Elegant Elbe.... the adventure begins

I want to post a bit on the food... If there is one thing that I would prefer, it would be more pastries offered at dinner - but this is a small thing, and a very personal choice.

Fran

Sounds like you miss the Grossinger's menu item "Danish for later" ... :D

I am enjoying your posts. Thank you!

We are going on the Beyla in August. Waiting to hear your impression of the two new ships.

Fran,

Sounds like you are having a wonderful time! We are planning to do this itinerary next year, so reading your posts ( as always) with great interest.

On this 'older' ship, is the bed type the same as on the longships, I.e., a queen/ two twins?

Thanks for all the great details.

Becki

Thanks so much for your posts. First time on Viking for husband and me. On the Elbe Fontaine, July 16. We snagged a great price on the last cabin, but its window doesn't open. We like fresh air so are not sure how we'll like this. The price included air, which has become a challenge. We are on Air France, in regular economy , with seats in the far back, LA to Paris. Have spoken with Air France several times and an told I can purchase upgraded seats upon online check in or at the airport. Doesn't sound too promising to us. We have traveled many times to Europe but have always booked our own air. I like to be in control so this is very stressful. Would appreciate any suggestions or comments you might have for me.

Also, what is the usual dinner dress for men and women? One suitcase doesn't hold much. We also have a week on or own before the cruise. Looking forward to more posts.

Lynda

Lynda,

We did this cruise in July 2014, between independent travel in Czech Republic and later in Germany. It was hot in European terms, 100+'F, when we arrived in Prague, where not much but 4+star hotels was air-conditioned, then the temperature dropped and we reached for jackets. The same in Berlin, rather warm some days, others cool enough for jackets. For a few days on the river we wore short-sleeved shirts, on other days, we needed long sleeves, scarf and jacket. In a word variable, so be prepared to layer.

Dinners were not dressy, a few men wore coat and tie for the final night's dinner and some women put on a party top and a bit of bling.

I empathise with your wish to be in control, which just doesn't match with the large group tourism of a river cruise. During the cruise we put our brains in neutral, go with the flow, enjoy the relaxed pace of the cruise and the company of our fellow travellers. We do our own thing before and after the cruise.

We are considering this cruise with CroisiEurope in 2017. I love the itinerary and not many lines offer it so far.

Hi Fran,

enjoying following you on your travels, sounds a really interesting trip.

hello to you both and keep enjoying yourselves :-) Deb

Hello caviargal,

We are considering this cruise with CroisiEurope in 2017. I love the itinerary and not many lines offer it so far.

do you mean in general or the fact that they actually cruise to Prague on the Vltava river (combined with a short stretch along the canal possibly), rather then doing the last stretch by coach?

I should point out that the itinerary ending in Prague is not printed in the German catalogue and it is not clear from the English website how close to the city centre of Prague they can get.

notamermaid

Hello caviargal,

 

do you mean in general or the fact that they actually cruise to Prague on the Vltava river (combined with a short stretch along the canal possibly), rather then doing the last stretch by coach?

 

I should point out that the itinerary ending in Prague is not printed in the German catalogue and it is not clear from the English website how close to the city centre of Prague they can get.

 

notamermaid

Both. I am just not sure about the line itself. Dining appears to be very limited (fixed menu at dinner every evening) and we prefer an upscale experience overall. Not sure they will deliver that, even on the new boats.

Both. I am just not sure about the line itself. Dining appears to be very limited (fixed menu at dinner every evening) and we prefer an upscale experience overall. Not sure they will deliver that, even on the new boats.

Ah, yes, the new Elbe Princesse being built in France. I had forgotten that they will put a brand new paddle ship unto the Elbe (there are traditional German ones, of course, for day trips).

As regards comfort and food, hmm, I understand you are hesitant.

No doubt, no doubt :(, a big company I can think of will follow suit with a ship, like they did on the Gironde.

notamermaid

We are going on the Beyla in August. Waiting to hear your impression of the two new ships.

Gone2c, we are also going to do the Elegant Elbe on the Beyla in August -- Prague to Berlin, sailing August 8.

Hi everyone -

Have discovered that as I age, I travel less well than I used to. Internet was a bit of a challenge in Berlin - and then I only had 1 day before I went back to work. Think I have caught up on my sleep now - so will continue on with my blogging. Sorry it isn't in "real time".

Wittenberg: We arrived in Wittenberg in the afternoon and did a walking tour. With the 500 year anniversary of the reformation approaching (2017) there is quite a bit of refurbishment going on. We were able to tour Luther House - and see the doors where Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses - but were not able to get into that church. Our guide was quite knowledgeable - and we did have some free time --> the town is quite walkable. I would have liked to attend a church service in the afternoon (there was one in English) but the timing wasn't quite right. Still, an interesting day - and I did learn quite a bit about both Martin Luther and his wife.

Dessau:The next day was trip to Worlitz Park. The park is quite large - and very lush. We had the option of doing a castle tour, or touring the grounds in a gondola. Daniel (our CD) suggested the gondola tour was the best way to see the grounds, and it was lovely. The gondola is rowed (yes, rowed.... no motors) around the lake and canals. It is a 5 km circuit. Matthias (the man rowing our boat) was happy we only had 6 people on board - apparently, the boats can take up to 14 passengers!! The trip took about 45 minutes. We did have some time to wander a bit before returning to our bus. We cruised in the afternoon, and had our disembarkation talk. We arrived in Magdeburg just before dinner. DH and I had time for a quick walk into town before dinner. It might have been nice to have a bit more time there - but, alas, it was not to be.

Think I will end here - so that this post won't be too long...

Fran

The last day on the boat was an early start. We had to have our luggage out by 7:30 - and vacate our rooms by 8 am. After confirming that all our luggage was present, we got on the bus and headed to Potsdam.

Cecilienhof (the site of the Potsdam conference) was a bit of a let down, to be quite honest. I felt it wasn't much more than a glorified bathroom stop. We did not get into the house - we just had a short outside walk - with explanation of the conference, and then back into the bus and into the downtown area. Now, downtown Potsdam is a lovely place - with lots of great shopping. We had about 1 hour and 20 minutes for lunch/shopping - and then we were off to our booked entrance to Sanssouci palace. For me, I would have sooner gone right to downtown Potsdam and had extra time to walk around. We didn't even get to visit the Dutch quarter - and I would have liked that. There was a farmer's market in the town square, so DH & I bought a bratwurst on a bun at a stall - and walked around. We went back and bought some plate peaches (discovered those in Nice, last year) before boarding the bus and going to Sanssouci.

Sanssouci is an interesting - but small - building. If you want to take pictures inside, you need to purchase "permission" (ie; a name band) for 3 euros. The grounds outside are lovely - and it is surprising how central it is. Not far from the town centre at all....

After Sanssouci, we were off to Berlin. We were scheduled to arrive around 4 pm. If you wanted to go directly to Berlin, you could bypass the tour and lunch in Potsdam - and board a bus directly --> getting you there around 1:30. A number of people opted for that - as they were leaving the next day - and did want to see some of the city.

Some people on our bus were interested in the HOHO (Hop on, Hop off) tour and the last full circuit that started in front of the Hilton (the host hotel) was at 4:30. Traffic was brutal getting into Berlin - and so people that wanted to do the HOHO tour got off the transfer bus, and right onto the HOHO bus. Daniel had spoken with someone at the tour company to ensure people could get one. We ran into some of the group later that evening - and said it was a good tour, but an exhausting day overall.

Check in at the HIlton was smooth. I did not gather any Hilton points as I didn't purchase anything there. (Points only available if you purchase over and above the included room....). I am not impressed with the fact that free WiFi is only available in the common areas. I find it ridiculous that a hotel of this stature doesn't offer it throughout the hotel - or at least to those people who have Hilton Honours Accounts.

We walked abut 2 blocks for dinner at a Bavarian restaurant. I had Nuremberger sausages - that came with mashed potatoes and saurkraut. And, of course, a beer. A great dinner. We walked around after dinner - and ate ice cream. We were very ready for bed that evening.... Funny how bus travel tires you out.

Fran

We were up early - and down to breakfast. Quite an expansive buffet, so we ate well.

After breakfast, we checked out of the hotel and set off the for day. We had lots of things planned!!!

First off - we walked to the Reischtag. We had booked our tour for 10 am - and it took about 25 minutes to get there. There were +++ tourists - and barriers on the road - as there was a football final game being played there on the Saturday, and a Road Race (Bicycles) scheduled for the Sunday. Apparently Daniel had tried to get some people a booking for the Reischtag when they were on the boat - but everything booked up. I had booked our time about a month before. It took about 10 minutes to get through security (we walked right in - as I took the letter and accompanying paperwork).

What an AMAZING view. We had lots of sunshine - so good visibility. There was a short rain shower - and the top is open!! - so it was interesting to see how the rain falls into the dome and doesn't hit the people inside.

After the Reischtag, we went back to the hotel to pick up our luggage. On the way - I did manage to find an ATM, but had to ask people in one of the shops we visited where it was. We walked towards Checkpoint Charlie as our hotel was about a block away.

We had booked 2 extra nights at the HIlton through Viking - but they came back almost 6 weeks later to say that there was no room unless we were willing to book their post package (at over twice the price). We declined, and booked at Hotel Gat Point Charlie. It is a boutique hotel - quite modern - in one of the old Stasi headquarter buildings. We were too early to check in, but left our luggage and wandered around the corner to the Trabi World building - where we had booked a Trabi Safari. We had booked the longer tour (over 2 hours) but the route had to be adjusted on the fly due to the road closures. It was fun - even if most of the commentary was in German. Every now and then the guide would remember that there were English customers as well - and give a bit of commentary in English - but then talk longer in German. Not a big deal - we still enjoyed the experience.

After our safari (and some shopping for DH) we returned and checked into our room. We had splurged for a junior suite - and it was well worth the extra amount. Two separate rooms - the "lounge" had a sofa, coffee table and desk. It also had a fridge (complementary juice and water) as well as a kettle and coffee/tea making capabilities. Wifi was free throughout the building.

We went for Italian that night for dinner - found a great restaurant about 2 blocks from the hotel - reasonable prices. I had pizza - DH had pasta. Just beside the restaurant was a small supermarket, so we ducked in and picked up some munchies....

A long day - but we felt we saw quite a bit. My feet were very tired by the time we went to bed....

Fran

Hi Fran,

enjoying following you on your travels, sounds a really interesting trip.

hello to you both and keep enjoying yourselves :-) Deb

Hi Deb - how are things with you?? Hard to believe that a year ago we were getting ready to begin our adventures in southern France!!

Do you have anything planned for this year - or next?? We aren't sure what we are doing next year. Tentatively planning to come your way - but, if our dear daughter decides to come back to visit in July, we may wait until the following year (which means we can look at another river cruise in 2016...:D )

Give our best to Chris.

Fran

Hi Deb - how are things with you?? Hard to believe that a year ago we were getting ready to begin our adventures in southern France!!

 

Do you have anything planned for this year - or next?? We aren't sure what we are doing next year. Tentatively planning to come your way - but, if our dear daughter decides to come back to visit in July, we may wait until the following year (which means we can look at another river cruise in 2016...:D )

 

Give our best to Chris.

 

Fran

Hi Fran

I have been enjoying your travels, we would love to see more of Germany.

Nothing else planned for this year, we had a couple weeks away earlier in the year when we were on the houseboat. Looking at mid next year, Greece and the Greek Islands, maybe a Meditteranean cruise, would also like to go to northern Italy, so all still in the planning stages. It is hard to belive that its almost a year since France isnt it. So many places to see...love the planning any way :-).

Interesting to see we are always planning the next adventure! My husband and I did Croatia two years ago, 3 weeks on our own, and it was one of our favorite trips to Europe. Flew into Zagreb to See Plitvice, then made our way to Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar. Then took an overnight ferry to Italy. Spent a week north of Rome in the countryside at Antica Olivaia (fabulous in every way), then Sorrento, and flew home from Rome. We have traveled extensively on our own, with hubby driving, even on the "wrong" side of the road. But for all of you who like cruising best, I have seen trips to Croatia that look very good. Would highly recommend Croatia, and of course, anyplace in Italy. Take a look at OAT Tuscany and Italy for land tours. Have fun dreaming and planning your next adventure!

Lynda

Interesting to see we are always planning the next adventure! My husband and I did Croatia two years ago, 3 weeks on our own, and it was one of our favorite trips to Europe. Flew into Zagreb to See Plitvice, then made our way to Dubrovnik, Split, Hvar. Then took an overnight ferry to Italy. Spent a week north of Rome in the countryside at Antica Olivaia (fabulous in every way), then Sorrento, and flew home from Rome. We have traveled extensively on our own, with hubby driving, even on the "wrong" side of the road. But for all of you who like cruising best, I have seen trips to Croatia that look very good. Would highly recommend Croatia, and of course, anyplace in Italy. Take a look at OAT Tuscany and Italy for land tours. Have fun dreaming and planning your next adventure!

Lynda

Or try Grand Circle Cruise Line small ships (50 pax) in the Med, Adriatic or Aegean - Hidden Gems of the Dalmatian Coast from Athens to Zagreb was great.

On our last full day, we have nothing specific planned - but somehow filled the day!!

We had paid for breakfast at the hotel. It was quite good - although the dining area was quite small. Long tables - so you just sat down beside someone to eat. We actually started to eat in the bar area - then some spaces opened up so we moved inside.

One thing the buffet had was raw eggs - with boiling water, and timers. So you could - if interested - make your own soft (or hard) boiled eggs. Lots of the "regular" stuff - cold meat, cheese, bread, eggs, sausage... tea & coffee.

We left the hotel and walked up towards Museum Island - and the Berlin Dome. By Google maps, it was 2.5 km - so a reasonable walk. We stopped at a courtyard on the way where people were setting up tables and selling used books... bought a cook book for a friend. We then continued on and browsed through an arts & crafts market - and then through a small flea market. Bought 2 more cook books there (my girlfriend is German and is interested in cook books...). I spent 5 euros for all 3 books - so a good price. We wandered around the outside of the museums (it was a beautiful day - so didn't want to spend time indoors) - and then stopped for lunch before heading to the Berlin Dome.

The Dome is absolutely breathtaking. There are some short videos along the way that explain the history of the dome - and then we climbed up and into the dome. As it was destroyed and rebuilt - the stairway was reasonable to climb - although it was still quite a few steps to get up there. The outer walk was closed - so we had to be content with the inner walk. You could take pictures - but no flash. My camera isn't that good, so decided I would "buy the postcards" in the gift shop --> only to discover the gift shop is closed on Sundays!! I did buy 2 postcards at the front desk... (You do have to pay to enter - but DH qualified as a senior, so we did get a bit of a break on the price!!).

Although we had free WiFi in the Hotel Gat Charlie, there is no printer. So - we ducked back into the Hilton on the way by and used their computers/printers to check in on-line. The Viking table was still in the lobby - although no CD there when we went by. We lucked out and got one of the 6 sets of double seats on the flight from Heathrow to Toronto - so were very happy with that. On the way back to our hotel I found out that a Christmas shop around the corner was open, so did pop in and buy a couple of ornaments... Nice selection, but a bit pricier than in other shops I had visited. We went back to our hotel - dropped our bags - and went out to see the Topography of Terror Museum.

The T. of T. Museum is free. It is open 362 days/year - from 8 am to 8 pm. It follows the history of the **** movement - before and after WWII. There is an inside and an outside component... very moving. VERY quiet inside - no one really talks. Everyone just walks and reads - and reflects.

We left and went looking for somewhere to eat. We debated on going back to the Bavarian restaurant we ate at the 1st night - but didn't relish the 1+ km walk required to get there and back. We tried to go back to the Italian restaurant we ate at the night before - but it was closed. It was looking like it might be McDonald's - :eek: - but then we found another Italian restaurant. I had a pasta dish (fresh noodles with julienne vegetable) - and it was REALLY delicious.

After dinner we went back to the hotel - packed - and then drank a nice bottle of wine before going to bed.

We had asked the front desk to arrange a taxi for us to take us to the airport the next morning. It was 25 euros - and took about 25 minutes. Our driver spoke English very well - and we had a great commentary on the way.

We planned to get to the airport early and eat breakfast... Berlin (Tegel) isn't that big so probably didn't need to be that early. But we did find a cafe where we could sit and have a croissant/coffee for breakfast. Boarding was quick and efficient. Sad to realize our vacation was over... but we both agreed that we would like to get back to Berlin again in the future.

Fran

As promised, I will post a bit about my thoughts on Prague.

We had been there before - 6 years ago - at the end of a Danube cruise. The weather was miserable at that time, so was looking forward to visiting in nicer weather.

Last time, our hotel was close to Wenceslas square - so old town was walkable. However, this time, the hotel (Corinthia) was further out - so was anticipating having to take public transit. However - Viking had shuttle buses available that ran into old town a number of times each day - so didn't have to use transit.

The first day, we took the shuttle into town - and walked across the Charles Bridge towards the castle. The bridge is very touristy.... +++ people, many in groups with guides, lots with selfie sticks (hate those things...), lots of stalls with art (drawings, photos etc). Hard to figure out what was unique - and what was massed produced. We were on our way to find the KGB museum.

The KGB museum is a funny little place - not that much that is different or unique - but the man who runs it is a hoot. It is almost like a stand up comedy routine. And, you can try on hats and pose with weapons (definitely more of a treat for the men in the group....). Not cheap - but a fun way to spend an hour.

Next door is a pottery place that sells Polish Boleslawiec pottery - so I picked up a bowl for me - and a small piece for a friend. Very glad we stopped - although it meant I had to lug the pieces along for the remainder of the trip!!

After we walked back to Old Town, we went looking for a toy store we had found on our last visit - and I wanted to try and find a store I had visited before that sells ornaments made with garnet chips. Along the way I shopped for garnet earrings (on my "to buy" list) - and did find a pair.

All garnets come from the mine(s) at Turnov - so the jewellery is much the same in many stores. I found one pair that I loved, but the studs were more clips than posts - and they didn't fit my ear. (Yes, they all let you try the earrings on!! Actually, encourage it!! ) I went into 2 other stores before I found some that I wanted. You do need to look close - as some of the garnets are glued on - instead of being mounted with small claws. This store weighed the earrings - and charged by weight (so, more stone and metal = higher price). I got a better price by paying cash....

The one toy store was gone - but we found the other one. And - I found the jewellery store that sells the decorations.

The Granat Cooperative takes left over shards/"bits" of garnets, mixes them with epoxy and puts them in metal frames - similar to the children's sun catchers you make by putting plastic beads in frames and melting them in the oven. They sell them for 60 koruna a piece. I bought a few when I was there last time - and bought quite a few more this time to give as gifts. Glad I was able to find the store - as I didn't see the ornaments in any other place.

Food overall in Prague was good - although we didn't get into the Kolkovna as planned. I think I will put my food observations in another post...

Fran

As promised, I will post a bit about my thoughts on Prague.

 

We had been there before - 6 years ago - at the end of a Danube cruise. The weather was miserable at that time, so was looking forward to visiting in nicer weather.

 

Last time, our hotel was close to Wenceslas square - so old town was walkable. However, this time, the hotel (Corinthia) was further out - so was anticipating having to take public transit. However - Viking had shuttle buses available that ran into old town a number of times each day - so didn't have to use transit.

 

The first day, we took the shuttle into town - and walked across the Charles Bridge towards the castle. The bridge is very touristy.... +++ people, many in groups with guides, lots with selfie sticks (hate those things...), lots of stalls with art (drawings, photos etc). Hard to figure out what was unique - and what was massed produced. We were on our way to find the KGB museum.

 

The KGB museum is a funny little place - not that much that is different or unique - but the man who runs it is a hoot. It is almost like a stand up comedy routine. And, you can try on hats and pose with weapons (definitely more of a treat for the men in the group....). Not cheap - but a fun way to spend an hour.

 

Next door is a pottery place that sells Polish Boleslawiec pottery - so I picked up a bowl for me - and a small piece for a friend. Very glad we stopped - although it meant I had to lug the pieces along for the remainder of the trip!!

 

After we walked back to Old Town, we went looking for a toy store we had found on our last visit - and I wanted to try and find a store I had visited before that sells ornaments made with garnet chips. Along the way I shopped for garnet earrings (on my "to buy" list) - and did find a pair.

 

All garnets come from the mine(s) at Turnov - so the jewellery is much the same in many stores. I found one pair that I loved, but the studs were more clips than posts - and they didn't fit my ear. (Yes, they all let you try the earrings on!! Actually, encourage it!! ) I went into 2 other stores before I found some that I wanted. You do need to look close - as some of the garnets are glued on - instead of being mounted with small claws. This store weighed the earrings - and charged by weight (so, more stone and metal = higher price). I got a better price by paying cash....

 

The one toy store was gone - but we found the other one. And - I found the jewellery store that sells the decorations.

 

The Granat Cooperative takes left over shards/"bits" of garnets, mixes them with epoxy and puts them in metal frames - similar to the children's sun catchers you make by putting plastic beads in frames and melting them in the oven. They sell them for 60 koruna a piece. I bought a few when I was there last time - and bought quite a few more this time to give as gifts. Glad I was able to find the store - as I didn't see the ornaments in any other place.

 

Food overall in Prague was good - although we didn't get into the Kolkovna as planned. I think I will put my food observations in another post...

 

Fran

Hi Fran,

All great info!! Do you remember the name of the store you bought your Garnet earrings?

And do you know how much you can expect to pay? I'd love to buy a pair but don't want to overpay!!

Thanks!!

Fran,

How did you like the Corinthia? We stayed there last year after our Bucharest to Budapest cruise, during our 3 day stay in Prague. Although we didn't do Viking's postcruise stay, they nicely allowed us to use the Viking shuttle unless it was full (which only happened once).

Becki

Hi Fran,

 

All great info!! Do you remember the name of the store you bought your Garnet earrings?

And do you know how much you can expect to pay? I'd love to buy a pair but don't want to overpay!!

 

Thanks!!

Hi - I found the bag that the earrings came in.

It says "Vily - Zlatnictivi (which I think means jewellery).

The address is Karlova 23 - Praha 1 (which indicates it is in the centre of Prague).

I am trying to remember how much I paid. I paid cash, so the price was better. I *think* it was around 1500 koruna (around $75). When we were walking back from the castle district towards the Old Town Square, the store was on our left. There were a few stores in the area - and I did quite a bit of window shopping.

This was a small store - but they had equipment in the back to do alterations. I do remember there was a picture on the wall of the owner with Bill Clinton.

Fran

Thank you so much!! I really appreciate all the information. It helps a lot!! Glad you enjoyed your trip!