Jo’s Quantum Cafe

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
This turned out to be our longest vacation ever and one of the very best.

Before starting this trip, Richard purchased several books from the Eyewitness Travel series on the places we would be - Amsterdam, Budapest, Germany, and Vienna. These have been invaluable in both highlights of things to see, history of each place, photos, etc. An excellent resource and well worth the purchase.

Wednesday May 7
We arrived in Amsterdam around 7AM. Vantage was there to meet us as we came off the plane and through customs. Vantage loaded us into a cab that took us to the Hotel Sofitel. Fortunately, although it was still very early in the morning, they had a room ready for us. We wound up in what turned out to be a small suite with a king bed and a desk area. Our guide, Tineke (Teenika) met us in the lobby and briefed us a bit. One of the optional tours we wanted, the Jewish Heritage tour, had been canceled, so we went on our own. After we ate breakfast next door to the hotel, we went to see Anne Frank’s huis.

For breakfast, Richard had an apple turnover and I had two eggs, eyes open, on toast with tomato, cheese and cuke. Very good, even if the yolks were orange instead of yellow. This turned out to be our only meal until dinner.

The Frank house required climbing steep steps. The only photos they allowed to be taken were outside the building. The front was under scaffolding. Entrance was by way of a building next door, not through the original entrance to the huis.

The inside was barren of furniture, at the request of Otto Frank, left the way it was found after WWII. But there were models on the 3rd floor that showed what the huis (house) looked like when the Franks lived there. And there was a museum as part of the entrance fee.

Backpacks had to be checked. I carried a small backpack as a pocketbook. I was allowed to carry this with me, but it had to be worn in front, not on my back. My camera was also permitted inside and stayed in its bag.

After the house, we returned to the hotel for an hour nap. It was good that we went early to the Frank house. The lines get very long later in the morning and on through the day.

Upon waking, we walked the area a bit and then returned to the hotel for the scheduled 5PM meeting in the bar. Here we met Marvin and Ellen Stempel. They would become traveling companions throughout much of the trip. They had wanted to do the Jewish Heritage tour as well so tomorrow while we take the canal cruise, they will tour the Anne Frank huis. Then we will meet them at the hotel, have lunch together, and tour the Portuguese Synagogue.

Thursday May 8
This morning we had a delightful canal cruise, reminiscent of our trip to Norway. Our local guide, Lissa (Leesa), pointed out the various styles of gables and the second smallest house in Amsterdam. The Dam (pronounced Dom) Square is where the palace is located. She told us that although Amsterdam is the capital of Holland, the government seat is located in Den Haag outside the city.

We stopped at the Rijksmuseum, after the canal trip, where Rembrandt and other Dutch artists are housed (their paintings, that is). Harry was our guide, the same man who had picked us up at the airport. He took us around to several paintings, pointing out differences in the techniques of the artists and what made Rembrandt (his first name) so special (The Night Watch). This painting had Rembrandt’s signature. The Milk Maid was also one of the paintings we saw.

The museum wasn’t air conditioned or, if it was, it couldn’t handle the number of people, and it was warm inside. When the tour left to visit a diamond cutting store, Richard and I elected to stay and see the doll house collection, then wander to a bar across the street for a Pepsi and a sit in the shade where it was cooler.

We met the Stempels back at the hotel and proceeded to Dam (Dahm) Square for lunch in a department store. Sounds weird, but this was an excellent buffet with several stations to choose from and the food. Richard chose a roast beef sandwich and I had chicken noodle soup and a vegetable salad, no dressing. Since all the veggies were marinated, the salad was flavorful enough without dressing.

After lunch, we took the tram back toward Rijksmuseum. The Portuguese Synagogue, which dated from 1640, was located in the same general vicinity. I really wanted to see this but didn’t realize that the Stempels had already visited the Synagogue on a previous trip.

Remembering the beautiful churches that we had visited (even the simple stave churches of Norway), I found this Synagogue to be a disappointment. It was very large, but also very musty and almost completely devoid of decoration (the exception being the chandeliers). It was built by Sephardic Jews, from Portugal.

The pulpit where the rabbi stood was at the opposite end from the Arc. Also, as this was an orthodox synagogue, the women sat apart from the men. They sat on the outside walls, facing the backs of the men. The wooden benches had storage compartments for the tallis (shawl) and prayer books. The ceiling was at least 40 feet high and of planked wood, similar in style to Viking ships.

Dinner with the Stempels was at Lucius, a recommended fish restaurant. I didn’t care for this one.

Friday, May 9
Richard and I spent today with a Dutch family. Simone had contacted me through my website and we struck up a correspondence. This was the first time I was meeting her. She and her father, Arnold, picked us up in front of the hotel and first thing off, drove us to Keukenhof (Kokenof).

Keukenhof is a world-renowned tulip garden. Although it was almost the end of the season (the park is only open 6 weeks a year), and they were already pulling the flower heads off the plants, there was still plenty to see. The attack of color on the senses was almost overwhelming. Even more spectacular were the orchid and lily houses. I’ve never seen so many varieties or colors. This garden is an absolute must for anyone traveling to Amsterdam in April and May.

Simone packed drinks and sandwiches for us, so we ate well through the day.

After Keukenhof, Arnold drove us to Zaanse Schans. We toured the village and saw a demonstration of wooden shoe making (a machine that could make a shoe in 5 minutes). On display were various types of wooden shoes from field shoes to fancy ones.

We learned the wood for the shoes was first soaked in water until it became very soft and workable. Without a hole in the newly formed shoe, the demonstrator blew into it and water came out.

We also visited a cheese store in Zaanse Schans that displayed wheels of cheese, but they weren’t making any cheese at that time.

In Zaanse Schans, Simone, Richard and I toured a working windmill. We climbed steep ladders through the guts of the building to an outside porch about half way up. This landing circled the building from blade to blade and afforded a wonderful scenic view of the entire area. Arnold was still recovering from meniscus knee surgery so he couldn’t make the climb with us.

From Zaanse Schans, Simone and her dad took us to Simone’s house. Arnold left us. We spent a few minutes feeding Simone’s cats and I fed her coy fish by hand. The largest coy in her pond was Dikidik. He allowed me to pet him. Simone showed me the framed autograph from Scott Bakula that I had gotten for her. Then we piled into the car again and drove to Volendam on the east coast. Volendam was a bit touristy, but it was also a quaint fishing village with old wooden ships and a beach in addition to the restaurants, drinking places, and tourist shops.

After Volendam, our next stop was Brock in Waterfront where we met Simone’s sister, Saskia. We had dinner in a pancake house. Dutch pancakes were more like pizza’s in shape, size and toppings, but without any tomato. We ordered three pancakes and shared from each. Richard and I ordered an Hawaiian pancake - ham, cheese and pineapple. It was really tasty and my favorite of the three.

Saskia is a delight. She gave me her email and skype address and we are staying in touch. This was a wonderful day and it was a joy meeting Simone and her family.

One other restaurant that we ate in on the 8th was Hacsje Claes at Spuistraat 275. This was an authentic Dutch cuisine restaurant in Amsterdam and my favorite. Richard and I shared chicken Maderia.

Saturday, May 10
Today we got up late, ate our buffet breakfast at the hotel and packed. I wrote in my journal while Richard went looking for an ATM machine that would handle VISA. We put the bags out at 11:45AM, then together walked to Dam Square where we found the Chinese holding a rally to drum up support for the Olympics in Beijing in August. Very political. We also went inside the church where the Royalty is coronated.

The taxi picked us up early. David, one of the guides going on the cruise with us (there were 4), wasn’t with the taxi driver, so it took us a minute to figure out we were supposed to go with this cab. We were on the ship by 1:30PM and had plenty of time to explore before the “crowd” came on board. We have a nice room. Plenty of storage and sliding glass doors that can be opened for fresh air. Suitcases go under the bed, but everything from the suitcases fit into the drawers and cabinets.

Our cousins, Don and Kathy Fox, joined us. They arrived in Amsterdam and went straight to the ship. They were now in recovery mode, having gone straight from the airport to the ship, while we were rested and ready to go.

The Stempels joined us at dinner. We went through a lock that took us up 32 feet to sea level. Much of Holland is below sea level, which is why the country had a system of windmills in place for so many years. This lock worked by a counter weight system. After dinner, we watched the sun set before it got too chilly on deck. When we retired for the night, I slept very well but Richard kept losing his covers. Tomorrow night I will tuck them in for him. Since our sleeping arrangement is two beds pushed together, we each have our own set of blankets. Sweet. I am nice and toasty under my blankie.

Sunday, May 11
We crossed from Holland into Germany today, and our first stop was in Köln (Cologne). This is where the perfume of the same name was invented. Of all the places we visited, Cologne was, for me, where I felt most ill-at-ease. The city was celebrating a soccer tournament that they won. People were crowded into biergartens and spilling onto the streets. Lots of celebrating. Cologne is also where two men stopped me to tell me my back pack was unzipped and to be careful because pickpockets were known to be a problem. They suggested I wear my bag in front of me. Nothing was taken, but it was an unnerving moment.
Cologne is also a Goth area - lots of folks in black. It was one of the largest cities we visited - the biggest of the Rhineland. Cologne’s most noted landmark was the cathedral, started in 1248. The city was named for Claudia, and the Romans were a strong influence on Cologne. The full city name was Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinesis. The Dom, although started in 1248, was not completed to its current configuration until 1880. It is the largest gothic building north of the Alps.

We arrived in Köln around 2PM and made a beeline for the cathedral. It would close at 5 for Pentecostal services, and we wanted to be sure we were able to visit the inside. When we entered, Richard was told to remove his hat - very different from other churches where we were told to cover our heads. Nothing was said to me about removing my hat, but I took it off anyway.

The cathedral was huge - and impressive. I later found out that in many countries in Europe, the dominant religion of the country is that chosen by the rulers of that country and a large portion of taxes go to the upkeep of the churches of the land. Also, many Christian holidays are national holidays.

Many archbishops are entombed in the Dom around the perimeter. The sarcophagi were designed by the archbishops themselves. One sarcophagus depicted the wall of the city as it was when the archbishop died.
The cross above the main altar was unusual too. It portrayed Christ on the cross, but the bottom of the cross looked like an anchor with Mary on the right arm of the anchor (Christ’s right arm) and a male figure on the left - perhaps Peter or John the Baptist.

The outside of the Dom was covered in scaffolding and was black with city soot. Restoration is an ongoing process for most churches.

From here, we joined our “orange tour group” including Tineke, our tour guide for the voyage. We met the group at the German/Roman Museum. I had to check my bag, but not my camera. Photography was permitted. We used our headsets for the first time. What a blessing to have this technology. We could wander off a bit to look at exhibits while the guide was talking and still be able to hear him.
The museum held many pristine artifacts, sarcophagi, grave stones, and a mosaic floor from a Roman home. The area was excavated as a bomb shelter during WWII, when the Roman ruins were discovered. The mosaic floor was carefully rolled up and removed in tact, so the tiles could be preserved. Many years after the war, the Roman ruins were excavated, the floor restored, and the museum built.

On the way back to the ship, we passed bierhauses filled with rowdy crowds. There were also many Goths in black with white face makeup.

Monday, May 12
Karen called on May 10 to wish me a Happy Mother’s Day. It was a day early but I was touched. It was wonderful to be able to talk to her from Europe at a reasonable rate. We have world phones and set them up before the trip so we could communicate with each other while we were abroad.
Today we awoke to the most beautiful part of the Rhine - 50 miles of mountains and castles. The Rhine is very clean. You don’t see big ships or power boats. What you do see are river barges, cruise ships like ours (luxury on barges), and individual vessels like kayaks, canoes, and multi-rower vessels.

I’ve been buying collector pins from the areas we visit. I’m wearing one from Rudesheim that looks like a cuckoo clock.

I shot 880 photos today - the most I’ve ever shot in one day. There were so many castles and each one was worth several shots - different angles, wide view and closeup. My plan is to put together a collage and have a poster made for Karen. I think she will love it. She loves castles. Then I will create a disk for her just of the castles. I took most of the castle shots for her.
I also bought her a knight on a horse that is an authentic replica of a black knight. It is down to the finest detail. Just beautiful.

We arrived in Rudesheim (which is pronounced Rude es hīm) and walked into town to the Mechanical Music Museum (Mechanisches Musikkabinett). This museum houses many working and non-working musical machines from the early 20th century. The gentleman who worked on them is very old now and his art is a dying breed. There’s no one to take his place in repairing and restoring these wonderful devices, which is a shame.

Since we chose the gondola as our optional tour for tomorrow, we chose to do the Mechanisches Musikkabinett on our own. We had to wait for the English tour at the Musikkabinett. They take groups according to languages. Our tour was small - less than 20 people. But the group that followed was about 80 strong!! I’m glad we went when we did.

After the Musikkabinett, we walked to the Lutheran church down the street and enjoyed the history of the place before returning to the Musikkabinett. We had a scheduled meal planned for the Winzerkeller next door. The restaurant served our entire ship!

Once seated, each person at the table was given a bottle of Rheingau Reisling wine, apparently from the area. The bottle was 375ml. I drank about 2/3. I don’t usually drink more than 2 glasses. It went down very smoothly and put me in a gay mood, especially with the wonderful singer we had, Florine. I wound up dancing in the aisle to a couple of tunes and buying one of her CDs. We finished the evening dancing to a rock song.

We returned to the ship, I downloaded photos from my camera, and we called it a day.

Tuesday, May 13
This morning in Rudesheim, we took the gondola ride up the mountain for some spectacular views and a nice hike through a hardwood forest. Part of the hike lead to the Germania statue which may be close to the size of the Statue of Liberty.

We spent about an hour on the mountain, enjoying the statue, the river below, Rudesheim views and a variety of birds (heard but not seen), before returning down the mountain to our ship. From Rudesheim, it was a leisurely journey down the Rhine into the Main River (pronounced Mine), past Mainz and on to Frankfurt.

I decided to take a nap after we got through our first lock. When I woke up, we were still in a lock! I found out later that we would travel through 57 locks and climb close to 1000 feet to get from the Rhine to the Danube.
Once we arrived in Frankfurt and ate dinner, Richard and I left the ship to explore the old part of the city. It was a delightful square, wide and inviting, filled with restaurants and eating establishments. Before seeing the old square, Richard took me to Brandt Square and showed me the opera house. He had been to Frankfurt many years ago but still remembered some of the sights.

As dark approached, we returned to the ship, taking photos as we went.

Wednesday, May 14
We left the ship at 8:30AM, boarded the bus, then spent the next hour plus on a coach trip to the Heidelberg Castle.

The castle was first begun in the 13th century and repeatedly extended through the 17th century. Much of it was destroyed during the 30 years war and the war with France in 1689. A lightning strike to the bell tower burned much of what was left. Today, the main house is partly restored to the façade of 1601-1607. The rest of the ruins are being kept as they are.

After the tour, we met with Petra, an email friend and fellow Scott Bakula fan. She lives in Germany. We met up with her at the castle. Petra then played hostess to Richard and me and took us down into Old Heidelberg via the funicular.

After walking the streets a bit, Petra took us to a wonderful biergarten restaurant with a beautiful, painted wood interior. Petra is a dear lady and we had a great time. She was so kind to come to Heidelberg to meet with us.

After the meal, we all walked a bit, popping into the Church of the Holy Spirit, and photographing the castle from the pedestrian bridge. It was drizzling, so we decided not to hike the far shore. We hung around a bit more, then parted company when Richard and I needed to get back on the bus.

Wednesday, May 14
We left the ship at 8:30AM, boarded the bus, then spent the next hour plus on a coach trip to the Heidelberg Castle.

The castle was first begun in the 13th century and repeatedly extended through the 17th century. Much of it was destroyed during the 30 years war and the war with France in 1689. A lightning strike to the bell tower burned much of what was left. Today, the main house is partly restored to the façade of 1601-1607. The rest of the ruins are being kept as they are.

After the tour, we met with Petra, an email friend and fellow Scott Bakula fan. She lives in Germany. We met up with her at the castle. Petra then played hostess to Richard and me and took us down into Old Heidelberg via the funicular.

After walking the streets a bit, Petra took us to a wonderful biergarten restaurant with a beautiful, painted wood interior. Petra is a dear lady and we had a great time. She was so kind to come to Heidelberg to meet with us.

After the meal, we all walked a bit, popping into the Church of the Holy Spirit, and photographing the castle from the pedestrian bridge. It was drizzling, so we decided not to hike the far shore. We hung around a bit more, then parted company when Richard and I needed to
get back on the bus.

Thursday, May 15
We are in Wertheim today, a beautiful village that we will officially tour this afternoon. This morning, Richard and I hiked up the hill to the castle ruin - destroyed in the 30 years war. The façade still showed bombardment holes. The ruins were more interesting than a fully restored castle would have been, and although they were doing some restoration work, the ruins were still open and we could explore. Great fun.

We heard the cry of a falcon. They are known to frequent this area, but we never saw the birds. I took tons of photos of the castle.

Back at the ship, we joined the glass-blowing demo and of course, I had to buy some things, including a small globe made with pyrex glass that has a green spider web inside and pure crystal outside. It is etched with the glass-blower’s name and the year (Reinhard 2008). His full name is Reinhard Herzog and he lives in St. Louis but was born in Germany. I also found out he works the German pavilion at Epcot from Thanksgiving through Christmas.

This afternoon, we took the guided tour through the town. Our guide was excellent. We saw the flood marks on several buildings, the mason mark on the market square fountain, the skeletons over the pub door (we all end up that way, rich or poor). We stopped at a house that belonged to a Jewish family who didn’t make it out alive from WWII. The house had the Star of David on it and other symbols of peace to commemorate the family. Our guide told us about her father who was a small boy during Hitler’s regime. He had a Jewish friend next door whom he would play with. But as Nazism grew, he was told not to play with this boy any more or HIS father would be arrested. Being stubborn, our guide told us, her father would put out food for his friend, hiding it under the bushes. Sometimes there would be coins in the basket. Then one day his friend was gone.

After the war, our guide said her family was without everything - clothes, food, they had nothing. The Jewish friend and his family had escaped to the US. They sent care packages to the German family, repaying a dept and keeping the German family alive.

Toward the end of the tour, we went inside the Lutheran church that was built in the 14th century. It was different from any of the previous churches I had been in. The central sarcophagus had many skulls sculpted on it and stones from the graves found under the church or nearby.

Our tour ended. As we started back down the main road, we met the Stempels, and Marvin invited us to join them. They were seated at a bakery with outdoor tables. I sat down, but Richard returned our electronics to the ship before joining us. It began to rain. Hard. We retreated inside the pastry shop until it stopped - about 20 minutes later.

This has been my favorite stop on the cruise so far.

Friday, May 16
We opted for the tour of Röthenburg (pronounced Rō ten burg). The significance of this town was that it was the only surviving completely walled medieval city. I learned Medieval means half-timbered. The houses were all constructed with stone on the bottom, and timbers and plaster on top. Even on the bottom, the homes have smooth plaster on the outside.

The wall was walkable along the parapet, although we didn’t have time to do this. It would have taken 3 hours to walk.

Röthenburg lies on the River Tauber and dates from the 12th century. In 1274, it was granted the status of a full town within the Holy Roman Empire. In the Church of St. Jacob, there is an early wood carving by Tilman Riemenschneider, a famous German artist. But looking back through our Eyewitness Travel Book of Germany, I’m really sorry we missed the Bishop’s Residence in Würzburg. It looks magnificent from the photos. It contains the largest fresco in the world.

The difference between burg and berg is that burg is a city and berg is a castle.

We took a long bus ride from Würzburg to Röthenburg - over an hour. On our shopping “free” time, we learned about the variations in cuckoo clocks at a recommended store. Ones that have 3 chains are musical ones. These play both Edelweiss and The Happy Wanderer. It would have been nice to buy one but they are very expensive - over $800 for the better, musical variety. Besides, I really like the one we have. It was Richard’s from childhood. It chimes but doesn’t play music. That would be a cool addition. But our clock is all wood color - not painted - and I prefer that look.

At a bakery, we bought a local snowball (similar to an Italian ice) and a piece of apple strudel. There was also the forgettable clock tower show at 11 AM.

Saturday, May 17
It was raining this morning when we awoke in Bamberg. The alarm got us up at 7. Both Richard and I were sound asleep.

At 9, after breakfast, we heard a lecture on the Mein (mine)/Danube canal. It has 11 locks up the mountain and 6 locks down including one that is an 82′ rise! We will enter that one tomorrow.

After the lecture, we were bussed from the industrial area, where we were docked, to the old city center of Bamberg for a walking tour of the old city. The highlight for me was the Bamberg Cathedral. It’s an Imperial Cathedral with 4 spires and dates to a foundation of 1007. It was originally built by Emperor Heinrich II. The first cathedral on this site was consecrated in 1012 but like its successor, it burnt down. The present day building was completed in 1237. It contains elements of both early Gothic and Romanesque styles. It’s massive. The only pope ever buried outside of Rome is interred here. He was poisoned and presided for a very short time. This pope was Clemens II in the 13th century.

There is a statue of a man on a horse, possibly the first of its kind in a church. It was completed around 1230 and is called the Bamberg Reiter. It’s life size, including the horse. Our guide, Stephanie, an art history major, said it is now believed that the rider is the Hungarian king, St. Stephen. Heinrich II and his wife, Kunigunde are entombed here. The sarcophagus was carved by Tilman Riemenschneider.

After the tour, we were on our own to explore the city, buy souvenirs, and visit “Little Venice” with its homes built on the river. We crossed the Regnitz on quaint bridges. We also saw the colorful façade of the Neue Residenz und Staatsgalerie with its amazing frescos on the outside of the building.

Sunday, May 18
We spent the day in Nurenburg (Nuremburg) and although it threatened rain, we didn’t get any.
We began the day with a lecture on the history and development of Nurenburg. Germany, as an empire, never had a capital. The history of Germany began in 800 when Charles the Great (Charlemagne) was crowned. It was a Feudal system with fiefdoms that still mark the borders of the German states.

Nurenburg was a trade center and a free town. Fiefs were awarded by the king and passed down the generations. Around 1000 CE, dynasties developed, resulting in the building of castles to protect each fief. Monasteries and bishoprics also sprang up in these years. This was the start of the “Holy Roman Empire.”

The first documentation of Nurenburg dates to 1050 - a reference to Norenberc, a rocky hill. During medieval times, religions were segregated from each other and the Christians decided that the Jews should be identified as different. The men were required to wear pointed hats to set them apart.

Nurenburg was a major seat of Nazism and throughout its history, it has always discriminated against the Jews. It is only recently that the city has acknowledged its dark past. On the bus, we saw the Hall of Justice, where the Nurenburg trials were held, and then we stopped at the Documentation Center. This was hard for all of us on the bus, regardless of religious preferences. The building itself, begun in 1933, was built by Hitler, but was never completed. It was supposed to be the largest glass-domed building in the world and was intended to be a place for National Party gatherings. Now it houses an historical exhibition and archive.

Many of the structures built by Hitler that were supposed to last 1000 years are deteriorating. For years after the war, Nurenburg denied its connection to Hitler. Today, the city acknowledges that WWII was its true “dark ages.” The Document Center is well done and accurately portrays the history of the times.

From here, we stopped at the Zeplinfield. It contains the only completed Nazi building still standing, although it is no longer complete. Nurenburg tried to tear it down but now has decided to preserve and restore this structure as part of its history. The structure is pitted and still bears signs saying it is unsafe. Quality materials were not used in its construction.

Our guide, Peter, a history major, left us at the gilded fountain in the Old City and we were on our own. The gilded fountain is called the Schöner Brunnen (beautiful fountain). It might have been erected around 1385. It was replaced with a replica in the early 20th century. It’s located in the Hauptmarket.

First stop was lunch at Bratwurst Röslein (at Rathausplatz 6). I had white asparagus (which was in season) with 4 of the finger sausages famous in this area, red cabbage, and a pretzel. The meal was a delicious treat. The restaurant had a seating capacity of 1030 people in various rooms! I thought we would have to wait forever for our food, but it took longer to get our check than it did to be seated and served.

From here we visited the church, Kirche St. Sebaldus, a magnificent gothic cathedral that is the oldest in Nurenburg dating from 1230-1273. The ceiling had to be 80 feet high or more!

After the church, we looked for the entrance to the underground tunnels, but they were closed so we climbed the hill to the Kaiserberg and explored the Albrecht Durer Haus. First, though, we went to the lovely Spielzeugmuseum, a toy museum built in 1971 that houses some of the most wonderful doll room boxes and miniature houses.

Following the Durer haus, we returned to the ship, had dinner, heard a lecture from the captain, and went through one of the deepest locks on the canal - 82′. At that point, we crossed the continental divide on our way down to Regensburg.

Monday, May 19
Regensburg is a strange place. It’s very much a blend of old and newer - narrow cobblestone streets, modern store facades. The town boasts the oldest Roman ruins in Germany, dating from the 8th century, but they are built into a building put up in the 1800’s. Weird.

Our guide on this walking tour was parochial and provincial. His talk was full of a lot of ‘my town is better than yours’ attitude. Richard and I left the tour at the church and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on our own.

All of the churches we’ve visited have been in perpetual restoration, unique, and beautiful. It is apparent that most of the money of these communities is poured into the upkeep and restoration of their churches. In Regensburg, they are also fighting a major pollution problem from nearby cement plants that attacks the facades of the buildings.

The Regensburg church was built over a period of several years and although it looks symmetrical at first glance, the two towers are very different from each other. Dom St. Peter is a gothic church. One of the features of the church is a catacomb and down there we found the name Rottenegg on the wall of names. Mr. Rottenegg lived long before there was an English language.

The Dom was built between 1250 and 1525. The last towers were added between 1859 and 1869. The stained glass windows date from the 14th century in the older towers.
One of our guides told us the history of stained glass windows. People back then were mostly illiterate so to familiarize them with the stories of the Bible, the churches created stained glass windows.

After the Dom, we found the Alte Kapelle, a fantastic Rococo style “Old Chapel.” It was being restored to full glory. The paintings on the walls and ceiling were being cleaned. The chapel was all white and gold on the inside. It was a WOW factor of 10 in my book.

Regensburg is also known as Ratisbon. It was once a Celtic settlement and a Roman Legion campground.

Tuesday, May 20
Today we are in Passau, the last German town on this voyage. This morning’s walking tour took us to the Dom St. Stephens that was a WOW factor of 20 on a scale from 1 to 10! Yeah, it was even more impressive than the Alte Kapelle.

We visited other sites in town on our walking tour, and then returned to the Dom at 11:45 for a concert from Noon to 12:30. The concert was on the largest cathedral organ in Europe. It consists of one central organ and 4 smaller ones, all linked together. The sound was incredible, although the concert consisted of pieces no one was familiar with. The pieces chosen were obscure and not very melodic. Still, it was an interesting experience and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were 3000 or more seated in the church to hear the concert.

After the Dom, we walked back to the ship for lunch. From the ship, we walked back to the area of the Dom to find some souvenir shops I had seen earlier. I bought two bisque dolls, 3 or 4 inches tall, dressed in traditional costumes. I didn’t find any pins in Passau.

Another trip back to the ship to drop off some items. We were going to climb up to the Veste Oberhaus, the former castle of the prince-bishops, but someone coming back down said there were over 400 steps! At that point, I thought it would be too much for me. Instead, we walked to the town mall, and that was a good distance after all the walking we had already done.

This evening, aboard ship, the crew entertained us with some risqué humor. The show had some cute moments. Ellen (Stempel) told me it was the same show they did last year. I loved that the captain joined in.

Wednesday, May 21
The city of music. Vienna. We woke this morning for an earlier breakfast than usual and a commentary on the Wachau Valley. This was a beautiful stretch of the Danube. Mountainous, overcast, scattered with villages and our first taste of Austria. Melk was the first town we passed. Its large Bishopric, the Abby of Melk, could be seen for miles. About 90% of Austria is Roman Catholic.
At 11 AM, in the lounge, we had an on board apple strudel demo. Then we all had a sample of the strudel. This was not the strudel I was used to. The dough was too thick, for one. I’m used to thin, flakey dough for strudel. But the tools the chef used to make the strudel, like the apple peeler and corer were really keen.

Following lunch and our arrival in Vienna, we took a motor coach ride to the Schöenbrunn Palace, the summer home of the Hapsburgs. Summer home????? This place was monstrous! It had 1440 rooms!!!!!!! We toured about 20 of them.

Because the ship was a bit late in docking in Vienna, this tour was rushed. It would have been interesting to spend more time in Vienna and tour at our leisure. We did find out that the palace served as the Hapsburg residence from April to November each year. Many of the rooms in the palace are now apartments that are rented out by the city of Vienna. The Hapsburg rule ended in 1916, and in 1918, the palace became the property of the new republic.
The word that comes to mind to describe the palace is ostentatious. Our guide talked mainly about Franz Joseph and Theresa (better known as Sisi), the last Hapsburg inhabitants of the palace.. Little was said about the rest of the Hapsburgs, a dynasty that reigned from the 10th century.

We rushed through the rooms, couldn’t get to the gardens at all, and had about 10 minutes in the gift shop before catching the bus back to the ship for dinner. We couldn’t stay in town because there was no shuttle service that evening back to the ship. If I had thought about it early enough, we probably could have stayed in town and taken a cab back to the ship. My mind doesn’t work that way until after the fact.

Thursday, May 22
Our second day in Vienna, we had an on board lecture on Musical Vienna. Very well done.

We departed the ship at 9:30, for our panoramic tour around the Ringstrasse, stopping for a walking tour of the National Library. Although we wanted to see St. Vincent’s, the tour avoided it because of Corpus Christi day, which is a national holiday in Austria. Once we got to the library, however, we found the processional gathering there. We thought we would have problems getting into the library. It turned out to be more crowded than usual, but not to the point of being problematic.

The structure felt like a temple, both outside with its sculptures, and inside where it housed the oldest collection of books I’ve ever seen. Seeing it, I thought of the library of ancient Greece - the one at Alexandria.
Outside the library, our guide pointed out the stable for the Lipizzaner Stallions and told us about a fire to the stables in 1922. The horses got out.

Once we parted company with the tour guide, cousins Don and Kathy went on to do a tour of the stables and to see the horses while the Stempels and Foxes went for food and then walked to the Parliament Building.

This building was a Grecian work of art. On top of each wing, Minerva drove her chariot. In front was a statue of a Greek warrior holding back a rearing horse. According to our guide on the bus tour, the epithet “hold your horses” comes from this statue.

Along the winding driveway up to the building, sat several statues of stately figures. Pallas Athena dominated the front of the building, holding Nike in her hand.

We spent about 20 minutes here, just admiring the view from the outside. Then we crossed the street to the park, which was another surprise. The first thing we saw, after the giant roses, was a building that looked like a Greek temple (to Athena). We didn’t go in. Outside was a bronze statue of a Greek warrior.

Here we discovered Mozart. The statue dominated the area, with a Staff symbol done in flowers on the lawn in front of the statue.

Crossing through the park, we discovered we were on the property of the Hapsburgs - their “winter” palace looming on part of the property. We made our way back to the Ringstrasse and found a Kaffee shop where they served espresso and strudel! The real kind. With flakey crust. It was wonderful. We sat at an outside table. Richard and I shared an apricot strudel and I had espresso with it. The Stempels also had some strudel. Then, Ellen and I crossed the street to the souvenir shop in search of more goodies to take home (what they call hat pins or collector pins for me).

Time ran out for us, so we returned to the bus and back to the ship to get ready for our Viennese concert.
This concert had to be one of the highlights of the trip. The hall was also significant - Johann Strauss performed here!

There were nine instruments in the group - a first and second violin, a flautist, piano, bass, drummer, cello, viola and another wind instrument. In all, they almost sounded like a full orchestra. Strauss and Mozart pieces. Two ballet dancers performing waltzes. Two singers. It was one of the best concerts I’ve ever heard and hearing it in Vienna, in a house in which Strauss performed - what more can I say? The musicians enjoyed the pieces and performing as much as we enjoyed listening to them. That was evident in their faces, especially the lead violinist, who was also the leader of the group. We even bought their album - the only souvenir that Richard bought - Salonorchester Alt Wien (www.soundofvienna.at). They ended the concert with the Radetzky March. I was tapping my feet throughout the whole piece. The concert was over way too soon.

Back at the ship, we had to wait a bit before the dining room opened for dinner. We were all starved by this time. Dinner was late - after 7:30. Our table for this dinner consisted of Don and Kathy, Ellen and Marvin Stempel, and Richard and me. This was our on-board anniversary celebration. I switched it to tonight instead of tomorrow night because tomorrow night is our farewell dinner and the last day onboard.

We were the only ones celebrating tonight. Almost the whole crew brought out the cake to our table, with a huge sparkler on top. They came out twirling napkins and marching to “Love and Marriage.” Richard got fellow passenger, Ed Signor, to film it. Guides Tineke and Mariana gave me a hug.

Yes, we knew this was coming. I actually arranged it when Vantage asked if we were celebrating an event. This was anniversary number 33. The cake was delicious.
After our cake, the servers brought the dessert of the night to our table. It was artfully done, but didn’t taste as good as our cake. It was done like a musical staff.

Friday, May 23
Our last day on the cruise. This morning we sailed past Slovakia and Estergom, a lovely town I would have enjoyed spending time in. We then turned south into Budapest, docking around noon on the Pest side of the river. Lunch was aboard our ship. After lunch, we had a longish coach tour of the two city halves during rush hour traffic. There was a very short (1 hour) stop at St. Mathias Church and Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking the city. This included time for shopping! A lot to do in one hour.
I wish they had shortened or eliminated the bus tour. Since we didn’t opt for the Budapest extension, we didn’t get to see much of the city. Touring by motor coach really isn’t a way to see and appreciate anything, in my opinion.

The one exception to this was Heroes Square. Built for the 1896 Millennium celebrations, it features statues of renowned Hungarian leaders. The central column is crowned by the Archangel, Gabriel. The bus made a slow pass around this Square.

St. Mathias was interesting because of the tapestries and paintings on the walls. The inside of the church felt made of wood, though I’m sure it was built of plaster.
The foundation of this church goes back to the 13th century but the church was destroyed several times over the course of history and rebuilt. The latest rebuild was 1873 to 1896, in the Neo-Gothic style. This was another area I felt way too rushed.

Outside, we climbed the hill to Fisherman’s Bastion overlooking the river and the two halves of the city. It was a bright, beautiful day and the view was spectacular for our last day.

Fishermen’s Bastion was designed in the Neo-Romanesque style for the Guild of Fishermen in 1895. It sits on Castle Hill where the old defensive walls of Buda once stood. The floor of the Bastion is dominated by the statue of St. István, the king who brought Christianity to Hungary.

This evening we had the captain’s farewell cocktail party and farewell dinner. Around 9, they moved the ship to a more industrial area that would be a better disembarkment point for those leaving the ship and those boarding in Budapest.

While they moved the ship, several of us were up on deck to photograph Budapest at night. The city was alight and a beautiful sight. The lights had been added to several structures and bridges during their millennia celebration and left up. I set my digital camera to an ASA setting of 1250 and was very happy with the photos.

Finally, it was too chilly to stay on top and it was getting late. Richard and I retired to our cabin for last minute packing and to bed. Wake-up would be at 5AM to get our bags out, and 7:30AM departure for the airport and our flight home.