Vienna

We cruised slowly down the Danube today on our way to Vienna. We went through the largest lock in Europe early this morning and will be passing through about 60 more during our voyage. We left Hungary and passed through Slovakia before reaching Austria. We only passed by a few towns on our way to Vienna. It was a very rural quiet setting. I missed seeing the lock because I had accidentally set my alarm for 7:00 PM and woke up at 9:15! I need to get to bed before midnight!

This morning Téo Tat, our program director, gave a lecture on his life growing up in Romania. His country had changed so dramatically during three generations of his family. He gave an eye opening look at growing up in Romania during the 1980’s of Communism. Romania had become Communist after WW II when Europe was divided between the Russians and the West. Russia didn't control Romanian but greatly influenced the countries behind the Iron Curtain. All freedoms were nonexistent, and one lived in constant fear. The government owned every business and farm. People owned nothing at all and lived in constant fear. There was no freedom, no religion, no Christmas or Easter. You could trust no one. It became really bad in the late 70’s when the Communist government wanted to pay off their war debts. To do this they exported all their goods, and there was nothing left for the people. You could not find food and there were rations for many basics foods and products. They were lucky to have toilet paper. There was a revolution in 1989 and on Christmas Day 1989 Nicholas Ceausescu was tried and executed on the same day. His wife Elena was greatly hated by the Romanians for her extravagant lifestyle. At her execution they shot 138 bullets and 100 hit her. Romanian life was quite chaotic for 10 yrs until they settled into a capitalist democratic form of government and became members of the EU and NATO. The personal stories of Téo and his family from World War II to the present showed their hardships and how they endured and were still able to enjoy life. It was an amazing personal story. During his talk we passed the point in the river where the Iron Curtain ended between the then Slovakia and Austria (Slovakia used to be part of Czechoslovakia.

There was a special teatime this afternoon with an assortment of scones, pastries, and tea sandwiches followed with a presentation of Austrian coffee houses which seem to be an essential part of their culture. Coffee is served on a silver platter with a small glass of water with a spoon on top. They take their coffee very seriously and I plan on becoming a coffee drinker tomorrow to have the experience!

We docked in Vienna and had a magical evening at a concert hall to hear the Vienna Residence Ensemble. We listened to Strauss waltzes and selections from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” while watching costumed ballet dancers and opera singers. Afterwards we took a scenic drive through an illuminated Vienna.Читать далее