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Danube Delight
  • Linda McKinlay
  • Linda McKinlay

Danube Delight

8 flights, a couple of cabs, a train and a boat.. Looking forward to exploring the winter markets with Leah and seeing the spectacular Christmas lights and displays Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 22, 2025
    Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler

    HALF WAY

    November 23 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We're on our way. Feel so very spoit to be doing this trip with Leah. 🥰 Not sure which one of us is the chaperone 😉 Awful cramped seating on the Quantas plane to Melborne. Missed my buisness class seat. ☹️ I think it was an old plane. Only a few minutes wait for Leah, but I was very happy to see her smiling face coming towards me as I sat in our arranged meeting area. Great flight to Singapore but at almost 8 hours rather long. Staying in the airport hotel so we could shower and nap was a great idea. Breakfast included in the hotel booking. So here we are waiting for our flight to Dubai ( 7hr 30 ) where we have 1hr 30min wait for the last leg to Munich. Photos First 2 at auck airport. Reminders of home. Zoom the big NZ 😊 3. Changi airport looking pretty for Christmas. 4. Yummy healthy breakfast. 😋Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler

    MUNICH at last!!!!

    November 24 in Germany ⋅ 🌧 3 °C

    About 45min late leaving Singapore meant when we arrived in Dubai it was a mad dash to find the departure gate for our next flight. Dubai Airport is HUGE with more than one international terminal. Locating our departure gate was quite a mission involving looking for a departure signage board to see which terminal and gate we needed, then a detour the wrong way, finally got some instructions and once heading in the right direction it was a lift, 2 escalators, a train ride and a fairly brisk walk to the gate arriving to see the 'Final Call' sign up. Pheeww. The airport signage is dismal as Rog and I found out a few weeks back. After a 7 1/2 hr flight we arrived in Munich and were super excited to see both cases on the luggage conveyer sitting next to each other. Quite remarkable since my bag was checked in at Auckland as I think I have mentioned. Taxi ride to our wee hotel in the old Munich town. Can't write any more as my eyes are dropping. Big story for you tomorrow 😉 photo of our roomRead more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    21

    MUNICH X 2

    November 25 in France ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Woke to find drizzly rain. But we enjoyed our walk around the area where we were staying just the same. photos of buildings. Report and market photos next. The last 2 are our hotel.

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    11

    MUNICH x 3

    November 25 in France ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Shame about the rain but at least it was only drizzle and at -2 to 1 degree but no wind not as cold as you might think. Mind you I was very glad of my pre travel warm mac pac shopping. Anyway the markets were wonderful and our eyes were popping. Unfortunately because we were quite early in the day some of the stalls were just opening. By the way that was hot chocolate Leah and I were drinking with a huge dollop of cream on top. Because of the weather we decided to get a cab to the station for our train to the dock for our ship 2 hours away. Unfortunately that trip became a nightmare when our train stopped in the middle of no where, due to an electrical falt on the line, and eventually after quite a wait we were told to disembark. No information was given but eventually we discovered buses were coming. So after about an hour waiting in the cold a bus arrived and it was a mad scramble with large bags to get on. Absolute chaos as the crowd pushed and shoved to get on the bus, if only we had known there was another only a few minutes away. I ended up sitting on the steps while Leah and her big case were jammed into the aisle. 20 mins later, we stopped again and people started trying to fight their way off the bus. As I was on the stairs I had no choice but to get off to let people through the door. Meanwhile Leah was still on board! She was panicking about losing me as the doors closed and the bus gets ready to leave again. Well I had to get cross and yell to the driver "please open the back door and let me back on!" I felt real panic but Phew we were reunited when the driver realised what had happened. We're going to have nightmares about being lost in rural Germany! Finally we arrive at our destination to then board another train, wait 30mins and then finally make our way to our destination. After a short taxi ride from the station we made it to our boat and a great welcome. We never felt more pleased to get somewhere! Note. Leah had messaged the crew to let them know what was happening. The ship left dock about 30 mins after we got on so we just made it. Now after that epistle enjoy my colourful photos.Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    123

    PASSAU

    November 25 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 2 °C

    Woke this morning to snow fall. However we set off with our lovely guide at 9am armed with umbrellas and warm jackets to do the walking tour of the old part of the city. Passau is a university city and has about 50 thousand residents and 12 thousand students. It has beautiful pastel coloured buildings and cobbled streets. It is on a wee peninsular surrounded by 3 rivers and so it is prone to flooding. There is a Baroque style cathedral which is being restored. It has the biggest organ of all catholic churches in Europe. The walking tour was only 90 mins so once back at the ship I was very happy to get out of my wet clothes and shoes and into some thing warm and comfortable, then settle down with a nice hot coffee. But not my travel companion. She was off again into the snow, to check out the wee shops and market and do a bit of family shopping 🛍 Quiet afternoon sailing to Linz now, so a chance to catch up on blogs and reading. Arrived Passau 7.30pm. Lots of beautifully lit up bridges and buildings. Looking forward to visiting the night markets all lit up tomorrow night.Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    1

    LINZ

    November 26 in Austria ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Just harking back to our train nightmare. 😠 Apparently that story is very common. Germany used to have a reputation for 'running like clockwork' but not now. When we were in Munich I had trouble taking photos with my full fingered gloves on. Was all the time taking one off so my phone could connect with my finger. Yesturday I remembered I also packed my fingerless gloves. So I wore one of each and that worked a treat. Clever aren't I. Even better is they are the same so match perfectly 👍😁 Loving Linz. The streets are nice and wide, many beautiful shops and as usual the facades of most buildings are pastel colours with decorative plaster patterns.
    We enjoyed this mornings walking tour. Not snowing but only about 1 degree I think as when I looked a bit later it had climbed to 2 degrees. 🥶 We checked out the massive Gothic cathedral and heard many interesting stories about the city and its early inhabitants, from our guide. On the way back to the boat Leah did a bit more family shopping and I bought a Linz cake to have with my coffee. The recipe for the cake dates back to 1653. It is very spicy with jam and lots of almonds. We are just back from a walk through town and the markets. By 5pm it is pitch black so we didn't have to be out late to catch the lights. Walking up a street we saw people queuing up at a kiosk, so we stopped to see what it was all about. It was a really fun walk through a forest of trees and red baubles with little sitting nooks hidden amongst the trees. We loved it. It was actually done by a restaurant we think as they were selling food and drinks. Anyway for $5 including a hot drink we thought it was good fun. 👍 Tonight we set sail for the next stop.    Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    1

    YQBBS / DURNSTEIN

    November 27 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 -1 °C

    Two stops today. Ybbs, pronounced Ips, then Durnstein. In Ybbs we did an excursion by bus to the small village of Melk to visit the Melk Benedictine Abbey. Over 900yrs old, it now has only 21 monks. The oldest is 93 the youngest 35. They have bee hives, and their bees make very good honey which is sold to help fund the abbey. The abbey is enormous and of course the monks use very little space so a school is there too and some of the monks are teachers. We were only allowed to take photographs outside. We were taken on a tour of some of the abbey, including the library, church, and museum and saw the beautiful frescoes ceilings. The Abbeys vibrant colour makes great photos as you'll see. While we were away the boat moved along the river a wee way and so we didn't have as far to drive to get back on after the tour. We were back at the boat by lunch time and soon after lunch we sailed though the Wachau Valley past vineyards and castles and docked at Durnstein. These towns suffered greatly when the Germans invaded Austria during the 2nd world war and from the abbey terrace we could see a big building where the prisoners doing forced labour were kept. I wonder how the abbey escaped bombing 🤔 Leah and I chose not do do an afternoon tour but rather took ourselves for a walk through Durnsteins charming wee town . You'll see by the photoes how gorgeous it is. I'm enjoying buying a small Christmas tree decoration from each stop as there are Christmas markets everywhere and I thought that would be a nice alternative to the usual souvenir. We are looking forward to being in Vienna when we open the blinds in the morning. We are expecting a nice warm 4 degree welcome and even a bit of sun 🌞 it's so annoying that I can't move the photoes around. The row 19 20 21 are the monestry. 9 and 10 are castles we passed on the river. All the rest are Durnstein. The boat with the Christmas lights isn't ours.Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler

    VIENNA

    November 28 in Austria ⋅ 🌙 1 °C

    Early start this morning meeting for our city tour at 8.30. Man it was cold. The sun was out but the air really crisp. At some stage during the day my phone said it was 2 degrees. We started in the bus driving past several notable buildings and getting comentary then hopped off and walked through the central city. There were many tour groups like ours so that made the streets quite congested and difficult to navigate at times. Vienna has lots of very large gorgeous heritage buildings which are now museums art galleries parliament university city city government. The building are all white sandstone and have to be kept clean because they are UNESCO world heritage sites, and thats the rule. I've given you a few random photos but can't tell you what the buildings are sorry. After the walking tour finished Leah and I went to a large Christmas market and then Leah very cleverly escorted me back to the boat by underground trains. Tonight we have been to a classical concert which we loved. It was only 90 minutes long and had a bit of ballet, opera and of course music played by 8 musicians. They played tunes we knew and added a bit of humour, so it was a nice relaxing enjoyable concert in a beautiful wood paneled room. We are so glad we went. Forgot to mention when we walked through town we passed the stables of the Spanish horses. I'm.sure you know the white ones that perform. If you zoom the photo you'll see a white head. Tonight we cruise to Bratislava capital of Slovakia.. looking forward to the later start tomorrow of 9.30. Yahhh a lie in. 👏Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    1
    1

    BRATISLAVA

    November 29 in Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ -3 °C

    Note. I forgot to explain the 3 Avalon Cruise ships tied up together photo yesturday.
    They do this when berthing space is limited. Ours is the outside boat this time. We couldn't open our blinds because we'd be looking into our neighbours' room. Anyway, to board our ship, there is a wee Bridge between 1 and 2, then another between 2 and 3. The ships are right up next to each other, so moving between is hardly noticeable. Thought you'd be interested. 😁 We have 132 passengers. American and Canadian are the biggest number. 15 from the UK, then a mix of Phillipino Australian kiwis and Singapore, india, Malaysia. I think that's all the countries represented. What a beautiful suprise welcomed us when I opened the curtains this morning. Sunshine. A great start to the day. And that odd looking flying saucer dominated the view out our window. It's actually a public restaurant observation tower. Usual start to the day setting off on our walking tour of the old city centre at 9am. Don't let the sun fool you it was freezing. Probably 1 degree. The route we took was all pedestrian zoned and fairly quiet just a few tour groups like ours. Great for taking pictures.
    It was a different story when Leah and I went back this afternoon to visit the markets. It was 'crowd crush' and difficult to move. 😵‍💫 we heard some stories from the time of the Nazis and saw a monument in remembering of the thousands of Jews from the area who were killed. Visited the Cathedral. (Every town has one!!!) Saw a cannonball stuck in a building. About 12 around the town apparently. This afternoon we came across a stage where some children were about to perform so we hung about to watch for a bit. Tonight was a gala farewell celebration dinner. The meal was a bit special eg lobster tail entre, but we also got to acknowledge the crew. It was all very nice. I might include some photoes a separate post. Photo 4 is Hans Christian Anderson. Photo 21 is the Jewish Memorial. 22 is the synagogue that was demolished so the bridge could be built. Note the labels of the goods in the sacks photo 18    Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    3

    Dinner menue

    November 29 in Slovakia ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C
  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler

    HUNGARY

    November 30 in Hungary ⋅ ☁️ 1 °C

    Boy I'm sure looking forward to getting to Singapore and having a full night's sleep. Sailing at night is very noisy especially passing through locks. My travel companion goes to bed, closes her eyes and sleeps through it all. Lucky thing. Something else from yesturday. When we went into the 'oldest shop' they gave us a sample of black currant wine which was very nice. Also a pack of these cookies each. One has crushed walnuts in (my favouite) the other crushed poppy seed. Something different for us but very nice and sweeter than you might think. May have had some honey to bind it we think. A bit like a croissant but not as flakey.Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    2

    BUDAPEST x 2

    November 30 in Hungary ⋅ ⛅ 5 °C

    Not very active today. Enjoyed the 3hr city your this morning. Then, this afternoon, we've just dozed and rested. We did intend going to the city markets which would have meant a 20min walk, but it's cold and bleak out, so we have stayed in. Hense not mutch to report. I must say Budapest has surprised me. I was expecting lots of big dark gloomy buildings, and yes there are plenty of those but also big wide avenues and boulevards. Also large open park areas with very bare trees now but would be lovely in spring and summer. There's a sense of the positive too as the city is still rebuilding after the battle of Budapest in 1945 left the city in ruins. And then under communist rule for 40yrs not a lot of rebuilding happened. But now with the help of EU countries they are finally able to reconstruct their beautiful historic buildings. The highlight for me was the free time we had on Castle Hill. It's a big area with the church and castle being the dominant buildings. But it is Also quite trendy and recreational. This morning it was filled with tourist groups. The locals being at church. There was a small Christmas market and lovely to hear Christmas music being played. We were given a sample of Chimney Cake. It's a round and hollow tube of scone like pastry cut into rings and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. I'll include a photo from yesturday so you can see how it's cooked. The first video is Heros Square. The rest are Castle Hill. After dinner the captain is taking us on a cruise to see the city lit up. Hope to get some good pictures for you. We've packed our bags. Check out or our room 9am but stay in lounge until our airport shuttle at 12.15. Flight to Singapore 3.30pm. The 2 big lit up buildings are the House of Parliament and a sports stadiumRead more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    2

    SINGAPORE

    December 3 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 30 °C

    You might have heard me say this before but I love Singapore.
    It's so clean and green and lush and orderly and modern. No beggers or roughs around the city centre. You can feel very safe. Slept so late we missed breakfast but feel good now ready for our late night tonight. This afternoon we just wandered. Used the underground to get back to the hotel, so we feel confident to use it tonight. We are going to our sister hotel round the corner for canapés and a drink followed by a light show, then heading to Gardens by the Bay where there is a Christmas spectacular we bought tickets for. Lots of lights, laser light show, fair ground stuff, food and stalls . Expecting it to be amazing. Haven't decided how we'll spend the morning tomorrow but I may take Leah to the gardens to see the orchids. Photos. The Trees were on our walk. The cute phone in our room. Other photos of our historic hotel. We are in the China Town area. It's very cool with lots of displays of the Chinese settlers and wall art.Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler
    2

    SINGAPORE X2

    December 3 in Singapore ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C

    We went along to our sister hotel expecting a light show. Instead we had a drink and canapés and chatted to other guests, then had a singalong with the staff, followed by a count down to turn on their Christmas tree lights. A bit of fun. From there we got the tube up to Orchard Rd Singapore's famous shopping street, as their lights had been recommended as a 'must see'. .We're pretty expert at using the tube already. Even changing lines 3 times in one trip! Gardens in the Bay was spectacular. A real fun evening entertainment for families (and grannies👵). We've got lots of pics and videos for you including a joke from Leah.Read more

  • Linda McKinlayDanube DelightTraveler

    AIRPORT

    December 4 in Singapore ⋅ 🌧 29 °C

    Final travel report. What better way to fill the time left in Singapore than a visit to the Botanic gardens. I particularly wanted to show Leah the magnificent orchids. Had an unexpected visit of this very long green creature right behind me on the bench when having coffee. Just as well Leah spotted him before he slid up on to my shoulder. 😱 The squirrel wasn't so scary. Now at airport lounging round till our flight tonight. It's been a fantastic trip and I'm so grateful to Leah for asking me along. 🥰 Thanks for being interested in my travels.Read more

    Trip end
    December 6, 2025
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