Grand Europe Adventure - August 2022 Set Sail on River Cruise Part One

 Set Sail on River Cruise Part One

Dreaming of adventures is nothing new to intrepid travelers. We listen intently when the conversation is about journeys around the world. Our favorite books are filled with fiction and nonfiction stories. Maps sometimes fill our kitchen tables.  Yes, travelers are always planning their next adventure.

Retirement brings these dreams closer to reality and we are ready! Cruising a River in Europe is on many lists. Including ours. It was elevated to the top spot on our list and the planning began. 

Join our journey from Budapest to Amsterdam. Enjoy the many sites we were treated to at the many cities, towns and villages we visited. 

A few facts about our cruise.

15 days

Four countries (make that five-more on that later)

Cruising 1,200 miles

Viking Longship Mimir

Four rivers

67 Locks along the journey 

                                            New friends onboard! 

I mentioned that we actually visited five countries not four. Due to low water levels near Budapest we actually embarked in a smaller city. In this mall port a bridge led to Slovakia. A country that has always fascinated me and there we were walking across the border. We strolled through the town and had a beer before returning to Hungary. 

Vienna was our first stop after leaving Budapest. We stayed one night and two days. Highlights included a Mozart and Strauss concert and a traditional Heurigen Dinner. Only a very small group from our cruise decided to attend the dinner which made it an even more memorable experience. And yes there was an accordion player and yes I did a short polka dance without a dance partner! It is a celebration dinner of the year’s wine production. Learn more; https://www.tasteofaustria.org/the-heurigen-tradition

Wien is the German word for Austria. Liebe meaning love. 

Back on board the Viking Mimir and time for a tour or the “Wheel House” and to meet the captain! 

And since we now have knowledge of ship operations we better be prepared to help! 

One of the first of over 60 locks that our ship will use to navigate the rivers. Locks are not a complicated system but the explanation does get complicated. 

Learn more; https://www.rivercruiseadvisor.com/2018/10/river-cruise-101-locks/

The Heurigen Dinner

The owner explained to us that his family has owned the vineyard for generations and also explained the origins of the tradition. 

The following day we found ourselves in Melk, Austria and visited the Melk Abbey.

Learn more; https://www.stiftmelk.at/en/

The library (photo above) has many very valuable materials in the collection. Photos were not allowed in the library. We were surprised to learn it is a working library.

Photos below are from Passat, Germany.

Sausages, pretzels, sauerkraut and beer! The best tourist break of the day! 

We continue to see support for Ukraine.

Our Grand European River cruise is about half way complete. We have seen and learned so much. We’ve also met fellow guests from around the world. Our conversations most always include sharing travel stories. Here we are again dreaming and planning our future adventures! 

Part Two of this post will cover the remainder of our cruise. It will be a few days before I post. 

Thanks for joining us on our journey! 

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”

~Marcel Proust