertical rise of 82 ft,. I have attached a photo showing the rise in elevation. This canal system was completed in 1992 

Friday - October 25, 2013

This is another day where we get off the ship in one town, Hassfurt, and travel by bus to Bamburg where the ship will pick us up. This seems to work well because the bus can speed us ahead to allow lots of free time to explore the town. Bamburg was founded in 1007 and was one of the few cities in Germany not destroyed by bombing in WW2 therefore it has been able to retain its medieval structures. We walked on a tour up to one of the several hilltops that each had a church on top. Nearby this particular church was a large courtyard that was used in the filming of the most recent Three Musketeers’ movie. They were actually still trying to clean up the dirt left behind that was used to cover the cobblestones.

Thursday - October 24, 2013

This morning we arrived in Wurzburg where we took a bus to the very extravagant Wurzburg Residnez Palace. For centuries the resident prince-bishop had enormous power and wealth that was very evident as we toured one of Germany’s finest baroque Palaces that was built between 1720 -1744.

The grand staircase with its unsupported vaulted ceiling features the largest ceiling fresco- The Four Continents – in the world, created in 1752-1753. The other continents had not been discovered at the time. 

Wednesday - October 23, 2013

Prior to our arrival in Miltenberg we had a glass blowing demonstration onboard. Karl Ittig’s family history in this art dates back to 1841 when the glass company was founded by Karl Ittig the first. Karl the second is known for his paperweights and larger glass pieces. He is also one of only 5 people in the world that makes the Galileo Thermometer and the only one that uses Pyrex glass. Their traditional glassmaking techniques are taught at the Pilchuck Glass School co-founded by well known glass artist Dale Chihuly in the USA

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In the afternoon we arrived in Miltenberg where we had only a few hours stop then we sailed on to Wertheim where the passengers that disembarked earlier came back on board. We opted to stay onboard and enjoy the scenery on the river.

There are 100's of swans

One of the mnay villages along the river

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

This beautiful town Koblenz has a history that dates back to the Romans, who established a military stronghold in the town around 10BC.

From Koblenz we travelled by bus to Marksburg Castle. While many of the castles on the Rhine are rebuilt versions of the originals, Marksburg has retained all of its initial construction despite over 800 years of change and turmoil and still stands today as the best preserved castle on this river. The main reason for this is that it sits atop a steep, isolated hill on a bend in the river. This was discouraging to enemies so that the castle was never attacked during countless wars that waged around it through the centuries.

Marksburg Castle

Sharon on the top floor of Marksburg Castle



View of the river from the castle

Wine Cellar



Kitchen at the Castle

After touring the castle we were bussed to the ship’s next stop in Braubach.Along the Middle Rhine we were travelling in a river valley with numerous castles perched on the very high hilltops and beautiful villages along the river banks. They remind us of the villages that some people build for decoration at Christmas time.