Off to Europe

Got up at 2:00AM for our flight to Charlotte and arrived in plenty of time for our Paris connection.
Off to Europe Part 2

Charlotte was were our trip tuned ugly. Between thunder storms, unavailability of gates and crew issues we were delayed about 4 hours. The good news is that once we got into the air the food, wine,Читать далее
Paris in Three Days

We had a great time in Paris despite some rainy weather. We had pre booked a full day pivate tour of Montmartre (including Sacre Coeur), Marais, Latin Quarter, and St Germain which we had not visitedЧитать далее
Along the canal in France

Today we walked about a mile alongside the canal while the barge cruised by us. We met the barge after it had gone through three locks.
Loire Valley

We are having a decadent journey.
At the airport in Paris

We are at the airport to take our flight to Prague. After a long two hour van trip from the barge we breezed though security, and settled in at the business class lounge.
In Prague

Had a very smooth trip into this beautiful city. The charming old driver that picked us up gave us a mini tour with the history of Prague. What a great start to next next leg of our trip!
The Terezin Ghetto

Very emotional day with a visit to this disquised concentration camp. We had another excellent guide from Tours by Locals. Its horrible to think what these people had to endure while the Nazis fooledЧитать далее
Prague Jewish Quarter

We had a very special tour of 5 Temples, Jewish Cemetery, and the Jewish Museum today. It was veey interesting, emtional, and enjoyable.
Prague Castle

We went on our first AMA tour today. It was a 4 hour mostly walking tour of Prague Castle and Old Town (10K steps and over 4 miles). We had a great guide, terrific listening devices, and were reallyЧитать далее
Famous Prague Pastry

A must eat while in Prague: Trdelniks are strips of dough wrapped around a turning cylinder to cook and rolled in a sugar/cinnamon coating. It can be filled with ice cream, chocolate, or whip cream.Читать далее
The Imperial Cafe

The concierge at the Hilton had to make reservations since they get so booked up. Aftee an appetizer of Goose pate, we had a lunch of Czech specilaities: Duck with cabbage and dumplings andЧитать далее
Regensburg, Germany

A wonderful old German town full of history. This stop on the way to our river boat was a real surprise.
On board AMA Viola

After a long, but comfortable bus trip (Rose slept 3 hours) we arrived on our brand new ship the Ama Viola which was dedicated only two weeks. Our suite is 350 sq ft and had the most storage of anyЧитать далее
Great Dinner and Show

In Passau we had dinner in the specialty restaurant. It was small plates, paired with wine served in an intimate setting. Just wonderful. Also three great classical artists came on board to perform.Читать далее
Linz, Austria

Another interesting walking tour in a town with a dark past: Pre WW2 Linz was the armament capitol of the Nazi war effort and the birthplace of Adolf Hitler.
Salzburg, Austria

In late morning we did a seven hour tour to Salzburg, the birthplace of Mozart, and the place where The Sound of Music originated and was filmed. Unfortunately, we hit some heavy rain and wind. GladЧитать далее
Melk, Wachau Valley & Duernstein Austria

This morning we cruised through the scenic Wachau Valley with it's beautiful hilltop castles. In the afternoon we went on our tour to Durnstein and Melk. In Durnstein we saw the beautiful "BlueЧитать далее
Vienna, Austria

Today we first did a bus tour around Vienna, then a walking tour ending with some free time. While acknowledging some great architecture, we were disappointed in the large amount of modern shoppingЧитать далее
Bratislava, Slovakia

Bratisava was a wonderful old world town. We had a guided walking tour for about 1.5 hours and then free time on our own. There are housing styles with midevil componants, 19th century buildings andЧитать далее
Budapest, Hungary

We had a 4 hour overview tour of Budapest with a visit to Budda Castle, The Great Market Hall, and Heros Square. Tomorrow we move to the Marriott where we will have 3 days of private tours.
Budapest at night

At night we had an "Illuminations" cruise around the city narrated by the Cruise Director. We have seen alot of cities at night and Budapest is at top of our list.
The Budapest Marriott

As always Marriott took care of us. We have a very large room facing the Danube with a view of Buda Palace. The concierge lounge views the entire city with great food and spirits.
Budapest Continued

Today we did a private half day tour to to the History Museum, Parliament, and the National Museum. We had a great guide who is a professor at a local university.
Day Tour Outside Budapest

Today we had a private tour that started with the Skanzen open air museum. We then drove to the charming town of Szentendre. Its mediterranean atmosphere had cobble stone streets with narrow alleysЧитать далее