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Budapest to Amsterdam Trip Report July 20 to August 6, 2007 Where did it all begin? I was already booked on a Budapest to Prague trip for early July when our very special friend Ellen asked if I"d like to go on a Viking Cruise starting the middle of July. I"d always meant to spend time with Ellen and here was the opportunity. So what if it"s returning to Budapest immediately. So what if it"s 17 days away from home. So what if it"s a rather hefty price. So what if it"s mostly towns that I"ve seen. I was delighted with the opportunity so here we go! Ellen left a day earlier and was booked into the Carlton Hotel just down the hill from my Hilton Hotel. Fri Jul 20 I had the best limo driver I know of – Tom. We left home at 2:30 for a 6:15pm Continental flight connection to an Air France flight out of Paris and into Budapest. I will take the train home and call him from the local train station. I didn"t have the best of airplane travel companions however. The little hellions from the presidents club were just a few seats away from me on the plane, and then the little boy behind me kept kicking my seat despite my obtaining a French stewardess to translate and tell him why he should stop. When he threw up all over, I decided that I was pretty lucky after all. It didn"t get on me. All this was my penalty for an especially easy check in and security line. Then we sat on the runway for one hour making me rightly concerned about my connection. We had an odd scene when a male steward blasted the man sitting in front of me. All the passenger did was touching him to get his attention whereupon the steward announced that it was totally inappropriate to touch. The French-American English teacher sitting next to me confirms that touching a French person is inappropriate. I wonder how I lived there all that time and didn"t know and I wonder why 3 kisses on the cheek can then be appropriate. I"m sorry to say, I think Czech Airlines is better. They gave free booze, their seats recline farther, the food is hugely better, the service is superb and I still get Continental miles on CZA. Sat Jul 21 Arrival into Charles de Gaulle in Paris was not nice. We were late, they had us use stairs out on the tarmac, put us into packed buses with no air conditioning, and filtered us into a packed terminal. It was nearly impossible to get through passport control over to transit and when I did it meant another bus and all while I was sweating profusely and so were the French people who don"t use deodorant. I wondered why I love Paris. With a lot of pushing, pleading, boarding a bus that had "pushers" I just made it through another security line (emptying my water bottle in the hallway since there was no trash can) as the deadline for boarding my connecting flight was upon me. As I lined up, a flash came through that we were delayed an hour. Again, we boarded via bus and stairs positioned way out on the very hot tarmac. Arriving in Budapest somewhere before 1pm, I understood the shuttle method but what I didn"t know was that the mini-bus was without air conditioning or what that meant in a humid 104 degrees. By the time I got to my hotel, I was a wet dishrag and totally gave up the idea of a walking tour. I also broke my own rules and had a 2 hour nap, in lieu of throwing up. I walked the Castle area extensively that evening , using Frommer"s walking tour guide and a detour over the Chain Bridge where a festival was ongoing, and consuming three full bottles of water on the way but never needing a pee stop. I climbed the hill at the area of the funicular for spectacular views on my way to the top. I"d run across two weddings in my touring and one had moved to this hill for photographs. I found the back side of the palace and new areas to explore while searching for the alleyway Maria, my guide from the earlier trip, had shown us before. A concert was being performed in Mathias Church but I only stayed about 20 minutes. The organ sounds in the Prague concert were lovely and moving but this concert was grating. Or was it me and the lack of air movement in the extreme heat? I would later learn that over 500 people had died in the heat of Eastern Europe and that they were watering the roads to keep the asphalt from lifting. Again using Frommer"s recommendation, I dined on Salad Nicoise and a draft beer at Café Miro just down from the church (2300 forint plus 300 tip.) In Hungarian the menu seemed to brag on the historical significance of the restaurant but it evaded me. Joan Miro from 1893 to 1983, and something about a UNESCO mention? It was far out art and sculpture. There was live music which was part blues and sung in English, such as "Cry Me a River." The waitress was the typical very sweet gal but she couldn"t make the place cool. I was beyond very tired and hot and there were no a/c at restaurants that looked suitable for my shorts and t-shirt attire. No a/c could quite keep up with 104 degree temps anyway. I found a phone booth which must have been 150 degrees but I needed to talk to Tom and made the first of many uses of my phone card I"d purchased in advance.. I had chosen the Budapest Hilton for its historical significance as well as it being on the Buda Hill side whereas I"d stayed on the flat Pest side two weeks earlier. It was a bargain at 90 Euros, prepaid through Continental Air, but the breakfast at 27 Euros ($37.25) was not. I was in the monastery wing and fortunately remembered where the public bathrooms were during later tours. The Hilton is not only in the heart of the historic Castle District, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and it not only sits next to the gothic Coronation Church, the Matthias Church and the Fisherman*s Bastion, it is a historic building itself. The hotel interestingly combines a contemporary structure with 13th-century remains. Hilton"s president has been quoted saying that it is the pearl of his chain. The rooms had a recent renovation and deserved the 5-star rating. Major historic sites are within walking distance on this hill. I tried to get into the labyrinth, a tunnel network of 15 kilometers created naturally but used for everything from military storage to housing and now for museums and shops, but it was closed. Ellen was staying on the same Buda side, down the hill in the Carlton Hotel which looked to be a very good deal and included breakfast though she confessed to having gotten busy and missed breakfast. She was adventuring out of town via taxi, train and bus (all without air conditioning) to visit Godollo Palace. Ellen will go anywhere for an educational tour but this one was really a challenge for her. Sun Jul 22 – Day 2 - Budapest on my own and boarded cruise ship in the evening I couldn"t bear to pay the 27 Euros for buffet breakfast at the Hilton. Fortunately there was a coffee maker in the room, supplemented by a rich granola bar plus cheese and crackers, all of which held me until the next (and free) stop. Lack of a sit down breakfast gave me an extra hour to wander Castle Hill some more. Met Maria Hoffman, tour guide, and Ellen, at the Hilton Budapest. In Maria"s 3-door coupe, we drove about 8-9 kilometers southwest town to Statute Park (see below). See www.szoborpark.hu. It was an important educational trip and one that we couldn"t have done on our own without much difficulty. All the communist statues were retained but assembled to this outer area. We then drove along the famous and elegant wide street Andrassy to City Park and toured the castle, across the street from the spa we"d indulged in earlier in the month. (Maria explained something we found at the spa as an Adventure Pool where we found the heavy flow of water that would simply carry you away in a wide swirl. Also that the water fountains that sprout up at your feet and a few inches above the water are on a timer. I"d brought my luggage in Maria"s car so we dropped it by the cruise ship at around 1pm, finding a full buffet of food available. My luggage emptied, there was room to pick up Ellen"s at the end of the day. Our end of the day surprisingly didn"t come until well after 5pm. Maria had been a real sport since I"d only hired her for 3 hours and this was 7 ½ hours plus her kindly offering to take us in her car During the day we"d gone into the Art Institute, a gloriously white, clean and magnificent Moroccan style. We drove out to the really old town, Obuda, and then to Acquienne, the roman ruins (see below) were the highlights. We did this despite the 100 plus degree temperatures which just sucked the water out of you. We all consumed bottles of water but freely joked about not having to make a pee stop! After the Roman Ruins and baths, which were in two different places, with the baths having been revealed during the building of a highway, we returned to Obuda for an 1899 restaurant called Kehli Vendeglo where we tried local dishes such as pheasant soup, cold strawberry soup, lento (a paprika dish – not as in spicy but paprika that looked like cabbage) with sausages. We said our goodbyes and despite lots of sweat, hugged Maria goodbye and vowed to see her again which Ellen is planning sooner rather than later. We were at the ship just in time to indulge in a 15 minute clean up and then appear in the lounge for an embarkation and safety briefing. I thought only us newbie"s would show up but it looked like everyone was there. Dinner gives choices. Where to sit, how much of a wine and/or booze package to purchase, and 2 plates for each of starter, soup, main course and dessert. We joined a table with 2 very well traveled youngish retired guys and learned they"d just come back from the "Black Sea to Budapest" trip that Ellen took in November. They shared trip stories but theirs even topped Ellen"s as they sound to be full time travelers and even took a Princess 24 day around-Australia cruise. We all ate a duck salad, a cabbage soup, and they all had a mixed grill whereas I tried the zucchini rosti on a bed of tomatoes and maybe paprika vegetable. I had decided to generally forego alcohol during dinner as well as desserts to help make up for the lack of exercise, though I sure was on my feet a lot today. We could have purchased a 119 Euros wine package that would give us 6 regional wines over the course of the trip. Or 299 Euros for unlimited booze, wine, waters, special coffees. It appears that the lounge is a major source of income for Viking. Around 9:30pm, went walking around the main market area and into a new and very busy area looking for a phone booth. The 3rd one worked though its glass had been broken out. It was new to see a little bit of a seedy side of Budapest. I simply couldn"t be in Budapest and not continue walking, so traversed all of Vaci Utca, the pedestrian street, still again. I didn"t get back and start to unpack until 11pm. The cabin is really very much like a hotel room just a little bit smaller than I"m used to. 175-180 square feet is a room of about 10"x12" plus vestibule and bathroom. The bathroom is just large enough for one side to be a shower though there is a full double layer glass counter and large sink and the fixtures are Groehe and plenty nice. The toilet operates similar to a regular hotel room. The window is large and comprises most of one side of the room. More description later. Mon Jul 23 – Day 3 - Budapest Did I really take another and similar tour of Pest and Buda? I did it because there are generally new things to see even where you"ve been before, and a new tour guide to tell about it. Ellen headed out to the 9:30am Parliament tour but the tickets were sold out so she bought the 2pm tour. She shopped instead and apparently did major damage (or good?) up on Castle Hill to include a visit to an art shop. This was only the beginning of her shopping and the final need for another full size suitcase. Anybody who knows me will not be surprised to learn that I never shopped. Breakfast buffet was all one could hope for and I managed to pack my usual sandwich following a breakfast of muesli, yogurt and fruit and lots and lots of coffee. I"d only turned off the light at midnight and heaven knows when my mind finally crashed so you"d think it would have slept through until the 7am alarm? Hardly. Something told me to wake up at 3 and 5 and 6 and it was more than just my bladder. I would eventually get not only accustomed to the gentle movement of the ship but slept especially well. It was hard to believe that we were really sitting on the Danube! This day our ship moved at 6pm and then left Budapest at 9pm. Before then I experienced similar sights with the morning tour: We started at our dock on the Pest side, with an overview of the university on the Buda side. The bus started with a round-about by the 100 year old main market hall where they still brag that Margaret Thatcher visited in "84 and where even Lady Diana chose to visit. It is unfortunately emptied out for dignitaries so they clearly miss the fun of the multi decked market house. It starts at the south end of Vaci Utca, the pedestrian street, near to the custom house and at the end of the green Liberty and pedestrian bridge with Gellert Hill overlooking. We"d seen the baths, the hotel and across the streets the caves for the monastery. Gellert Hill is topped with their Statue of Liberty, one of the only communist statues remaining, though it was draped in 1947 and re-titled from its Statue of Liberation before being spared from being banned to the Statue Park. It sits under the Citadel where the two adjoining statues did get banned. Driving by the Elizabeth Bridge we saw the Marriott under renovation, the ex-Intercontinental, with a perfect view of the Royal Palace across the Danube, the river that separates the Buda Hills and the Old City from the elegant boulevards of modern Pest. Still on the Pest side but having passed the pedestrian Chain Bridge and Gresham Palace where Sofia Lauren and her son and daughter in law stayed in 2004 after having been married in St Stephan"s Basilica, we drove by the Ministry of Finance building at the north end of Vaci street where the UK embassy, Elizabeth Square and the 19th century Meridian and Kaplinski (sp?) hotels stand. Just before a long ride along the Andrassy Utca and seeing the National Opera House and Heroes" Square was the Jewish quarter and synagogue, the 2nd largest synagogue in the world, pretty heavily Moorish style and learned that Tony Curtis had a lot to do with the renovation. Ellen managed a short tour as well as a 45 minute nap in the synagogue during the afternoon. The tour took a long route down Rakoczi Avenue, new to me, and the main shopping street, past the oldest hospital, a national square named after a famous female singer, saw the Café New York at a distance (which is worthy of a visit inside) and then the surprisingly striking art nouveau Novotel. The international railway station deserves a visit inside but that"s just one of the reasons to return. Interesting there are no domestic air flights, probably because there are no large cities other than Budapest. Budapest has about 2 million people and yet the country only has 10 million. Near to the train station is a run down area referred to as Chicago because 3 million people immigrated to Chicago and this was their return meeting place. Beggars became known as Chicagoans. On our way to City Park, the 100 year old embassy district was quite the opposite. It"s the 2 nd largest diplomatic area following Andrassy Street. Not far was the stadium where the Rolling Stones had just appeared for 55,000 people, postponing their performance to 9:30pm due to the heat. The stadium was known as the Peoples Stadium when it was built 54 years ago and was the biggest in Europe. They are strong football/soccer fans. Into City Park with the Transportation Museum, 100 year old amusement and the 15th century spa where we"d indulged in the baths. Carousel, zoo, fake mountain, all the 2 nd oldest in Europe having been built in 1866, and anchored by the famous Gundell Restaurant where Ellen had eaten the night before the tour and after her Godollo adventure. Hero"s Square is sided by the Fine Arts Museum, a military parade grounds, statues of 7 Hungarian leaders, all built in 1896 for the 1,000 year celebration and centered with a 100 foot high column. I walked past the castle we"d visited the day before and a couple blocks down to see a Frank Gehey type building I"d noticed on each of my past trips to the square. At St Stephen"s Basilica again we saw learn that it is the 2 nd highest building of Pest at 96 meters and its close by where the old city wall was pulled down in 1802. Just down that street is where Evita was filmed and the famous balcony where Madonna sang. It takes a long time to drive by the Parliament because it"s so huge. Tour guides comment that it cost enough to build and sustain a city of 60,000 and worse that it continues to cost because it was so poorly constructed. We crossed the river at the Margaret Bridge, crossing by the park where the king had given over his daughter Margaret to live as a nun, never washing in her entire life, and thus is it any wonder that she died at age 26. It"s an amusement island now. Fitting that we should then drive past the Turkish baths from the 16th century where one could only wonder why all the baths yet she didn"t. This is on Fo Utca, or their main street, with five churches to include the oldest in Europe. A full 80% of the people are Roman Catholic, an extreme from Czech Republic where 90% are atheist. These houses on Main Street contain some small 18th century buildings that actually sit under the Mathias Church hill complex. There is a traffic jam on our way up to the more traditional Buda side and the Castle Hill. The highlight is likely the massive hilltop castle complex with its turreted Fishermen"s Bastion and Matthias Church. Remember that all bridges were blown up by the Nazis. Equally, though the Palace (Buda Hill) remains and is massive and impressive, the insides had been gutted so are more modern now. I don"t know why not one of my many tours took me to the Palace because my walk through during the day was very worthwhile and incentivized me to return at night. That walk will remain as one of the highlights of this tour with Lion"s Gate and the fountain lit up being most impressive. We had 75 minutes on the hill and I used part of my time to walk back to the Palace, around the city wall, and I tried to get into the caves spoken about earlier. . We returned to the ship for a simple buffet lunch, bypassing the sit down meal, quickly hurrying off to the 2pm optional tour. I"d been convinced that the horse and rider, being as one, and the trust displayed between the two was a sight worth seeing but it really had to be good to endure both the one hour trip each way, out easterly about 25 kilometers just past Godollo where the old Godollo Palace sits, a 1730 Baroque Palace which was a former royal residence of Elizabeth and Franz. It had been renovated in 1985. We passed Avon Cosmetics! It was a good thing the horse and rider show was good because I could have done without the hot and uncomfortable open carriage ride around a dirty and unexciting forest. Not knowing horses, I was troubled by their having to lay in the dirt for the tricks. I guess it"s something one should do but I"d be pressed to recommend it. Even the brandy and cakes didn"t compensate. The animals were of interest and I was sorry to be rushed in and out of the barnyard as I"d have liked to see these unique animals closer. There were Puli dogs said to be so smart they read the minds and that they eat virtually everything. There were unusual sheep with curly horns, cute little goats and unusual hogs with curly hair. I missed the stables and learning more about these horses of Hapsburg dynasty bred with Hungarian prairie horses and of the famous Lippizanner line. I also missed the international awards these Hungarian cowboys have earned and didn"t appreciate the tour guide reminding us on the way back of how much we missed. The exhibition lasted about 35 minutes with horsemanship of young bareback riders who control their horses only with bridles and the cracking of six- foot whips that never touch the animals. They used no saddles or stirrups. It is said the horse and rider are as one in a display based on trust between the two. We were back in time for about a 15 minute clean up before the evening educational briefing on what"s to be offered the next day. Then when we return from dinner, the following day"s itinerary is on our turned down bed. Nope, no chocolates. Dinner was a sampling of Hungarian cuisines. We"d moved docking and I had a short worry that Ellen hadn"t gotten back in time as after all we hadn"t known that the ship would move until the 9pm sailing. Sailing started with music throughout the ship and everyone up on top for a cruise first easterly and then our intended westerly direction. Budapest is surely an even more special city at night with all bridges alight with strings of light and the palace, parliament and churches lit too. Later as the cruise was near ending its 15 day run, many people would say that cruising out of Budapest under the lighted bridges and buildings was one of the more impressive sites of the trip. On the subject of "no chocolates with the turn down service" -- the room is pretty much like a hotel room. There are 2 twin beds set together with the ability to separate. They are sheeted in European comforter style but no down pillows. One wall is filled with a double-door closet, a long desk which easily accommodates make-up plus computer and is backed by mirror, and an armoire of four shelves topped by a TV that gets 10 channels including CNN and a ship information channel. The desk has the only drawer. The bathroom is small but I"ve seen smaller ones in big city 4-star hotels and it"s adequate light- wise and with mirrors as well as shelving, a large sink, a regular seeming toilet and excellent Groehe fixtures. The entire side of the room is window from thigh-high to ceiling with heavy draperies able to cover the morning sunshine. Apparently all rooms have the same 175 SF with very little difference between the 3-levels except maybe the window sizes. My tummy was not happy from entry to the ship and I don"t know if it was from the unusual food, the heat and lack of fluids, or the new water of the ship. It didn"t last long. Keeping hydrated was a challenge both from the heat and because a bottle of water cost 500 forint or $2.85. I would later come down with what I first felt was an allergy attack and then later I decided it was a slight cold. Others got it too. The ship began sailing at 9pm with a ceremony up on deck. Libby and Lou from Doylestown, PA bought me a drink despite my protestations. (I"d handed Libby 500 forint at the Fishermen"s Bastillion since she wanted ice cream and didn"t have local cash and she thought that was unusual to offer to a stranger.) Later in my cabin I found it fascinating to adjust to the movement of sailing and sleeping on top of that vibration and motor sound. It could be mesmerizing but I didn"t get comfortable with it immediately. I came to like the sensation very much though and slept through the cruise like a baby. Tue Jul 24 – Day 4 - Bratislava, Slovakia The ship continued sailing through the morning and after breakfast the captain gave us a talk as we went through a lock, keeping us all on top deck for our first example of 67 more to come during our 1,100 miles. Cruising into Bratislava right on time, we"d already lunched (buffet versus service again) and retrieved our passports for entry into Slovakia. We were told that our embarking at 1:15pm for a tour was good timing because passport control would likely be lunching; guess they have union workers here too. Separating us into about 5 groups of 25 each, Ellen and I quickly chose big hefty and slightly rotund George which was a good choice, but he was no Maria. I was hesitant to go with the cute little skinny 85 pound gal who must have had 10 of those pounds where I was worried she might lose something out the top of her low cut dress. Hungarian, Czech and now I see Slovakian women are uncommonly busty and don"t mind flaunting it. I wasn"t sure if I"d be able to pay attention to the tourist information in my concern that she"d pop out of her tiny little sun dress during any deep breath. We started at the opera house, saw the new arts theatre which was said to be a disaster since it rained inside as much as outside during a storm, and all were surrounded by the likes of signs by McDonalds and far too many for round-a-bout traffic control, interspersed with wires and lights. Overall this is not a Vienna or Prague but again a lovely tourist Mecca-to-be. Leading us through a walk in the center of town we continually came across frivolous and cute bronzes. Following a walk in light rain, George took us on a mini-train ride where some chose to remain and return to the ship due to the rain that had become heavier. Most of us had again expected the 100 degree temperatures and were unprepared and had left our umbrellas on board. But -- I had my trusty black plastic garbage bag that had already been modeled in Prague for the same reason. And to think, I own a nice animal print umbrella too! Our tour centered in the Old Town which is anchored by a beautiful St Martin"s Cathedral (which I walked around more on a later run-through), Michael"s Gate with its 15th century tower, the Old Town Hall and the neoclassical Archbishop"s Palace (where Ellen couldn"t resist returning to see the zillion year old tapestries.) This is Slovakia"s capital but used to be that of Hungary when Hungary controlled much more of the land. I learned from a Czech gal during my last trip that Slovakia is more agriculture and slower to proceed with market reforms and there"s some jealousy towards the prosperous Czechs. Just as bad, the politicians have hesitated to privatize all businesses. The country has about 5 million people. I want reminded to read more about this land division after WWI, but Hungary has lost land by choosing the wrong side during many disruptions. Maybe that"s why they have the highest suicide rate and alcoholism? As many of the older towns are, Bratislava is set right at the river but fortunately also set picturesquely at the foot of the Little Carpathian Mountains. High up on the hill, looking like a 4-legged upside down table, Bratislava is dominated by its massive size and all the lovely streets and homes leading up to it. Only by reaching the top of the castle hill was I able to see the massive amount of communist type apartment houses. It looked like Hong Kong"s resettlement or 20 times what we saw on the edge of Obuda. While Ellen identified with tapestries as only Ellen can (she"s the most amazingly educated woman I"ve ever met and sure gives the tour guides a run for their money), I returned to the ship for my running clothes, stopping by the afternoon pastry table. It looked like a layered chocolate cake but delightfully was a less sweet poppy seed mixture. But not before looking into the Grand Hotel, a supermarket, and walking some back streets, finally calling Tom, which took some looking for a pay phone (Tom reminded me to experience the Café Central in Vienna again) and not before hunting down a bottle of wine. A word about the wine. I purposely looked for something locally since we"d passed Vac between Budapest and Bratislava, an old wine region that is experiencing a comeback. I didn"t really care a lot but couple the fact that I need local wine with the fact that it was super cheap at 6.50Euro and that I finally found a shop that would open it for me, and I was happy. The ship"s receptionist didn"t seem concerned that I wanted to run the bridges, so I did, crossing a very unique and unsupported expanse with an observation tower on the end, going through a park on the other side of the Danube, continuing to still another bridge, and all the time getting really odd stares from the locals. I was totally drenched, both from sweat and from rain, a logical mixture but not so smart for my only shoes (other than 2 pair of sandals.) After a diverted attempt, I found my way up the hill to the castle and down a different way yet, back through the old town and behind the church. The only challenge was the rivets of water coursing down the cobblestones at the same time my slippery sneakers were on the way down too. I made it without event. My passport had been closed up in a zip bag but my fingers were somewhat numb for awhile. Tomorrow in Vienna might be wet too, definitely overcast and cloudy and about 70 degrees. Little did I know that the weather would soon turn and give us some 51 degree lows and not many of us were prepared for that turn. Dinner the night before had seemed to be some kind of reception with hors d"oeuvres and gratis champagne being served during our lecture so I don"t know why it was called a welcome reception this evening. I must have had the day wrong. I was going to try to write about food but I just don"t care enough to remember what I ate. I had fish the last two nights and they always offer a choice of a couple of starters, there were two soups to choose from - tonight there was an sherbet intermezzo, three main course selections, and a couple of dessert. The menu tells what country they"re from and details of the preparation, but we"d already heard from the chef during our lecture about the food and wines of the night anyway. All plates are small servings, elegantly prepared and appointed on the dish, and served with great relish with the maitre d" seemingly needing to know that we liked it. They hawk special wines and liquors. The daily ship"s newspaper shows what wines and special cocktails will be offered. The ship sailed at midnight so in a perfect (dry) world, more time would be spent exploring Bratislava following dinner. I didn"t really care. Maybe the movement of the river was making me sleepy. Dinner was again with the two guys from Australia and Ellen was concerned that they may think we were following them. I couldn"t care if they did and it might even amuse them but I agree that we must find a seat elsewhere, but tonight we were late and that was all the seating I could find. Besides, they are super well-traveled and between the boys and Ellen, the entertainment couldn"t have been better. They are on a two month hiatus, having just returned from another river cruise direct to this one, next to England for gardens tours (if the floods allow) and then into Paris where they have a flat. Check out www.parismarais.com for their friend"s website of free tips. At the end of the trip, one of the guys and I would exchange books. NEXT INSTALLMENT – VIENNA TO NUREMBURG Wed Jul 25 – Day 5 - Vienna We arrived in Vienna around 6am while I was hard and fast asleep. It must be the vibration and movement. I want a rocker at home. Our tour was at 9am and since we were parked out at the Danube and not the Danube Canal, it was unusually about 6-8 miles into town past the Prater Park. This is truly a most elegant and romantic city, and for me it was pleasant to have seen the major sites already when Tom and I did our Prague to Vienna bike tour last year, and was just be able to wander and enjoy it again. I went wherever I happened to want once the tour was over at noon. We"d driven the remarkable Ringstrasse road, lined with imposing palaces and grand residences, encircling the medieval Inner City, and also some outer ring, also going outside to tour the magnificent Belvedere Palace. We drove by all the majors from the Hofburg Palace, glorious St Stephan"s Cathedral with its gleaming spire in city center, and the beautiful State Opera House. I walked back to each of them plus more, also going into the Palace to see the Sisi Museum and contents of the palace which reminded me very much of Schoenbrunn Palace outside of town, an optional tour which I decided not to do again. We left Ellen at the baroque Belvedere Palace after touring both upper and lower. The grounds are in major renovation and they didn"t attempt to take in the Orangery or outer grounds. The highlight was going inside to see its wonderful collection of art featuring works by a number of famous painters including Gustav Klimt. I am newly interested in Klimt despite having visited his show the last trip at the Albertina. Ellen later explained that there was more than one Klimt"s work displayed but that yes, Gustav had a more traditional art during his earlier time. I obviously didn"t return to the ship for lunch but I did go to both the Café Griensteidl, full of history, and Café Central where Tom and I had so enjoyed the décor, food and piano player, but alas, no piano player today while I was there. I had an apple strudel and coffee at the Griensteidl and then a picnic lunch later while sitting at a fountain in a quiet square off the palace tour exit. My walking time slowed considerably in their central park where I fed the birds and sat with the best and worse of them. My walking time quickened however when it was getting near dinner hour and I only had 20 minutes to clean up it was so much farther than I"d realized. For those who know Vienna, I walked the ring road at least twice and criss-crossed many places. Ellen took the optional tour to Maria Theresa"s wonderful baroque Schoenbrunn Palace, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its opulent rooms and collection of period furniture, as well as beautiful gardens, but as Tom and I toured it during our "Prague to Vienna" bicycle trip, I decided to put some miles on instead and maybe shop for a computer chip. As it looked like my 900 picture capacity wouldn"t be sufficient, I walked a very long ways outside the 2nd ring road to a camera store and bought another 1GB chip. I sure should have brought the downloader but I guess if a 24.95 Euro chip is the worse of what I forgot, I did okay. The other optional tour for the evening was a concert at some palace with a selection of music which I will pass in part since I get edgy sitting that long and I"d be captive. Ship remained docked until 3am and I wonder if anybody stayed out. I"d loved to have gone out for a run in the evening as the weather and sky were absolutely perfect but I was super sore in my hips and probably at my maximum mileage from walking all day to include back to the ship. The TV is reporting that over 500 people have died in Hungary (and Eastern Europe?) from the heat. We saw them watering the roadways because of softening asphalt and we saw huge expanses of dead grass. Meanwhile, over 6 billion Euros in damage has occurred in the UK from floods. This suggests that trip insurance IS in order after all. During the day I thought coincidences were happening too often and I might be losing my mind. I walked straight to the restaurant where we"d eaten before, then direct to the next restaurant where Tom suggested I eat again, followed by walking into a curio shop and it turned out to be one where I"d purchased a bunch of gift bags, and then the camera shop seemed quite familiar. It all started with the ship docking at an area where I"d run before. The only place I"d run across the canal. Small world. We didn"t sail until 3am which was long after I was asleep but a lock maneuver apparently woke me up though not for long. Still, I"m sleeping like they say a baby sleeps. I wake up with pillow wrinkle marks on my face. Thu Jul 26 – Day 6 - Melk Because the morning was to be scenic cruising through the heart of Austria"s Wachau Wine Valley, I got myself up for an 8am breakfast. While getting ready I could hardly keep myself from the window for all the high rock formations and lush greenery along the rocky coast. Yet it was a fairly narrow passageway. Coincidentally Ellen and I have been converging on the breakfast room at about the same time each morning which is handy because I like to hear what she did the day before. This day"s report was nothing surprising for her: She"d continued on at the Belvedere"s castle and its art exhibit, found all the Klimpt art after all (she"d not recognized his early work and was adding up the paintings) and then took a taxi to see the Reuben"s, just outside the ring road near to the palace. Barely making it back to the ship for lunch, and late enough to need to beg a sandwich from the chef who accommodated her, she got herself onto the bus tour to the big Schoenbrunn Palace (which used to be on the outside of town when it was the summer palace of Maria Teresa and the Hofsburg clan.) When she returned, not having intended to go to the concert, the urge seemed to strike, the universe provided with an extra ticket, and with 15 minutes to spare, she was off to a palace filled with Mozart and Strauss. I heard about her day while we ate breakfast then took ourselves to the upper deck to view the Wachau Valley. This area is filled with cultural and historic importance and is of such unsurpassed beauty that it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was no disappointment with castle after castle and towns such as Durnstein, the ruins of a castle where Richard the Lionheart was held captive, and the towns of Spitz, Weisenkirchen and Aggsbach, all towns where we"d bicycled and visited over a year ago. The hills are full of scalloped wine vineyards and I remember they also grow apricots here. We"d bicycled by them in our last trip. After lunch, we walked part way to the bus transport to take us up the hill for an excursion to the dramatic 900-year old baroque Melk Abbey perched on sheer cliffs high above the Danube. Its cherub-filled library is home to a wide range of medieval manuscripts in a library beyond description. The interior of the abbey"s church is both striking and maybe troubling with all its opulence, a real kaleidoscope of red, orange and gold with a most magnificent carved pulpit and shimmering ceiling frescoes. It"s considered to be the most beautiful Baroque church north of the Alps. I know I shouldn"t judge and yet the money that goes into these monuments is sometimes troubling. Yet someone told me the story of Mother Teresa going into a major "temple" and not only saying we should not judge, but reminding everyone that times were different in the era these "temples" were built. She"s an example I will remember. I took a zillion photos no matter. Melk goes back to Roman times and was the entrance to the Danube and wine growing area of Wachau even then. The town is dominated by this Benedictine monastery and we"d caught a glimpse from way down the river and it played hide-and-seek. It"s said to be one of the most famous and magnificent of Austria"s monasteries. It"s situated on a mountain ridge and was created during the early 18th century. Some day the splendor and dignity of the Baroque style harmonize here in a way seldom found elsewhere. Most famous painters, sculptors and stucco craftsmen of the 18th century worked here. There are 7 courtyards in a whole complex of 325 meters long We had some time to walk through the village of Melk down close to the river and then a walk through the woods to our ship in time for a 5pm departure. It was said that we"d be cruising through a beautiful and untouched stretch of Danube called the Strudengau and it was more than that – it was breathtaking in its lush green. There was absolutely nothing to take a picture of since it was just black with trees with simple homes along the edge, not in villages but mostly all separate. At places I saw bicycles and roller blades despite the near darkness though a full moon is on its way. I couldn"t stop looking out my window and I wonder if this might be the start of the Black Forest since we"re on our way into Bavaria. At one lock I saw that the ship"s top deck canopy had to be laid down and the captain"s nest had to be lowered to accommodate the lower bridge. This would be necessary through many of the locks. It was my birthday and I was moved to near tears with happiness to be able to take such a trip, see these sights and have such good health too. I left the dining room early just as they were marching in singing happy birthday to another woman and I thought how I didn"t need that at all. It would be nice to be with Tom but the absence is fine too since I know he"s there and I"ll be home in a week or so all of which gives me great happiness too. I have it all. (Well, maybe a run would be good . . . .) As I typed the above, a knock came at the door and it was the lovely little gal who is head of housekeeping with a chilled bottle of champagne in a silver ice bucket compliments of Viking and it moved me to tears. I"d planned to take it to dinner the next night to share it with Ellen and Libby and Lou but my cold caused me to save it still another day when Becky and Bob from Tampa also joined us. The bottle went around sufficiently since the last two turned out to be non-drinkers. Fri Jul 27 – Day 7 - Passau Germany This was a pleasant late morning start since we didn"t dock at Passau until about 9am so the walking tour started at 10am and lasted about 1 ½ hours. This really is an elegant little town. It"s called the Dreiflussestadt (City of Three Rivers) because it"s situated at the confluence of the Danube, Ilz and Inn Rivers where at the point of Passau, from the castle above, you can see all the colors of the three different rivers coming together. We went inside the impressive Bishop"s Residenz, around the 14th century Town Hall, and then into the town"s magnificent 17th century St Stephan"s Cathedral, containing Europe"s largest pipe organ where we stayed for a concert. This is not only Europe"s largest pipe organ with 17.974 organ pipes, 233 stops and 4 carillons, but the world"s largest. It"s said to be an acoustical delight but I might have more enjoyed walking through and hearing 1 or 2 passages instead of the 6 we did. The church itself is from the 5th century but after burning it was refinished in 1662 and is the largest Baroque church north of the Alps. I"d considered going into the glass museum which has 250 years of history of Bohemian glass and has been said to be the world"s most beautiful glass house. Ellen confessed that it was overwhelming and wasn"t worth going into and if she, who has no ADD, says that, it"s a good thing that I decided to climb up to the castle instead, and go along both rivers and out past two bridges and over one to the edge of Austria. I put on enough miles to get out of the very congested and touristy city and found a wine tasting shop where I purchased a 2003 Chateau du Barrail Appellation Bordeaux Controlee for 6.60 Euros. Must be something wrong with it, but its going to be good for me since the shopkeeper took care of my lack of a corkscrew. I also put on enough miles to start to worry about getting back AFTER the ship sailed so I scurried but only after going through a local and very flowery park. I"d meant to run but decided I"d feel silly in town dressed in running clothes plus my throat hurt and my nose was running. Not a good sign. Since we sailed early, there was a lecture on how locks work and in particular that of the Main Danube were we have to "lock" up to 1332 feet before dropping to about 654 feet, with most of it done in the Main- Danube canal connector where the ship takes up all but a few inches of the canal and lock. We"ve been through about 15 locks with a total of 68 to go through. There are 16 just in the Main Danube connector. There are aqueducts over 4 roads and the 4 rivers. Yes! The ship and canal (with water!) are over the road and/or the river. We learned about the two types of locks, a locking and a water saver one. When we"re down in a lock, it could be 85 feet up and it"s like being in a coffin. I"d read before that Charlemagne started the canal 1200 years ago and it took until 1992 for it to be opened. There are so many churches. Some streets in Budapest had five, some towns have many. We were told that churches were erected on the banks of the rivers to pray for a safe journey (as well as collect tolls) since it was so dangerous, for anything from whirlpools, currents, rapids, rocks and pirates. We saw today the water lines from floods. Passau is particularly susceptible since three rivers converge on it and it has found itself under 8-12 feet of water at least. I took a picture of the high water marks so need to verify the figures but it"s at least that much. I wonder why the locks can"t control the flooding. The "Blue Danube Waltz" by Johann Strauss is the unofficial Austrian National Anthem. I now see that the cruise ship has movies and I missed the "Mission Impossible" series. Most of their movies were either filmed in places we visited or are about the history. I never saw one which again won"t surprise anybody who knows me. I did read a series of books. Sat Jul 28 – Day 8 - Regensburg While the morning was very scenic cruising, we docked at Regensburg at 10am and proceeded to meet our guide for a walking tour through one of Germany"s best preserved medieval cities. Half way through this charming and less touristy looking city, we found ourselves on a tour of a church with some of the largest gleaming spires and some of the oldest stained glass of Europe. 13th century Gothic St Peter"s Church had not been bombed in World War II and the stained glass had recently undergone a ten year restoration process. The church had been begun in the 13th century but with a decline of the economy it ceased building for 200 years before starting the 2nd phase. These spires were built in the 19th century and steam up to 105 meters. Inside were figures from 1280. That age is hard to imagine and I find it humorous how we Americans have our "antiques" that are 200 years old. The Old Town Hall and adjoining buildings, across where we had enjoyed a beer garden at the Hofbrauhaus, were less picturesque but sobering to realize that the Holy Roman Emperors frequently summoned princes, bishops and Ambassadors to this old town hall to discuss affairs of state at imperial assemblies. We walked through Germany"s most ancient stone building, the Porta Praetoria, a gateway dating from 179 AD. It was composed of giant blocks of stone and might have been 12-15 feet thick walls. The piece de resistance of the town is the 12th century Old Stone Bridge, Germany"s oldest bridge and said to be a Wonder of the World. I unfortunately felt like a wimp and after a late lunch, took to my room to read. Ellen however adventured off to find a monastery where illuminated manuscripts were created and that she"s seen in the Getty and Morgan Library. With quizzing of guides she found that there had been some 8-9 monasteries in the area and that only one remained as the active palace of the princes of Thurn and Taxis which was open to the public. It had been the largest one so likely she toured the right place. On her way she pleasantly found shopping and indulged in some diaphanous fabric with embroidery as well as some table runners. Some cruisers ordered cuckoo clocks and many indulged in the Wurstkuche, the historical sausage kitchen at the end of the bridge. I took a picture of the location and diners. Dinner was an international affair with the wait staff in costume and offers from many countries including Veal Zurich style with rosti but it only faintly resembled what I thought was the real thing. It was also extremely noisy in the dining room, a condition I find undesirable and causing the probability of skipping dinner. We did dine with Dave, the Viking professional photographer who travels full time during the summer when he"s away from his teaching duties. Activities are often available such as German lessons, a slide show of other Viking cruises, a morning tasting of sausages of the region, a wine tasting, a music quiz, and always the evening"s live music. I am obviously not a party-animal as evidenced by my reverting to the library and my usual early retirement. Too much togetherness if one doesn"t make some quiet time. I am mostly glad to have a private cabin though after a week away, I am a wee bit homesick to see Tom. Calling him most days is worth the search for a pay phone that works. Sun Jul 29 – Day 9 - Nuremberg For some reason, the gods were protecting me with a quiet restaurant and good company for breakfast. Jackie and Tom from Maine, Sandra and Bob from Tampa, and Ellen with her amazing travel stories. We should have eaten earlier so as to fully take part in the mid-morning sausages tasting. Yes, all kinds of sausages to include a white one that"s veal, big pretzels, specialty mustards both sweet and regular and some with seeds which I like, and sauerkraut. I"d say "how do these people eat so much" but it"s the same ones I saw at the afternoon pastry and tea hour and it shows on them. We were passing over aqueducts where the ship cruises over roads and/or rivers. The black forests and their biking paths have been magnificent scenery and its hard to close the cabin curtains but sometimes when we dock, its side by side with another boat and you can suddenly find yourself "sharing a cabin" and clearly some cruisers forget how exposed they can be. I invited the above (but Tampa folks don"t drink) as well as Libby and Lou from Doylestown to join our table for dinner and share in the bottle of champagne. I couldn"t find a pharmacy open for cold medicine so resorted to a glass of beer while in city center of Nuremberg and the midst of a music festival. Couldn"t find a pay phone in my 20 free minutes so called to Tom on my cell phone only to find him gone but as we"re connected to internet most days, that"s probably okay. We walked a few blocks from the docks to the bus after lunch for a tour of both the outskirts of Nuremberg as well as the medieval city which is surrounded by 13th century walls. First we stopped by the huge coliseum built by the Nazis as well as the stadium which was apparently built to show that that Nazi"s were the new Roman"s of the world. It was here that many of Hitler"s big demonstrations of power occurred. The coliseum area was fronted by a huge wide street of 2 kilometers long and 60 meters wide which was to have connected the military grounds to the old city. There was an Olympic Stadium at Silver Lake built for 200,000 people but never finished. Silver Hill was created of old city stones cleared out when the old city was almost totally bombed to complete rubble. On the way into old city there was a small cemetery of famous people with a smallish church in the middle and it was said to be one of the miracles that it was not bombed whereas everything around it was. Each tombstone and grave had a bronze plate on the top commemorating who was buried there and it was fuller of rose trees and flowers than I can remember seeing. The old city is ringed with parts of a huge red wall, and in fact it is double ringed in places. I don"t know why we were told about the red light district behind it. We heard from our tour guide, a historical student, basically the German apologies and excuses. She would suggest that no one understood what was going on which is a bit hard to imagine but also that once the worse of the concentration camps started, it was hard to stop. It was a bit refreshing to hear at least an effort to make an excuse. She did offer as a bit of admittance that Hitler wrote Mien Kemp in "24 and anyone reading it would have known what he had in mind. The Nazi era did start in the 19 th century and there was 12 years of a big socialist era from "33 to "45, all on the heels of a "18 revolution and world wide crisis which helped Hitler start his success in "22. Obviously today Nuremberg evokes the notorious post-World War II war trials and we saw the buildings and prison where the trials took place. I"m sort of sorry for the town that they have become more known for the trials than the fact that throughout its history it was known for its handicrafts, particularly toys and fancy metal works. We saw where the trails were held and the grounds where the Nazi rallies were staged. Because the 1935 Nuremberg Laws were created here, denouncing Jewish mixed marriages and no contact being allowed with Jewish people, and in 1938 the first burnings of all books and Jewish synagogues occurred, it was believed that was some of the reason Nuremberg was chosen as the place for the trials. They also had these prisons that were connected to Room 600 for the trails as well. Apparently Nuremberg is quite large and is anchored by electronic companies such as Gundig. We saw the largest "chair" in the world, situated in front of a furniture company. On the way to town there was a garden city that had no cars and was connected by subway to inner city with a simple ten minute line. Many famous and important people live in this garden city. On that subject, Henry Kissinger immigrated to the UK in "39 and then to the U.S. We did get into the inner city but by then I"d think most of us felt pretty saddened at the whole visit and had mixed emotions about it. A tour of the imposing Imperial Castle high on a hill of sandstone rock was worthwhile. The city"s half-timbered houses and Market Square were probably the best part of the tour but in fact today was the day when I most felt like a Japanese tourist and least wanted to be there. Ellen got herself into an artist"s museum she knew and wanted to see and was placated with her 10-15 minutes inside. It would have been a shame to be so close and miss it and typical of Ellen, she found a way. She usually does. The ship remains docked until the early hours of the morning. I needed to run but was it laziness created by the cruise or logic as a result of the cold, chest congestion and cough? The food at dinner was the best yet, three rare slices of duck filet. The company was even better, helped by the champagne given for my birthday. (I now see that they have champagne every morning at breakfast.) Entertainment after dinner was probably good but after a couple yodeling and "roll out the barrel" songs in German, I was done and reverted to the library and then my cabin. I"ve finished a couple books and found another one of interest though it may be as "dark" as the Jewish and concentration camps I had decided I"d had enough of. I was glad to have missed the deportation center today, I wasn"t too fond of the trials" building, and here I am with a book on the subject. NEXT INSTALLMENT - BAMBERG TO AMSTERDAM Mon Jul 30 – Day 10 - Main-Danube Canal & Bamberg I"m not minding spending the morning cruising through the Main-Danube Canal as the scenery is wonderful and the sailing comforting. I"ve decided that it"s the slight vibration and movement that"s helping me sleep so well. I am however missing running and the time at port is limited and when we were where I could have run along the trail it was pouring rain. Today we dock and then depart to the city via bus immediately and when we return from the tour there is only a half hour before we set sail again. During this stretch we are also mesmerized by the canal engineering marvel which stretches 106 miles from Bamberg on the Main River to Kelheim on the Danube. Begun as Charlemagne"s dream in 793, it was completed in 1992 with 16 locks that raise the water to 1,332 feet. Connecting the Main and Danube Rivers, today it enables river travel from the North Sea to the Black Sea. I think I mentioned it before that the river is at places extremely narrow and the locks oftentimes only as large as the boat with "a hand"s width" between the ship and the lock. During free mornings such as this there are German lessons (hysterically funny to learn phrases like "oh, my ship is gone, what do I do?" followed by "I"m hungry" and "I"m thirsty"), and today was a lesson on the European Union and this evening there will be a wine tasting. Morning always has optional early bird breakfast and gymnastics, and dinner always has not only live music or a special band, but programs such as this evening"s "Liar"s Club." Bamberg might be my favorite town and unfortunately we had not much time there. From 1 to 4:30pm. We boarded a bus after lunch and disembark at Little Venice for a walking tour of one of Germany"s most beautiful cities. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in "93, Bamberg boasts 2,000 buildings listed as historical monuments and its old city center is Europe"s largest existing group of historic buildings. This happened because Bamberg was never bombed, possibly because the town was built for residences and there was no industry. The tour guide brags that the city is also known as "Franconia Rome" and is also impressive because of the river running through it, breaking in two creating an island, and the 7 hills surrounding it. With only 70,000 people and only 4.6% destroyed during the war, there remains most of the town that everybody has interest in keeping original. At the palace grounds we toured a workshop where original repairs were made and no drills, saws, etc. are allowed. The old cobblestones remain. Cars are not allowed in historic squares. The Little Venice is where fishermen used to live and I was a little bit surprised that a "gondola" was allowed to set up shop. How authentic is that? Think about this age. It"s hard to conceive. If an American antique might be 200 years old and this city is 1,000 years old, then how many 200s does it take to get back to year 1024? Is that 500 blocks of 200? Another nice piece of information and it"s a good sign to hear tour guides bragging about this, Bamberg now has a Jewish community of about 1,000 which is "pre-catastrophe" days, and 2,000 Muslims, and it is noted that the city is very peaceful. Just like the tour guide in Nuremberg, it was meant to tell us that the Germans want to be inclusive. There were just one street and courtyard and view after the other to admire the beautiful architecture, including the imposing 16th century Old Court, the New Residence and the city"s impressive churches. The cathedral is celebrating its 1,000th year and it hosts the tomb of Clemens II, which is the only papal burial place outside of Rome. The Bamberg Horseman is 13th century and remains here. During our free time I called Tom and marveled that German payphones work all the time. Some of our tour folks visited the beer maker that makes the local Tauchbier, a smoky tasting beer, for which Bamberg is famous. Ellen managed to get into the museum where an exhibition of illuminated manuscripts was on display and she was thrilled to have lucked upon them. She is a student of these ancient hand made parchment books and if anyone deserves to have them show up on her doorstep, it is Ellen. She bought a couple of large books of reproductions. I think she"s going to need another suitcase but she knows how and where in Amsterdam to purchase one having been in this situation a few times before. Tue Jul 31 – Day 11 - Wurzburg & Rothenburg Our ship arrived in Gerlachshausen very early morning and a bus picked us up at 8:30am for a full-day excursion. First it was over countryside towards Wurzburg and a walking tour of its impressive baroque Bishops" Residenz. We"d been told that we would admire the rich stuccowork and unique staircase with the world"s largest ceiling fresco but when I first glimpsed the fresco my heart missed a beat, I gasped and I would bet that I wasn"t the only one with tears in my eyes. Absolutely breathtaking and its no wonder Maria Theresa and many others said this is the most beautiful palaces of all. It had been firebombed and heavily damaged but a pretty much full restoration was completed and in fact the tapestries and furnishings had been removed before the bombings to a protected location so they are original. The Wurzburg Residence is a Baroque palace, one of the largest in Germany, built between 1720 and 1744. The monumental staircase which ends in a double flight and occupies the whole northern part of the vestibule (where carriages were able to pull in and even make a turn before dropping their charges and exiting) contains a famous ceiling fresco that decorates the vaulted ceiling. It is larger than any other known ceiling fresco, even that in Rome. It is not just a dramatic and bold fresco but the artist makes an impeccable transition moving imperceptibly from sculpture to false relief painting. One room after another was glorious but the next breath-taker was the room of mirrors. The room of white coral didn"t seem possible to build and it was actually paint on plaster with draperies that were hard to believe. I used up most of my photo chip and battery in the gardens making up for the restriction of cameras in the palace. Our guide, Alexandria, was one of the best. Well, maybe not better than Maria, but lovely with good English and a command and respect for history. She kept a running commentary during our drive to the Wurzburg Residence and Court Gardens. We learned that the Celts had settled in the Franconia area 3,000 years ago with ruins having been found. We learned that this area of Franconia was not happy to be a part of Bavaria since they consider themselves at least The Ivy League of Bavaria. It"s a Catholic stronghold still, and pilgrims still arrive at Mary-in-the-Vineyard each September. And vineyards there are over the hills, interspersed with red cabbage, lavender, nutmeg of which they are known for making a biscuit that helps rid hangovers, asparagus and sugar beet. 70% of the countries sugar production comes from this region. There are 130,000 inhabitants with 25,000 university students and 70% are Catholic. It is here that the x-ray was developed in 1895 resulting in a Nobel Prize. Yet they have no airport and have to drive to Frankfurt, though the America air base has just closed and moved to Iraq so that opens a possibility. She added much humor through the day, showing us the Egg-on-a-Crane, a former IMAX but now bankrupt, and maybe to become the American Embassy aka a Burger King, but at least its still used as an amusement park. Later an abandoned new building of glass was suggested as a giant aquarium. We learned that those in Wurzburg are used to driving an hour to work and that they love their cars and especially the autobahn where there mostly is not a speed limit. Alexandria also had a different flair in her explanation of the bombings of WWII where 90% of Wurzburg was bombed with March "45 being the last. She said that the Americans used fire incineration bombs and that only walls were left. She made a point of explaining that Wurzburg had NO heavy industry and that bombs only dropped on towns of 100,000 and over, all for demoralization. Bamberg would have been next on the list (which I thought wasn"t bombed because there was no heavy industry.) The better humor had to do with wine being medicinal. A famous poet was asked if he had to choose, would it be wine or women? "Depends on the vineyard." After the palace tour where I bought all the books I could find since pictures were not allowed, we drove The Romantic Trail which goes from Wurzburg south to Ludwig"s Neuschweinscheine castle, i.e., 450 kilometers to the Alps in Fussen. This Trail, with wayside shrines, outlined by windmills and solar panels (a family of 4 can be self sufficient), was built in the 1800s, and traverses through historic areas of retained 13th century living. One could take a bike path, or automobile, or trains to connect, stopping at beautiful B&Bs. We boarded back into our bus with a continued ride through Franconia to Rothenburg where we walked through the ramparts to immediately lunch at a traditional German restaurant. Alexandria gave us a one hour walking tour where we admired the medieval town"s charming half-timbered houses and numerous fountains. We had a couple free hours where most shopped (the Christmas market was a highlight) and where I walked every inch of the ramparts and some of it twice. An unusual pastry called a snowball took up some of my camera shots but went into many of the tourists tummies as did their wines and beers. Rothenburg might be my very favorite village, but I said that about Bamberg too. Either the morning palace tour or the afternoon village visit would have been enough to make me very happy to have come on this trip. I was beyond delighted and could hardly believe my luck. We were back in time for a 6pm sailing and a historical dinner but for some reason we didn"t sail until 9pm. Would I have gone running? Possibly not. My chest is congested and I"m lazy plus the docking area didn"t look desirable. It was a long but very special day. I haven"t figured out who or how one could have time for the three movies they show each day. There have been movies filed in the areas we"ve visited. Maybe the movies are for those who can"t tour and there were some today due to suffering the flu/cold/temperature that"s gone around. Wed Aug 1 – Day 12 - Wertheim Today I was positively peopled-out and really wanted to either be home or to hide in my cabin but fortunately logic prevailed. We didn"t dock in Wertheim until 7:30am and had an 8:15am walking tour. What to wear? It was 51 degrees in the morning but 80 degrees by afternoon. It has been very cold and somewhat rainy for part of the trip which has been out of synch with the usual weather patterns. I had to laugh to think that the temperature was about half of that of Budapest! Our tour guide was Renate and she offered that we could call her Renee as her American friends did, not being able to pronounce Renate. She was cute as could be and with a lovely accent that was easy to follow and was the 2nd best tour guide after yesterday"s Alexandria. Renee had married a locally based American serviceman 7 years earlier and moved to North Dakota and had just returned home to live – alone. (This military facility is also closing.) It turned out to be another charming if not fairy-tale 12th century town located at the meeting of the Main and Tauber Rivers. The Dukes of Wertheim had placed their fortress high above the town and as soon as the walking tour was complete I headed up the hill to the imposing ruins of its castle overlooking the town. That was a climb up some rather steep steps, cobblestones, more stairs, and finally some very tiny spiral stairs in a dark and circular tower. I felt like superwoman once I reached the top and was concerned about next having to reverse my course downward. But what do I find on the top but a few of the old folks! The town is noted for its glassmaking but the museum was not yet open. Many people found glass to purchase, to include later when we boarded and had a demonstration by a well known glass maker. (Karl Ittig, a 6th generation glassblower, who co-founded the Eugene Glass School in Oregon with Dale Chihuly and is on Chihuly"s school board, came on board as we sailed and gave a demo as well as sold product.) I suspect they also purchased some of the regional wine. Franconia wine is recognized by the unique shape of the flattened and bulbous bottles. Wertheim is also known for its tiny streets and town center with buildings placed where most windows could see the square, as well as its Pointed Tower which is round at the bottom and octagonal at the top. It has guarded the junction of Main and Tauber rivers for 800 years and has become quite lopsided in the process, sort of like the Leaning Tower of Pisa. We returned via bus to our ship for lunch since the ship had moved to Miltenberg. The drive was along narrow roadway winding very closely along a scenic stretch of the Mains River, going through the villages of Burgstadt and Freudenbert, all along with views of ancient ruined castles above the hillside. I dug up the name of one in particular, the Hennburg Castle which is above Stadtprozelten and whose two towers left from medieval times was particularly notable on the hillside. There were many hillsides filled with vineyards. Because we had the afternoon sailing, the cruise had arranged for above glassblower demonstration, then an apple strudel making demonstration and tasting, followed by a presentation by the ship"s manager about the flood on the Elbe River in 2002. It was the same flood that devastated Prague too and throughout our tours of river villages we have been shown "high water marks" of major proportions. The pictures were terrible and shocking but nothing as bad as what I"ve studied about for New Orleans. It"s also similar in that they just keep rebuilding and suffering. My early morning dislike of the crowd and noisy restaurant had caused me to snitch a plate of lunch food for dinner so I was delighted to have created a quiet evening. Emails from Tom have confirmed that we had traveled these villages and at least Rothenburg in the 70s while we lived in Belgium. He says it"s noted as the "most photographed spot" in Germany. Thu Aug 2 – Day 13 - Mainz & Rudesheim We had sailed through the night (gee, I really like that slight vibration and rocking motion) and are finally done with the locks. It"s all downhill from here. Our tour guide in Mainz was a delightful grandmotherly type who filled us full of war stories, the greening of Germany, making us smile often and giving us snippets to think about in the future. That there is someone alive who had to bathe in the same tub after her older sister, and then her younger brother got the tub and next the socks got soaked is sobering. The Germans have been green for so long because they needed to be. They have the same number of people as the Americans but only the space of Montana. They plant sycamores because they are more resistant to pollution and they haven"t found the solution for being so near to the busiest airport in Europe, Frankfurt. They have five garbage cans and use them for different types of recycling. Those garbage cans are rubber so as to not cause a ruckus that metal ones would. Kids do not go out between 1-3pm because they haven"t yet learned to be quiet and that"s when they should be quiet anyway. People "need" naps. All this information came about because there was a tour guide nearby using a microphone and she said not one of the 70 licensed tour guides would do so because it interrupts the peace. A boom box will never be seen because everyone acknowledges the rights of others to quiet. (Sure enough, when I went out for a run by the river this evening and ran by camp grounds, it was quiet.) Did you know that Germany has had unleaded gas for many more years than we even thought of it? Another interesting fact is that the government collects religious tax. One declares and pays a percentage depending on what religion, with one being 8% and one being 10% of their levied tax. I asked the tour guide if this might be why the Czechs are atheist and she said that at least 80% declare and pay or else they couldn"t be married or buried. All through Europe there are NO funeral homes as it"s an instant burial and done by the church. Our ship had docked right at the center of Mainz and it was 9:15 for our morning tour. At first I was rather shocked at the modern buildings intermixed with the rebuilt older style ones, but Ellen felt that they blended quite well. This town was the least touristy of any we"d seen, and just the opposite of our afternoon docking at Rudesheim, the most touristy of all. While in Mainz, the former Episcopal seat of the prince electors in this the capital of the land of Rheinland-Pfalz, we had a guided visited of the town"s great 11th century Romanesque cathedral sitting which consumes much of a rather eclectic square with modern and ancient 1400 buildings, all recreated. Probably the best part of the morning, other than the delightful tour guide, was her tour of the Gutenberg Museum, home to the Gutenberg printing press and bible. The inventor Johannes Gutenberg was born in Mainz in 1397 and created uniform sized metal molds for letters that allowed him to print error-free repeatable text. In the Gutenberg Museum she gave us a demonstration of how bibles and other books were printed in Gutenberg"s day. Gutenberg had taken out a loan to make his first presses and he hadn"t counted on so much scrap of parchment and thus the 40% profit he had committed to put him in bankruptcy. He died poor. Here there were three of the original bibles sat to the side of one made by hand, a simple illuminated manuscript. I think Ellen spent her entire time in this museum. I ventured out to the pharmacy for cough medicine and got a product that really cut it fast. We returned to the ship for lunch and the ship moved to Rudesheim for a 3pm tour of this very touristy and tiny town taken right out of Disney – or was it the other way around? It even started with a mini train ride into town. I think Rudesheim only has beer gardens, Christmas shops and vineyards. Well, it has a musical instruments museum (Siegfried"s Mechanisches Musikkabinett) full of fascinating antique mechanical musical instruments, a private collection and most interesting. We were given demonstrations of organ grinders, player pianos complete with attached 6 violins, and a teeny tiny music box that would fit in your hand with a littler fluttery bird flying around the top with a lovely little chirping. It sold for 2350 Euros. I either took pictures or videos or both. As others went shopping or beer drinking, I took the cable up to the top of a huge lookout hill and then walked around the backside of town returning only in time to run into the restaurant for dinner. I ate one course and collected the second one for consumption in my room after a run. I haven"t run since Bratislava, over a week ago. I learned at dinner that Ellen had taken a taxi up another hill to a monastery to hear some unique music she"d seen a year before. Since the ship wasn"t leaving until early morning, lots of folks stayed out for dinner making the restaurant tempting to stay in, but I was set for finally taking in some exercise so I went out from about 8 to 9pm. I was glad to have a break picking blackberries with the locals, found the highway tunnel entry to historic Rudesheim, camp grounds, and a rose garden. Some on the cruise were taking in a silly little game where there were socks hung on the stairway with foreign objects inside that one was to guess the contents. There was yet to be a Ship"s Quiz too. Last night had been a raffle and the evening before a Liar"s Club. It"s hard to imagine spending that much time with your fellow cruisers. Fri Aug 3 – Day 14 - Cologne, Germany Most people got up early this morning so they could be on top deck to sail through "The Middle Rhine" scenery towards Koblenz. It was almost amusing: from the moment I opened my drapes at 7:30am, I was grabbing my camera. From 8:15am onwards, it was like watching a tennis game with your head turning from side to side to see all the castles. From Rudesheim to Koblenz has been a long time tourist attraction, an absolute "must" for anyone visiting the country, and now named a UNESCO World Heritage site just for the landscape. Before we had gotten into the abc mode (another bloody cathedral) and today we finally got saturated and abc became "another bloody castle. Interesting to me is that many ruined castles here have been restored or even completely rebuilt in the 19 th century to look even more authentic. Seen from a cruise ship, the Middle Rhine is like a historical novel, in which a "rapid succession of buildings and landscapes unfold in a seamless pageant of bygone days." The huge Burg Stolzenfels is a good example of the fanciful restorations popular in the 19th century when Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia took a shattered ruin and created an exquisitely playful palace bristling with battlements and turrets that provide memorable views over the river. On the opposite bank, rebuilt Lahneck Castle is nearly an equally striking castle. In the former roman town of Boppard, one can look across the hill and see the castles of Sterrenberg and Liebenstein which are known as the "Hostile Brothers" because they jealously built their own adjoining castles, feuded and built a wall between the two. And yet they calmed differences and were known to wake each other up by sending an arrow across to the window of the other until one day the window came open at the wrong time and brother killed brother. After Andernach (and the high rise roadway) there were four castles in a row and you"d think of the Johnny Walker ad where one castle owner went to borrow a cup of JW from the other. After the famously tourist towns of Linz and Remagen, we passed Bonn off in the distance and came to the numerous bridges of Cologne which I would later get my legs across. It was a very exciting morning and fortunately decent weather up on top deck though the wind and 60s temperatures sent many of us inside to warm up off and on. The ship docked in Cologne after lunch and we had a walking tour at 3pm. I felt at home and wanted to stay, despite having been a bit done with the cruise and homesick, I liked this town. We headed to Cologne"s magnificent Gothic cathedral and Old City, by way of some very modern buildings which seemed to blend. The Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, largely escaped World War II damage that ravaged the city and the rest of Germany (there"s ample evidence that Allied forced worked deliberately to avoid damaging the beautiful structure). Construction was begun on the cathedral in 1248. Work continued in several stages over 7 centuries and was not totally complete until 1880. It"s a truly magnificent church and the largest Gothic cathedral in northern Europe. The tour guide said it was the largest cathedral in the world and it was easy to believe. It was impossible to get far enough back to photograph all of it, a problem both outside and inside. It has two elegant soaring spires that dominate the city and is their symbol. We were given a tour inside and saw the original 14th century stained-glass windows, an ornate gold shrine on its elaborate altar and the intricate detail common to 14 th century Gothic churches. We continued on our stroll in Cologne"s historic center and saw some 2000 year old Roman ruins. Cologne was once a Roman settlement called Colonia Agrippina. There were various fragments of the Roman ruins in many parts of the city and the Roman Tower near the cathedral was once part of the medieval town walls. We ended up with a visit to the venerable Cologne institution, the Brauhaus, a café where the house brew (always a variety of the famous Kolsch beer) is served. Our private cave room was four floors down and all stone and brick to include the table. There the tour ended but I didn"t. I followed the crowds through the city and found the Rathaus, (city hall) which looked like an opera house and had just held a wedding. I found at least four churches and knew that the city claims four Romanesque churches, a Renaissance city hall and the remnants of an ancient Jewish mikvah (a ritual bathhouse) which I think I saw. My darned camera battery died. I went across the river and managed to cross three bridges, seeing parks and an industrial area across the river. I went into a few hotels to include the Hyatt where Clinton visited and where I found apples on the reception desk and just as importantly, bathrooms. Later I was to find the Marriott for all the same reasons. The town is in a major construction mode and some huge piping is apparently because they are digging deep underneath and having to pump out water. Flooding is also a problem here and thus they are building larger sea walls and raising the height of many areas. An interesting area was the renovated and rebuilt train station with the original station house partly remaining and looking like preserved ruins. The station is huge and thriving with a lot of shopping and food courts. I walked through it on my way to another bridge and church and then decided to go back in again. The Germans are certainly clean and organized. This was oddly the Captain"s Farewell Dinner, (though we have a dinner tomorrow night), and I missed it. I was sort of glad to get interested in the city and I gladly ate pizza off the street but I was surprised to find that the dining room was full. And everybody dressed up in their finest. I"d have thought that others would have enjoyed Cologne enough to stay in town but I was clearly wrong. I got back in time for the ship to sail to Amsterdam, starting at 9pm. NEXT INSTALLMENT – AMSTERDAM Sat Aug 4 – Day 15 - Amsterdam Even while on vacation, about the most reading I can accomplish is one book a week, whereas Maricar devours one a day during the summer. I finished Pete Hamill"s new book "North River" thanks to a gift by Fritzie, and then "Austerlitz" by W.G. Sebald, a story of a man"s search through the areas we are traveling to find himself, having been adopted out at age 5 and never knowing of his Jewish beginnings until he was grown up. I"m part way through "Amsterdam: A Brief Life of the City" by Geert Mak, and I"ve just traded for "Party of the Century" by Deborah Davis, the story of Truman Capote and his black and white ball, a gift from Hugh and Richard. The morning was leisurely so I read while watching the heavy boat traffic out my window. We cruised into Amsterdam around noon, broken only by a briefing on the disembarkation scheduled for tomorrow. Ellen said she"d never attended one before but never disembarked easily either so she also attended despite having been on many cruises and even those by Viking. Before breakfast I"d thought I was very ill and had to continually lay down between visits to the bathroom with nausea. I reluctantly went to the breakfast room and forced some food which settled fine. It might be that I didn"t eat enough last night, or it might be that I drank tap water last night, or who knows, but I feel fortunate to get through another day on a cruise ship. It"s like a nursery school with perfect breeding grounds for germs. As we docked, a continual parade of semi-nude people in various weird boats, pontoons, skiffs, barges, etc were swimming by my cabin. I missed a picture of the dozens of boys in limited silvery fabric on a barge clearly in party mode but Virginia from Tuscaloosa said she"d send it to me. There were a bevy of girls in pink bikinis standing on a small pontoon boat among a load of pink balloons. Those who knew Amsterdam did not seem surprised. The rest of us were gawking. Later on the bus tour we saw hoards of people, nearly Times Square style, lining one particular canal where the annual Gay Pride Boat Parade takes place. Amsterdam prides itself in being tolerant. This is a city of 750,000 inhabitants who own 1 million bicycles. Bicycles are everywhere. Near the train station is a multi-deck bicycle parking lot that needs a photograph to be believable. In the 60s the government introduced many thousands of free bicycles and they continued putting their money where their mouth is by building wonderful bicycle paths with their own traffic lights. People might own two bicycles – one for each end of the train station. Their weather is mild but even when they have light snow, the bicycles come out. They get a tax break for a bicycle but a tax bite for a car. Amsterdam deserves its reputation of being the City of Bikes. They are old and rusty and it"s said that one should pay more for a lock than a bike though bike values stay high. When they dredge the canals twice yearly they find zillions of bikes and I don"t know if they get ridden into the water or disposed of in that manner. At the end of WWII, while fleeing the city from advancing Canadian troops, the Germans stole virtually every bike they could get their hands on. At soccer matches with Germans the Dutch still chant "Return our Bikes!" It was easy to sell Becky and Bob on the idea of a bicycle tour but after they saw the street traffic they canceled out. They had been convinced by Ellen, who was convinced by her son, that they must see it, notably for the way the locals treat prostitution. During our bus tour we looked up and saw a number of windows filled with gals selling their wares. I didn"t see any equal opportunity. The guide said that guys had tried but no one would pay for it. For lunch, one of the many delicacies on the buffet was oddly "hot dogs." From 2pm to 6:30pm we were entertained with a bus trip, a tour on one of the city"s famous glass-topped canal boats, seeing some of Amsterdam"s oldest and loveliest buildings and monuments as well as a variety of boats, including rows and rows of charming houseboats that permanently dock. These houseboats have gardens and are hooked up to sewer and water even. We saw the wooden double drawbridge called "Skinny Bridge" familiar from many paintings. One major stop with commentary was at the world famous Rijksmuseum, especially known for their Rembrandts. While we had free time I found a payphone after walking the entire perimeter of the museum"s huge building and grounds. This museum is known for their unparalleled collection of magnificent works by the great Dutch and Flemish Masters. En route back to the ship, we drove by Dam Square, past my planned hotel of tomorrow night near to the train station, and saw landmarks such as the 17th century Royal Palace and Mint Tower. Ellen had gone out seeking another piece of luggage and logically thought that she could acquire it at the local train station. It was not to be and after nearly two hours of walking the streets and a different kind of experience, she is able to take her new possessions home. I suspect many of our fellow travelers needed luggage because shopping has been a source of entertainment in these small villages, plus the cruise ship has been in selling mode of souvenirs. This was my farewell dinner, having missed last night"s. Libby and Lou (from nearby Doylestown) shared a bottle of anniversary champagne sent to them by their tour director. I suspect that not many of us toured the city thereafter though we probably should have since time is so limited. Packing was a priority since we must be off the ship between 9 and 10am and dinner is never over until 9pm as it is. While it"s been a great trip and I feel hugely fortunate to have done it, it was a long time away and I"m ready to get home. Sun Aug 5 – Day 16 - Amsterdam The disembarkation lecture convinced us that they were serious in wanting us off the boat or we"d be leaving on the reverse trip. I don"t like goodbyes and fortunately breakfast was fairly easily void of them but nice to see the mainstays of my trip. Some were concerned about being ill so there was little hugging going on. My hotel was an easy walk along the water, through the train station and across a few trolley tracks where I found a few of our cruise passengers checking in, or at least parking their baggage pending a 2pm check in time. It took me only a few minutes to get myself started on one of three different walking tours offered in AAA Spiral. Situated along the waterfront, my Hotel Victoria was on the tour heading northeasterly through a lovely neighborhood, trendy brasseries, cheese shops, lopsided buildings of note, and finally to a park with an arch that is the closest Amsterdam has to a triumphal arch. Haarlemmer Poort marks the entrance into Westerpark with willow trees and lakes where I walked a bit. On the far side were real homes with lawns. Returning via the main drag, I went by my hotel again where I finally noticed the side facing the station has two 17th century houses that are embedded in the façade. Apparently the hotel wanted to expand and thus demolish a full string of house but these two landlords refused to sell. I finished the tour just past NEMO, a controversial looking sinking ship where one can experience a fun day plus the artificial surf. I would later return to this same area to see the outsized 5-star hotel across from a tacky floating Chinese restaurant in the form of Hong Kong"s floating restaurants. It was here that I had a dinner of spaghetti bolognaise and wine ringside. I had been craving pasta. From the central station again I ventured down the street called Zeedijk which has been interestingly seedy. Its start includes a church with an alarming tablet above the door showing a skeleton reclining among skulls. I wasn"t able to figure out why but the building did once serve as the city"s stock exchange in the 16th century, one of the first. (They also had the first LLC type companies with stockholders all of which makes sense since they pretty much founded New York City too.) This route gave me the canal of seven bridges, bordered the red light district which I"d return to in the evening, and ran into not only a fairly large and authentic looking Chinatown but a large Sunday flea market too. This flea market was on a square with ceramic-tiled large street sofas filled with men of the street. (Don"t let anybody tell you that Europe takes care of its own.) I went through a number of pedestrian-only streets and over the Amstel River again and through the permanent flower market which was delightfully interesting, hanging over the canal on the back side and lining a long stretch in front of quaint little cafes on the other side. It was jammed but not as jammed as the canals which continued the Gay Pride partying. At Spiel (sp?) Square there was an art market where newly selected artists gather once a week. This was full of rather pricey work by artists who had color brochures available and were seemingly already discovered. In the middle was a harpist that drew me to her sufficiently so that I chose a café nearby which I later found to be one of the few that were recommended. Despite having a sandwich packed from the ship, I ordered a meal and coffee which delightfully came out in a bowl just like I think it"s supposed to. I found another walking tour through Dam Square for the return to my hotel (where I was able to check in at 2pm) and followed the written tour explaining the houses and sites along the way. When I reverted to walk the 40 minutes back to the Rijksmuseum area to catch my 4pm bike tour, I chose an adjoining street where the tram traversed which was actually just as interesting for me. Starting at 4pm I"d expected Mike"s Bike Tours to give me a 4-hour city tour but it turned out to be a lot of countryside which was fine and maybe better. I felt like it was more the real Amsterdam. On our way out of town, we saw some of the seedy as well as the postcard side. As we walked to collect our bikes we were given an overview of history which was one of the easiest to understand. Because we were on our way out of the city to a windmill, the guide talked about how the land was reclaimed. Leaving the city limits after crossing a few bridges (to include the narrowest one) we rode along the Amstel River next to where many locals were lounging in various states of dress either in boats or along the banks. Our "authentic windmill" turned out to be an inhabited one with a name and richer than usual history dating from mid 1600s. Rembrandt, whose statue was nearby, had painted "Beatrice" (windmills are named) and then inserted her into four different paintings. He also added the rooftop of the farm we visited where traditional cheese is produced. After petting the cows and calves and watching milking, we had a demo of cheese production and best of all samples were served of the un-pasteurized cheese. At the same farm they make the wooden clogs and of course had a selling shop following that demo. We returned back to the city via a route through their convention center, two lovely parks, the famous Paradiso concert venue, the Rembrandt and Leidseplein Squares. The young girls on the ride were thrilled to go by the Hilton Hotel which would be uneventful were it not for it containing the room and bed that John Lennon and Yoko Ono held their peace conference. It is a "marked" room, has little more than a bed in it, and rents for more than $1,000 a night. It was delightful to be on the bikes which were cruisers with hand brakes and 7-speeds. While our weather was near perfect, I understand that the Dutch don"t stay inside when it rains but rather ride their bikes with umbrellas. (I watched our tour guide ride with a cell phone to his ear and a water bottle in the other hand, all the while masterly steering his bike.) This was a tour I"d highly recommend as much because Amsterdam can be daunting in its heavy population and somewhat dirty ambiance so its good to get outside of town and see that people don"t all live in communist looking apartments, that there is some architecture of interest and green is available. The people of the Netherlands are impressive if only for not needing to build themselves a "parliament" to impress the world, but I wonder if they are ever troubled for only being known for what they don"t do – get flooded. Much of the country is under sea level and thus they have to be the masters at controlling the forces of nature. They are currently building an underground metro in city central so the already heavily congested feel of the city is magnified. If one wants night life, a legal red light district, readily available and legal hash houses as well as "smart" shops with Magic Mushrooms for sale (this was new to me), Amsterdam is for them. To find the less seedy part of the city takes enjoying staying in museums of which they have some of the best. I asked our tour guide about all the closed up tiny "houses" on many street corners. Hilariously, he told that when the city built pissoires (how do you spell the French places for men to take a leak?), the women were more than irritated that they still had to find a coffee house and they asked about equal peeing opportunity. So over 300 women marched, right over a main bridge and in front of city hall, lifted their petticoats and let loose much to the shock of city hall. Therefore, a good number of little round stalls were built for women. But these proved to be perfect for homeless to take shelter and they became impossible for women to use so they were all boarded up and now are typically covered in yellow and posters. The women must have moved on to another cause not being able to come up with a solution. The French have a solution though – any toilet occupied over five minutes gets totally flushed down. On the subject of the phallic-like poles along the roadside, they are called Amsterdammetjes and are intended to separate cars from pedestrians, or cars from going into the canal. The Dutch felt so strongly about these objects of affection that they managed to get over 50,000 signatures on a petition opposing government plans to remove them. Apparently some 50-60 cars a year are pulled from the canal because they drive right into the canal. Our guide said that with the canal depth it would be possible to stand on the roof of your car until saved but more importantly one must stay with the car or the insurance is null. These poles had in earlier days been put in place by insurance companies. My hotel, as mentioned, was city center (Ellen was staying at the airport.) Hotel Victoria Amsterdam was also known as the Park Hotel, on the corner of the harbor and Damrak. It had fortunately just been renovated and held a 4-star deluxe rating. I suspect that"s in part because of its location, near to the pedestrian streets, the monumental train station, and close to Dam Square, Royal Palace and countless places of interest. It"s certainly one of the city's historic buildings dating from 1890. The lobby is really magnificent, topped with a stain glass dome and covered with marble. I didn"t take part in any of their bars or cafes (and certainly not the 20 Euros breakfast), nor the gym with indoor swimming pool, sauna, Turkish steam bath, solarium and a beauty salon and I wish I"d have gotten more of their supposedly "rich history." The rooms were at first shockingly small but I later realized that they were very well appointed with rich amenities, bed coverings and best of all, draperies that kept out all light so that I never woke with the light which was appreciated since I"d stayed out until nearly 11pm. By the time I ended my very long day, I realized that my feet and legs were dead tired and a shower was not optional. It had been a strenuous day as well as a very hot one and despite many bottles of water, there had never been a need to stop. Mon Aug 6 – Diana I slept until 8am (but that was only about 6 hours in bed), and managed a full breakfast in my room with left over goodies I"d collected supplemented by the hotel"s in-room coffee service. I"d left a bit of extra time for the train station in case I got confused which was a good thing since the ticket machines only accepted certain debit cards and thus I had to stand in a long line to purchase my ticket, and then walk blocks to get to the train. By the time I negotiated the many stairs, on both ends of the trip, I was sure it was a good thing I was a marathoner. In typical Dutch style, the trains and airport were very efficient. I got my exercise as well as a small meal in the terminal, the flight was on time, and the only unfortunate was a juvenile-delinquent-of-tomorrow that couldn"t be controlled and screamed longer than seemed possible. The food out of Europe is always better than that prepared in the U.S. Over Newark the flight that was early was diverted and could not land for 45 minutes so we were in fact very late, as was my train, so I hopped onto a closer train going to Metro Park where Tom picked me up and I was home by 8pm. I"ll be anxious to hear how Ellen did with her extra day to the flower market. FIN Here are two of the most interesting and diverse bits of information about Amsterdam from Ellen. I"d be tempted to include her trip report here but that"s maybe not fair and I"m already maxed out of space on the file anyway! On toilets: I headed to the Rijksmuseum, where I got immersed in Dutch history. The Rijksmuseum has no lunch service, but your ticket will get you a discount at the café outside on the big open square behind the museum. I mention this café, because it contains the most amazing public bathroom on the planet. If it were in Japan, I"d insist that Steve add it to his architecture tour. You go through a turnstile activated by 50 cents, and walk into a room that is chrome, glass and mirrors. The stall doors are clear see-through glass. Each stall features a full length mirror inside the stall, and when you look outside the stall you see yourself reflected in a full length mirror opposite the stall. My first reaction was, "This is too bizarre for words". The attendant came and tapped on my stall door and told me to turn the lock. When I did, the glass door became cloudy, not transparent. I suddenly had total privacy, complete with a full length mirror for adjusting clothes, repairing make-up. The sinks were on a small round island in the corner complete with innovations of soap dispensing and towel dispensing. When I walked out, I said to the attending, "This bathroom is amazing". She laughted, and said, "Yes, it really is pretty amazing." This is so amazing, I"d take friends there just to see it! (A partial photo is available from Diana"s photo collection.) On Amsterdam: On the trip from Amsterdam to Atlanta, I shared a seat with a young, attractive, talkative guy who was in Amsterdam for gay-pride weekend He said one thing I found worth repeating. He said he travels a lot with his gay friends to various cities all over the planet. He says he always makes new friends. But in Amsterdam, he didn"t connect with a single person – because everybody was on drugs, and they don"t relate to others when they"re high. He said he"d never go back to Amsterdam because he likes to connect to people, and everybody in Amsterdam was into their own drug trip and didn"t connect to anyone. I thought that was interesting. Sure matches what I saw on the street with the "coffee shops" with so many young men wandering around with glazed eyes looking wasted. These drug trips seem to have a very powerful pull for some, but back in the days when I was exposed, I found I didn"t like the feeling, and found (like this young man) that nobody was connecting to anybody. I"m not judgmental, but I think the emotional and physical price is high. Footnotes: (1) Statue Park – A glance behind the Iron Curtain: After the change of political system the statues were removed from Budapest's streets to the museum. This is the world's only such collection from the period of communist cultural politics. It's the most exciting outdoor museum in Eastern Europe. The statues of Lenin, Marx and Engels, Dimitrov and Ostapenko can be seen at the park, and memorials to The Soviet Soldier, the Communist Martyrs, and the Republic of Councils. Gigantic Memorials from the Communist Dictatorship - On the outskirt of Budapest, a mere fifteen minutes from centre city by car or bus, you can find a museum that is unique, not just in Eastern Europe but in the World: The Statue Park Museum. All the statues of Budapest gathered together here that once stood in public places, as beacons for the political and ideological culture of the former socialist period. The issue of what to do with all the statues dating from the previous political system was one of many that occupied public debate after the political changes of 1989/90. On December 5th, 1991, the Budapest Assembly came to a decision concerning the future fate of the statues in question - the choice of statues to be removed or kept would be decided by each district individually. The Cultural Committee of the Assembly invited a tender for "what is to be done with the statues", which in effects was a tender for the design of the future Statue Park. Three proposals arrived. The winner was Ákos Eleőd architect (Architectural Studio Vadász and Partners). The park was finally located on the space offered (on the Tétényi plane) by the XXII. district after many other proposals were rejected. In the Autumn of 1993, the museum was finally opened, but it was not completely finished. What was missing was the continuous brick wall, which would have gathered all the statues into a unified setting. Also missing were features that would have aided the visitors. In spite of these deficiencies, the park has been receiving visitors from the day of its opening. The early days saw a boom of interest, which has now stabilised. Nowadays, visitors to the park are composed of Hungarian and foreign tourists in equal proportions. Now that the great excitement and controversy over the opening of the Statue Park has died down, it looks set to take its place among the many museums and sites of Budapest. Dedication of the Architect - This park is a very delicate matter. I've been trying my utmost to treat this terribly serious theme with the proper amount of seriousness. But what is Truth? Of course, I can't answer that. But there's plenty of time to think about it. I had to realise that if I constructed this park with more tendentious, extreme or realistic methods - as a number of people were expecting - I would ultimately be doing nothing more than constructing my own Anti-propoganda park from these propogandist statues, and following the same thought patterns and prescriptions of dictatorship that erected these statues in the first place. This park is about dictatorship. And at the same time, because it can be talked about, described, built, this park is about democracy. After all, only democracy is able to give the opportunity to let us think freely about dictatorship. Or about democracy come to that. Or about anything! (2) Obuda. Until its union with Buda and Pest in 1872, Óbuda was a somewhat sleepy little town, and in spite of considerable rebuilding and modernization it has still managed to retain something of its former atmosphere. This old settlement, where evidence of prehistoric culture has been discovered and where shortly after the birth of Christ the Romans founded their camp of Aquincum, was according to tradition the residence of the Hunnish king Attila in the 5th C. Under the Árpáds the place experienced enormous prosperity. In the Middle Ages there was a palace of the Hungarian queens here; in the days of the Turkish occupation the little Danube town fell into complete decay, as a result of the increasing importance of the neighboring royal city of Buda. Not until the 17th C was life restored to the town by German-speaking settlers. If you are looking for antiquity, Óbuda is the place to see excavated ruins of the 2000 year-old Roman city of Aquincum. Europe's largest open-air arena, the amphitheater, mosaic-decorated villas, a military bath and the stone pillars of the water system can be seen there. In the Aquincum Museum valuable carved stones, wall-paintings and an ancient organ are on display. In the heart of Óbuda at the Fő tér (Main Square), old single story houses, excellent taverns and fine museums, such as the Vasarely Museum and Kiscelli Museum, create a unique atmosphere. More info on: www.gotohungary.com. A Hungarian story from Ellen: I don't know if you noticed, but Hungarians seem to have a flare for the dramatic. The following is my favorite story - from an article in Travel in Leisiure, written by a journalist who is having dinner with another journalist. "But just then his friend Szilvia Gyorkos, a news editor at one of Hungary's new commercial television stations, swept into the restaurant in an oversized candy-green sweater, her blond hair tousled, full of apologies for her lateness. "I tried to call." She insisted (a suspect excuse in this city where cell phones are as plentiful as goulash). "I am so ill. My blood pressure has dropped." She swooned dramatically, she smiled at me charmingly, she scanned the menu. "I am much too ill to eat, but I must have dessert". That story is so quintisentially Hungarian - or maybe Eastern European. I find these people fascinating and am intrigued by their flare and verve never mind that it's obvious BS. It's quite entertaining the way they do it. Notes: "High" on drugs or just on life? Amsterdam has both. "Coffeeshops" have marijuana, hashish and other soft drugs sold along with benign drinks. The buildings in Amsterdam are high, too -- much higher than they are wide. Centuries ago a tax was levied against the citizens of Amsterdam based upon the street frontage of their house. The wider the home, the more tax paid. "The crafty citizens of Amsterdam built houses that were very narrow in order to lessen their tax burden. The affluent of Amsterdam's old world citizenry showed off their wealth by building wide homes. Along with it come tall, steep staircases on which big feet and oversized suitcases will have trouble navigating. (Word to the wise: pack light.) Famous eating here is the Indonesian Rice Table (or Rijsttafel) a dining experience that is unique to the Netherlands. The Dutch, rather than the Indonesians, are responsible for the inventing it, which originated with the Dutch colonists in Indonesia, and grew from their enjoyment of sampling selectively from Indonesian cuisine. It has since become a landmark of "Dutch" cuisine and a "must do" when visiting Amsterdam. Watch out...the spiciness of some of the dishes may put you on a "high" for eating more, like it did for us! We couldn't get enough. VVV Tourist offices used to arrange for accommodations in private homes. We did that in the 70s. There"s a new service where one can arrange to take dinner with a local family. Finally, and little did I know: Don't clink your beer glasses. Hungarians have not done this since the Austrians hanged the Hungarian generals who led the revolution of 1848 and toasted the executions with beer. People we met: Libby and Lou from Doylestown, PA. Libby is the mayor and Lou is a retired teacher who moved into being asst and then principal at the end of his career. Libby says his fellow teachers somewhat ostracized him after he was promoted. He"d been to Prague 20 years ago during the iron curtain as part of an exchange program with Germany, whose host took him and it spooked him greatly. Very smart and nice people who Ellen and I both hope to see again. Dwayne and Sharon from Utah, ex Auburn (near to Sacramento) who are rather negative. Sold their home in California just before the real estate fall, and bought in Utah before the bump in prices. Odd eating and won"t try anything new and skips some courses as though dieting but Sharon eats large amounts of bread and butter. Aren"t people interesting. Richard and Hugh, the Australian boys who travel together. Most interesting and enjoyable company but Ellen is concerned that we shouldn"t look like we"re following them. We got caught a 2 nd dinner night having to join their table and I didn"t care, I was glad. So what if they think we"re putting the make on them? It"ll be good dinner conversation. But I"ll honor Ellen"s concern. The older Australian couple who I couldn"t understand him and I later found out that others couldn"t either. Becky and Bob, who made a zillion with an invention of trailer insulation and it couldn"t have happened to a nicer couple. They are traveling some now following a medical problem for Bob, and they are learning that the "kids" are able to take care of business after all. She did a shocking feat at Victoria Falls -- she swam out to the edge and hung over the ledge of the falls! He"s more conservative. There"s the older couple (most are) who met when she was 39 at a time when he"d just been told that his wife was leaving him. They"re from Colorado but moved 12 years ago to Phoenix. Lots of odd talk about the crazy ex wife and what she"s done with her life. Another odd situation. Tom and Jackie were about the youngest and nicest looking couple on the cruise. He"s a chiropractor specializing more in preventive care. He"s also an ex-marathoner -- a real runner. They live in Maine and we"d love to run into them again. I kept running into them whenever I climbed a hill to see a castle. River cruising comments: No packing and repacking. Small ship of about 140 people so you get to know them. Small ship so that you can"t get away from some of them. Food is consistent and you don"t have to think about it. Can see a lot of cities. But not a lot of those cities. Nice class of people cruise, but a surprising few make you wonder how they do it. Always something to do or a comfort level to do nothing. Later: From: "Ellen Brennan" <firstname.lastname@example.com> To: "'Dr Augat'" <email@example.com>, "'Diana E Burton'" <email@example.com> Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2007 00:15:28 -0700 Subject: RE: Pictures of Amsterdam's red light district Diana and Tom, I read recently that pimps from the Mediterranean have moved into Amsterdam and are changing the texture of the neighborhood and the business. One of the things that made the red light district in Amsterdam unique was The fact that the women were in business for themselves. Now the pimps are Taking over and contriving to have (force?) the women work for them. It is of serious concern. I have a feeling that the threat to anyone photographing is part of this new element in Amsterdam. My son and his wife spent some time sizing up the red light district When they were there this spring. They were fascinated by the difference in acceptance by the people who live there. They talked about a family With 2 small children having dinner in the window above a prostitute Who was sitting in the window below. They talked to people who ran shops there, and found that they accepted the prostitutes as business people like themselves. Rob and Mia couldn't stop talking about it, and what a different prospective the people of Amsterdam had. They urged me to go see for myself. Well I didn't have time, and it sounds like that was a Good thing. I did find myself on a street lined with "coffee" shops and was pretty Off-put by the numbers of young men (during Gay pride weekend) wandering around looking totally wasted. The energy here just didn't feel good. I agree, Tom. Bruges is charming. I've been there twice with Viking, and would like to go back and spend a week sometime. Best, Ellen -----Original Message----- From: Dr Augat [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 4:57 PM To: 'Diana E Burton'; email@example.com Subject: RE: Pictures of Amsterdam's red light district How do these rumors get around?? Funny how we had heard that Amsterdam's was a rare exception to the "seedy" nature of redlight districts and would alternate bakeries, redlight shops and dress shops, yet it was in fact dirty, sleazy, dangerous and ever-threatening (I literally had to threaten a over-sized black man's life to keep my camera; imagine that!). I also had three different hands reach into my pockets during our various jaunts through the area. The Radisson was a beautiful and peaceful hotel; however, it's proximity to the redlight district required way too many trips through it. For us, we had high expectations for Amsterdam and, although its museums were superb, we found it disappointing. Bruges was uncrowded and more innocent version of what we expect Amsterdam once was. Best Back . . . T&J -----Original Message----- From: Diana E Burton [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 11:48 PM To: firstname.lastname@example.com; firstname.lastname@example.com Subject: Pictures of Amsterdam's red light district Hi guys, Wasn't it Tom's camera that was in jeopardy for taking a picture of the girls in the windows of the red light district? I just opened the USA Today and there's a big picture of 6 windows and 4 girls! Its worrisome to some that the red light district might be facing more regulations. I'd say these girls just got some free publicity. Best, Diana
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