Paris to Prague

Mei - Juni 2017
Petualangan 28-sehari oleh Janette and John Baca selengkapnya
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  • 28hari
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  • 36,5kkilometer
  • 32,7kkilometer
  • Hari 11

    Rhine gorge, castles and the Loreley

    30 Mei 2017, Belanda ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We set sail at 5.30 am for one of the highlights of the trip - cruising through the Rhine Gorge with its steep vineyard covered banks, lots of scenic villages and even more castles. The river is at its narrowest, deepest and most dangerous about halfway through the gorge at Loreley Rock. Apparently there are many stories about the Loreley, particularly about Lore, the daughter of Father Rhine. (Google opportunity).
    After lunch we went into Rudesheim, a very old, very quaint town. We visited Siegfried's Musical Cabinet, a museum that has a collection of mechanical musical instruments. The museum is housed in Bromserhof, a noble house built in 1542. (Google op). Also, check out Rudesheimer Coffee.
    A leisurely stroll through the very narrow, shop filled streets took us back to the ship in time to set sail again at 4.30.
    Quite soon after setting off we did a lefty from the Rhine into the Main (pronounced mine) and two more locks to lift us higher. That's four so far - 64 more to go.
    Tomorrow - Miltenberg. J&J
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  • Hari 12

    Well I'll be blowed.....

    31 Mei 2017, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    After breakfast we were entertained by a glass blowing demonstration. This area is a major area for the glass industry. There are four glass industries - glass instruments (laboratory), medicinal (drug vials), fibre optics and creative (xmas decs, bowls, animals etc).
    The on-board entertainers are called lock-hoppers - they board the ship at a lock and disembark at the next one.
    After an early lunch (all we seem to do is eat!) it was off into Miltenberg. This little village suffered greatly after the 30 years war and couldn't afford to replace its old, medieval heart with its half timbered houses. As a result it looks like it's straight out of Hansel and Gretel. Our guide assured us that we (the tourists) are the lifeblood of the village. The place looks very quaint, but Janette assures me that the shops are excellent.J&J
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  • Hari 13

    Rothenburg - home of the Christmas Shop

    1 Juni 2017, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    Docked at Wurzburg and went by coach to Rothenburg. Rothenburg is one of the most famous and most picturesque towns in Germany. It is completely surrounded by a town wall.
    The town is home to Germany's famous Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Shop. This is the original Christmas Shop - it seems every town has one, dedicated to selling Chrissy decs and religious paraphinalia. Janette spent our time there in the Chrissy Shop - surprise surprise - apparently it is huge.
    I went exploring the town. The wall has towers at regular points and some of these are also gateways. There are steps to go up and walk along the walkway at the top - a great way to see the medieval town.
    Janette stocked up on Christmas decorations and arranged for them to be mailed home.
    Back to Wurzburg and a chance to walk around here - a really good comparison as it turned out. Wurzburg is a university town and not really geared for tourism. It was nice to walk around a 'normal' German town.
    Tomorrow we leave the Main River and enter the Main to Danube Canal at Bamberg.
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  • Hari 14

    Bamberg - a tale of two cities.

    2 Juni 2017, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We continued to sail this morning as we would not reach Bamberg till lunchtime. Unless our cruise director is pulling our legs, there is a German tradition called Fruhschoppen. This means that on a Sunday they eat sausage and drink beer as a pre lunch snack. Although it's only Friday, we did it this morning. We had pretzel, sausage and venison ham, all washed down with an ale. All this a couple of hours before lunch.
    After lunch we set off for a walking tour of the old, medieval town within the bigger, newer town. By the river is an area called Little Venice. These houses were originally all owned by fishermen. Today three fishermen still earn a living here.
    We walked with a guide for an hour or so and then everyone went their own way exploring the town and its shops. As is our want, we found a cafe / beergarden and had drink.
    This is another university town which means there are people on bicycles everywhere, and they go very fast and therefore they seem to think they have right of way.
    Tomorrow - Nuremberg
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  • Hari 15

    Over the top

    3 Juni 2017, Jerman ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C

    This morning Nuremberg. The guide on the bus gave us an excellent commentary on the points of interest around Nuremberg, including where the war trials were held.
    We didn't take the walking tour today, instead, along with half the passengers, we strolled around the town. I assume that, because it's Saturday, there were markets and buskers and a very nice, friendly atmosphere.
    At over 5kms, Nuremberg has one of the longest intact city walls.
    Nuremberg is possibly best known for its Christmas market - the largest and busiest in Germany, it attracts visitors from worldwide.
    As with so many old towns, there is a market square in the centre. In the square is the 'beautiful fountain'. There is a loose brass ring in the wrought iron around the fountain. A local told me that if you turn it seven times, it brings good luck. A short walk from here is the large shopping area similar to most larger towns.
    The markets have wonderfully fresh and delicious looking fruit and veg, flowers, cheese and, possibly my favourite, gingerbread, another thing Nuremberg is famous for.
    The canal that we're in was only completed in 1992. It joins the Main and Danube Rivers and makes this cruise possible. The canal crosses the Continental Divide. We have climbed up the northern side of the divide and, until now, all the rivers flowed North towards the North Sea. Now they flow towards the Black Sea. Today we have climbed about 175 metres by 11 locks, the last being 3 in a row, each lifting us 25 metres. This took us to the top.
    The continental divide is marked by a fairly insignificant wall.
    Anyhow we'll be dropping about 68 metres overnight and heading for Regensburg tomorrow.
    J&J
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  • Hari 16

    Mainly cruising today

    4 Juni 2017, Belanda ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Bit of a laid back day today - later breakfast and sailing till lunchtime to Regensburg. Regensburg is a perfectly preserved medieval city on the banks of the Danube. It is so well preserved because it escaped being bombed in WW2. The town is dominated by the spires of its huge cathedral. Its charm lies in its narrow alleys and quaint squares.
    There's a bridge across the river called 'the old stone bridge' claimed to be the oldest stone bridge in Europe. Right next to the bridge on the river bank is Germany's oldest sausage kitchen, dating back to 1135. It sells 6,000 sausages a day. Even though we are eating far too much, we had to try one - a roll, mustard, sauerkraut and two sausages - wow!
    The cathedral took hundreds of years to build, and, because of this, has some distinctive features. Some of the stone is white and some darker in colour. White stone is dearer than the dark, so when things were tight they bought the cheaper dark stone to at least keep going. The right hand side was built first, up to the bottom of the steeple. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, the left doesn't match the right.
    The other strange building feature of this town are the towers. The rich merchants would build big houses to show off their wealth. When this wasn't enough, they would extend. They would add on a tower - it wasn't used for anything - it was just to say 'I'm so rich that I can build this big, tall tower that I don't use'.
    Big day tomorrow - we're off to Salzburg and the sound of music?
    J&J
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  • Hari 17

    The Majestic Imperator.

    5 Juni 2017, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Early start today - 8am to catch 8.30 train to Salzburg - not just any train - the Majestic Imperator. It is a replica of the royal train built for the Emperor, Franz Joseph. It is the most amazing train, with each carriage furnished with tables and chairs, but each carriage totally different to the others. We set off from Passau in Germany and the trip to Salzburg took three hours. Tea, coffee and cakes were served on this leg.
    The return trip took us to Linz in Austria where our ship had sailed to during the day. This took two hours and included soft drink, beer, wine and savouries. It also included three singers who went from carriage to carriage singing both opera and sound of music songs.
    J&J
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  • Hari 17

    The hills are alive

    5 Juni 2017, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Had a few hours in Salzburg, which claims Mozart and the von Trapp family amongst others. This is where the Sound of Music film was made. It seems Hollywood took a fair bit of poetic licence with the story - never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn eh?
    Again a bus tour of the sights and recommendations of where to go from our guide. We had to get our own lunch today, so we found a nice little cafe and ate.
    If you like churches, have I got the place for you! Salzburg has 22 catholic and 1 protestant church.
    The town is overlooked by a huge fortress. There is a funicular railway, to its lower level, up the very steep hill. Once there, there's quite a climb up lots of steps to the top part which could hold an army and looks impregnable.
    There is so much history - one street has a wrought iron sign outside each premises. In the days when most people couldn't read and write, these signs depicted what the business was without words. A carpenter might have crossed hammers, a wheelwright a couple of wheels. There are many lovely, narrow arcades and the old graveyard.
    Alongside all this is the new, blending in nicely. The city has many squares, used for market stalls, buskers and street artists.
    A nice way to see the city would be in one of the many pony driven carriages.
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  • Hari 18

    Melk (Aboriginal for slow moving river)

    6 Juni 2017, Austria ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Docked at Melk this morning - home town of our cruise director. Melk is named after its river which runs close to the Danube just here. Two guided tours available today - Melk Abbey or a walk around town with a guide, which is the one we did. The walking groups are about 30 people usually and we each have an earpiece tuned to the guide's mike.
    Another interesting place. We started by getting a ride up to the abbey - just as well as the abbeys always seem to be at the town's highest point. The abbey is huge and although there are still some monks here, it is primarily a school these days. The fees are €90 a month. It is basically a Catholic school, but any faith is welcome. But, all students must attend religious instruction - Catholic or Protestant - even if they are Muslim or Jewish or whatever. All students must also study latin and achieve a pass level.
    Melk is a nice little town, as they've all been. The guide showed us some sites of interest and a bit of history, and then we wandered around ourselves. Then a fifteen minute stroll took us back to our ship in time for lunch - I wish our calves would put on the daily weight increase that I am on this ship.
    After lunch we set sail for Durnstein, 32kms downstream. The ship carries some bicycles and some people cycled along the river and rejoined the ship at Durnstein. This stretch of the river is the Wachau Valley and is spectacular.
    Anyone who wanted to could go ashore here and explore on their own. In the lounge, the chef gave a lesson on making 'the best apple strudel in the world' - Janette went to this.
    At the same time the bridge was available for group (15 people at a time) tours by the captain - John did this.
    Entertainment in the lounge tonight was an Australian singer who lives in Austria - Brett Reid.
    This is certainly the best direction to do this cruise - it just gets better the further you go - and we've still got Vienna, Budapest and Prague to come.
    Tomorrow Vienna. Tomorrow night our classical concert in Vienna.
    J&J
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  • Hari 18

    Coloman - Austria's Irish Saint.

    6 Juni 2017, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    The main street of Melk is a cafe and restaurant strip. In front of them is a statue of a saint - in fact a patron saint of Austria. What's more he was Irish.
    He was a pilgrim on his way to Jerusalem in 1012AD. Unfortunately, he had unwittingly entered a war zone. Strangely dressed and speaking Gaelic, he was assumed to be a spy and was lynched.
    After his death, miracles were said to have started. His hair and nails continued to grow, the dead tree from which he was hanged started to bloom and people who came in contact with his body were healed of their ills.
    The locals began to venerate him as a martyr. He was buried in a nearby church and the miracles continued.
    Today, Coloman is still the patron saint for hanging convicts, passengers and livestock, and is invoked against disease, head and foot problems, plague, storms, fire hazards, and rat and mice infestations. Wow, he's a busy little saint!
    His tomb can be seen in the Abbey church of Melk.
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