And the fun continues
5 giugno 2024, Australia ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
We had travelled overnight and by the time we woke up our ship was anchored several hundred metres off Jar Island, so named because an early explorer, believing he was the first non-native person to visit the area found shards from pottery jars littering the beach. (Later it was found that the jars had originated from Indonesian trochus fishermen). The main point of the day was visiting some very early Aboriginal cave paintings, possibly dating back 14000 years. We were warned that it would be hot on the tiny island, which it was, and that some agility would be needed in order to reach the two caves - also true. We’d be away for about an hour and a quarter.
Our Zodiacs duly deposited us on the beautiful sandy beach and both of us were glad to have our walking poles with us to navigate the uneven terrain. The paintings themselves don’t stand out clearly, and it is difficult to do full justice to them in photographs. We were forewarned that access to the second cave, 100m or so away, was even more challenging and that anyone with limited mobility shouldn’t try. Those paintings were from a different era and in a different style. Despite the warning both of us managed to clamber over the boulders and succeeded without injury. On return to the ship everyone realised how hot and dehydrated we had all become. The two of us successfully self-medicated with cool cleansing ales.
After lunch Dannii, one of our knowledgable and competent naturalists, gave us a fascinating hour-long presentation “Kimberley, Land of Extremes.” In it she covered a broad range of topics including the area’s history, climate, geology and wildlife. It was most informative and has certainly whetted our appetites for the days which lie ahead. Later in the afternoon Brian attended a workshop run by the ship’s photographer for the few SLR camera owners on board. It took the form of one on one discussions, which we could all tune in to, about making the most of the camera equipment we had. Brian certainly picked up some very useful pointers.
An unexpected but spectacular highlight took place when we went up to the Observation Lounge to watch a spectacular Kimberley sunset. This was the first evening where we’d had a truly cloudless sky, and it so happened that our ship was heading due west at the time. The lounge is located immediately below the bridge and offers a 270 degree view. It was quite an experience to watch the sunset from that vantage point.Leggi altro
Zodiacs bring good fortune…
4 giugno 2024, Australia ⋅ 🌙 23 °C
…but bad luck for a few others. A very full and educational day began with an all too tempting breakfast. What with the variety and unlimited quantities of food and drink on offer one could easily become an 18 stone alcoholic. Clearly discipline, but not too much, will be required.
The day’s formal activities began with a series of presentations, mainly about staying safe on our forthcoming Zodiac expeditions. It was also a chance for the dozen or so expedition leaders to be introduced.. Most of them are quite young, but all are highly qualified in one or other of the natural sciences.
Late morning Elspeth , the water baby, declared a pool swim to be a necessity, and proved to be one of the only passengers, at least so far, to use the pool. It does look inviting, though it is closer in size to a baby bath than an Olympic pool. For a bit of fun the two of us attended a French pronunciation class presented, somewhat tongue in cheek, by the ship’s tour director.
Later, in the ship’s theatre, we watched a fascinating hour-long documentary “Malice or Mutiny: the Koolama Incident” which was about the eponomously-named ship with 200 passengers on board which was bombed by Japanese Zero fighters just off the Kimberley Coast. It limped to a cove near the King George River where most of those on board struggled to shore. Meanwhile the captain and a few loyal crew members worked hard to repair the damage so that the ship could struggle back to Wyndham, the nearest point of civilisation. Those on shore refused to assist, a form of mutiny. The story of how everyone eventually reached Wyndham, some by a gruelling overland journey, others by the barely seaworthy ship is really interesting.
Having been fully briefed in the morning on all the do’s and don’ts of Zodiac travel we set off at 3pm in a convoy of half a dozen Zodiacs to travel up the King George River to the falls, a 14km round trip. Ancient and spectacular sandstone cliffs line the coast and the river banks from the falls to the river mouth. They really are quite something and are unlike anything we’d seen before. Definitely well worth a visit. The lower reaches of the river are also lined with a proliferation of various mangrove species. We were also able to more fully appreciate the privations which those on board the Koolama must have experienced in that crocodile-infested and dangerous environment.
The falls themselves are spectacular, and that was despite the fact them apparently flowing at nowhere near their peak. Brian was fiddling with his camera, so was the only one of the seven of us on board our Zodiac to miss the sight of a small crocodile surfacing a few metres away just at the base of the falls to swallow a fish.
We then headed back just as the sun was setting to cover the 7km back to our boat, not knowing that one of the other Zodiacs was close to experiencing its own maritime crisis. During the homewards run there was quite a bit of radio traffic between our Zodiac and a couple of the others regarding an apparently missing Zodiac. Eventually they agreed among themselves that it must have reached Le Laperouse already so we carried on with our own trip back.
It was only later in the evening that we learned that the missing Zodiac had indeed been missing and had got itself stuck in the mud. Behind the scenes a rescue operation was taking place to collect those who had been onboard. They arrived back an hour or two late, but apparently still happy and smiling. We later found out that a rescue crew returned at 1am when the tidal waters had risen and successfully retrieved the marooned Zodiac. Chatting later to the unfortunate driver of that Zodiac, the ship’s photographer, he said that the tides in the area are very unpredictable, and he simply got caught out. They downplayed it, but unwelcome visits from the odd passing crocodile was likely to have featured in their thinking.
This was the night of the captain’s gala dinner where we were all asked to dress up in our good clothes. The requested dress code included a suit and tie, with dinner jacket as a suggested option. Brian had reluctantly packed the former. He is proud of the fact that he can still squeeze into his 40-year old dark suit. We were slightly disappointed to see that about 3/4 of the men hadn’t bothered and had chosen to dress casually. Those dress code instructions are probably more appropriate for less casual societies. Very clearly the women had put in far more of an effort than their male counterparts.
The dinner itself was most pleasant and provided a fitting end to an action-packed day.Leggi altro
Dad you can take comfort that it is always classier to be overdressed than underdressed. Looking at that menu, it deserves making an effort to give the evening an elegant vibe. [JK]
An auspicious start
3 giugno 2024, Australia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
A full day in Darwin. The first priority was to catch up on some of the lost beauty sleep,, but we each found ourselves waking up early. Checkout time st the hotel was 10am but check-in time at the cruise terminal wasn’t until 3.30pm What to do? We decided to check out as late as possible then fill in the ensuing 5.5 hours by discovering Darwin. Leaving our bags at the hotel we Ubered to the NT Museum. It was an interesting place, rather eclectic in its choice of topics - dinosaur bones, Cyclone Tracy, WW2 bombing, and a host of other random topics. Interesting in many ways.
Having reached the footsore stage after a couple of hours we then Ubered across town to the other place we’d been recommended, the Darwin waterfront. It’s certainly a very attractive area with lots of parkland and a very good variety of restaurants. To add to the excitement we could see our ship, the Le Laperouse, in the distance, dazzlingly white and most inviting. Uber did very well out of us this day because we then took a return ride to collect our luggage from the hotel and bring it back to the nearby cruise terminal in time for the start of the boarding process with all its paperwork and rigmarole.
Very much to their credit Ponant had responded immediately to Brian’s strong letter of complaint about the experience which both of us independently had had with the airport pickups. They were full of apologies, agreed to pay all out of pocket expenses and have added a 200 euro credit to our shipboard account. We certainly can’t fault them on that score.
First impressions on board were excellent also with everyone smiling and friendly, aided by some excellent French champagne for the boarding passengers. Our cabin isn’t huge but is certainly comfortable and very well laid out and with generous storage space.
Once boarding was completed all passengers were required to attend the mandatory briefing in the ship’s theatre where key crew members were introduced and we were given a rundown of the general rules and how things operate. The ship is beautifully appointed, the staff go out of their way to be friendly and we’re confident that we’re going to have a most enjoyable and relaxing time.
It was shortly after the compulsory lifebelt training session, and we were underway, that the captain announced firstly that the port pilot was about to depart and secondly that the sunset would be visible from the port side. We rushed up on deck and were able to observe the pilot boat pulling away just as the sun was setting behind it.
Fast forward to dinner which we enjoyed in the Nautilus restaurant. Of the two restaurants on board this is the more formal, Certainly the food, the wine and the service were all impeccable, very much up to the standard of a high-class Parisian establishment. We lingered long over dinner, sharing the table with a Port Macquarie couple from our age group - a thoroughly enjoyable evening, Everything points to it being a really memorable holiday.Leggi altro
A wobbly arrival, then goodbye sun
2–3 giu 2024, Australia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Brian: A smooth transfer to Brisbane airport conducted very kindly and punctually by Julie and Helen who were keen to ensure that their aging father didn’t accidentally wrap the luggage tag around his arm instead of the suitcase handle and that he knew which flight to catch.
The flight was smooth and much of the time was spent chatting to the pleasant young engineer sitting alongside me. He and colleagues were heading to an airport base south of Katherine for a few days. We covered many topics, which made the time go quickly.
A hiccup in Darwin however when there was nobody there to meet me and take me to the hotel. Apparently the land transfer company hadn’t been advised of my booking. Having established that I’d be reimbursed by Ponant I hitched a ride with another limo company ($90, and thanks for coming)
The hotel is clean and basic, which is really all we need as a staging point before boarding the ship tomorrow. While writing this I’m awaiting Elspeth’s arrival some time after midnight, having travelled from Waikanae to Wellington by train then to the airport from where she flies to Sydney then boards a Sydney-Darwin flight. Unfortunately it will be a challengingly long day for her.
There are no shops or restaurants close to the hotel, but following a strong recommendation from my personal limo driver and impending millionaire I set off late in the afternoon on the 2km walk to the legendary Mindil Beach Sunday markets. It was hot and humid and this Darwinian body certainly felt the heat from the Darwinian sun. Covering a large area, the place was packed., clearly a major attraction for locals and visitors alike. The main emphasis was on food outlets. There was no lack of laksa stalls, and if you knew sushi like I … (sorry, but I’ve been waiting ages to be able to write that joke). Going against the prevailing trend I bought a Greek snack.
But that was just the start of the excitement. From 6 o’clock onwards crowds started descending on the adjacent beach to observe the sunset. It was like a mass stampede with hordes of people heading towards the water’s edge in time for the daily phenomenon, scheduled on this day for 6.28pm. There would have been many hundreds in the crowd. The sky was clear and I have to admit that the sunset was impressive. But the surprises weren’t entirely over. Just as the last piece of the glowing orb disappeared below the horizon the crowd burst into a loud and vigorous applause. Sun, take a bow! Even the ancient Egyptians, who worshipped the sun god Ra, probably didn’t get this excited. Just imagine the frenzy if ever Darwin experiences a total solar eclipse.
From there it was an Uber ride back to the hotel and a quiet evening while awaiting the arrival in the wee small hours of my old friend and travel companion, Elspeth.
Fortunately Elspeth’s flight was on time. (I followed the aircraft’s progress on the FlightRadar app just to make sure). If only the land transfer company was as reliable, however. The driver managed to drop an elderly female solo traveller at 1am at Argus Apartments rather than the Argus Hotel, the former being quite some distance from the intended destination. Fortunately the considerate night manager at the apartments helped her organise a taxi and I was quite relieved when the two of us were eventually in the same place at the same time and eagerly awaiting the start of the big adventure.Leggi altro
Thankfully your children are more reliable than the Darwin transport providers. Happy cruise day [Helen]
ViaggiatoreNext total solar eclipse not before 2200. I think you'll miss it.
Unamused by the airport transfer efforts of this lot so far. Here’s hoping they take you to the correct cruise ship! Bon voyage. [JK]
Budapest: the last (part) day
18 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Packing up to go home is never much fun, especially when there are a couple of long boring flights to look forward to. Our flight was scheduled for 4pm, and we had a taxi booked for 1pm to get us to the airport. We'd hoped at least for a late checkout, but the best the hotel could give us was 11am rather than the official 10am checkout. Evidently they are fully booked.
We utilised our remaining time as best we could. After breakfast we took the ten minute walk to the beautiful Margaret Island. With calm clear weather and the autumn colours starting to appear it was a great way to remember it. At that time on a weekday morning the place is almost deserted, so we thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing hour or so before we had to head back and face the reality of packing.
We had an anxious few minutes at checkout when the hotel receptionist couldn't find our passports which we had left with them for safe-keeping. She was worried, and we were even more so. Maybe we'd be extending our Budapest stay after all? Eventually she made a phone call to her colleague, the passports were found and order was restored.
To all our friends and family who have been following our blog, thank you for your interest and for your comments. Way back, when we started travelling, we would keep a travel diary. Generally Mary would take the details down in shorthand and then, when we got home, we'd transcribe the notes and print them off so that we had a record of what we had seen and done on our trip.
For the past three major overseas trips we have done travel blogs instead. Primarily it was for our own benefit and for the benefit of our daughters so that they could see how much fun we were having while spending their inheritance. We then found that more and more of our family, friends and acquaintances were also taking an interest in what we were up to,which gave us an added incentive to keep the blogs going and to try and make them interesting.
With the first of our three blogs, we were able to get it printed as a book, which is a great souvenir of that particular trip. We often re-read it and re-live the happy experiences.
Once we get home and do some final editing on the computer we will do the same with this blog.
What of our second blog then , our trip to Hungary, Israel, Jordan and France in 2017? That is a work in progress but will definitely be completed and printed in book form some day soon. As many of our friends know, Brian made a huge mistake with the camera settings before we left for overseas and as a result the many photos from that trip were all taken at a very low resolution, something we discovered only after we'd got back home. That has acted as a big demotivator, but that blog definitely will get completed.
This latest blog has presented its challenges also. Having our backpack stolen in Barcelona was devastating. Not only did we lose nearly all the photos we'd taken up to that time in Spain but we also lost our iPad and keyboard with which we were writing the blog. Fortunately we still had our passports, phone and one functioning credit card. Without them it would have been a total catastrophe. It has meant though that the bulk of this blog has been tapped out laboriously on a mobile phone screen, which isn't all that easy.
Nevertheless, here we are at the end of our blog and the end of our trip.
We made it!Leggi altro
You've been SKIing. Yep, spending the kids inheritance..... I have really enjoyed these blogs Brian and Mary. Until next time. And it is inspiring us to get out and about also. Maybe a river cruise. BW
Budapest: a religious and cultural day
17 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
As already mentioned, we had missed out on seeing the Grand Synagogue on our first attempt because it was closed and wasn't due to reopen until 17 October. This being 17 October therefore, it remained our only opportunity to visit it before we set off for home.
The Grand Synagogue is truly impressive, both from the outside, which we'd seen previously, and the inside. It is one of the major tourist attractions in Budapest and was certainly very busy when we arrived.
They are very well organised, with guided tours in several major languages running every 30 minutes and included in the entry fee. We joined one such tour, with our guide being most informative about the building itself, its associated features and generally about Jewish history in Budapest during the 20th century. Afterwards we were free to wander round and take photos as we pleased. This, the biggest synagogue in Europe and the second biggest in the world, is certainly built on a grand scale and was well worth the effort to visit. Amazingly it survived the Second World War without substantial damage.
However, the place where we spent the most time and which we found the most interesting was the information display about the Budapest ghetto, located in the basement of the building. The display contains a lot of written information and many photographs detailing the horrible circumstances leading up to the creation of the ghetto and the brutal treatment of its inhabitants by the Germans and more particularly by many fellow Hungarian citizens. It was good to see that many tourists were taking the time to visit this display and to study it closely.
After grabbing a quick sandwich we decided to go all Roman Catholic and visit the St Stephen's Basilica. It dominates the skyline in the downtown Buda area and certainly looks very impressive from the square in front. It is the biggest church in Budapest, accommodating up to 8500 people. It is named after the first king of Hungary and one of its main claims to fame is that it holds as a relic the right hand of St Stephen himself. The hand is on prominent display in a reliquary, though unless one were told, it would be hard to work out exactly what the object was that was being displayed. Amazingly this was one place where it was possible to simply walk in without having to buy a ticket.
Our next port of call was the Hungarian Opera House, also nearby. More bad news. Both the auditorium and the exterior are currently undergoing renovation, with a scheduled completion date of 2021. Tours were still being run, but much of the building was off-limits. As a consolation they were offering a free short concert after the tour.
What we saw of the building was indeed impressive, though we were disappointed that we could not get to see the auditorium. Compared with the Palais Garnier, the place seemed quite small, but the explanation for this lies in its history. The Austrian Franz Joseph, granted permission for the opera house to be built, but only on condition that it was not to be bigger than the Vienna Opera House.
The consolation prize concert consisted of three operatic duets given by a soprano and a tenor with piano accompaniment. It ran for about 15 minutes. They performed on the landing of the main staircase while the audience members stood on the upper level and watched or simply sat on the staircase.
This was our last night in Budapest and indeed the very last night of our holiday. We spent it having a very relaxing pleasant meal with Brian's cousin Panni at an outdoor restaurant close to her place. She was having to start work early the next morning so it wasn't a late night.Leggi altro
Budapest: slightly off the beaten track
16 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Each day we became progressively more adventurous. Our guide book told us that there are great views to be had from a lookout on top of one of the Buda hills and that there was a cog railway for much of the climb.
Again, the major challenge was in decoding the excellent public transport system, but we sort of worked it out eventually. A four-stop ride on our nearby tramline delivered us to a major transport terminal then Mr Google directed us on a 15 minute walk through what could best be described as once elegant streets in Buda. No doubt, back in the day when Brian's parents were residents of Budapest the area would have been really classy.
We reached the entrance to the cog railway only to find it closed,and a typed sign stuck to the gate. Thank goodness for Google Translate which informed us that the "machinery will not be moving between 9am and 12 o'clock." That was the bad news. The good news was that were standing near the entrance to a park which we had been walking alongside as we had approached the tram terminal. With just over an hour to kill it was an easy decision for us to spend it wandering around in the park. We had it almost to ourselves. It was so peaceful, and with the many large trees just starting to display their autumn colours it was magic. We spotted a few birds there including an eye-catching goldfinch very close to us.
Then came a bit more bad news and the (multi-lingual) explanation for the three hour closure of the cog tram. As of that very morning the upper 2/3 of the track was closed and it wasn't scheduled to reopen until the end of November.
Nevertheless we jumped on board this very quaint and old-fashioned tram for the 1/3 that we could enjoy. It is as much a commuter tram for the residents of the Buda hills as it is a tourist attraction, though it wasn't very busy for this particular trip,which took about ten minutes. The tram had climbed steeply as it went through a mixture of residential and scenic forested areas.
As we left the tram we saw a rough hand-drawn sign directing us to a bus route 200 metres away. What the sign didn’t show was that it was up a hill which one would describe as very steep even by Wellington standards. We made it then jumped on a bus which took us parallel to the now-closed tram track.
The aim of this particular morning's expedition had been to get to the summit of this Buda hill and to view the city from there.
Apart from ourselves and a poor lost female tourist from Hong Kong, the only other people up at the almost deserted summit were a few bewildered locals who were also disorientated by the partial closure of their tram line.
All that was fine but we still didn't have any sort of a view over the city as it was blocked by trees and buildings. One solitary sign pointed to a lookout but when we went for a wander in that direction all we could see were some large and obviously very expensive mansions. Clearly this is a classy area, but we never did get to see the view from the top.
We retraced our steps via the various means of transport and grabbed a bit of lunch downtown.
The weather by then had turned cooler with light rain but we decided to proceed with our plan to visit Margaret Island in the afternoon. This 2.5km long island, which is in the middle of the Danube, is very close to our hotel. Most of the area is laid out with immaculately maintained parks and gardens. One of the features, which we had discovered on our last visit is a giant fountain which is programmed very cleverly to provide ever-changing lighting and water patterns, some of it in time to recorded music. We could sit there and watch it for hours.
With the weather having closed in most people had disappeared the place was practically empty. We really enjoyed the beauty together with the peace and quiet as we walked the length of the island.
When we're on holiday in Europe some days are outstanding while others are merely excellent. There is really no such thing as a bad day. We may not have achieved everything that we had planned to do but we still achieved a lot. It was still an excellent day.Leggi altro
Budapest: move over, Paris
15 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Both of us love Paris. In fact up to this point Mary has always said that it's her favourite city. But now it has lost that title to Budapest which for her has become number one.
When we had last visited two years ago there was a lot of graffiti to be seen and a lot of litter lying around. Things still weren't perfect this time but we did notice a significant improvement over those two years. The work is continuing with more and more buildings being restored to what they once were.
Budapest is now a major tourist destination, though our impression is that it isn't overrun yet with tourists to the extent that other major European cities are. That in itself makes it more appealing, though there seems little doubt that it too will be discovered by the hordes.
Service standards still fall a little short at times. For example, when we went to pay for our meal the previous night, our embarrassed and apologetic waitress advised us that they didn't accept credit cards. Brian had to sprint to an ATM a couple of hundred metres down the road to acquire some Hungarian forints . As already mentioned, the public transport system is excellent but it is hard for a visitor to find their way around. Cities such as London and Paris do their signage much better. Budapest will catch up.
What Budapest really has going for it are the river scenes and the spectacularly beautiful buildings. Also, for the time being at least, it is comparatively cheap.
Our touring day started with a trip to the Central Markets. They are housed in a historic building on the Pest (ie opposite) side of the river from where we were and a 15 minute tram ride away. We had certainly made very good use of our transport passes during our visit. The markets are huge, spotlessly clean and offer good quality meat, smallgoods, and fruit and vegetables as well as other foods. Raspberries are Brian's weakness and he managed to overinfulge by eating a big punnetful in no time flat. He pronounced them to be excellent.
Many locals seem to shop there and this very large market is also a tourist attraction. We found the upper level, which has clothing for sale as well as a lot of tacky souvenirs, to be less appealing though overall our visit to the market was very interesting.
Directly across the river from there are the historic Gellert Hotel and its famous hot baths. We weren’t dressed (undressed?) for the occasion in that we hadn't thought to bring our togs with us from the hotel. In any case we were more interested in just having a look. As expected the foyer of this hundred year old hotel is beautiful.
Around the corner of the building is the entrance to the famous baths. It too is very stylish. We could only catch a glimpse of the indoor pool and it looked impressive. We weren’t prepared to buy tickets so we decided to move on and visit the nearby Hungarian National History Museum. We spent a couple of hours there looking at items dating from the 11th century to the 16th century and learning more about the history of Hungary, starting with groups of warring tribes. Another whole section of the museum deals with Hungary:s more recent history but we were starting to flag so trotted back to the hotel before heading out later for dinner in the upmarket shopping area of Váci Utca. Another full and satisfying day.Leggi altro
Budapest: the best laid plans etc.
14 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
There are two types of holidaying. There's the type where it's a guided tour and others do every bit of planning and organising for you. Things generally go to plan and the organisers do most of the worrying on your behalf. It has a lot of appeal. The river cruise component of this holiday was certainly like that and it worked really well.
The second type is where you do your own organising. There's more worrying and more setbacks, but so too there is a greater number pleasant surprises.
This day was typical, with its highs and lows. We needed to attend to some domestic arrangements, ie dealing with a half suitcase of dirty washing. Thanks to Mr Google it's dead easy these days to identify the nearest laundromat. This we did, and then headed there by tram and on foot which took us about half an hour. Even with all its artificial intelligence Google can't identify which laundromat is going to have most of its instructions in Hungarian and is going to swallow up $12 worth of your hard-earned without doing anything for you in return.
After retrieving the unwashed items from the stubborn machine and jamming them back into our bag we walked another couple of kilometres to the next nearest laundromat. Fortunately this one was both cooperative and comfortable to wait in, but by the time we got back to our hotel the morning had disappeared. Not what we had planned.
Our plan for the afternoon then was a visit to the Grand Synagogue, one of the main tourist attractions in this fascinating city. Panni had very kindly bought for us a really good guide book of Budapest, and this helped greatly both with our planning and our navigation. By now we were beginning to find our way around a little better and were even becoming more confident on public transport. Having the transport passes makes a big difference. If you make a mistake it's easy enough to jump back on a tram, train or bus which is heading back to where you started, and it doesn't cost you any more.
We got to the synagogue mid-afternoon only to find that it had closed at 2pm and was going to remain closed for the next two days for what the notice said was a religious holiday. We assume this is Sukkot. In theory we should still be able to get there on our very last day, though we expect it to be busier than usual after the holiday.
High on our list was a visit for coffee and cake to the 160 year old famous coffee house of Gerbeaud. It is up there with Maxim's in Paris, Tiffany's in New York and Sacher Hotel in Vienna as one of those really elegant places where one goes, even if it is only to say that one has been.
As expected, it was really enjoyable, even if we were unable to snag one of the few outdoor tables on this perfect autumn day. Mary chose an Esterházy cake to go with her cappuccino while Brian couldn't resist his favourite Hungarian cake, dobos torte, to accompany his espresso. In these elegant surroundings the $A42 bill did not seem excessive.
So far, we have described the bare bones of our afternoon activities but in truth there was much more. In our previous visits we hadn't spent any time in this area of the city so hadn't fully realised how many elegant buildings Budapest contains. Much of our afternoon was spent with Brian taking his time and composing photos which he hopes will do the place justice. It was certainly a a perfect day for photographs. In both daytime and nighttime there are so many sights that you could blindfold someone, give them a camera and get them to take pictures at random. Wherever one turns there are great views, so chances are that blindfolded person would still manage to get some pretty good pictures.Leggi altro
Budapest: "Poets and Cabaret"
13 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Our first day in two weeks where we were having to fend for ourselves, and we decided to ease ourselves gently into it. After breakfast we set off on foot to explore the immediate neighbourhood while picking up a few odds and ends from the shops. Even at 9am on a Sunday the streets were quite busy with both cars and pedestrians. Budapest is a city which never seems to sleep. Public transport runs frequently and almost non-stop. Shops open quite early and close late and the traffic is constant.
We phoned Brian's cousin Panni and arranged to meet her for lunch at 1.30pm, which left us with the morning free. Ever since we reached Budapest the weather had been perfect. Having experienced cold and rainy Amsterdam we'd worried that maybe we had left our trip until too late in the year. Certainly the current weather in Budapest and the forecast for the following few days had laid any doubts to rest. With temperatures in the low 20s,little wind and partly cloudy skies it was perfect for photography and for wandering around. Even though things were still quite busy, we were definitely clear of the peak season crowds.
We had only recently been told about the No.2 tram route which travels from the Pest side of the Margaret Bridge south along the river bank past Parliament Building, the big hotels, Chain Bridge and many other places of interest. With our seven day transport passes it was perfect for what we wanted.
We had the time so we decided to give it a go. The trip is only about 20 minutes from end to end and the trams run every 5-10 minutes, so it was perfect for what we wanted. This was just a trial run for our city exploration but we jumped off midway through the return trip when a particularly impressive building caught our eye. It turned out to be the Vigadó Concert Hall, a beautifully restored art nouveau building. We wandered into the main foyer which was really quite something in terms of its decor. It is up there with the best that we have seen anywhere.
We met Panni at the agreed time and then went looking for a restaurant with an available outdoor table, which wasn't easy because everywhere was packed with diners. Eventually found a table at a restaurant serving only chicken dishes and spent the next three hours chatting away vigorously and catching up with all the family news.
Brian and Panni have a second cousin, András Körner who has lived in the United States for most of his life. András is a retired architect and a very accomplished artist. He happened to be visiting Budapest for the launch of his latest book, his sixth. Panni had been invited and she suggested we join her for the 5pm event. Brian had met András once previously, in 1974 when he visited and his former wife at their home in New York. We have the first of his books, "A Taste of the Past," a thoroughly researched book about life and about food in the early 20th century in a rural Hungarian Jewish community. András had researched the old family recipes and tested each of them by recreating them with modern cooking methods and ingredients. The book contains many detailed pen and ink drawings of the life and times, all done by the author.
His new book, entitled (in Hungarian) "Poets and Cabaret" is exactly about that - the early 20th century cabaret scene in Budapest and the poets and performers involved. It is a substantial book containing hundreds of old photographs, and as with his previous books, it must have involved a lot of detailed research. This particular book is being published only in Hungarian so there was no point in us buying a copy.
The launch was held in a large bookshop in the centre of the city. It has an auditorium upstairs, created presumably for this type of event, and the place was packed with close to 100 people. Things were hectic but Brian managed to chat with András for a couple of minutes. He clearly remembered Brian's visit.
Panni had warned us that the entire event would be in Hungarian, so we more or less knew what to expect. We were still happy to go along for the experience and to meet up with other members of the Körner family who we knew would be there. The event was very well organised though, as expected, it wasn't all that interesting for the two of us when we didn't know what was being said. It ran for about 70 minutes.
We then retraced our steps, said goodbye to Panni, arranged to meet her again for dinner before we go home and headed off for a nice pizza Hungarian style.
Another full and enjoyable day. We now know that there is so much to see and do in this great city that we will have no trouble filling in our time here.Leggi altro
Budapest: Hitting the ground running
12 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
After two full weeks of interesting experiences and of being waited on hand and foot, including unlimited food & drink nobody wanted to leave the ship.
Everything had been so well organised and coordinated during the entire two weeks. Despite there having been some 70 coach trips and 50 tour guides to organise everything had gone like clockwork without a single noticeable hitch.
Our final day was similarly well organised. Some people were going straight to the airport to catch flights at various times to various destinations, some were extending the APT tour by travelling with them by bus to Prague. Then there were others, including us, who needed taxis to hotels in Budapest.
All this got pre-booked several days beforehand and it all happened exactly as scheduled. The only stipulations were that we had to be out of our cabins by 9am and off the ship by 1pm.. Drinks and snack food were available the entire time. There were many fond farewells as people went on their separate ways while promising sincerely to keep in touch.
The weather was absolutely perfect for exploring the city, so even while we were waiting for our midday cab we decided to take a nice relaxing stroll along the river bank. The lighting was perfect for photographing the buildings and other scenery of this stunningly beautiful city. It looked cleaner and brighter than when we had last visited, and there was far less by way of cigarette butts and other rubbish lying around. We managed to get some really good shots with the new camera and without the usual masses of tourists getting in the way, as had been our continuous experience over the previous five weeks.
Our taxi arrived as scheduled and dropped us off at our floating hotel. The receptionist was most apologetic. Our travel agent had booked the first three nights but hadn't requested a room facing the river. We had booked the final three nights ourselves and, knowing how much quieter and more scenic it was to be looking across the river to the famous Hungarian Parliament, we had paid a little bit more for the river view. Due to them being heavily booked she told us apologetically that she couldn't give us a river view for the first half of our stay and that we'd have to change cabins after the third night.
The converted river cruiser, now a hotel, is moored in a prime location. It seemed to us though to be a little more tired and shabby than when we'd stayed there two years previously.
After unpacking we took a wander to reacquaint ourselves with the area . We wandered over the Margaret Bridge to the Pest side and brought ourselves seven day transport passes. Previously, apart from some illegal tram rides we had walked everywhere, but we since found out that the penalties for travelling without a ticket are quite severe. Furthermore we wanted to travel further afield this time so the transport passes made good sense.
Budapest has an excellent public transport system, provided you speak Hungarian and/or know where you are going. For anyone else it is quite challenging. Despite this we did manage to get ourselves to Heroes Square where the zoo, the famous baths, the lake and the gardens are. We wandered round there for quite a while, enjoying the scenery and soaking up the atmosphere of the place. Miraculously we then managed to navigate ourselves back to the hotel via metro, tram and on foot.
After a bit of a rest at the hotel we headed out again and grabbed ourselves a Hungarian meal. Both of us chose the paprika chicken with potato dumplings and a refreshing cucumber salad. Very enjoyable, very filling and really quite cheap.
We then took a nice slow walk back across the Margaret Bridge. The nighttime views from the bridge would have to be among the most stunning of any city in the world. All the bridges, all the major buildings and all of the monuments are tastefully floodlit with subtle orange lights, and the overall effect is stunning.
Now, a word of caution for the wise. If you are ever visiting Hungary then try your very hardest to stay healthy and avoid their ambulance service at all cost. We were about 100m from our hotel when a woman rushed up to us and in broken English asked if we knew the phone number of the ambulance service. She said her partner had fallen down some stairs and was injured. We quickly checked to make sure it wasn't a trick and sure enough there was a man lying on the ground obviously in pain and with some blood coming from his mouth. We rushed to our hotel and asked the duty manager to call an ambulance. Instead of doing so, he insisted on accompanying us back to where the man was lying. This got Brian a bit cross as he seemed to be doubting our word.
The fellow then phoned the ambulance and was talking to them on the phone for ages. It turned out that they needed to know the victim's age, weight and much more, including the nature of the injuries and the circumstances of the accident before they would despatch an ambulance. Even then, it took a good 20 minutes before it finally showed up. We felt very sorry for the two people who were visiting from Italy for just a few days. The night manager explained that he knew what was going to happen and that was why he insisted on attending the scene, so that he could answer all the questions. Peace was restored. By the way, the number to call is 104. Pretty hard to guess correctly.Leggi altro
A very full day in Budapest
11 ottobre 2019, Ungheria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
Our very last day on the cruise and a very packed program. The buses collected us at 8.30am and took us for an orientation tour of the city, which we found useful. We stopped for an hour or so at the Castle District and Fishermans Bastion overlooking the city. On that visit in 2017 we had been highly privileged in that Zsuzsi, Brian's second cousin who is an architectural historian and has published a couple of books on the subject had given us a comprehensive private tour of the area. Nevertheless it was good to be able to see it again. The bus tour also took us round the Heroes Square area which we had explored extensively on foot during our previous visit.
We were taken then to the old Nyugati Railway Station where our next transport was awaiting us. It was the "Grand Empress" steam train. The fully restored steam engine indeed a magnificent beast and it was towing four fully restored old carriages comprising two dining cars, a lounge car and an Orient Express style compartment carriage. It was being run this day exclusively for our tour group.
Once we'd taken our photos and settled into our seats the four course lunch was served on vintage style crockery and with crystal glasses. Talk about being made to feel special. On the return journey the train stopped for 20 minutes for a photo opportunity and for those who wished to to climb into the driver's cabin. The whole train ride was an interesting experience. With the excellent wine and food served while travelling in luxury on a vintage steam train it kind of set the stage for our next visit - to a nearby royal palace.
When we reached the station closest to our next port of call the buses were waiting to take us to the Gödölö Palace where we were given an extensive guided tour. The palace had been a favourite of the much-loved Elisabeth of Bavaria (Empress Sisi) one of the last of the Hapsburgs. She and her family still feature strongly in Hungarian history and our very knowledgeable guide told us a great deal about the life and times of the Hapsburgs in the years leading up to the end of the First World War. As palaces go, it was quite modest, but still opulent by our standards.
After we had toured the palace itself we were taken to the theatre within the palace where a string quartet gave us a most enjoyable concert of light classical pieces.
That night a team of six musicians and dancers treated us to some traditional gypsy music, which was a bit of fun.
All the talk among the passengers was about how much everyone has enjoyed themselves and how nobody was looking forward to having to pack and then vacate their cabins before 9am.Leggi altro
Vienna, day 2
10 ottobre 2019, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C
The Hapsburg family ruled the Austro Hungarian Empire for nearly 650 years, which is one of the longest of any dynasty. It certainly gave them plenty of time to build palaces and other major structures. One of these is the Schönbrunn Palace just outside Vienna which they used as their summer retreat . The best-known inhabitant was Maria Theresa who spent her later years in seclusion there following the death of her husband.
Today it is one of Vienna's major tourist attractions. Crowd numbers are strictly controlled and we were given a precise time slot when we had to be there. Our very informative and chatty guide from the previous day, Wolfgang was our guide this time too. Broadly speaking Schönbrunn is built in the style of Versailles with its palace and gardens though it is on a somewhat smaller scale. The place was one of the busiest we'd been to, though evidently this was nothing compared to what it is like in the height of the season.
Both the palace and the gardens are impressive, and it would have been good to have wandered round for a bit longer but we were on a tight schedule.
On the way back a few of us elected to be dropped off in the city and to find our own way back. By then it was about 1 o'clock and with the ship due to sail at 3.45pm we had no time to do anything too ambitious. In the end the two of us wandered round town for a bit, grabbed some coffee and cake then headed back to the ship via the Metro. The consequences of missing the boat don't bear thinking about and we didn't want to leave anything to chance.Leggi altro
Good morning, Vienna
9 ottobre 2019, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
Shortly after breakfast we headed off, initially by bus, for an introduction to the city of Vienna. Our guide warned us that we'd be madly turning our heads left and right as though we were at a tennis match, and he was right. We took the ring road which basically circles the inner city and were quickly overwhelmed by the sight of the beautifully presented buildings, the statues, the gardens and all the other features that were continuously coming into view on both sides of us.
The bus then dropped us off near the Town Hall and our guide took us for a walking tour of an hour or so where he pointed out many of the key features of the inner city. It was quite overwhelming, being surrounded by so many beautiful things. Rather than take the tour bus back to the ship we decided to explore the inner city for ourselves then take the Metro back to base. We wandered around in a leisurely fashion taking it all in and getting plenty of photos.
Vienna is full of museums and galleries, so our greatest challenge came in deciding which one to visit. In the end we opted for the Albertina, and that was quite something. Much of their display area is given over to the works of Albrecht Dürer. There are something like 140 of his original paintings, sketches and engravings on display. But that's far from everything. Just about every well-known artist is represented there from Renoir to Manet to Klee to Picasso and many others. After a couple of hours at the gallery we were suffering from information overload so decided to head back to the ship.
As we'd been told, the subway was very easy to navigate and we then had an easy ten minute walk back to our ship.
Our first day in Vienna wasn't over yet. After a light dinner we hopped on the buses for what should have been a 20 minute trip to the Lichtenstein Palace for a Viennese concert. Things started badly with the trip taking twice as long as it should have. Evidently there was a street protest taking place and one of the major roads was closed. It was raining and this caused Brian to get into a row with an officious young lady from the Palace. We'd been invited to deposit our brollies in a receptacle just inside the front door, after which we walked up the 64 steps of the grand staircase to the room where they were serving drinks and the room where the concert was to be held. One of the attendants then told Brian that brollies, including our small folding one, weren't allowed and that he'd have to trek down the stairs to leave it at the entrance. A couple of others were caught out similarly. Honour was restored when our guide found us a secret hiding place on the 2nd floor.
What about the event and the venue? The Palace is in the rococo style which means that everything is over the top in terms of ceilings, murals, chandeliers and so on. It has been spectacularly well restored. The concert too was quite enjoyable, including pieces by Johann Strauss, Mozart and Lehar. It ran for about an hour and the orchestra was accompanied at various times by three boy sopranos, a tenor and a female soprano. Towards the end the room was starting to get uncomfortably hot so we were quite pleased that it finished when it did.Leggi altro
On the Melk run
8 ottobre 2019, Austria ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C
Overnight we had left Linz and had arrived in the town of Melk in the Wachau Valley, whose main claim to fame is the baroque styled abbey. Originally it was the residence of the Bamberg family, but since the year 1089 it has been a Benedictine monastery. It is still an administrative centre for the order, and it houses a school with 750 pupils.
The current building was created between 1701 and 1726. It is on a hilltop overlooking the town and is spectacularly beautiful. We were split into two groups and taken round by guides supplied by the abbey. We drew the short straw in that our guide was totally robotic in her delivery and seemed bored by the whole process. Evidently the other group's guide was excellent - the exact opposite.
One wing of the building, formerly the guest quarters, has been set up like a museum, and it was interesting. Of particular interest was the library which was filled with thousands of old books most of them several hundred years old. It is strictly forbidden to take photos inside though from time to time Brian's finger accidentally seemed to brush past the shutter release. Maybe he was so annoyed with the tour guide that he became twitchy.
The interior and exterior are so ornate, unexpected for a monastery. The building's exterior and the views from there are really stunning. We then wandered down from there to the old town. It has been restored and it too is beautiful. Even though we have been seriously over-eating and drinking too much we simply couldn't resist the urge to stop at an outdoor café for a coffee and apple strudel each.
Once we were all back on board we continued down the Wachau Valley and stopped a couple of hours later at the small town of Dürnstein.
It's a quaint town, not too badly overrun by tourists and great for biking. Its main claim to fame is the castle ruins on the hill high above the town. Richard the Lionheart had been imprisoned there at the time of the crusades.
The climb to the ruins practically requires one to have the heart of a lion. It is very steep and rocky, no handrails and it is little more than a dirt track with a few steps cut roughly into the steeper parts. Mary, wisely, decided to remain at ground zero while Brian, less wisely and along with a handful of other intrepid souls, decided to try the climb. It was certainly no walk in the park, but the effort was well worth it. The view from the top, overlooking the town, the Danube and the surrounding vineyards was simply great.
After dinner the on board entertainers put on an evening of ABBA tunes. Mary was in her element and was once again the star of the dance floor.Leggi altro
JK - obviously mum can’t be walking up steep hills - she needs to save her energy for the dance floor :) So pleases you’re having such a wonderful time x
Three border crossings in a day
7 ottobre 2019, Repubblica Ceca ⋅ ⛅ 7 °C
So many choices. Sometimes it is hard to decide which one to go for. Our options were a walking tour of Passau, a full day Salzburg 'Sound of Music' tour or a full day tour to Český Krumlov in the Czech Republic. We chose the last one.
We hadn't had a chance to look at Passau, the port where we were docked, but as our bus was driving out of the town and the morning sun was in just the right position, Brian spotted some stunningly beautiful views of the old buildings. Sadly there was no time to grab the camera in the small time slot before they disappeared from view. These Kodak moments went unrecorded, which was rather a shame. Fortunately, and by way of compensation, we were to get other equally good shots elsewhere as the day progressed.
Český Krumlov is nearly two hours away by bus, and we thoroughly enjoyed the views as we travelled from Germany to Austria to the Czech Republic.
The Bavarian landscape was the prettiest and tidiest by far. It all looked so green and fertile and we went through large forested areas. In true German fashion everything was tidy and orderly. The Czech Republic isn't nearly as rich, and by contrast it was far less tidy, it was less heavily wooded and the buildings in the towns and villages that we passed through generally looked a bit rundown. Our guide pointed out that much of this was a legacy still from the communist era, when there were no environmental considerations.
A few kilometres before our destination we reached a large artificial lake, Sebevrah, which is a major holiday resort area for people from the Czech Republic and neighbouring areas. The lake itself is most attractive, though we were less attracted by the large number of hotels, pensions, guest houses and eating places throughout Evidently it is ridiculously jam-packed at the height of the holiday season. One definitely wouldn't want to be there. Furthermore, all the narrow country roads which lead to the place get totally jammed up.
Reaching Český Krumlow the first thing we saw as we walked from the bus was the spectacular Castle Bridge. It really does stand out. Walking under it and into the town itself it was obvious that we were going to have a great time and would get the chance for some good photos in the fine sunny (but 12 degree) weather.
Our excellent guide took us through the town, pointing out various things of interest, then up the hill to the castle. Český Krumlow has been awarded a UNESCO world heritage listing, and as a result a great deal of international money has been poured into its restoration. The result is a beautifully restored town offering many spectacular views.
Our guide then took us up the hill to the castle, after which we had a few hours of free time. Even though the place wasn't packed, by our standards it was quite busy, with many (mainly Asian) tour groups. It made it that bit harder. But then, something surprising happened. We decided to walk a further 200 metres or so up a steepish path above the castle and we came upon these large and immaculately maintained gardens, with hundreds of metres of perfectly trimmed hedges, beautiful flower gardens and several fountains. The best part of all was that the place was almost deserted. Clearly, very few tourists take the trouble to walk those extra few metres, which was clearly to our benefit.
After taking numerous photos we wandered down to the town, where we decided to have some lunch. After all the food we had been eating over the previous ten days or so neither of us was really hungry but Brian nevertheless was determined to try some genuine local food. We went in to one of the many restaurants. Mary wasn't at all hungry so decided on a plate of chips, done Austrian style - sliced very, very thinly and really crisp. Whenever there is duck on the menu then that’s what Brian orders. The dish he got served was huge. As well as the potato dumplings and red cabbage there was the most beautiful duck breast and leg on the bone. This giant bird had not died in vain. It was the most tender and flavoursome meat which was totally fat-free and so tender that it fell off the bone. By then Brian was absolutely full, but he simply couldn't leave it there. The cherry strudel was to die for.
By then the tourist crowds had thinned, so Brian grabbed the opportunity after our lunch to take a lot more photos.
We were due to rendezvous with our guide outside the Museum of Torture at 4.15pm. As we still had a bit of spare time we decided to visit the aforementioned museum. The displays were done realistically, so much so that we started wondering why anyone, us included, would voluntarily subject ourselves to the torture of thinking about such things while enjoying a dream holiday. We didn't stay there very long.Leggi altro
On yer bike in Regensberg
6 ottobre 2019, Germania ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
We must have made good progress because by the time we woke at 7am we were already moored at the Bavarian city of Regensberg. We hadn't expected to arrive until around 9am. After breakfast we set off on a tour of the old town with a local German (ie non-Scottish) guide. He told us that he was a final year student majoring in politics. Regensberg is a university town and it seems that most of the local tour guides are university students.
The city boasts many beautiful well-kept buildings and our guide told us quite a bit about the history of the place.
It has a magnificent stone bridge which, stupidly, the Germans blew up in the dying days of the war when they were clearly facing defeat. They thought that they would slow the Allied advance, which it didn't. The bridge was subsequently rebuilt. Being Sunday all the shops aside from cafes and restaurants were closed. As it was, this suited us because it meant there were fewer people around to annoy Brian by getting in the way of his photographs. We wandered round the town for a couple of hours and visited the cathedral, which is large even by normal cathedral standards. As seemed to be the case with so many of the cathedrals we'd seen, the exterior was difficult to photograph properly because of all the scaffolding and building materials about the place. Most such buildings seem to be in a permanent state of undergoing restoration.
Our guide had pointed out to us the best place to buy traditional Bavarian food of sausages on a roll with mustard and sauerkraut, and certainly the cooking smells coming from there were almost irresistible. Brian was keen to try some, but there was such a long queue outside the door that he reluctantly gave up.
Even though the weather was dry it was bitterly cold so after about three hours we were quite happy to head back to the warmth of the ship.
Brian, along with two fellow passengers, Carolyn and Juri, had booked bikes for the late afternoon. Mary wasn't terribly keen on the idea of Brian tempting fate yet again, but bike rides round the area had been highly recommended.
The three of them duly set off, with Brian being the oldest, least experienced and by far the wobbliest.
They rode for quite some distance along the banks of the Danube and criss-crossing the various bridges. They discovered extensive parklands and bike tracks surrounding the city as well as a really picturesque lake. In the course of their ride they covered maybe eight to ten kilometres and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Whether the many pedestrians and cyclists who came so close to being run down by an out of control cyclist enjoyed themselves similarly is another matter.
We had booked in that night for dinner at the Chef's Table, the up-market restaurant on the ship. It was a very noisy gathering, though that was largely self-inflicted because we'd arranged to go there with a lively group of people whom we'd dined with there on the previous occasion.
We then headed to the lounge where a very good Bavarian entertainer and his ten year old son put on a lively show with piano accordion, alpine horn and other such musical instruments.Leggi altro
Notorious Nuremberg
5 ottobre 2019, Germania ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C
Nuremberg's recent history is rather notorious, but the good thing is that the city doesn't shy away from its role in the period up to and including World War II.
No leisurely lie-in this particular morning as we were due to head off at 8.15am for a tour of Nuremberg. We had another Scottish - born guide who was very pleasant, knowledgeable and informative. She is at least the third such guide we have encountered - Scottish born, long-term German resident and married with family to a local spouse. Is it a form of Scottish emigration that we were hitherto unaware of? Could it be that the Scots are always able to find better quality partners overseas? At least that's Brian's line and he is sticking to it.
It was about a 15 minute drive to our first stop, the ruins of the giant and infamous Zeppelinfeld parade ground which was the scene of Hitler's Nazi rallies. One has to be there to really appreciate the extent of Hitler's megalomania and the scale of the buildings that he commissioned and his architect Albert Speer designed. To give an idea of size, some 700000 Nazi Party supporters attended the 6th party congress in 1934. Sufficient of the structures, including the grand platform from which Hitler harangued the party faithful, remain. One can get some idea of his megalomania by visiting this and other nearby structures, including an overscale copy of the Roman Colliseum which was never fully completed. Sheer madness.
From there, we drove past the courthouse building where the famous Nazi war trials took place.
We then headed to the other side of Nuremberg where our guide took us for a walk around part of the old city. It is certainly very attractive and boasts the biggest enclosed area of any walled city anywhere.
We were then free to wander round and explore for a couple of hours. Nuremberg has a lot of interesting old buildings as well as some excellent shops. We lost a bit of time while Brian searched out a camera shop where he could get a replacement lens cap for the new camera. Camera shops are few and far between these days so we were very pleased to have found one. We could have happily spent a lot longer in Nuremberg, but unfortunately time was limited as we had to move on. One good thing was that even though it was cold the rain held off for the entire day.
We were leaving the Main river and setting off on the Main-Danube canal which links the North Sea to the Black Sea. It is a major engineering feat, being 171 kilometres long, and has 16 giant locks. Many of the passengers, us included, spent a couple of freezing but fascinating hours on the top deck as the ship manoeuvred its way through some of these locks, which are impressive engineering structures. Three of them each have lifts of 24.7 metres, and most of them are at least 15 metres. They are 12 metres wide,. making it a tricky feat to steer our 11.5 metre long ship in there without hitting the concrete sides. We calculated that the largest of the locks required over 50000 cubic metres of water each time to fill it, equivalent to more than 1000 times the volume of our pool back home. Each lock took over half an hour to navigate. We were very lucky though because we got green lights all the way. If there are other ships either ahead of us or coming towards us then we could get delayed for a long time.
In the afternoon a guest lecturer came on board and gave us an excellent half hour illustrated presentation about the canal and its history, which really put things in perspective.
It seems the original canal dates back to Roman times when, obviously, it would have been dug entirely by hand. Nowadays the locks are all controlled remotely from three control rooms.
Early in the day we were told that we'd be meeting the sister ship to the Amaverde heading in the opposite direction. Then, later, we learned that it wouldn't be happening because the other ship had had to abandon its voyage due to the low water levels in the river system. In other words we were very lucky to have made it through without us having to be offloaded and put on buses.
After dinner we relaxed in the lounge with a couple of drinks while the on-board entertainers played and sang songs from our era. Mary made a name for herself and received many compliments for her enthusiastic singing and dancing.Leggi altro
Destination Bamberg
4 ottobre 2019, Germania ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C
We'd got used to the pattern of sightseeing in the morning and then having free time in the afternoon. This time we had a leisurely morning on board while we continued on to our destination of Bamberg.
We were warned that, unlike all the other places that we had visited, Bamberg's port area is totally unattractive. As we saw when we arrived just after lunch, that was certainly the case. Fortunately we had buses to pick us up and take us to the centre of town.
Bamberg is certainly a very attractive town and we began by walking alongside the river from where we could admire all the old houses along the water's edge on the opposite bank. With good reason the area is known as Little Venice. We then walked quickly through the old town and up the hill to the cathedral. It and the surrounding buildings are quite spectacular, though our guide unfortunately was in a bit of a rush which limited the opportunity for photographs. Opportunities were further limited by the large amount of road and foot traffic in the area and by the fact that many of the buildings were undergoing repairs and restoration work. Nevertheless, what we did see was quite impressive.
Our guide then took us back down the hill to the old town, leaving us to our own devices for a couple of hours. That was fine, except for the fact that round about then it started to rain. This was unfortunate because up until then the weather had at least been dry, though overcast and cold.
Bamberg contains many shops and restaurants, and would have provided many photo opportunities also if the weather had been kinder. We were tempted to try the smoked beer, a local specialty, but as we had been eating and drinking so much on board the ship we decided to give it a miss. At the appointed time we were happy enough to get back on the bus and return to the comfort of our ship. We were certainly pleased to have visited Bamberg, though a little disappointed that the weather had prevented us from getting a lot more out of the visit.Leggi altro
I have been following your trip every day it sounds very enticing. The photos are great too. Marijke
SpydahThanks Marijke. Pleased you're enjoying it. I'm having fun writing it, and it's a good way of keeping friends and family up to date with what we are doing. After we get home I'll do some editing of the photos. We'll then get it printed as a book for us to keep as a memory and souvenir of the holiday.
Another place we enjoyed - just for a day - and stumbled across a choir practicing in the cathedral - free listening for an hour - not sure if it was "the" Bamberg Choir but great. Became intrigued with the smoked beer and pork fat with salt !! Bruce C
The German word for kitsch is kitsch
3 ottobre 2019, Germania ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C
After sailing through the night we arrived at the large town of Würzburg at around 9am. We'd been given a number of choices of activity for the morning, among them a trip to what our information sheet told us was the most famous and perhaps one of the most picturesque villages in all of Germany, Rothenberg ob der Tauber. That was the option we chose. It took us about an hour to get there, which was great as it gave us a good opportunity to see more of the German countryside, which was very scenic. Much of the land was planted out as vineyards, particularly on the steep hillsides, while the flatter areas were growing crops such as sugar beet and winter wheat. This time we had a German guide, an art historian, who spoke excellent English and who was very knowledgeable. As we all know though, Germans don't do humour very well and she shouldn't have tried. Our Scottish guide from the previous day had been way better.
This day was a national holiday celebrating Germany's reunification, so about half the shops in the town were closed, not that that bothered us at all. Despite the closures and the cold dry weather in what should be the tourist off-season the place was quite busy. One wouldn't want to be there at the height of the season.
The mediaeval town dates back to 1274, and it is beautifully preserved. The buildings are interesting to see, though Brian found it quite challenging to take good photos which didn't have tourists or parked cars in the way. We were given a couple of hours to browse through the town, and this was more than adequate. There were plenty of little cafes and bars to choose from, but as we get generously fed and watered on board our ship we had adopted the Nil by Mouth approach while out and about.
What we couldn't get over was how unbelievably kitsch so much of the merchandise in the shop windows was. It gave a somewhat touristy tacky feel to the place even though it is a very nice town in all other respects.
There is a chain of Christmas shops called Käthe Wolfahrt, which occupy prominent positions, at least in every German town we have visited so far. They do overpriced kitsch like nobody else, though they had several competitors in terms of sucking in tourists' euros.
After spending every bit as much time as we'd wanted in Rothenberg we jumped on the buses and headed back.
The real surprise came after lunch when Brian and a couple of fellow passengers decided to borrow bikes and go off to explore Würzburg. Mary declined to join us, having decided some time ago that she and a bicycle are not a good combination.
Brian quickly realised that Würzburg was where we should have spent the whole day. It is a really appealing town with a lot of interesting architectural styles, beautifully restored buildings and wonderful parkland surrounding it all on three sides. It was the first time Brian had ridden a bike since our last overseas holiday two years ago, and he was quite wobbly. This being a public holiday the footpaths were filled with pedestrians none of whom realised how lucky they were not to have been mowed down by an out of control bicycle. Unfortunately we were pressed for time as the ship was due to set sail at 4pm, so it was a bit of a rushed trip . The town offers so many terrific sights and photo opportunities, and Brian would have liked to have lingered a whole lot longer. Nevertheless Mary was quite relieved to see him get back on board still in one piece.Leggi altro
Precision driving
2 ottobre 2019, Germania ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C
We travelled through the night, and from what we could gather, there was a great deal happening while we were sleeping off the effects of our over-indulging. All told our trip takes us through 66 locks, each one requiring some very tight manoevering of our 130 metre long ship.
After breakfast Brian ventured up to the top deck and was chatting with our very friendly captain while he was manoevering us into one of the locks. His aim was to place the ship within a couple of centimetres of the side of the lock, and he demonstrated some real precision tweaking of the controls in order to do it. As he pointed out, a one centimetre movement at the bow can result in ten times that movement at the stern. Once we were correctly positioned within the lock a couple of the crewmen were running around frantically operating winches and securing the ship tightly within the lock. Of course it had to be done in a way which still allowed the ship to rise as water entered the lock. This detailed procedure had to be repeated for every one of those 66 locks. As a further complication there are a few locks, referred to as banana locks, which are slightly curved. Evidently they are even more challenging, and probably explain the occasional thumps that we felt as our ship travelled through the night.
Then there were the low bridges. We got to experience one of them. As we approached it the wheelhouse was lowered hydraulically until its roof was the same level as the upper deck. The captain meanwhile opened a hatch in the ceiling so that he could steer. At the same time we were told very strictly that we had to remain seated while we passed under the bridge, but were reassured by the captain that, provided we followed his instructions, we would be OK. As we got within a few metres of the bridge we became less confident of this and felt as though we were playing chicken with a runaway train. It was a great relief when we did pass under the bridge with no more than 30 cm between the tops of our heads and the underside of the stone bridge.
We spent the morning alternating between admiring the scenery, taking photos and freezing on the top deck then going down to the lounge and thawing out. By lunchtime we had reached Miltenberg a quaint old town with a history going back to Roman times. Our guide there, dressed in traditional lederhosen, introduced himself to us as Jim - hardly a traditional German name. The fact that he spoke with a broad Glaswegian accent added further to the incongruity. It turns out that he met and married a local German girl and was a long term resident of the town. He was very knowledgeable, and that, combined with a typical Scottish sense of humour made our walking tour of the town both pleasant and informative. We found Milternberg to be a well preserved and interesting place. Like so many of the towns visited so far it was moderately busy, but we can imagine that in the height of the tourist season it would be a place best avoided.
Following our excellent dinner on the ship we drifted up to the lounge where the onboard entertainers, a husband and wife team, were just beginning a Tribute to the Beatles performance. Having had a glass or two of the freely flowing wine we happily sang along, as did many others. Then Mary really entered into the spirits of things and had an enjoyable time reliving her days as a mad Beatles fan and dancing to the music.Leggi altro
Having ones cake and eating it too
1 ottobre 2019, Germania ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
We'd been told by the excellent Cheri, our Tour Director, that we'd be getting into the main part of the Rhine gorge overnight and that we'd be in an area of castles from about 4.30am. No castle is worth getting up that early for, but in a heroic act we set the alarm for 6.30am. Looking out the cabin window everything was still pitch black, so whatever we missed, we would have missed anyway.
We headed up to the top deck at about 7.30 and joined a few hardy souls who were already there and madly taking photos. No question, there was plenty to see, with many photogenic little riverside towns, impressive church towers and, yes, quite a number of castles. Our GPS-driven audio guide would tell us what was coming up, which was very helpful. Brian managed to get quite a few (hopefully) good photos. We shall see.
The only slight downside was the weather. There was a cold wind blowing, and even though we were well rugged up it was a bit of an act of endurance. After a couple of hours, having viewed the famous Lorelei, we retreated to the lounge to watch the changing view from there. Every so often, when there was an interesting sounding alert on his audio guide, Brian would head upstairs to get some more pictures..
We were headed for the town of Rudesheim, where we'd been given the choice of two alternative shore activities. We could visit the museum of mechanical musical instruments or we could take a ride in a semi-enclosed gondola to the summit of the hill overlooking Rudesheim.
As the weather was so unpredictable we had opted for the former, even though Brian was cynically expecting it to be little more than a rather kitsch tourist trap. How wrong he was! It was absolutely amazing and we'd love to have spent a lot longer than the allocated 40 minutes there.
The museum has been in the hands of the one family for three generations and they have a true passion for collecting and restoring these ingenious machines. Most of them date back to the early years of last century and many are in good working order. Some of the more elaborate ones are up to 2.5 metres tall by about 2m wide and incorporate various instruments - piano, multiple violins, pipe organ, drums and so on. They contain the most ingenious mechanisms which are governed by perforated paper rolls similar to pianola rolls. The working models were able to play instantly recognisable versions of very well-known musical pieces.
We'd been told that we would have enough time if we so wished to buy our own tickets and take the gondola ride. At that stage the weather had cleared a bit so we strolled the 50 metres or so and bought our tickets. It really is a highly scenic and enjoyable ride to the top. We travelled the whole way above vineyards, the Rhine Valley being famous for its wines. The views on the way up and from the summit are really great. One looks over the very picturesque town and beyond it to the river. There is also a giant memorial at the top, built in 1877 to commemorate Germany's victory in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.
Rudesheim is a beautiful town. While it is undoubtedly busy during the tourist season, we were fortunate enough to be there when it was very quiet. While doubtful at first we were pleased to have enjoyed both of the available tour options and so, to have had our cake and eaten it too.
Having dined in a palace with a real live princess the previous night it would have been too much of a shock for us to go straight back to dining with the hoi polloi in the main restaurant the following night. Fortunately we had a way out of that difficult situation. The ship also has a gourmet restaurant, named Chef's Table , seating up to 24 guests. Anyone can book it at no extra cost, the only stipulation being that one can book it no more than twice on a voyage. We'd already booked it a couple of days previously for 1st October, so that worked out rather well. Our table of nine had some real characters and was rather riotous, particularly after a few glasses of the free-flowing wine had been consumed. As one might expect, the six-course meal was superb.
As we were leaving the restaurant a quiz night was just starting in the main lounge, so we decided to join them. We won, the prize being a box of chocolates which none of us really needed. On the strength of our quiz success and of having got on so well together we made a block booking for the Chef's Table for 6 October. A great day all round.Leggi altro
No eau in Cologne
30 settembre 2019, Germania ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
While we were all tucked up in bed the ship was sailing from Utrecht to Cologne, arriving about the time that we were waking up. The really good news was that for the first time since we'd left Spain the weather was dry.
The ship berthed practically in the centre of the city, so our guide collected us directly from the ship for the leisurely walk through historical Cologne. Its most famous landmark of course is the cathedral, and we headed off in that direction.
To put it bluntly, we were somwhat disappointed by Cologne. It had had to be totally rebuilt after the war, but it wasn't done very well, particularly when compared to other cities which were rebuilt in ways which were far more sympathetic to their history. Certainly there are some attractive old buildings but they are generally surrounded by other buildings which are more modern and totally unattractive. Even the cathedral itself is hemmed in by an ugly museum of Roman history and various other nondescript structures.
True, it is a world heritage listed building with a history going back to the 13th century. It's also huge, being the tallest twin spire cathedral and the third tallest cathedral of any type in the world. However the building looked rather grey and dirty over most of its stone walls, giving the impression that it needed a good pressure clean. In reality it isn't that simple, and there is quite a bit of major restoration work being done continuously to the exterior.
We then went inside, and that was impressive. That's where we could gain an appreciation of the size of the building and admire its many stained glass windows. From there we wandered through the old town square and on to a brewery where we were treated to an "authentic " German experience. There were some light snacks laid out and, as part of the deal, those of us who wanted them were served two glasses of beer. Unlike the famous steins of Munich and elsewhere these glasses were only 200ml. Not much chance of anyone getting drunk. While we were onshore, our ship was sailing from Cologne to Bonn, so we were shepherded onto buses for the 30 minute drive to the ship.
Throughout the trip so far we have been highly impressed by the smooth organisation and by the precision with which everything takes place. Our buses arrived in Bonn exactly as the ship was berthing.
As mentioned, we felt that Cologne wasn't an especially attractive place, particularly when compared with other cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Toledo and Madrid which we have visited recently.
However, the day was to look up considerably. Back on the ship and after lunch the wind dropped and the sun began to shine. Furthermore we were just entering the most interesting stretch of the Rhine, so it was a great opportunity to get out on to the deck and start taking photos of the passing scenery of castles, churches and very attractive small towns.
Dinner this night wasn't on board ship but instead was at a real live castle and hosted by a real live princess. Not that we were too overawed by the latter, since Europe is filled with faded royalty. Nonetheless, the grandly titled Princess Luise Dorothea von Hohenzollern-Namedy turned out to be a very charming lady and she welcomed us all in a long and gracious speech. We then had a free run of the grounds and most of the rooms of Schloss Burg Namedy . To pay for what must be the very expensive upkeep of the castle and grounds it is now run as a reception centre. We had exclusive use of it for a very pleasant dinner in the large reception hall.
The Princess and her late husband's family are great sponsors of classical music and opera, and the evening concluded with a short recital on the grand piano given by an up and coming expatriate Australian pianist Robbin Reza.
After that, it was all aboard the buses for the 15 minute drive back to our ship.Leggi altro
Amsterdam to Utrecht and beyond
29 settembre 2019, Olanda ⋅ 🌧 13 °C
There's no point in trying to put a positive spin on it. The weather when we woke up was absolutely foul, with heavy rain and strong winds. It was far from ideal for sightseeing, but it was a matter of taking whatever opportunity one can to see whatever sights one can.
We had the choice of either going on an Amsterdam canal cruise on an enclosed glass-topped boat or of visiting a touristy Dutch village. We chose the former. It was a great way to see this interesting and beautiful city, even though what we mainly got were tantalising glimpses of highly photogenic scenes. After the hour long boat trip we were dropped off in the museum district and told that we had an hour of free time before we'd be picked up and taken back to the Amaverde. We'd like to have visited the Van Gogh museum but our guide told us that tickets are hard to come by at short notice and that they're available always only for specific time slots. Besides, we decided that a one hour time slot really wasn't enough for a visit to that or any other museum. Instead, we headed back to the Rijkmuseum and spent the time in the gift shop and foyer area.
During the Spanish leg of our trip we got into the habit of having a large buffet breakfast and then skipping lunch. Generally we'd then have a nice big dinner. With so much food and wine on our boat one would require far more self-discipline than we have in order to stick to such a routine. However, we did stick to having salad and fruit for lunch. At least that was the case until we discovered the raspberry ice cream dessert...
APT are evaluating a new system whereby every cabin gets issued with a mobile phone which is pre-loaded with their software. Aside from the phones having GPS and touring guides they also offer unlimited messaging and phone calls to anywhere in the world. Were it not for the fact that we had already bought a European SIM card for use throughout Europe we would have found this to be an excellent arrangement. In the afternoon there was a briefing and help session given by the company supplying the special phones. We chose to attend, though Brian couldn't help himself. With his Brisbane Seniors Online hat on, he found himself helping several of our fellow passengers. The system is excellent, but given the age demographic, it may prove too challenging for many people.
The rest of the afternoon was free, after which we attended the Captain's Welcome Cocktail and Gala Dinner. Given that there were 140 passengers on board it was a bit of a ritualised occasion. We joined a couple for dinner who are former dairy farmers from Canterbury, now living in Christchurch. They were good company and we spent a very pleasant evening.Leggi altro
Welcome aboard
28 settembre 2019, Olanda ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C
A pleasant buffet breakfast and Brian was once again doing battle with the incompetents at Virgin Global Wallet. After them insisting that they couldn't do anything to help us until we had sent them proof by means of a screen shot from our phone proving that another part of their own organisation had done what was asked of them by updating Mary's mobile number in their own system, they finally demonstrated that their stupidity knows no bounds. We received an email telling us that the mobile number we had nominated as belonging to Mary and the number shown in the requested screen shot were different. The difference? One of them showed the +61 international dialling code while the other one didn't. So, email number 20 or thereabouts, pointing out their stupidity was duly sent. Surely that lot exists in some sort of Kafkaesque world.
Anyway, we duly checked out late morning and Ubered to the Amaverde, our mobile home for the next 15 days. Quite a few fellow travellers had arrived already, all of them Aussies or Kiwis, and we too were welcomed aboard. Ample sandwiches, cakes and drinks were available, and we were happy to make ourselves at home out of the wet weather in the large and comfortable lounge. At the 3pm check-in time we were shown to our cabin, where our luggage was waiting for us.
The cabin and bathroom proved to be surprisingly large with plenty of storage space. Heading back upstairs to the lounge we all received a detailed briefing about what was happening and what in turn was required of us.
One thing became apparent early on. With unlimited quantities of drinks and excellent food it would be easy to turn into a 120kg alcoholic very quickly. Dinner and drinks were excellent.
The tour leader had suggested that if anyone wanted to go for a wander, the Red Light district was only a few hundred metres away and was well worth a visit. We had seen it in broad daylight hours a couple of days previously, but thought it would be worth a look after dark. As we were passing the reception desk we overheard a fellow passenger, Caroline, asking for directions, so the three of us decided to join forces to explore the Red Light district.
It was a pleasant leisurely walk of about a kilometre to get there, and what a surprise when we arrived . It was so different from our previous daytime visit. For a start, the streets of the area were jam-packed with pedestrians., and clearly not all of them were looking for girls. There were so many restaurants of all styles, and all of them seemed to be doing a roaring trade.
Then, of course, there were the girls. There were dozens of them to be seen, but rather than standing in shop doorways each of the very scantily clad girls was standing inside what was almost like their own individual shop window. The moment a client opened the door and walked inside a blind would immediately be pulled down, and the rest was up to ones imagination.
Brian was carrying his camera on a strap round his neck, and the instant he looked like picking it up to get a photo there would be loud vigorous banging on the glass window and wild gesturing from whatever girl was the likely photographic subject. Fearing either a riot or a beating Brian had to abandon any notion of photographing the girls.
It was an interesting visit. Unlike Sydney's Kings Cross it wasn't at all seedy, and there wasn't the yobbo element that one might expect to find in Australia. We got back to the boat at around 11pm having had another full and interesting day.Leggi altro
I don’t blame them for freaking out when you tried to take a photo. Why my father wants a picture of some semi clad woman in a shop window, I’d rather not think about. Sounds like your boat and the service is fantastic. Enjoy! Relax!! Looking forward to the next update. HK xx
Initial challenges, before it comes good
26 settembre 2019, Olanda ⋅ 🌧 16 °C
After we'd had breakfast and got ourselves organised we decided to head downtown to explore Amsterdam . The no. 13 tram stop was just a couple of hundred metres from the hotel, and from there it was an easy 20 minute run to the centre of town.
The weather was lousy, with rain and Intermittent heavy showers. The wind was blowing strongly enough to turn our brollies inside out, and destroy Brian's, so it wasn't all that pleasant. Nevertheless we could see so many interesting views of canals and historic buildings and Brian was determined to try and get some good shots with the brand new camera.
This camera has so many features and menu settings that il requires a lot of time, which we didn't have, to become familiar with them all. So there we were, all rugged up against the wind and rain, wrestling with brollies and trying to use an unfamiliar camera while trying to keep it from getting wet. That was certainly a low point and the closest, so far at least, to Brian having a dummy spit. Fortunately Mary was there to help calm him down.
Things actually started looking up from then on, with the showers becoming less frequent. Also, Brian found that he was able to get a few half decent camera shots.
For a while we just wandered, enjoying the views, but then headed for the old Jewish district, which is part of the Old Town. As the rain was still hanging round we decided we'd concentrate at least initially on visiting the insides of buildings and avoiding the worst of the weather. The Portuguese Synagogue was quite interesting, evidently one of the biggest synagogues in Europe. Our entry tickets also entitled us to visit the Jewish Museum and that was really great , with the displays and exhibits beautifully set up. We spent quite a bit of time there, by which stage the weather had improved marginally.
We then headed headed towards the red light district, nowadays more of a tourist attraction than anything else. There was still plenty of interesting and unusual merchandise on offer from many of the shops but nothing that would appeal greatly to a couple who have been married for 52 years. Still we did thoroughly enjoy our introduction to Amsterdam.
It is a very picturesque city and pedestrian friendly, more or less. That qualification refers to the fact that, while there are plenty of pedestrian crossings and pedestrian traffic lights, they are completely ignored by the huge number of bike riders who clearly take the view that they have priority over everyone else. Quite a few times we found ourselves having to leap out of their way or get run down. .
One of the very pleasant features of Amsterdam is the friendliness and helpfulness of the locals. You only have to be looking slightly puzzled or be staring at a map and almost immediately someone will be asking if you'd like some help. On crowded trams, younger people would immediately leap to their feet to offer us a seat and were most insistant that we accept their offer.
By late afternoon we were pretty exhausted, so headed back to the hotel for a refresh before dinner.
Rather than eat at the hotel we then headed back on the tram towards town and stumbled across a really great, friendly and authentic Italian restaurant. The day had started out a bit shakily but got significantly better as it progressed. Amsterdam is an easy city to like.Leggi altro
Glad that you managed to buy a camera and canon is a good brand. You certainly are busy looking at architecture and galleries and will be pleased to relax on the boat. Carol and allan
Pleased to hear that you lashed out and bought yourself a new camera. Despite the lack of choices, I am sure you'll be pleased with your purchase. Dad having a dummy spit?? That's not like you. Despite the rain, Amsterdam looks like a great city. I will try not to think about my parents cruising the streets of the red light district haha Nice to hear that the people are helpful and not trying to steal from you. We do quite a lot of business there and I have always found the hotel staff to be very friendly. Looking forward to hearing about your next big adventure.....the river cruise :) xx H
Sorry to hear about having your bag and electronix flogged folks - but truly puzzled (as was the camera shop guy) as to why you need a fancy camera with "settings" ! I understand the desire to have a separate camera and do not understand how folks can be satisfied by a cellphone camera - but complex?? Nah - I have had a succession of mini-cameras and the current Panasonic Lumix is superb small and dust proof and powerful. Bruce C. Oamaru
Ottieni il tuo profilo di viaggio
Gratis
Sounds like an interesting yet physically challenging day. Stay hydrated! Camera workshop - what a great idea, glad they could teach the old dog some new tricks. Happy travels [Helen]
SpydahThanks. Yes, many new tricks XX
You must be learning lots about cave paintings and photography [Carol]
SpydahI’m certainly trying to, Carol