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| Flying over the Alps |
We flew to Budapest and met with our vessel, the Ama Viola on a gloriously sunny afternoon. The newest member of the AmaWaterways fleet was very impressive, marble staircases, state room with balcony, swimming pool and walking track on upper deck, charming crew. 
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| Hungarian Parliament Building by night |
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| Hungarian National Gallery |
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| Parliament Building by day |
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| Vigado Concert Hall |
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| Trams are a regular and cheap form of transport in many European cities |
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| Chain Bridge |
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| Shoes on the Danube - bronze shoes crafted as a moving tribute to those shot into the Danube during the Holocaust |
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| Matthias Church |
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| Matthias Church and Fishermans Bastion from where one can enjoy spectacular views over the Danube to Pest on the other side of the river |
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| Budapests own Statue of Liberty |
In the afternoon we took a walk up to the Great Market Hall where there are two massive floors of market stalls selling all manner of fruit, vegetables, meat and souvenirs. Alas one has to really dig to find souvenirs made locally as opposed to in the Far East but we persevered and paid a little extra for a beer mug to add to our collection. The food stalls were fascinating - lots of paprika (of course) in all shades and strengths, and the biggest apples and teeny tiniest bananas we have ever seen.
Back on the ship to an afternoon of traditional Hungarian music and dancing - they even managed to get us up on the floor!
Set sail for Bratislava later than evening. I woke up early at 5am to watch the boat going through one of the many locks we would encounter on our way up the Danube. All you can really see is the wall very very close to the window, so I went back to sleep.
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| Bratislava Castle dating back to 907 AD |
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| The gardens of the castle |
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| As in Budapest, quirky statues abound in this city |
Self explanatory!
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| National Theatre |
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| St Michael's Gate - the only city gate preserved from medieval times |
As the clouds rolled in we headed off to Vienna and after a quick dinner were taken to Heuriger Wolff for an evening of Austrian Wine, music and dancing. Our guide explained to us that most of the wine made in Austria is consumed by the locals and not exported. Heurigers are small family vineyards which host these evenings to showcase their wines and are dotted all over Austria.
The next day we took a tour of Vienna and for the first (and last) time on this trip we had to dress warmly.
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| Old fashioned transport and modern technology combined! |
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| The Plague Column, erected after the 1679 plague in Vienna |
Inside and outside St Stephens Cathedral
In the evening we took a once in a lifetime opportunity to attend a concert showcasing the music of Mozart and Strauss at the Schonbrunn Palace. A wonderful performance by the Wiener Hofburg-Orchester in very grand surroundings.
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| The ever present vineyards of Austria with Durnstein castle ruins in the background |
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| The blue facade of the former Augustinian Monastery in Durnstein is the landmark of the Wachau valley |
Melk Abbey, a spectacular Baroque Benedictine Abbey set on a rocky outcrop above the town of Melk.
The buildings and gardens of Melk Abbey
On to Linz, the third largest town in Austria and the town Hitler called home.
The balcony in front of the Altes Rathaus from which Hitler gave his famous speech proclaiming the Greater German Reich.
The balcony in front of the Altes Rathaus from which Hitler gave his famous speech proclaiming the Greater German Reich. |
| Narrow, deep buildings with as few windows as possible to avoid the 17th century windows tax |
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| The Plague Column in the Main Square |
From Linz we took a bus to the Austrian Lake District, the Salzkammergut, a favourite summer destination for locals. The Gothic Basilica St Michael in the town of Mondsee is where the wedding scene in The Sound of Music was filmed.
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| Mondsee's Main Street |
Inside the Basilica St Michael
St Wolfgang on picturesque Lake Wolfgang, surrounded by mountains was the next stop. The Salzkammergut is stunningly beautiful and worth another longer visit in the near future.
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| On the hill above St Wolfgang looking down onto the town |
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| Coffee and a Beer here on a very very hot day |
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| Picture postcard views everywhere |
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| Approaching Passau and the very low bridge |
And so on to Germany and Passau which is on the confluence of three rivers, The Danube, The Inn and The Ilz. When the water is high the boats are not able to get under the bridge heading into the town but we were lucky as the levels were perfect although we could have touched the bridge from the top deck if we had wanted to and there was a collective holding of breath until we were through. The town is overlooked by the Veste Oberhaus, a 13th Century hilltop fortress and we walked the many, many steps to the top to be rewarded with some stunning views.
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| The Veste Oberhaus with its tromp l'oeil parapet around the top and gold "bricks down the sides" |
The baroque architecture of Passau and the green domes
of St Stephen's Cathedral. The locals are very proud of the organ in the church with its 17 974 pipes.
Whilst sailing on to Vilshofen, our final destination, we had farewell cocktails and then disembarked for our very own "Beerfest" on shore, complete with giant pretzels as snacks. We had a bittersweet final dinner with some of the friends we had made on the boat and we were sad to say goodbye.
Being the intrepid travelers (!) we are we took the short walk to the train station from the river as opposed to getting a taxi. The walk was not long but the streets are short and windy and difficult to navigate, not to mention the fact that the pavements are all cobblestones so dragging a suitcase was not easy, and the weather was hot. However we were soon on the train to Munich where we again had decided to walk to our hotel from the Hauptbahnhof as we had very good directions downloaded before we left home. The problem was there were three exits out of the station onto badly signposted main streets so we had no idea in which direction to turn. After looking like lost tourists (which is what we were) for a few minutes we spotted a tourist office and asked them. "Follow the lines for Tram 19" were our instructions and believe it or not that worked! Again, negotiating cobbled pavements and heavy traffic (pedestrian, tram and vehicle) we found our charming Hotel Splendid Dollmann at the end of Maximillian Strasse. I had chose this hotel as it was central but quiet - just up our street. Tram 19 trundled past our window every now and again but otherwise it was perfect.
Our first full day in Munich was Ascension Day so all the shops were closed but tourists sites and restaurants were open so we headed for the English Garden to catch the Hop On Hop Off Bus. Looking at the map whilst walking down the hotel stairs proved to be a bad idea and I went flying landing straight on my knee and got a nasty cut. Stuck on a bandaid and headed off again. We could not find the bus stop so walked around the English Garden for a couple of hours, a massive park in the centre of Munich where people were walking, cycling, exercising, or just sitting watching the world go by.
Serenity in the centre of the city
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| The Siegestor triumphal arch |
Views from the top of the Olympic Tower
No visit to Munich is complete without partaking of a beer at the Hofbrauhaus, a rather smelly, sweaty, chaotic, noisy beer hall, with good beer, mediocre service and bad food, but a lively atmosphere nonetheless. It seems to always be busy so you are forced to sit at long tables with other people which makes for some interesting conversation. We met a lovely young couple who tried valiantly to make themselves understood in their broken English above the noise of the band and the crowd.
A (gloriously sunny and blue sky) day was set aside to make the train journey to Fussen and on to the village of Hohenschwangau to view the castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau built for the rather eccentric King Ludwig II in the 19th century. Back to the train station we walked, but unfortunately I was unable to operate the ticket machine as the instructions were only in German and all the ticket counters were closed. We found the office where there were actual people who could have perhaps helped us but the queue was long and slow. I took one more try with a different machine and lo and behold, with less than five minutes before our train was due to depart, I managed to purchase the tickets. We had to bolt to the platform and made it with seconds to spare. After that getting to Hohenschwangau was easy as there were a few Number 23 busses lined up waiting for the train to arrive.
We had decided not to do the tour of the Neuschwanstien castle, and when we got there and saw the queues we realised we had done the right thing. There are a couple of ways to get up the steep incline towards the castle - by bus (queues), by horse and cart (queues), or walking. Obviously we walked which was also a great way to enjoy the views as we got higher and higher, but we did have to watch our feet as there were a few mounds left behind by the cart horses, some fresher than others!
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| The Castle taken from the Marienbrucke |
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| Neuschwanstein Castle |
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| Hohenschwangau Castle |
castle of the Wittelsbach monarchs of Bavaria.
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| The perfectly symmetrical doors leading the visitor from one room to the next |
After leaving the Residenz we walked along to Marienplatz, the central square in Munich and home to the City Hall and the Glockenspiel dating back to 1908. The bells chime and the figures dance on the hour twice a day only, so we were lucky to be there at the right time.
The Glockenspiel and the Munich Rathaus (City Hall)
No visit to Munich is complete without partaking of a beer at the Hofbrauhaus, a rather smelly, sweaty, chaotic, noisy beer hall, with good beer, mediocre service and bad food, but a lively atmosphere nonetheless. It seems to always be busy so you are forced to sit at long tables with other people which makes for some interesting conversation. We met a lovely young couple who tried valiantly to make themselves understood in their broken English above the noise of the band and the crowd.
A (gloriously sunny and blue sky) day was set aside to make the train journey to Fussen and on to the village of Hohenschwangau to view the castles of Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau built for the rather eccentric King Ludwig II in the 19th century. Back to the train station we walked, but unfortunately I was unable to work the ticket machine and all the ticket counters were closed. We found the office where there were actual people who could have perhaps helped us but the queue was long and slow. I took one more try with the machine and lo and behold, with less than five minutes before our train was due to depart, I managed to purchase the tickets. We had to bolt to the platform and made it with seconds to spare. After that getting to Hohenschwangau was easy as there were a few Number 23 busses lined up waiting for the train to arrive.
We had decided not to do the tour of the Neuschwanstien castle, and when we got there and saw the queues we realised we had done the right thing. There are a couple of ways to get up the steep incline towards the castle - by bus (queues), by horse and cart (queues), or walking. Obviously we walked which was also a great way to enjoy the views as we got higher and higher, but we did have to watch our feet as there were a few mounds left behind by the cart horses, some fresher than others!
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| The Castle taken from the Marienbrucke |
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| Neuschwanstein Castle |
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| Hohenschwangau Castle |
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| The perfectly symmetrical doors leading the visitor from one room to the next |
After leaving the Residenz we walked along to Marienplatz, the central square in Munich and home to the City Hall and the Glockenspiel dating back to 1908. The bells chime and the figures dance on the hour twice a day only, so we were lucky to be there at the right time.
The Glockenspiel and the Munich Rathaus (City Hall)
That evening was the FA Cup Final and we watched it at Ned Kelly's pub, seemingly established in an old bomb shelter. We had booked a table well in advance but willingly shared our space with some of those who had just dropped in. The couple we got chatting to next to us were from Cape Town! Small world indeed. The atmosphere closer to match time was fantastic, with hardly enough space to lift your beer arm. When the crowd at the game had a one minute silence for the victims of the Manchester bombing, the whole pub suddenly went silent too - very moving.
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| Ned Kelly's pub in Munich - it filled up very quickly as the FA Cup Final was about to start. Fabulous atmosphere and excellent beef stew. |
Next stop Prague. I had downloaded extensive directions and a screenshot of the map to walk to the hotel from the bus station but we couldn't even get across the first main road so we succumbed once again to a taxi ride. We had been told that we could use Euros in Prague but that change would be given in Koruna (Crowns), and that the Euro rate quoted would be much higher than the local currency rate. We found this not to be true and the locals were very fair about their pricing. We stayed at the Charming Prague Apartments at the Black Star - a Unesco listed building near the Clementinum and the Charles Bridge, so very central. Just outside our building were several restaurants so after our long bus ride from Munich we went down for an early dinner. As we were enjoying a beer in the baking sun there was an endless stream of people walking past us all from one direction which turned out to be the Charles Bridge, also about two minutes walk from The Black Star. I have never seen so many people in one place (not even on Queen Marys bridge at Neuschwanstein) so we resolved to wake early the next morning before the crowds gathered. We were there by 6.15am and the views were much more pleasing
Early morning images of Charles Bridge, the River Danube and across the bridge towards St Nicholas Church and Prague Castle
Prague Castle |
| Prague Castle |
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| Prague Castle |
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| The 600 year old Astronomical Clock in the main square |
In the main square there are many vendors selling beer and platters of cabbage and potato salad, bread, and pork which has been slowly roasting over the coals all day. There are a few informal benches and small tables around to enjoy the fare and while we were doing so we noticed a chap who had clearly been dozing in the heat and had been robbed whilst he slept. He was patting his pockets and looking everywhere for wallet, phone or whatever. He looked rather bemused by the whole thing and we could fully sympathise with him (see my notes on our trip to Provence last year!!!) We had been warned about pickpockets in this city and were keeping our valuables very close.
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| 14th century Church of Our Lady before Tyn |
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| Municipal House |
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| A novel way to tour the city
We took a late flight Prague to Athens, then Athens to Santorini. Our layover was short - 40 minutes and research had shown that this was enough time. Dismay set in when we saw the check in queue at Prague airport and the machine moved slowly slowly to get us onto the flight. We left half an hour late but the pilot made up time and we landed as scheduled. Ready to make a dash for it we waited, and waited, and waited to disembark as the airport staff took ages to bring the stairway to the door. Stress was starting to build but there had been several announcements about a "connections ambassador" who would be waiting to guide passengers to connecting flights. Lo and behold there was a lady waiting on the tarmac for those going to Santorini and a special bus took us straight to the gate. It was a very close call but we made it.
Our hotel of choice was Hotel Keti in Fira. I had always wanted to stay in Imerovigli but read a blog about this hotel and decided it sounded perfect, and it was. Driving through the town of Fira we were mildly horrified to see the throngs of people milling around in the streets at 9.30 pm, but our host was waiting for us and helped us down the many, many (94 apparently) steps to the hotel which is mercifully far from the crowded streets with nothing in front of us except uninterrupted views of sea and sky and a perilously low wooden railing.
 We woke up to this every single morning
The hotel entrance and the quaint church of Agios Mina next door
  
Not for the fainthearted, breakfast with a view and a very small railing
There are three ways to get up and down to the Old Port - walk the 587 steps, take the cable car or ride a donkey. Going down was fairly easy, as long as you kept your eyes on the ground to avoid the donkey poop and stepped aside sharply when they came trundling up or down with their passengers. Walking up was challenging in the searing heat and the hours on the step master at the gym seemed to have no impact on my ability to get back up to the top. However, make it we did and we rewarded ourselves with an ice cream!
  
The steps to the port, the more popular method of the cable car, and the donkeys waiting for their turn to climb back up.
A catamaran trip from the port of Vlichada in the south to Oia in the North was a highlight. Sunshine, sea, delicious lunch, and all the beer, wine and ouzo we could handle - what more does one need! There were various swimming stops along the way:
Red Beach which is actually "closed" due to recent rock falls, but no one seems to care
 
The famous Oia Sunset with all manor of vessels racing to get the best view
  
equally spectacular
We had a lot of very good food in Santorini, and some excellent local wine. The island is very dry with an average rainfall per annum of just over 400 mm so it is surprising that they can produce wine of any standard. The vines are low growing in basket like shapes, and these baskets trap moisture at night to feed the grapes. Most of the vineyards are in the more sheltered southern part of the island and look nothing like the ones we are used to.
This whole trip was everything we wanted it to be and more. We were so lucky to have excellent weather on all but one day and we ate, drank, walked, explored, met people from many countries, and were sorry that it all had to end. Leaving Santorini was just as stressful as getting here. The small airport is completely overworked, even at 11pm as they now have flights directly to many European destinations, and the bathroom facilities - well let's just say go before you leave your hotel! Next time I would take the ferry across to Athens for a much more leisurely start to the trip home.
Hope you enjoyed seeing some of my photographs.
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