What a wonderful experience for me as I had never been to Europe. After landing in Munich, Germany we boarded a bus and drove about two hours to our ship docked in Passau. The countryside was dotted with small villages and many fields ready to be planted. Alas, we arrived at the Danube River, a large and historically important waterway dating back to the Roman Empire.
We boarded the ship named Emerald Luna, had a tasty beverage, freshened up and headed to the Lounge where the cruise director Igor welcomed us and explained various information regarding the coming week, the evening’s Chef Recommendation/wines and what was on the next day’s agenda.
Using many local ingredients, the food was delicious and artistically presented.
This was a memorial to those individuals who were executed by the Nazis and consequently fell into the Danube. Very moving…
The breakfast buffets were equally appetizing with everything from assorted lunch meats to chia pudding.
Our first stop was Linz, the capital of Upper Austria. What a sizeable town center with many people sitting outdoors and socializing. To be honest I did not see many of them holding cellphones! The flowers were in bloom and the merchants had their shop doors wide open. We visited what appeared to be a gift shop only to discover it was a specialty liquor store selling unusual candies and liqueurs. The young clerk enticed us by offering us small brandy sniffers of pistachio and melon liqueur. Yum!
The adorable sales clerk who was offering various liqueurs
Founded in 1089 the Benedictine Abbey of Melk was extraordinary. As of 1701 it was rebuilt in the Baroque style of architecture and has been a working monastery for more than 900 years without interruption. There are over 11,000 combined acres of forests, farmland and vineyards. To my dismay but understanding, pictures could not be taken inside the building.
A view from the Melk Abbey overlooking the Danube River
Leaving Melk we sailed through the Wachau Valley to Weissenkirchen. It was a quaint village surrounded by many, many vineyards. Tea at an outdoor cafe was very welcoming.
Next on the trip was Vienna. What a charming city with exquisite architecture and imperial grandeur. In the evening we attended a lovely concert performed exclusively for the passengers of Emerald Luna.
I decided to remain on the ship when we docked at Bratislava, Slovakia. My roomie, however, ventured out into the cold and windy village and found it very charming. She had a bowl of soup in one of the town’s restaurants and found it very satisfying. Every day on the ship creamed vegetable soups were served at Tea. I found having a lighter lunch allowed me to maintain my weight and enjoy the evening meal with more of an appetite!
Our stay in Budapest was so different than what I had expected. The architecture was eclectic and stunning. Each building was unique. The public transportation through the use of trains was phenomenal. I certainly wish many of our American cities could follow their lead. Also, many people either walked or used bikes. This was true throughout all the areas we visited along the Danube.
This was a memorial to those individuals who were executed by the Nazis and consequently fell into the Danube. Very moving…
I took an excursion to the town of Szentendre north of Budapest. The cobbled streets were lined with quaint shops, colorful houses and the fascinating Margit Kovacs Ceramics Museum. Margit had such a unique style of creativity. I could have spent hours observing her various art pieces.
Our final evening was spent at the Vadaspark where we had a family-style dinner and a traditional folklore show. Once again the wine was flowing and the music was filling the air!
Blessings,
Frannie