09-29 River Cruise 2013

If you really want to get to know your fellow passengers and if you like walking from your ship right into small towns and villages, you will love a river cruise. And from Amsterdam to Budapest passing through Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovakia and Hungary you see some amazing sights.
And of course how do you beat the canals of Amsterdam. We arrived a day early so we could really enjoy the capital city and their great art museums.
And heading out of Amsterdam along the Rhine River we have a wonderful shot of a famous local windmill. Actually, a world heritage site. Originally windmills were used to pump water out of the lowlands and into the rivers. In this way the land could be farmed.
And here is a shot of the two of us in front of our ship the Amacerto, a high end river ship. We had a mini-suite which gave us a little more room. Food excellent, entertainment weak, friendships great. We are in the town of Freudenberg in Northern Germany.
Now we are in Wurzberg in the Bavaria region of Germany and the photo shows Mary on the Rhine River with the Cathedral in the background. Lots of baroque architecture which means most of the structures look like old Italian buildings. Serious wine country and all you can drink is available each night. You get the wines of the area.
Finally a city that we had heard a lot about in history, Nuremberg. You can visit the Nazi Party rallying grounds. We passed on that one. Lots of cathedrals and castles as usual, but we loved the Christmas market and the girls selling German sausages. I remember the Nuremberg trials after WW2 and that great movie with Spencer Tracy.
Regensberg is referred to as the Old Town with a history going back into the 12 century. The photo is of me on the old bridge of that era. We are now in Southern Germany and on the Danube River.
Everywhere we went during our trip through Germany there were plaques on the ground outside homes where Jews were seized and exterminated by the Nazis. Their names and ages were engraved for all time to remind Germans of their past.
Vienna is the capital of Austria and one of those magical European cities to explore. Here is a photo of the parliament buildings. Just loved going into the coffee shops in Vienna and soaking up the culture.
I soon got sick of visiting cathedrals in Europe but the St. Stephen’s Cathedral In Vienna was really something. I was not moved spiritually but amazed at how religions bleed their populations to put up these massive structures.
It was near the end of our cruise that we spent a day visiting the city of Budapest in Hungary. Visited Buda and Pest the two districts of the city divided by the Danube River. It was like visiting Prague with so much history and architecture. The photo was taken in Heroes’ Square.