Melodies of the Danube with Munich Pictures

[Got2Cruise]

I'm going to post our Danube pictures and captions here. We sailed AmaSonata. No matter which cruise line you choose, most of the places one visits and experience are similar. I'm trying to post pictures to augment JP's and acsmom's wonderful blogs. Disclaimer: best viewed with IPad or smartphone.

 

Day 0- After checking with experienced CC folks, we learned that Vienna is an easy airport to connect flights to Budapest. It was good advice. Our luggage went through to Budapest. We only had to go through passport control in Vienna. Easy. We flew Austrian Airlines business class. It was a pleasant experience. Austrian Airlines has a chef onboard to take your order and prepare your meal. After the lovely meal we were able to sleep in the flat beds (seemed a bit smaller than other airlines. I would research if you are a larger than average size person) Before we knew it we were getting ready to land in Budapest. . well presented meal. Budapest upon landing

 

 

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Edited July 15, 2016 by Got2Cruise

[Got2Cruise]

Day 1 - Arrival in Budapest. Using the advice found on the Trip Advisor Budapest forum, we used an official taxi to get to the ship. Again, very simple to do. Exit the terminal to the taxi stand. There is a young lady who speaks excellent English in a booth to print out your slip to show the cab driver. Not only does she want to know which dock, but the name of the ship. With all the rafting this will ensure the driver will get you to the correct destination. Our ship was berthed next to the Elizabeth Bridge.

 

After a snack and getting settled into our cabin. We were off to explore Budapest. The

 

 

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Edited July 15, 2016 by Got2Cruise

[acwmom]

Looking forward to your review!

 

Robin

[Got2Cruise]

Pictures will be continued here for Day 1 sorry for inconvenience.

we loved the marketplace. Authentic and still in use.

 

we walked across both the Green Bridge (not certain of official name) and the Chain Bridge, admiring both the craftsmanship and the views

 

 

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[jpalbny]

Is the green bridge the one just south of Elizabeth Bridge? If so, it's Szabadság híd (Liberty Bridge). We didn't walk on it but did see it from several vantage points.

 

Excited to hear about your trip!

[Got2Cruise]

Is the green bridge the one just south of Elizabeth Bridge? If so, it's Szabadság híd (Liberty Bridge). We didn't walk on it but did see it from several vantage points.

 

Excited to hear about your trip!

 

 

 

Yes. That's it. One thing unique is that young people climb up and walk up the towers. If you cross it on the other side is a famous hotel and spa. Unfortunately, last week there was a huge construction project right there and I didn't have the patience to deal with all the detours and walking through the construction so I just turned around.

[notamermaid]

Hello Got2Cruise,

 

I enjoy watching your first photos of Budapest, brings back memories. The place on the other side of the Liberty Bridge is the Gellert hotel and the Gellert baths. The baths are great to see for the architecture even if you do not have a swim. They sell towels, bathrobes, etc. with the embroidered emblem of the baths. A great souvenir, could not resist buying.

 

Looking forward to more photos.

 

notamermaid

[dabear]

Got2cruise: we look forward to reading your comments and review as we leave in about a week doing the reverse trip (Prague to Budapest).

[Got2Cruise]

The first night ended with the illumination tour. The view is amazing. If your itinerary doesn't include this, there are tour boats that offer the one hour tour. Don't miss this!

 

 

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[dln929]

Your pictures are making it very hard for me to wait all the way to April when we go on our Danube cruise!!!! :D

 

Seriously...amazing!

[Got2Cruise]

We could not fit a pre extension in Budapest into our schedule. The included city tour gave us a basic overview of Budapest and its history, but there just wasn't enough time For example there was only 20 minutes at the market. We went the day before so not such a big deal for us, but others only arrived later in the afternoon and had no time to explore on day 1

 

 

 

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Edited July 15, 2016 by Got2Cruise

[purduemom1]

Wonderful pictures that are bringing back memories of our visit. Thanks for sharing. By the way, for those asking about how to get HUF, your second picture of the main floor of the Market shows the location of an ATM. it on the left hand side of the picture-used it without any problems.

[Got2Cruise]

Day 3- Bratislava, Slovakia We opted for the hike up to the fort, but the tour also included walking through Old Town. The hike isn't very far in distance, you just need the ability to walk many flights of stairs. They have transformed this town into a vibrant, welcoming place after years of dreary communism. I'm going to read up more on the Velvet Revolution

 

If you do take the hike up to the fort you are able to see the well. It's difficult to see how large and deep it is from the photo

After the Velvet Revolution they installed several sculptures into the city to liven the place up. This was my favorite.

 

 

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Edited July 16, 2016 by Got2Cruise

[Got2Cruise]

Day 3- Evening The ship is now docked in Vienna. Actually it's on a canal about half an hour bus ride from city center. All of the various cruise lines are docked here and most are rafted. It's a quiet place. Our itinerary includes a traditional night of "Viennese Wine and Music" in a traditional rustic wine tavern in the Vienna Woods. Lots of fun. Almost everyone on the ship came and participated.

[pully8]

lovely pictures thank you.

[Got2Cruise]

Day 4- Full day in Vienna Austria

Today we opted for three tours. We loved Vienna, and only scratched the surface. We opted for the optional Schonbrunn Palace excursion after lunch. After a special early dinner, we took another optional excursion to a concert. We are glad we experienced these excursions. On the other hand, there just was no time to tour or see a performance of the stallions or linger over Viennese coffee and a Sacher torte. It is easy to get back to the ship via subway and the guide gives you instructions how to do so.

 

The city tour of Vienna first drives you around the city pointing out all places of interest. I was impressed with the wide tree lined streets. After the overview on the bus we were dropped off in old town. Here we learned about the Habsburgs especially Maria Theresa. The tour ended at the cathedral.

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

Our tour to the Palace included the carriage museum. No photography was allowed inside the palace. I highly recommend this excursion. I just wish there was time to visit the zoo.

 

 

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[marysb]

Great photos Got2Cruise!

 

What kind of camera have you got? The night shots are fantastic.

 

loving your pics and review.... brings back great memories!

 

 

Mary

[I_r_a]

Thanx for sharing, Got

[Got2Cruise]

I'm glad everyone is enjoying the photos. Hubby uses an Olympus E-M10 which is mirrorless. If the photos are poor quality then it's from my iPhone. He uploads from the card into the iPad. I have no patience utilizing a photo storage site.

 

We ended our time in Vienna at the concert. The selections were very tourist friendly, so even though you are not a serious classical music enthusiast you would still enjoy the concert. The last number played was the "Blue Danube" waltz. The encore was "Radetzsky March". A perfect ending to our 24 hours in Vienna. Pax from Viking and Avalon were also attending this same concert

 

 

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

Day 5 morning. We are docked in Weissenkirchen which is one town upriver from Durnstein. Then we took a ten minute bus ride to Durnstein. Other companies were docked directly in Durnstein. Durnstein from the Danube

 

such a lovely little village

 

 

Wachau Valley vineyard.

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

A bit of sailing through the Wachau Valley heading to the Melk Abbey was very scenic

 

 

this is a private residence

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

In the afternoon we visited the Melk Abbey. My favorite room was the library, no photographs allowed. We spent time in the wonderful garden before the tour

 

 

 

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

Day 6 - Linz. There were several options in Linz. We opted for the full day Salzburg tour which also included a stop in the Austrian Lake region. There were also half day tours. One was a visit to Cesky Krumlov. The folks I spoke to were disappointed in Cesky Krumlov because it was advertised as a quiet undiscovered gem. The problem was the day they visited it was filled with Asian tourists so it was very crowded.

 

My decision for the full day Salzburg tour was made easy once I found out I would be in Sound of Music heaven. [emoji3] It should be noted that our excellent tour guide didn't make it easy for us to soak in the Sound of Music sights, but we sort of mutinied in Mirable Gardens. Lol.

 

The first stop was Lake Mondee in the Austrian Lake District. The church they used to film the wedding scene was filmed here. This wasn't the actual church where Maria got married. The nuns wouldn't allow them to film in the actual abbey. The day we visited, there was a funeral of a popular gentleman going on, so we took a peek and then walked to the lake.

 

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

The day we were in Salzburg was a Sunday and the start of the music festival. It was quite crowded and perhaps a little more dirty than usual. Of course there was lots of commentary concerning Salzburg history on the bus ride. Once we are in Salzburg we have a walking tour beginning at Mirabelle Gardens and ending on the street behind Mozart's birthplace. Then there was free time. Besides the Sound of Music sights, we took the funicular up to the fort, and watched the singing and dancing acts from the music festival.

 

 

 

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