Viking River Cruise along the Danube, Main, & Rhine
August-September, 2023
This first Viking river cruise was a beautiful and memorable experience. My friend, Eloise, and I saw architectural history, learned about each cities human developments, and the maintained beauty of each location. We'll always remember there is a wider world beyond our local home. It was a wonderful tour and as always, it's great to return home. 'There's no place like home!'
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In Pest we saw the Hungarian State Opera House and Heroes’ Square, a wide-open plaza of monuments and statues. Across the river, in Buda we visited the Castle District the turreted Fisherman’s Bastion and Matthias Church. The day turned out to be very rainy. It turned out to be the only rainy day of our trip. The following pictures are of Budapest sights. Click on each one for a full view. |
We learned our river cruise would encounter 67 locks. These were interesting but time consuming. I believe we went through most of those at night.
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Our next stop was Vienna, Austria. We heard The Vienna Residence Orchestra along with costumed singers and dancers. We enjoyed the beautiful strains of Strauss waltzes and selections from Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
The next day we toured the Hofburg Palace, the winter home that reflected the grandeur of the Hapsburg Empire. It is also the home of the Spanish Riding School with the Lipizzaner horses. |
Next, we were awed by great Gothic St. Stephen’s Cathedral.
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I thought this tour guide provided an easy to understand description of the different architectural styles. Next we visited the Hapsburg summer palace, Schonbrunn Castle. In 1775, Empress Maria Theresa, the only female ruler of the Hapsburgs, added the grand neoclassical Gloriette colonnade. We toured the imperial apartments and grandly furnished rooms where Maria Theresa resided. We learned about her extraordinary reign, which featured many military campaigns and domestic reforms in medicine, education and civil rights |
The next day we toured the renowned Melk Abbey in Melk, Austria, a masterwork of baroque brilliance. Perched on dramatic cliffs high above the Danube, the interior of the abbey’s church is a kaleidoscope of red, orange and gold, with a magnificent carved pulpit and colorful ceiling frescoes. The abbey is now home to a museum chronicling the abbey’s history from its inception to modern times.
In Passau, Germany, three European rivers converge to shape a distinctive city. We toured the Bishops’ Residenz from which powerful prince-bishops ruled secular and religious life for hundreds of years. Then we continued past the 14th-century Rathaus, or Town Hall, built on the site of a former fish market on the Danube. We then concluded our walk at the magnificent 17th-century St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The following pics are of the Bishops’ Residenz.
Also, we did stop to drool over the sweets display in one of the many bakeries.
Also, we did stop to drool over the sweets display in one of the many bakeries.
The next day we visited Regensburg, Germany. It’s a true medieval city untouched by World War II bombing and rich in architectural splendor. Regensburg is one of Germany’s best-preserved cities and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We saw the Roman city walls erected by Marcus Aurelius upon its founding. We saw the Old Town Hall and the 12th-century Old Stone Bridge, a 16-arch marvel of medieval engineering that still carries traffic today. The church pics are of St. Peter's Cathedral.
We learned about the Nuremberg, Germany complex past. This medieval city is still surrounded by 14th-century walls, with many gates and eighty watchtowers that are fully intact. We saw the grounds on which Nazi rallies were staged and past the Palace of Justice, and the Imperial Palace. Nurenberg is one of Europe’s most formidable fortresses.
In the middle ages Bamberg, Germqany was considered the ‘German Rome’. It is currently known for its dark ale or ‘smoke beer’. We didn’t try it as it was described as drinking bacon. We did visit the magnificent 11th-century cathedral with its four imposing towers. The church was rebuilt in late Romanesque and early Gothic style in the 13th century. This is where both Emperor Henry II and Pope Clement II are buried. We saw the picturesque Rathaus, or Town Hall, built in the middle of a double-arched bridge over the Regnitz River. From here, you can see fishermen’s cottages on the nearby riverbanks.
On our next tour we saw Würzburg’s Bishops’ Residenz, one of Germany’s largest and most ornate palaces and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We admired the overhead ceiling with its stunning, 6,400-square-foot “Four Continents” fresco painted by Venetian artist Giovanni Tiepolo. Incredibly, the entire complex was meticulously reconstructed after suffering extensive damage from World War II bombing. We then went on a walking tour to see the stunning Romanesque Cathedral, the Neumünster church, the market square and Town Hall, and the oldest wine bar in town.
Next we explored Wertheim, Germany, a tiny town that has played a strategic role at the confluence of the Main and Tauber Rivers. The Pointed Tower, round at the bottom and octagonal at the top over its 800 years, it has tilted to one side. We walked among beautifully restored half-timbered houses built in Franconian style. One house removal shows the construction method of ancient times. The dog sculpture is known locally as the 'Mona Lisa of Wertheim'. We stopped by a glassblowing shop to admire the intricate works. This was one of my downfall weak spots. I did more than look.
One evening after arriving in Germany, the ship planned a German party. Our ship managers and crew dressed in German garb and provided entertainment. Somehow, our hosts visited every dinner table to conduct a typical alcohol shot toast. (They were still standing after visiting every table.) Later we had game competitions. Teams were formed and the winners received prizes. Our team name was 'Viking Virgins'. I don't know why people laughed at that. None of us six women had ever been on a Viking river cruise before!
While sailing along the Main River to the Middle Rhine, we enjoyed the views of medieval castles, ancient towns and verdant vineyards and the on ship narrative about the sights we were seeing. We had foldouts that also helped with the descriptions of each castle.
We explored the small villages and steep hillsides of Koblenz, Germany that produce some of the finest Rieslings in the world. ‘Riesling’ is the word that is music to Eloise and my ears. Along the Moselle’s shores, lovely riverside villages are home to half-timbered houses and to wineries that produce the sweet white wines for which this region is known. Our excursion took us to a local winery for a tour and wine tasting. One sample was perfect for my palate.
In Old Cologne, Germany, we saw the elegant silhouette of St. Martin’s church and stopped to view Cologne’s magnificent Gothic cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Construction of this towering structure began in 1248 and continued in several stages over the next seven centuries. The largest Gothic cathedral in Northern Europe, this magnificent church boasts two soaring spires and beautiful stained-glass windows, and largely escaped the damage that ravaged the city and the rest of Germany during World War II.
Still in Cologne, my tour group went to Falkenlust hunting lodge. It was hardly a lodge. Just beautiful.
Then I went on a tour of the Bruhl Palace to peer into the life of royalty at an estate built for the prince-archbishops of Cologne, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Augustusburg Castle sits at the center of beautifully landscaped grounds, a vast and splendid example of Germany’s early rococo architecture. I admired the grand staircase and some of its many extravagantly decorated rooms and chambers. It must have been high wedding season as many brides and grooms were there with their photographers. (I was surprised to see all dresses in Cinderella style!)
Our last excursion was in Kinderdijk, the Netherlands via boat tour to visit the oldest Kinderdijk windmill. We boarded the Jantina, a 125-year-old restored cargo vessel, adapted to carry passengers to the Blokker Windmill, which dates back to 1630. Our guide explained the history of water management in the region and the vital role of the magnificent mills in this endeavor.
This was a wonderful and memorable vacation. We saw so much beauty and history. The Viking ship and crew were as accommodating as I had heard they would be before booking this trip. I'm thankful for the opportunity to see more of our world. I also appreciate the comforts and wonders of our nation and hope to see more of it soon.