Spain, Rhine & Danube

September - October 2019
A 39-day adventure by Spydah
  • 38footprints
  • 7countries
  • 39days
  • 215photos
  • 0videos
  • 36.7kkilometers
  • 6.1kkilometers
  • Day 11

    Quite a place.

    September 21, 2019 in Spain ⋅ 🌧 20 °C

    Feeling rather flat, we woke up at about 8am and headed off to the buffet breakfast an hour or so later. We were still somewhat shell-shocked but eventually took a bit of a wander round.

    The place dates back about a thousand years and the salt mines first created by the Romans are a major feature of the landscape. The building itself is a big tourist attraction with guided tours running almost continuously.

    Late morning we decided to drive the kilometre or so to the local village of Cardona. From a distance it doesn't look so exciting but when we got there it turned out to be quite a pleasant place. We sussed out a couple of potential restaurants for dinner.

    As befits a place like Parador de Cardona it has a very classy restaurant. We decided to indulge ourselves and dine in. Lots of interesting dishes. We shared a cheese platter with all sorts of accompaniments as a starter and both chose the rare and thinly sliced duck breast with assorted fruit flavours for the main. Excellent desserts followed. All this with a bottle of excellent local red. We haven't had a bad wine here in Spain yet. We're living in a manner to which we'id like to become accustomed.
    Read more

  • Day 12

    Laundromat-led tourism.

    September 22, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    Looking at the practicalities of holidaying we needed either to find a laundromat soon or pay ridiculous prices for the hotel to do our washing. According to our valued friend Mr Google the nearest laundromat was some 20km away at a town we'd never heard of called Manresa. We decided to head off, both to save some money and to see the countryside.

    One thing which made us think twice though was the amazingly dense fog we saw when we looked out our window. No way were we willing to drive in that. Fortunately by the time we finished breakfast the fog was gone.

    Retracing part of the road we'd driven in the wee small hours of the morning in an unfamiliar car to reach the hotel was quite scary. Some of the roads are steep and narrow, and there are a couple of hairpin bends which almost require a three point turn to navigate. The scenery which we were seeing in daylight for the first time is quite beautiful.

    We reached Manresa, a historic town which now seems to have a large university, and eventually found a parking spot which Brian could drive into. He is still a long way from mastering parallel parking in a left-hand drive car. We've always found laundromats to be great places to get to know the locals, as invariably one has to seek help to master the peculiarities of the local machines. Laundromat protocol varies greatly from place to place but provided you don't tread on anyone's toes too hard it's possible to strike up some excellent short term friendships, as we did on this occasion. .

    After the hour or so of domestic duties we set off on foot to explore the place. It wasn't the most spectacular town we've ever been to but it certainly offered interesting views and some beautiful old buildings.

    One of its main claims to fame is the Cave of St Ignatius. We trudged up a couple of steep hills to visit it but everything was closed. The aforementioned Saint Ignatius of Loyola headed there in 1522 and spent eleven months meditating in a cave. For the devout, this is a pretty big deal which has put Manresa on the map. At least he had the benefit of a great view from his chosen spot.

    After being spoilt the previous night with our dinner we decided this time to go more downmarket and look for something to eat at the local village of Cardona. Experience had shown us that Spanish people eat quite late with many places not opening up for meals until at least 8 o'clock. We set off just before 8pm for the five minute drive, found a tapas place and ordered our drinks and food. Just before 9 o'clock we tried to order a couple more tapas dishes only to be told by the surly waitress that they were about to close. Sure enough, they and all the other nearby restaurants simply shut up shop. It was a cheap night out for us but we didn't exactly feel that we'd overeaten.
    .
    Read more

  • Day 13

    We do Barcelona Part 1

    September 23, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    Having got the basics out of the way we decided we'd devote the next two days to visiting Barcelona itself. Brian carefully mapped out a plan whereby we'd drive into the city, park at the Estacio de Nord (the northern bus station) then do the tourist thing by buying tickets on one of the hop-on, hop-off double decker buses.
    Talking first about the drive, it can best be described as hair-raising, even if Brian doesn't have a great deal of hair to raise.

    Our hotel was about 75km out of town, and given that about half the trip is on motorways with speed limits between 90 and 120 kph, it's clear that the bits at each end were dead slow. That's something we didn't realise when choosing where to stay. At one end are the narrow country roads and hairpin bends while the Barcelona end is jammed with traffic. Making things scarier, the speed limits are all about 20kph above what we Australians would regard as sensible, and the Spanish view anyway is that the posted speed limit is the absolute minimum at which one should drive. In our 1000km or so of driving we never once saw a police presence on the roads. There are many places where the traffic lanes are way too narrow which adds further to the challenge of driving a left-hand drive car.

    The first part of the trip took us through the centre of Manresa, a place made famous by its laundrette and its misguided saint Ignatius who lived in a cave. We were to follow the road through Manresa a few times on this trip.

    Anyway, back to the more interesting aspects of our holiday. Everything went to plan and we then caught the very efficient Metro from Arc de Triomf to Place de Catalayuns. We bought two-day passes and jumped on the first of our buses. The city is spectacularly beautiful, with so much interesting architecture, statues and promenades to see. So many of the old Spanish buildings have been beautifully restored, then there are the fascinating early 20th century buildings of Gaudi and his contemporaries. Finally, there are many modern buildings which are stunning in their unusual features.

    One of the stops was the famous Sagrada Familia, the famous cathedral designed by Gaudi. The crowds milling round it were HUGE with hundreds of selfies per minute being snapped away. It was hard to get any sort of shot which wasn't like everyone else's and which didn't have lots of vehicles and fellow tourists dominating the foreground. Brian took what shots he could with the mobile phone.. Tickets to the cathedral were well and truly sold out so we never did get to see the interior.

    Speaking of Gaudi, we'd been highly recommended to visit Parc Guell, a futuristic precinct initiated by Gaudi. It was one of the listed stops on the bus route, so we hopped off at the so-named stop. From there, it turned out that we had a 15 minute climb through narrow streets to reach the park entrance. That was fine and we handled it easily. What we weren't expecting when we got there were the very large crowds. Furthermore, as with the cathedral, tickets had sold out for the day. The very helpful information lady at the entrance told us how to get tickets online, warning us that there were plenty of dodgy websites claiming to sell tickets. Unfortunately by the time we got back to base, tickets for the following day were sold out too. Barcelona certainly beckons us to make a return visit, one which is better planned and more leisurely.

    Having done a lot of walking and having seen a great deal we navigated our way back to the car followed by the long drive back. We must have hit the evening rush hour because the traffic in the city was exceptionally slow and challenging.

    Rather than head straight to hotel we diverted into Cardona village where we enjoyed a cheap and cheerful meal. The place didn't have an English language version of the menu, but fortunately our waiter was able to drag the cook out of the kitchen and her English was good enough for us to be able to know what to order. After that it was back to the hotel to draw breath for Day 2.
    Read more

  • Day 14

    We do Barcelona Part 2

    September 24, 2019 in Spain ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    By this time we knew what to do, so once again we hopped into the rental car with all its high-tech features and headed to the parking building we'd used the previous day. This time we were catching buses on the so-called red route which was going on an entirely different circuit of Barcelona.

    Again, it was great to view the beautiful architectural styles, admire the parks and squares as well as view some quite spectacular boulevards.

    The bus route then took us outside the built up areas and into the hills overlooking the city. The public gardens there are really impressive as too are the views over the city. It was hot and we stopped for a cold drink at an outdoor bar which seemed to offer the best views of all. It had been part of the Olympics swimming centre, and what is now a public pool is still there.

    A few hundred metres further on and we came across a museum dedicated to the works of the innovative artist Joan Miro. We were all set to buy entry tickets only to be told that they were free because the day was a public holiday. Not sure of the logic there but we were happy to accept their generosity.

    The building itself is in a beautiful modern style and we thoroughly enjoyed the hour or so that we spent there. We then jumped back on one of the buses and completed the circuit back to the Arc de Triomf where we'd first got on.

    Fortunately, due to the public holiday there was no rush hour traffic to contend with on the way home.

    What about Barcelona? We have mixed feelings. Firstly we realise that it was a tactical error to stay in a hotel so far out of town. It would have been far cheaper, more efficient and less stressful to have stayed at a hotel in the city. We hadn't realised what a long hard drive it was between our magnificent hotel and the main attraction, which was Barcelona itself. Barcelona is a fascinating place and we barely got to scratch the surface. We'd love to have visited Park Guell and Sagrida Familia, not to mention some of the city's famous art galleries and museums.

    There are some negatives. The level of petty crime is out of control, and we were among the many victims of it. It certainly put a dampener on our holiday. The other major negative is that the city is totally overrun with tourists, many of whom are young people who are out to party and have a good time. In some respects the place has turned itself into some kind of a giant theme park. That said, we are keen to return to both Madrid and Barcelona for more leisurely visits when we can get to know both places a lot better.
    Read more

  • Day 15

    On the move again

    September 25, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    A leisurely pack and checkout, and we were off to the airport. We got there with plenty of time to spare so Brian decided this was a good opportunity to look for a replacement camera. While so many people are happy to use their phones for taking holiday snaps Brian isn't. There is insufficient control over the camera settings and, more importantly, it is very hard to see the screen in bright sunlight.

    Barcelona Terminal 1 is huge and very modern, and once we'd passed through all the immigration and security checks we were confronted with a large array of shops selling all sorts of luxury goods. In that regard it was similar to any number of large international airports. Up till now we hadn't spotted any camera stores, but surely this would be the place to get a camera - or so we thought.

    After walking for what seemed like many kilometres in the departures hall all we were able to spot were two smallish shops, both part of the same group, which had a handful of camera models for sale, but were mostly concentrating on other electronic devices. In fact they had a total of five camera models in stock, all of them from Canon. So, without any chance for product or price research we bought a Canon. When we commented to the salesperson that there was such a poor selection of models his comment was that this was the first camera he'd sold there in over a year. Amazing! Unfortunately, as we were flying within the European Union we couldn't even claim the gst.

    The Vuelling flight was uneventful, though typically for a bare-bones airline they even slugged us for a bit of warmish orange juice. On arrival, after lining up with lots of other people in the wet weather for our hotel's courtesy bus it finally arrived, though it required about an hour's wait. (Every other hotel's buses seem to have been and gone a couple of times during our wait).

    The 17 story hotel turned out to be extremely busy, but our room was generously large and very comfortable. It's one of those ultra-trendy ultra-chic places where everything is brilliant except for the lighting which puts important areas such as the wardrobe in almost complete darkness. We had a late night beautiful overpriced ($27) hamburger each, unpacked then hit the sack. At this stage all we'd seen of Amsterdam was rain and darkness, so we were looking forward to exploring the city the next day.
    Read more

  • Day 16

    Amsterdam, Day 2

    September 26, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 15 °C

    We reckon that have just discovered the most unhelpful and incompetent organisation in Australia
    The first hour after breakfast, when we should have been enjoying the sights of Amsterdam consisted instead of Brian bellowing down the phone to the people at Virgin Global Wallet and Virgin Frequent Flyer. This saga had been going on for three days without resolution. It could be the subject of its own blog, but the upshot was that we needed to transfer the funds from Mary's stolen Global Wallet card to Brian's, which was running low. It should be a routine online transaction, but it required the Virgin people to update Mary's mobile number before that could take place. Numerous lengthy phone calls to Australia followed by repeated assurances from the Virgin people that the problem was fixed instead resulted in zero progress.

    Having made as much progress as we could with the useless clowns at Virgin we set out to explore another area of Amsterdam, this time the Museum district. What better place to start than the world-famous Rijkmuseum? It's housed in one of Amsterdam's most spectacular buildings, and that's saying something. We finished up spending quite a few hours there, all of it on the second floor, which is given over to art and other creations of the 17th century.

    Of course this very much includes Rembrandt, many of whose original paintings are housed there. It was interesting to see his most famous work, the Night Watch. It is held within a large glass enclosure, which keeps visitors a good five metres away from it At any one time there would have been several dozen people standing in front of the enclosure, which we took to be a big crowd. However one of the attendants who started chatting with us told us that it was exceptionally quiet that day . She said that at the height of the tourist season the crowds viewing that famous painting were many times bigger than that. We certainly wouldn't have enjoyed it nearly as much under such conditions.

    Something which particularly interested Brian was the large machine positioned in front of the painting, but obscuring only one small part of it. Millimetre by millimetre it is scanning the very large canvas, using Xrays, we think to analyse the paints and pigments . This is all in preparation for some restoration work.

    We spent the next few hours up to the 5pm closing time admiring many of the wonderful works on display in the museum . And that was only one of the three floors of this great institution . Afterwards we wandered around the museum precinct, thinking about all the other museums which we'd really like to see. Top of the list would have to be the Van Gogh museum. That will have to wait until our next visit.
    Read more

  • Day 16

    Initial challenges, before it comes good

    September 26, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 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.
    Read more

  • Day 18

    Welcome aboard

    September 28, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ ⛅ 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.
    Read more

  • Day 19

    Amsterdam to Utrecht and beyond

    September 29, 2019 in the Netherlands ⋅ 🌧 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.
    Read more

  • Day 20

    No eau in Cologne

    September 30, 2019 in Germany ⋅ ⛅ 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.
    Read more