Tag Archives: 2012 Vacation
About Locks
Locks are how boats go around waterfalls and rapids, and dams. Locks are probably the oldest technology we dealt with on our Viking River Cruise. They still work the way they did in the 14th century (in China, in the … Continue reading
Thoughts on the River Cruise
After 3 years (sigh) I finally finished writing up the Viking River Cruise we took in 2012, from Amsterdam to Budapest. I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I have some comments on the experience that I’d like to share. Walking: Don’t … Continue reading
Last Stop Budapest
We left Bratislava in mid-afternoon, a deliberate choice so we could enter Budapest after sundown. Our first stop was the last of the 79 locks on the trip, at the Gabčíkovo Dam, in Slovakia. This was part of a huge joint flood … Continue reading
Bratislava
Our next stop after Vienna was Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. Frankly, I found Bratislava intimidating, because it was the first time I’d ever been in a country where the written language (on signs and so on) made no sense to … Continue reading
St. Stephen’s, Vienna
Between tours we had some time to explore St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The current form of the cathedral dates to the mid-14th century, a combination of the Romanesque and Gothic styles. The first church on the site was consecrated in 1147. The … Continue reading
Driving Around Vienna
Well, not entirely – but a good deal of our “Vienna city walk” was done on a bus, hence the odd things that sometimes appear in my photos. You’ll only see the ones I could reasonably salvage. If you just … Continue reading
The Wachau Valley and Dürnstein
Having left Melk Abbey around noon, we sailed on down the Danube toward the Wachau Valley. This was the first day we had had unfettered access to the soi-disant “sun deck,” and of course it was overcast, although by the … Continue reading
Melk Abbey
Melk Abbey is a famous Benedictine abbey in Austria, in the town of Melk on the Danube River. (Well, famous to the cognoscenti; I never heard of it before the trip.) I can’t give you the panoramic photo from across … Continue reading
Museumsdorf Bayerischer Wald
Museumsdorf Bayerischer Wald translates as “Museum Town Bavarian Forest” – isn’t the German nicer and more euphonious? This is an open-air museum some miles from Passau, in Tittling. (Yes, really.) The bus ride took us about an hour, as I recall, … Continue reading
Visiting Passau
We were supposed to dock in Passau at 9:45 AM and spend two and a half hours walking around the town and attending a noon organ concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral, before returning to the ship for lunch. You’ll find … Continue reading
