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Danube River Cruise

October - November 2015
A 20-day adventure by Pat Read more
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  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    Day 8

    A Cruising Afternoon, Day 5

    October 24, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    After an Italian Coffee in the lounge, we had a delicious Bavarian lunch: a variety of sausages, sauerkraut, etc. The morning mist gave way to a beautiful sunny afternoon, which we enjoyed on the upper deck. Sweaters were enough for a while and spiked hot chocolate was readily available.

    We watched the ship maneuver one of 14 locks we'll sail through on the trip. Before the lock, the 13 foot drop would have surely disrupted our serenity. In fact. I'm writing this passage from the loft seated in my room. Being on the first/water level floor, I really feel the sensation of gliding through the water.    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    Day 8

    Linz, Day 5 Evening

    October 24, 2015 in Austria ⋅ 🌫 5 °C

    We arrived this evening in the port city of Linz, gateway to Salzburg a couple hours away. We'll go by bus tomorrow morning. Tonight we enjoyed the elegant Captain's dinner after being introduced to the crew while enjoying cocktails. Crab cake (amuse bouche), scallops over risotto ( starter), wild mushroom soup, chateaubriand, and a hazelnut mouse dessert. All with plenty of Austrian wine.

    Afterwards, we were entertained in the lounge by local classical artists pop laying a variety of Austrian music including Strauss, the Blue Danube waltz, Edelweiss and theme from Schindler's List, amongst others. Now, a nightcaps of Calvados and Grand Marnier will insure a good night's sleep before an 8am start tomorrow... Although, we do gain an hour tonight. :)    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    1
    Day 9

    Salzburg, Day 6

    October 25, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    Left at 8am for a two hour bus ride to Salzburg through the beautiful Austrian countryside. Made a put stop at a restaurant area overlooking Lake M,___, where some of the Sound of Music was filmed.

    Salzburg, the Salt City built its wealth through salt mining over the last several centuries. Another claim to fame is the Mozart was born here. (He spent his adult years in Vienna.) We started the day with a 90 minute walking tour after which we had 3 hours before the return trip.

    Tauck gave 20euros to each of us for a lunch as well as coins for the toilets. We visited the baroque St. Stephen's Cathedral and a beautiful little cemetery. We shared fish stew and a smoked fish plate for lunch before touring Mozart's birthplace. Honestly, it didn't move me very much...collections if family portraits and brief histories if his family...the violin he played as a child, a few letters to his wife and some sheets of Music..but not original scores like we viewed at Libowitcz Palace.

    At this stop, we had the choice of Salzburg or Chetsky ______, a restored medieval UNESCO town, said to be impressive. But we felt like we'd regret missing Salzburg. The small, old town is pretty with pretty gardens best the Bishop's home, winding streets filled with nicely restored architecture and two cathedrals. I know I'm probably jaded by the beautiful Prague and the well restored Regensburg and Passau. I'm guessing that Tauck gives a choice here because Salzburg is part of their Alps land tour, which several passengers had already done.

    But, other travellers reported that the Chetsky was nice, but easily finishes by pm, especially since it started raining at 1pm. OK forgot to mention that Salzburg gets rain 200+ days a year. We were extremely lucky to have a sunny, sweater day.    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    1
    Day 9

    Evening, Day 6

    October 25, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    The cruise director, Radu, took a group of us in a walking tour of Linz at 5:15. It turned out to be a very nice, contemporary town with charm and three cathedrals...two were open for evening rosary, so we unexpectedly got in. As with other churches, the interiors are beautifully decorated, one in rococo, the other Gothic. Mist importantly, it is the home of the Linzer Torte!!! But all the stores were closed, so no temptation to buy.

    We returned to the ship to have drinks with Ken and JoAnn, from New Jersey. Then we sat with Dale and Lon, from Coral Gables. We were all delighted to discover the Vanderbilt connection... Lon, a Urologist, his father and his son went to ,Vandy Med school. We talked well into the evening, continuing in the lounge for a mean game of Trivia. I as attribute my good sleeps to Calvados nightcaps!    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    Day 10

    Durnstein, Wachau Valley Day 7

    October 26, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ☀️ 14 °C

    Darling medieval river town, famous for holding Richard the Lionhearted for ransom, captured during his return from the Crusades. However vet, they treated him like a guest, giving him the run if the town. After a 45 minute walking tour, those who were interested were taken into the monastary, with probably the best guide ever...and that's saying a lot since ALL the guides have been fabulous.

    The monastery is not only exquisite, in the baroque fashion, but contains two saints' relics (skeletons), gifts from the Pope at the time it was consecrated. The town is noted for its apricot products... A bottle of liqueur is going home with us. :)

    Georges joined the group hiking up to the fortress ruins. I browsed the cute shops with some of the women. The visit to Durnstein ended with a wine tasting of 5 surprisingly good Alsatian wines. Nothing like the sweet German wines imported into the states.    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    Day 10

    Evening on the Ship, Day 7

    October 26, 2015 in Slovakia ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    After cocktails for Georges and champagne for me, we enjoyed dinner with guests from Cincinnati: salmon tartare, lobster bisque, veal medallions with cepi mushrooms & polenta, dessert trio all accompanied by pretty good German wines.

    Tonight's after dinner entertainment is presented by the crew. Lots of fun! Many of the crew are Filipino, extremely gracious. Pamela greets me with a double cappuccino at breakfast. She told me the crew works for eight months and then has for months off when Tauck doesn't sail. She said she loves her job.

    The first act was from Indonesian crew playing When the Saints Come Marching In on bamboo instruments. Next, the bartender demoed cocktail making! Then the crew presented Black & White; a dance between the entertainment director & a beautiful staff member; a spoof about poor service; river dance; crew song finale.    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    Day 11

    Vienna, morning! Day 8

    October 27, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    9am, on the bus to Vienna, 30 minutes from the dock, with Guidy our guide for the next two hours. She has quite a clever wit, slipping in little political sarcasms within a constant stream of information about the Hapsburgs, Austrian taxes (42% avg), subsidiaries for mothers (unmarried women receive twice as much as married women, so young people are not getting married) and all the high end designer shops are doing poorly now that the Russians have left the city.

    We walked around the Hapsburgs complex, peaked into the Lippanzer Horse stables, and meandered through the center historic district. Vienna us a stately city with well preserved architecture.

    We enjoyed a traditional Viennese lunch in the historical Cafe Mozart weinerschnetzl, goulash soup, sacher Torte, wine and coffee.    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    13
    Day 11

    Vienna, The Belvedere, Day 8

    October 27, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    After lunch, Tauck byssef us up to these Belvedere Museum, which had been the palace of Prince Eugene of Savoy, famous for driving the Turks out of Austria and preserving the Hapsburg rule. He was the son of Louis XV mistress, banished because he was a short, ugly hunchback. But apparently he was a brilliant military stategust and the Hapsburgs rewarded him with this and other palaces.

    The Belvedere contains a large collection of old masters (most unfamiliar to me), impressionists (Van High, Manet, Pissaro & several Austrian artists) and most famous of all, a small collection of Gustav Klimt's work,. He's known for: The Kiss, painted in the style of the Woman in Gold, the subject of the lawsuit covered in the movie of the same name. His other paintings portray a wide range of styles from commissioned portraits to impressionist style landscapes, none as impressive as the guilt style of the two noted above.

    We couldn't photograph the art so I can only include pictures of the building, garden and views from the windows. At 3, we returned to the shop for a brief rest before a private dinner in a private palace in the city. It will be a late night!    Read more

  • Pat KaufmanDanube River Cruise
    Day 11

    Royal Dinner in Vienna, Day 8

    October 27, 2015 in Austria ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    The evening was magical... Set in a ballroom, only Tauck books dinners here (of the cruise lines). We were entertained by a pianist, 4 string musicians, a lead violinist, two opera singers and two ballet dancers...all from the Viennese Symphony, Opera or Ballet Company. Dinner was sumptuous and we circled the city in our busses on the return to the ship. The buildings are even more beautiful at night. The guests raved that this was an evening of a lifetime...we felt like royalty.Read more

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