Then it was off to Munich,a bit of a mix up on transfers which Uniworld sorted pretty quickly and we arrived at our docked boat in Passau - the magnificent SS Maria Theresa. If you think you`ve heard of this ship it`s the one Jane McDonald was on in her TV cruising show. We`d gone strictly budget and expected to be in the lower deck with a small rectangular window as the only light / viewpoint - thinking we`d be up on deck most of the time. After being greeted with a glass of fizz we were shown to our suite. But wait - on level 3 with an electrically operated full window to gaze out of. And the room - so luxurious! A $10,000 bed (as supplied to the Savoy Hotel) with silk wall-coverings throughout the ship and a so over the top baroque theme going on to match the period of the ship`s namesake Maria Theresa who was mother to Marie Antoinette. Yet it was hi tech too with great lighting features / underfloor heating in the bathroom and a magical old style mirror that was also your TV at the flick of a remote button! Great stuff. From day one the service, the food and whole experience was by far the most luxurious we have ever experienced. Everything was included in the price paid - food , drink (which covered all types of drink from simple beers to spirits, cocktails and fizz) and a great set of excursions each day offering real choices and all backed up with first rate professional guides whether on foot or by bike. The Vox Quiet mike and headphone sets enabled you to wander off taking shots without missing the commentaries provided and worked pretty flawlessly. All in all a fantastic trip! Of course there had to be a downside and it was the weather I`m afraid. So cold at times with the same wind chill factors of home reflected here on the Danube making it -8 - 10 at times and snow too!
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| Only 120 onboard of a maximum 150 potential with 57 crew pandering to our every whim! |
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| The fabulous crew |
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| Main staircase on board |
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| Mirrors everywhere! |
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| The bar was a favourite place |
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| Sweets on offer permanently on the way into the bar - must be an American thing! |
Passau - our starting point was a pretty little place. Late arrival meant we had just the morning discovery walk there with an excellent guide who showed us the sites of this pretty town.
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| The artist`s route |
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| Guide explained how in old days the buildings were painted according to whether they were bread shops/ chemists etc |
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| Beautiful cathedral |
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| Add caption |
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| Not sure what this meant at all! |
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| A Mr Bean look alike offering our new friend Rosa a canape ;-) |
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| Our Cruise Manager |
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| Our Somelier telling us nightly of the wines on offer |
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| Cottage pie starter??? |
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| Best beef tenderloin I`ve ever eaten! |
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| Arts Centre at Passau at night from the ship After a few drinks, a couple more digestifs and a good nights sleep we were on the move along the Danube to Linz. Here we decided to forgo the Linz Opera House and Cider farm visit and instead went to Salzburg for the day A magical day. It snowed on our visit which added to the charm and was a great surprise to a number of guests on the boat who had never seen snow before! But before Salzburg we were taken to the lovely Lake Mondsee region and the church in Mondsee which many of you might recognise as the wedding church of the Von Trapps in The Sound of Music. No - me neither but it was pretty!      
The trees where the Von Trapps played in the garden
 Then it was off to Salzburg    
Sue dreaming of her new dirndl
        Mozart`s birth house - now a Spar!   Kaffeekuchen got them confused. I went up to the counter saying I wanted to choose a cake. "Cheesecake ?" they asked. No "to choose a cake" I said. Then I chose a cheesecake and they all started laughing as if it was my best joke ever. I love a Salzburg audience!             Do try one of my sweets !       All too soon it was back to the boat for a cocktail and delicious food again!  Next day came a private trip to Melk Abbey and library. 2 people on the boat had even been pupils there as children though commented it was much changed / improved with the benefit of visitor cash! No photos were allowed inside the splendid abbey and library though - hate it when they do that! Loved the town - so colourful!           Easter eggs and flowers            Next on the agenda we could either pay extra to go to a cocktail reception with Princess Anita von Hohenberg at Castle Arstetten or visit Durnstein village with a exclusive wine tasting at Nikolaihoif Wines. Of course we chose the latter with the magical words "free" and "wine" included.   Richard the Lionheart was supposedly imprisoned in this castle / fortress      Fantastic wooden barrels at this winery with engravings and birth dates of the family     
Next day was Vienna which we expected to be the highlight of our trip.Lots of things to squeeze into one day after a gentle cruise down the river with more great food and entertainment on board. This included a great introduction to the Viennese Waltz with a couple of professional dancers. Rather too many couples on the dance floor to really get into it but we had fun and Sue got to dance with the professional too!
  Our day in Vienna started with an exclusive "Morning with the Masters" Art History Museum tour before it opened to the general public.which was followed by a guided walk and a trip to a tearoom that made Betty`s of Harrogate look like the poor relation cafe in the market!                     Forgotten the name of the tearoom - but magnificent!             Time for a sausage!     A carriage ride around the streets of Vienna was lovely    Kaffeekuchen at the Spanish Riding School     The Easter Market - so many painted eggs!        Vienna is such a grand city with far more to see than we could do in the day and a half available to us. The highlight for us was the private Mozart and Strauss concert laid on exclusively for our boat in a concert venue in town in the evening. Magnificent!         We also managed to go to an exercise class of the Spanish Riding school - not as good as the full show but a nice introduction. managed to get a few shots off before the photography embargo came down! :-(         After a relaxing morning in Vienna it was an afternoon cruise along to Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. Some on the boat had said this was a waste of time and it was certainly a short 1.5 hour evening walking tour but we quite loved the city and felt it worth the visit.             Lots of street art in Bratislava but Man at Work with his own street warning sign was my favourite         After another evening of food and entertainment it was off to our last port of Budapest where we were to spend a further couple of nights at a hotel. A favourite place of ours i`ll leave Budapest to a separate blog of it`s own as this has become rather long and overcome with images so will give any readers a break. Budapest was interesting - enabling us to see things we missed on our last trip and also presenting Sue with an opportunity to get me arrested - but i`ll tell you about that in the next blog! |
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