Great Rivers of Europe, part 1

Hello! I'm sorry that it has taken me a while to do a new posting; we have had intermittent internet service available to us since we boarded our ship, "River Concerto", in Amsterdam. We have just completed the first half of our latest adventure with Grand Circle Travel and it was great! We have travelled from Amsterdam to Vienna, through many (at least 30) locks, in all kinds of weather and have seen fascinating sights.

We started in Amsterdam and went to Cologne, Koblenz, Mainz, Frankfurt, Wertheim, Wurzburg, Schweinfurt, Bamberg, Nurenberg, Regensburg, and Passau. We saw sights such as Marksburg Castle, the Lorelei, the quaint city of Ruedesheim, the castle in Heidelberg, the Residenz in Wurzburg, the Nazi grounds and courtrooms of Nurenberg, the baroque church in Kelheim, and of course we've enjoyed the beauty of traveling on a river with gorgeous scenery surrounding it. We had a walking and/or bus tour of each city. We've had guests speaking on German history and Germany today as well as a glassblowing demonstration on board the ship. We've had the opportunity to taste a LOT of beer and wine as well as German foods such as various sausages, desserts, pretzels and potatoes. We had a home hosted dessert experience where we got to visit a friendly German couple in their home near Frankfurt. Each day has been full and we've gone to bed tired each night but excited about the next day.

The ship is so comfortable and pleasant! There is a dining room that seats all the passengers (about 130) at once; the tables have linen table cloths and napkins. Breakfast is buffet with an omelet/egg station and loads of cereals, fruits, cheeses, yogurts etc. Lunch and dinner have multiple courses and are served by waiters with choices of entree. There are usually choices for desserts also and there is always a sugar free cake and ice cream for those who want it. Two glasses of house wine are included with dinner. There is also a bar/lounge where couches and arm chairs are grouped to make conversation easy; many face the floor to ceiling windows toward the bow and sides so that we can see the passing scenery. This is also where our port talks (a review of the day and preview/schedule for the next day) occur every night just before dinner. After dinner, the musician on board provides music, both instrumental and vocal, and there is a dance floor for those who choose to use it.

Happily this boat has a fitness room where I have used the treadmill every day but one! Jon has been suffering from a pinched nerve in his leg but is doing much better and is looking forward to getting back on the treadmill himself. There are several other machines as well as a sauna and all are used regularly. The top of the ship has a sun deck, with part in front of the wheel house and a larger part toward the stern. When we have gone through locks, especially scenic areas or under very low bridges, many of us head upstairs to see everything first hand. Other times, it is pleasant to sit outside and watch the water and land go by.

Yesterday we left Germany and sailed into Austria. We stopped first at Melk where we took an

optional trip to visit the abbey there and enjoy a wine tasting. Late in the afternoon we arrived in Vienna. After dinner we went to the city center to enjoy a performance of classical music which was outstanding! Thirteen professional musicians played pieces by Mozart and Strauss, among others, and a soprano and tenor sang separate arias and then two duets. Two ballet dancers performed as well. It was a memorable evening! This morning we had a lengthy city tour of Vienna, including St. Stephen's church and a coffee and cake stop, and then we began sailing to Budapest. We would have loved more time in Vienna but since I also fell in love with Salzburg last fall, I would very much like to come back to Austria for several weeks in the future.

We will have several days in Budapest and then go on through Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria and into Romania. We end our trip in Bucharest. More about those experiences later.

Photos, from top left: the Rhine was quite high and we saw lots of flooding; our cabin made up for the day; our guide Helmut and one of the other two guides, Dina; the two youngest of our fellow travelers - Breno from Brazil on the left and Ted on the right; typical German scenery and sausage sandwiches; one of 66 locks we passed through; we saw many small villages along the river; and chocolates with real gold decoration on top!

Belgium and The Netherlands

When I last wrote from Copenhagen, we were about to fly to Brussels. Our flight went well and we were glad that we had flown rather than taking the 12 hour train. Brussels is a big city, very focused on history and now also on the European Union as it is the seat of the EU Parliament. It is a very old city and it's main square reflects that in it's buildings and statues. We spent our time visiting the square, wandering a few side streets, having a delicious dinner at a Michelin restaurant, and eating some delicious Belgian chocolates (mine were sugar free!). The next morning we got on to a train and traveled to Bruges.

We had heard so much about this medieval town and during our days there we were not disappointed! We much prefer small towns to big cities and Bruges is much smaller than Brussels. We stayed in a great little hotel a short distance from the main square. We stayed for three nights and truly enjoyed ourselves! We took a canal cruise the first afternoon since the weather was perfect! We also both got hair cuts and I got mine colored - it was well past due. One of the main things we wanted to see was the only sculpture done by Michaelangelo to leave Italy in his lifetime. It is in the Church of Our Lady (Notre Dame) and is a lovely Madonna and child. We also took a city bus tour and then, since the weather had cleared from cloudy and rainy to sunny, we took a tour to the nearby city of Damme. We rode one way on the bus and went back on a boat on the canal. It was a very relaxing way to sightsee and to appreciate the countryside. The city of Bruges dates continually from the middle ages and was a major port at that time. Since then, silt has filled in about 10 kilometers but the city has continued to exist. It's main commerce now is tourism. It is a beautiful city and I would recommend a visit to anyone who plans to visit the region.

Last Monday we took the train to Amsterdam. Again we are staying some distance from the central area but we like being in more residential areas. Public transportation is great here, with a wonderful tram system as well as buses. There is a subway that functions mainly to connect the suburbs to the downtown area. We immediately bought 6 day transit cards which are good on all of the above. Two tram lines run about a block away and both go to the downtown hub. They go by about every five minutes so getting around is so easy! Amsterdam is shaped like a fan, with the central train station in the north and a series of canals and the Amstel river in concentric circles around it.

We decided to divide our 7 days here between the city and the surrounding area. We spent the first day using a 24 hour pass for canal and city bus tours. There are four different canal tours which cover different areas of the city. We had time for three of the tours that day and the next morning took a bus tour to pick up whatever the canals missed. The bus tour included a stop at Gassen's diamond center; interesting but no purchases were made. In the afternoon we visited the Ryksmuseum. It is currently under huge renovation but happily the best of their collection is presented in a more compact area which makes the visit still extremely worthwhile but much easier on the feet! Rembrandt is probably the most famous Dutch painter and the collection in the museum is fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed it. Another day was divided between Anne Frank's house, the Red Light district and the Van Gogh museum (I know - quite a contrast). We started our morning at Anne Frank's hiding place in order to beat the crowds. It is incredibly moving to walk through the rooms and see the few articles there and remember her story; hallowed ground, to be sure. After having lunch, we took a short stroll along Rick Steves' tour path in the Red Light district. We saw condoms shops, drug shops and prostitutes advertising in their windows. All of this is quite legal although tightly regulated. We didn't need to see any more. That evening we visited the Van Gogh museum which is only about 2 blocks away from our hotel. His sad personal story stands in contrast to his amazing paintings and the museum does a wonderful job of presenting both.

Last Thursday we went on a day trip to The Hague and Delft. We visited the first in the morning and spent the afternoon in the beautiful smaller town. The Hague is home to the World Court and we had hoped to go inside the Peace Palace to see it in action. Unfortunately, the building was closed to visitors which is not unusual. So we quickly moved on to Delft. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed walking through the open air market and visiting the old and new churches. I was very interested in visiting the Delft ceramics plant and we enjoyed a 30 minute tour and made a couple of small purchases before heading back to Amsterdam on the train. Yesterday we took Rick Steves' Historical Triangle trip and rode north to the town of Hoorn where we took a coal fired steam train to another small town. There we caught an old style passenger boat that took us to an open air folk museum. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time during each segment of the trip. At the end, we took the train back to Amsterdam. Today has been a time of arranging details, doing some laundry, beginning to pack etc. Tomorrow we take a taxi to join our last tour, the month long river cruise, which begins in Amsterdam's harbor.

Photos, from the top left: bicycles are everywhere here - these are parked at the train station in Delft, on the canal tour in Bruges, swans on the canal with us, Belgian waffles - yum!, Anne Frank's house highlighted on a map of Amsterdam, on a canal tour in Amsterdam, a life-size cow and me at the Delft ceramics plant, modern windmills creating energy, a traditional windmill at the open air museum, and Gouda cheese at the museum.