In 2018, Sandy and I took a wonderful cruise down the Danube, pampered every step of the way by Viking River Cruises. We began with three days in Prague (see previous post). Then we took a scenic bus ride to Passau, Germany, where our cruise began.
Passau:
In contrast to Prague, Passau is quiet, sparklingly clean, and fairy tale cute. We walked around Wednesday night from 9 til 10:30 and the seating areas outside bars and cafes, while occupied, were hushed. In Prague, shops routinely remained open until 11 pm. In Passau, all the stores were long-shuttered. On Thursday, we did a “hill hike” beginning at Mariahilf Monastery, where Emperor Leopold I sheltered during the Ottoman siege of Vienna, winding down through Old Town Passau, and climbing up to Veste Oberhaus, a gleaming, white-washed castle originally built in 1219. Apparently Charles DeGaulle was held prisoner there during WWI but was released after three days of whining that the damp, dark conditions did not befit his military rank.
Linz/Cesky Krumlov:
We didn’t spend much time in Linz, which is a large, industrial city. An hour away by bus is the medieval town of Cesky Krumlov, dominated by a massive castle complex. Outside the castle grounds, narrow cobblestoned lanes – particularly fun to walk on in the pouring rain, as we found out – are lined with boutique hotels; shops selling handcrafted wooden toys, beer steins, gingerbread, and other quaint and curious items; and Authentic Czech restaurants (there’s no such thing as a plain old Czech Restaurant; they are all capital A Authentic). Not being fans of Authentic Czech food, we found a café purporting to sell bagel sandwiches. Turns out we’re not fans of Authentic Czech bagels either. After returning to the ship, we went for a post-dinner walk and saw fantastic fireworks launched from a barge on the Danube.
Wachau Valley, Krems, Gottweig Abbey
The Wachau Valley is a gorgeous stretch of the Danube between Melk and Krems, Austria. It’s dotted with ruined castles, stately monasteries, and postage stamp-sized villages, each with its own beautiful church. From Krems, we took a tour of Gottweig Abbey, a working Benedictine monastery surrounded by acres of fruit trees and featuring a museum, library, and well-equipped gift shop selling delicious apricot wine, apricot-filled chocolate and other tasty and tasteful delights.
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