Another Just Back From the Danube-Passion-8/24-9/5

[stonepebble]

Oh JP & Robin,

 

If it's not bringing back memories for you two, idk what would!! I used every bit of information the two of you posted to help plan our trip...

 

I hope others do the same 'cause it all really worked well for us!

 

Posting it just makes me want to go back...now my husband is saying we should just do an airbnb apt and explore around from there...

 

:)

 

Chris

[stonepebble]

Durnstein is adorable! And the start of our Wachau adventure. We started out with the tour. The guide was great and funny but we’re hikers and wanted to get to Richard the Lionheart’s Castle prison

 

Castle Ruins as we approached from the Danube

 

City Wall and fortifications

 

It was supposed to rain that afternoon, but it was really stormy looking this morning so no time to spare.

 

The City Gate, bakery on the right

 

I had my maps on how to get to the trail with the information markers so we could go up that way. But we were nervous about the weather and just asked the guide to point it out to us, assuming she would send us that way. Wrong!! The hike wasn’t long (20 mins or so) and felt so good. We had done a ton of walking but other than church towers, no heart pumping activity! The weather was threatening the whole way and when we got to the top we quickly took some pictures and then it poured.

 

 

 

Views from the Castle Ruins

[Got2Cruise]

Love the pics. Amazing how much you fit in at Vienna, good for you! And your shots from the castle at Durstein, thanks for posting. What a view!

[stonepebble]

So not long at the top. It really turned out for the best though, if we had gone the information way we would have spent a lot longer getting to the top and it was easier to get back down that way in the rain. I knew when we saw the info sign at the top to head that direction. So we got to read them, albeit in the rain! Once down the rain had stopped. We checked out the little cemetery that had the most flowers I think I have ever seen in a cemetery and the crypt with all the bones.

 

 

Then we walked around the little town. Our guide had told us about the two Schmidl’s in town, the mayor (poor) & the baker and largest employer in town (wealthy) who don’t like each other! So off we went to check out the bakery (we hadn’t eaten anything that morning!). So we were ready for a sandwich but they only had bakery items. The saleswoman saw our disappointment and quickly said she could make us a cheese sandwiches on rolls…Perfect, 2 to go! We tried to buy some wine but they didn’t take credit cards... Back to the ship. With the rain behind us it was a wonderful afternoon sailing the Wachau Valley, vineyards, castles, adorable little wineries, and yummy cheese sandwiches. We saw all of the famous sights…First of course the Abbey at Durnstein with the beautiful blue tower! It reminds me of the blue and white Wedgwood that I love.

 

My favorite with the tower and the ruins!

 

St Michaels with the cute rabbits on top. Thanks to JP & Robin we had our binoculars ready!

 

Hinterhaus Castle, Spitz

 

Aggstein Castle

 

Not the best Pic of Schonbuhel Castle but I like the sky!

[stonepebble]

I wished I didn’t have to sleep and could have watched the entire sailing! Before we left I checked out a book from the library and listed every sight from Budapest to Kilhelm (according to Km) with coordinating pictures (if anyone wants a copy, I’ll share). It was fun, occasionally, when we were sailing to follow along & know what was coming. And next it was Melk Abbey!

 

 

It was so nice of Leopold II to donate one of his castles in 1089! I keep saying everything was so beautiful. It was!! I didn’t know that there is a school there, 900 students. So Baroque, so awe inspiring & in such a beautiful spot. We’re lucky that we got to see it!

 

 

 

Fresco in the Marble Hall of Hercules conquering the three-headed hound of hell, night, and sin

 

 

Views from Melk Abbey

 

[acwmom]

What a difference a blue sky makes! Glad you made it to the castle ruins. It drizzled the day we went up, which was fine, because we worked up quite a sweat:)

 

Robin

[stonepebble]

Just a couple more!

 

Crown of Victory Over Battle-High Altar of Abbey Church

 

JP a memory for you! Does this have something to do with Lion Island?

 

Then a pleasant walk back down to the ship & soon we were sailing.

 

View of the Abbey as we're sailing away.

 

We had our wine tasting of wines from the area this evening. Was such fun. We had trouble as the lady speaking was very soft spoken. People weren’t being at all too loud. I had to really pace myself which means my husband got a lot to drink! Ha ha…We had a great dinner with, of course, a lot more good wine!

[stonepebble]

Love the pics. Amazing how much you fit in at Vienna, good for you! And your shots from the castle at Durstein, thanks for posting. What a view!

 

Thanks Got! We saw most of what we wanted to see in Vienna. It's always hard to know how long things are going to take! We didn't rush at all, but we had skipped the gardens at Schonbrunn. It helped that we were staying in town for dinner!

 

What a difference a blue sky makes! Glad you made it to the castle ruins. It drizzled the day we went up, which was fine, because we worked up quite a sweat:)

 

Robin

 

It was such fun & the info boards were so cute!! Robin Hood, King John, etc!

[stonepebble]

Haven't been posting in a bit...football, waterfall hiking, and visiting our Grandkids!

 

So after months of deliberations we decided to go to charming, Medieval Cesky Krumlov. We boarded our bus downstream of Passau (?Aschach). Our guide for the trip over was great! It was really cloudy in the morning but turned out to be a gorgeous day. It was a very narrow 2 lane road and I can see why some would be scared! Our driver did an excellent job (meaning we didn’t have a wreck!!). We returned to the ship in Passau via a different route. At each border crossing Germany to Czech Republic & vice versa there were no border patrol officials! We drove through hilly farmland and the Bavarian/Bohemian Forest.

 

 

For awhile we rode along what appeared to be a lake but was actually a damned up part of the Vltava (the river around Cesky & in Prague). As we traveled he gave very interesting commentary which was more Cesky focused as we neared the town. The castle passed through many noble families due to a lack of an heir. The story of Don Julius D’Austria, the mentally ill son of Rudolph II, who was given the castle in 1605 was particularly gruesome! He attempted to murder his girlfriend, Margeta (a barber-surgeon’s daughter) he eventually got her back and then did cut her up! There’s a highly rated historical fiction book about it written in 2012, “The Bloodletter’s Daughter”. Our local guide seemed very good as well but when we were close to the castle our bus guide took us to purchase tickets for the Castle and the Baroque Theater tours, unfortunately the only tour of the theater we could get to would be in German! He then took us to a restaurant to grab a sandwich to eat on the run. They had this weird system of having to get a ticket to go in and he was afraid we might need his help. He then took us back toward castle to get us headed in the right direction. En route we saw a bear in the bear moat (bred there since the 16th C), Barber’s bridge & house (it was one of the barber surgeon occupant’s of this house who's daughter was murdered), plague (Holy Trinity Statue), Town Hall, etc.

 

Look close or you'll miss it!

 

He also explained about the Renaissance sgraffito and chiaroscuro painted buildings which help to make Chesky so charming.

 

He knew the entire path of the walking tour and when we met up with them again he rejoined them. We walked around a bit-loved the gingerbread shop!

 

Part of the charm of the town is it’s setting on a horseshoe bend of the Vltava.

[stonepebble]

Our first tour was the castle. The castle area is one of the largest in central Europe. (2nd largest in Czech Republic). It is a complex of forty buildings and palaces, situated around five castle courts and a castle park. Built from the 14th to 19th centuries, it is well-preserved. The guided tour concentrates on the original Castle interiors from the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The tour ends in the beautiful Rococo Masquerade Hall. It was the highlight! The paintings decorating the walls are of noblemen enjoying a fancy dress ball with masks and costumes. It’s charming and full of comical illusions and hidden symbols. On the tour we also learned of the borrowed White Lady ghost! At Cesky she was connected to the soul of unhappy Percha von Rosenberg who was ill treated and eventually cursed by her husband. Between tours we strolled the cobblestone streets around the castle.

 

From the castle

 

 

 

Shortly it was time for our Baroque Theatre tour. One of only 2 in the world (dating from the 17th C), the tour was definitely worth doing even in German! The reason there are only two theaters such as these left in the world is mainly due to fires.*The theater was lit by open flames candles and pyrotechnics were also used to achieve certain theatrical effects. The scenery was detailed and bold. There were many layers of the set, creating depth (the theater itself was deep!). There was a video that showed parts of a show and how the theater works. We saw the instruments they use to make sound effects like rain, thunder, wind. Then the tour moved under the stage and explained the incredibly genius behind the workings of the stage.*There were massive pulleys, lumber, and gears that switched all of the set’s scenery within a few seconds.* We saw traps doors that characters used to magically appear or disappear from the stage. The entire production was truly an engineering feat! All this engineering dates back to the 18th C. Most of the technologies that we currently see in Broadway or commercial plays were invented and developed during this era. We met back up with the group and headed back to Passau. I was quite pleased to find out that we were going up to the castle! I wished I had known that this was planned as this would have saved me much deliberation time! So we got to see the confluence of the Inn, Danube, & Ilz (although from this vantage point we couldn’t see the Ilz), St Stephens, etc from the castle.

 

 

 

When we got back to the ship we still had some time to walk around Passau and see the water level marks on Town Hall, the Wilder Man Hotel, and the Oberhaus from town.

 

[stonepebble]

Sailing into Regensburg this beautiful morning we passed Walhalla, the Greek Revival building based on the Parthenon built to honor German-speaking artists, writers, philosophers, scientists, and other historic figures in the 19th C and the Donaustauf ruins.

 

 

Our tour started at 10am today. This was the only place we were a little disappointed with the guide. He just didn’t seem to be into it and it was really short. It could easily included some inside visits. Fortunately we had plenty of free time. He did share with us information on the reconstruction of St Peter’s Cathedral using original methods and showed us the work area.

 

 

The stone bridge was also being renovated as well as the Porta Praetoria (Roman military gate, which was completely covered up) Lots of scaffolding in Regensburg as they found true appreciation for their town's old quarter at a relatively late stage.

 

 

After the tour we considered going back to the ship for lunch as it was really close, but decided to stay in town. We went to the TI office and purchased a tour of Thurn & Taxis for later & then just meandered and window shopped until we found a lunch spot. We ended up eating a great lunch in the open window at Hemingway’s!

 

No Ernest had never been there but it used to be a rum bar!

 

So off to Emmeram Palace – the residence of the Thurn and Taxis-German noble family that was a key player in the postal services in Europe in the 16th century and is well known as owners of breweries and builders of many castles. As compensation for losing the Bavarian mail monopoly, the princes were given the former Abbey of St. Emmeram in 1812. From 1816, this was converted into a magnificent residence that is now considered one of Germany's finest example of historicist architecture. No photos allowed but there was a great audio guide. The beautiful Silver Salon was my favorite and very unusual! Modern day royalty adds to the intrigue!

 

[stonepebble]

Then it was off to climb the 156 steps up the tower of the Church of the Holy Trinity. Great views and the brochure helps you identify the sights.

 

 

 

The Alte Kapelle (Old Chapel from 1002) doesn’t look like much from the outside but the Rococo interior is a sight to behold.

 

 

We loved all the buildings with window boxes and the shops with high end Bavarian clothing.

 

 

 

Now an interior look at St Peter’s with stained glass windows from the 14th C, hanging organ, laughing Gabriel, and of course St Peter.

 

[stonepebble]

 

 

We were amused learning of the competition of the Regensburg merchants to have the highest tower. The taller the tower the richer you were and they only used a couple of floors.

 

 

 

Just before we headed back to the ship we found the keys to the city! These are the measurements that the merchants of Regensburg used before the introduction of the metric system.

 

 

 

Big night back on board with a fun beer tasting and our farewell dinner held the night before our last night.

[stonepebble]

This morning we had an excellent lecture on the Rhine Main Danube canal by a very nice young man. The history, construction, use, etc is just fascinating, but it sounds like a definite money loser. So funny how excited we all were the first time we went down instead of up in the lock!

 

Sailing the Rhine Main Danube Canal

 

Then for lunch we had a Bavarian lunch that was great…well except for the beer soup!

 

Our favorite waitress Liza

 

Right after lunch we arrived into Roth and boarded buses for our Rally Grounds tour. Another good tour guide. As we went through Nuremberg she shared info on the Medieval city as well as pointing out sights from Hitler’s time there and explained why Nuremberg was chosen as the sight for the Rally Grounds.

 

Sinwell Tower part of Nuremberg Castle

 

Our first stop was the Palace of Justice where the Nuremberg trials were held. The allied flags are still on display there.

 

[stonepebble]

Then we headed to Zeppelin Field and grandstands. It was interesting how the design of the buildings and the ceremonies were planned to portray Hitler as a high priest and instill in the German people a desire to submerge their individuality in a higher national cause. The field today is used as sports grounds and an open air events.

 

]

 

Most of the facilities and buildings planned were never actually finished because of the war. Our final stop was the Congress Hall. The façade design is reminiscent of the ancient Coliseum in Rome. A vast roof with no underpinning was to stretch over the interior court where 50,000 people were meant assemble. The Congress Hall was never finished; it is the largest remaining monumental National Socialist building in Germany.

 

 

The Documentation Centre is in the North Wing of Congress Hall. It was very well done in chronological order. Our guides helped to make sure we progressed through the exhibits and saw the most important ones with the time we had.

 

 

Although this was obviously a dark tour we were glad we chose it. After all the history in this area of the world it just felt fitting. We were disappointed though that we didn’t get to see the old city of Nuremberg. So I keep adding to the next time list. This really was our last night on the ship so we had the Captains farewell toast. We had signed up for the bistro dinner. It was excellent. I think being the last night on board most wanted to eat in the dining room. So we had a very nice, quiet dinner on a beautiful night, the last night of our first river cruise!

 

[acwmom]

Really enjoying this, Chris. We didn't go to all the ports you did, and it's nice to see new places.

 

Beautiful pictures!

 

Robin

[stonepebble]

Thanks Robin!

 

Prague is the only one left :(

 

Need to start on it...took too many photos but it was beautiful!

 

Chris

[mimmy52]

Chris, there can never be too many photos as far as I'm concerned. Were you able to get off the bus at Zeppelin Field?

[stonepebble]

I agree. It's been taking me so long to go through them & upload etc that I've only posted a fraction...

For Prague there may be more....I'm getting better!

 

Yes we were able to walk around...the guide gave us commentary there as well. The Grandstand is really all that remains. It was very moving.

 

Chris

[jpalbny]

Can't wait to see Prague! If all goes as planned, we'll get there next year. :D

[stonepebble]

Oh JP you are going to love it!

 

I hope I can whet your appetite just a bit!

 

Here goes...

 

So this morning we leave the Passion.

 

All went very smoothly leaving the ship and traveling with commentary to the Medieval City of 100 spires. The ride was scenic and reminded me of the drive to Cesky. With 1 short pitstop we arrived at the Hilton on the river in Prague around lunch time. We had been told with so many people arriving at once to go have lunch and check in later. Btw this hotel was river cruise central…everyone we spoke to was either getting off or getting on a cruise. We went inside to download a map and off we went. Our first stop was to be Republic Square and luckily the famous Cafe Imperial was right on the way. We were greeted by the sweetest, friendliest gentleman who chatted with us and made sure we were seated at a nice table quickly. After looking at the menu we realized he was the celebrity chef Zdenek Pohlreich. Well naturally I had my pic taken with him! So although we’re cute (ha ha), notice the gorgeous original Art Noveau ceramic wall tiling and mosaic ceiling from 1914. We were starving so lunch instead of dessert and a coffee to go!

 

 

My original plan was to take a tour and have dinner at the Municipal House and call it a day but since we had arrived much earlier than I had anticipated we decided to venture further with the extra time. So we walked around the Powder Tower and Municipal House. The Powder (built 1475) is the gateway to the medieval Royal Route which leads through the Old Town over the Charles Bridge to the vast castle up the hill. The Municipal House (Art Nouveau, finished 1911)was the original site of the Royal Court. It was built as a cultural center and concert hall. It is home to the Prague Symphony Orchestra and it was from here that Czech independence was proclaimed in 1918. The mosaic is called “Homage to Prague”.

 

 

Then off to the Old Town Square! Talk about Medieval, talk about beautiful, talk about so much history!! The Astronomical Clock was just getting ready to strike the hour. Fortunately it wasn’t very crowded!

 

 

[YOUTUBE]HP3mQg28IE8[/YOUTUBE]

[stonepebble]

We went to check out the facade of The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn. During the Counter reformation the Jesuits melted down the gold Hussite chalice that stood between the towers and recast it as the Madonna seen today.

 

Then the Jan Hus Monument-100 years before his time, burned at the stake as a heretic.

 

Also the House at the Minutes with sgraffito like at Cesky

 

There are many places to see great views of Prague and since we were right there we did the Old Town Tower where the Astronomical clock is (and there’s an elevator!). Lots of photos from here!

 

The Powder Tower-I'm not sure but that could be Wenceslas in the background-better pic later

 

The Zizkov TV tower with crawling baby sculptures was originally resented-has great views

 

The Church of Our Lady Before Tyn from up high

[stonepebble]

The 27 inlaid white crosses in memory of the nobles involved in Prague’s 2nd defenestration

 

The pink & yellow buildings behind the Jan Hus Monument (my fav’s)-can see the detail much better from up here

 

 

Prague Castle & St Vitus

 

The National Theatre-looks like it's wearing a crown! And Church of St Giles (I think)

Edited September 26, 2016 by stonepebble
added, space

[jpalbny]

Wow. We must get there, and soon!

[stonepebble]

Aw JP you're so sweet!

 

I'm afraid my pics don't do it justice...Prague is awe inspiring!!

 

And I'm not even done with Day 1!!

 

Chris