Day 1
As usual we started in the Flagship Lounge with mimosas. However today the entertainment was a little unusual. While watching out the window we saw some lonely luggage on the tarmac.
As I watched vehicle after vehicle pass by the lonely luggage, I finally saw a truck stop; the driver got out, took a look at the luggage and then got back in his truck leaving the luggage behind; 😢 more vehicles and still no one stopped. My girlfriend, who was on the phone with me suggested it was like being at the bar and trying to get the bartender’s attention. 🤣 I began to feel bad for the luggage and the travelers who were going to arrive at their destination without their luggage. Finally after about 30-40 minutes another vehicle arrived and rescued the luggage. Hopefully it will find its owner and be reunited.
Day 2 – Getting to Heidelberg
Our flight was relatively uneventful and even with a delay in taking off we arrived in Frankfurt on time. Unfortunately the line for immigration was horrendous and we missed our shuttle to Heidelberg by minutes. According to the website if you miss your shuttle you are to wait for the next shuttle and will hopefully get a seat. So now we wait…3 hours on a hard wooden seat in the Frankfurt airport. *sigh* At least there is a German bakery close to where we are waiting so a latte and a pastry and we settle in for a few hours.
The shuttle showed up on time at 11:20 am and we made it Heidelberg around 12:30 pm. Our room was not ready but we got a great surprise that we had been upgraded to a King Executive Room so they gave us access to the Executive Lounge where we are chilling until they tell us our room is ready.
We still haven’t slept but that is by design. My technique for avoiding jet lag is to put myself on local time at my destination. It is now 7:37 pm and so I have a few more hours to do. Full confession I took a one hour nap when we got to our room but refused to take more than a nap.
After the nap we headed out to find a Christmas market. So the only good thing about it getting dark at 5:30 is that the lights come on early. Of course our first task was to get some Glühwein. At 46 degrees it isn’t frigid, but nothing like a nice mug of Glühwein to warm you up from the inside. At the Christmas markets the Glühwein is about 4-5 euros. However the first time you order you pay a deposit on the mug. Each market has its own mug but refills are available no matter which mug you have. If you return the mug (to any stand) you get your deposit (4 euros) back or keep the mug and just count the 4 euros to a unique souvenir to take home (or use at the next market.)
We then strolled about halfway to the main Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) hitting a couple of small ones along the way. While heading down the HauptstrAße, we saw an old friend, the Löwenbrau. We stopped there a year ago while in Heidelberg and had to make a repeat visit. We shared a Jägerschnitzel (a fried pork cutlet covered in mushroom gravy) accompanied by a huge serving of spaetzle (a type of German pasta) and of course the requisite beer – we are in Germany after all. It was just as good as we remembered!
After dinner we decided to head back to the hotel. After all we have to save something for tomorrow since we have a whole day. A short stop in the lounge at the hotel for some apple strudel bites and a glass of Montepulciano d’Abruzzo (my Italy group will know how good that is!) and now off to a much needed rest before we hit Heidelberg in earnest tomorrow! Tchüss!!
Day 3 – December 7 – Heidelberg
Today we chose to sleep in and catch up on the sleep we lost over the ocean. Being that it was Sunday, there was a beautiful champagne brunch in the hotel restaurant.
After breakfast (Frühstucke) we ventured out, this time our goal to make it to the main market and the Heidelberg Castle (Schloss). We brought our mugs from last night and headed out. Our first top was the Katie Wohlfort store. If you haven’t seen one of these stores, it is like a small IKEA for Christmas ornaments. You walk in the entry door and follow the path around the store in a veritable wonderland of Christmas. We were on a quest to find a pickle ornament for some of our friends. I would post a picture but I want to surprise them with what we found.
We took our time today and and made it to the main market by noon which meant it was time for more Glühwein. We are becoming connoisseurs.
After wandering around a bit in the market, we decided it was time to ride the funicular up the mountain to the castle. What a gorgeous view from up there. We strolled around the courtyard, walked up to the top of the Big Barrel, perused the Apothecary Museum (one of the apothecary models reminded me of the Paris Apothecary in Outlander. Very interesting see some of the old medical instruments and procedures from the past. I have been practicing my German whenever I can and so far today, twice we have been mistaken to be German. I consider that a great compliment especially since my German is only passable! Thanks go to Frau Fritz my high school German teacher.
By now, we were starting to get hungry so we revisited a place I ate when I was there in 2022, the Palmbräu Gasse. This place is so cool! It was an old alley, but at some time in the past they added a roof between the buildings and enclosed the alley. It is now a great restaurant with authentic German food including a pork knuckle that could feed an army! We decided we weren’t quite that hungry and ordered bratwurst and fried potatoes. The gravy was delicious! Robert ordered an unfiltered beer and I tried the Dunket. Both were very tasty. Since we are in Germany we couldn’t resist trying the Apfel Strudel with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream It was not a mistake!
We left the restaurant through the back door and went to another one of my favorites in Heidelberg, the Chocolaterie Knösel, founded in 1863. This is the home of the Heidelberger StudentenKuß. As the story goes, the young women of the time were always supervised by their governesses and never allowed to talk to the young men. The students would all gather in the Cafe Knösel and would admire each other but never allowed to talk. The chocolatier Fridolin Knösel noticed that the young men could not talk to the ladies who caught their attention so he produced a candy consisting of a praline covered in chocolate. They were packaged in a small box. A gentleman could buy one of these chocolates and present them to a young lady who caught their eye, maybe even secreting a note in the small box. These delicious candies are still made to this day. After purchasing a pack of StudentenKußen, we headed back to the hotel to rest before dinner.
We decided we had seen enough of Heidelberg and opted to stay at the hotel tonight, after all we have access to the Executive Lounge, so why not? Happy hour with alcohol and snacks is 6-8 pm so we headed down at 6:30 pm. We were a bit disappointed that the lounge was full. We did finally find a small table with two chairs. Unfortunately, not only was the lounge full, but there were very few snacks available. I took awhile, but they did refill the snacks and we had some pasta salad, some spaetzle, potato salad, and red cabbage. There was a nice selection of wine, so we had a glass of the Montepulciano d’Abruzzo again tonight. The lounge was comfortable and after a large lunch, we decided to just chill in the lounge. There was one woman who was a little loud, so we moved a little closer to the door just so we were not obliged to listen to her conversation.
At about 7:30 pm, a woman came and asked the server to bring another bottle of sparkling wine. The young server does and this woman gets a wine glass (instead of a champagne flute) and empties half of the new bottle into her wine glass. As I get up to get a normal glass of sparking wine, another woman comes and empties the rest of the bottle into her wine glass before I can up there. Robert and I just looked at each other astonished. 😳 I ask the server if she can bring another bottle. She looks at me perplexed and I explain in my broken German that two women emptied the bottle so she brought me another one. She looks at me and asks “Zwei Leute?” (Two people?) to which I nod and she breaks out laughing. She then goes back into the employee area and I assume she tells her associate because I hear them both break out laughing….And this is why we like people watching!
We are still a little jet lagged so I think for tonight it’s time to chill in our room. Tomorrow we leave early to go back to Frankfurt and take the high speed train to Nuremberg. Tomorrow afternoon we board our ship. Gute Nacht!
Day 4 – December 8 – travel from Heidelberg to Nuremberg
Today we said goodbye to Heidelberg and make our way to Nuremberg (Nürnberg) first by shuttle to Frankfurt and then by high speed train to Nuremberg. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast when we arrived in Nuremberg at around 3 pm, so we stopped in the train station to get a snack since dinner won’t be until 7 pm. Our first plan of attack was to take an Über directly to our ship. When we first got to the station the Über was going to be 21 euros but, by the time we finished our snack the price had doubled to 42 euros! We checked out the map and realized we were only an 8 minute walk from the shuttle to the ship, so dragging our luggage over the cobblestones we set out. The bus was parked just inside the city walls.
We arrived at our ship, checked in, and made it to our room. A lot of the guests got here this morning and were still in Nuremberg so we had plenty of time to unpack for the next week. Our cabin is small, but has lots of little spots to stash things, so we were able to completely unpack before the first events in the lounge. We are on a small 163 passenger ship, so it is very intimate. You might ask where our beds are and the answer is that we have Murphy beds that the cabin steward lowers while we are at dinner and then puts away during the day.
After unpacking and a short rest, we headed to the lounge to have a drink, hear the Captain’s safety talk, and meet our Program Directors. Then off to our first dinner on the ship. We were wiped out from our travel day, so after dinner we headed back to our cabin to unwind and found our first surprise. Our beds were ready for sleeping and we had a chocolate Santa on our pillows!
Day 5 – December 9 – Nuremberg
Today we had a tour of Nuremberg in the morning. Our driver and Program Director gave us a bus tour and told us a little about Nuremberg. The big red chair was just interesting. It is in front of a construction company that is known by the big red chair in front of all their offices. Of course, they aren’t thrilled with the fact that Nuremberg is most known worldwide for two things – the Nazi rallies and the Nuremberg trials. When we got to the Nuremberg Rally Fields we got off the bus and were given an interesting lesson in history. The goal was to have one million people at the rallies. The highest they achieved was 800,000, but not all in one day. The rallies would last a week and each day would be associated with a certain group – women, worker’s, youth, military, etc. The fields house the original structures since there was no strategic reason for these structures to be bombed. At the far left of the first picture you can see what was the Grand Stage under renovation. Ironically, although Hitler was promoting the Thousand Year Reich, the construction was not built to last. The stage is under renovation because it was literally falling down! Same problem for the columns you see in the picture our guide is holding. They had to remove the columns because they were crumbling and becoming a safety hazard. The big buildings at the entrance to the fields (the ones that look like bunkers) were actually public restrooms. The funny thing here is that now they are storage buildings. You can rent space to store your stuff in a Nazi bathroom.
We boarded our bus again and continued our tour. Nuremberg has very interesting architecture. You can tell where the bombs hit as you will see very old buildings right next to very plain buildings built right after the war and then very modern buildings. Next we drove by the Nuremberg Courthouse which until just a few years ago was still quite busy. Now it still handles some cases, but usually not capital crimes. One of the reasons it was chosen for the trials was its proximity to the prison so that transporting prisoners to and from the courthouse was easier.
It was good to hear our Program Director say that, unlike what I had heard in the past, German students are taught about WWII and Germany’s part in the war. All students are required to visit the Rally Fields and if you join the military, a visit to the fields is also required. One of the reason the stage is being renovated is to keep a reminder of what happened so that people will remember and not repeat the past. Our Program Director also said that Neo-Nazis are actually scorned in Germany and the largest population of Neo-Nazis is actually in the United States.
The last sight on our tour was the oldest cemetery in Nuremberg. In Germany, you rent your gravesite. If your relatives keep paying the rent, you get to stay. Once there is no-one left to pay the rent, they exhume the bones and take them to the bone house so that others can be buried in the gravesite.
From our bus tour it was time to visit the Christmas Market! Of course the first thing we had to do was to get a mug. We decided to try something new today, it was called Feuerzangen-Bowle. It was basically Glühwein with hot rum poured over a sugar cone. It was delicious. We decided to stay at the market until the afternoon shuttle and have lunch at the market.
Apparently there is a conflict over who has the best sausages, Nuremberg or Regensburg. We visit Regensburg tomorrow so we decided to do a taste test. We ordered the sausages with sauerkraut and potato salad. It was also served with a spicy mustard. To accompany our sausages we, of course, had to have a mug of the house Glüwein.
Near the main market was a smaller market where each stand was from a different country. We decided to check them out first and then head to the main market. It was interesting to see the products from all over the world. At the main market, we found several stands selling Lebkuchen, or gingerbread. Apparently Nuremberg is also known for its lebkuchen. Well, you know that meant we had to try some. It was not the same as what we are used to in the US. It was chewy and sweet, but not quite as spicy as I was expecting, still very tasty! The last sight before heading back to our shuttle was the Schöner Brunnen, the beautiful fountain. Our Program Director told us if we got lost just ask directions to the Schöner Brunnen and we would be at the place where he dropped us off and we could find our shuttle. We couldn’t figure out what the people were doing – they would climb up on the fence and then back down. After Googling it, I found out that there are rings you can spin for good luck.
We caught our shuttle and made our way back to the ship in time to see a beautiful sunset from the sundeck. Thankfully, Robert is really good at these pictures because it was too cold for me. Then we headed for the lounge for the Captain’s Cocktail Reception and Welcome Dinner. Seven courses consisting of an array of appetizers, a choice of Whole Pink Grilled Veal Loin or Pan-Fried Cod wrapped in prosciutto. Dessert was a choice of Crème Brûlée with vanilla ice cream and a Belgium waffle or a raspberry sorbet. I ordered the brûlée as it is one of my all-time favorites.
Day 7 – December 10 – Regensburg
This morning we are cruising to Regensburg. Just about the time I was stepping into the shower, we had an emergency safety drill. So I threw on some clothes, found my life vest and headed to the lounge. While we there we entered (and left) the last lock keeping us from the main Danube. After the drill we were allowed to go back to our room and I got the shower I had attempted earlier. We were not expecting to get to Regensburg until lunch so we read in our room, watching out the window as we cruised along.
When we got to Regensburg, it was time to get the lay of the land. Our Program Director took us into the city – it wasn’t far because we were docked close to the city center. The first story we heard was about the Stone Bridge. Supposedly when it was being built in the 1600’s, the builder building the cathedral and the builder building the bridge had some kind of wager on who would finish first. One day when the bridge builder was getting frustrated, Satan showed up and said he would help the bridge builder if he would give him the first three souls that crossed the bridge. The bridge builder won the bet. However, the mayor of the city came to him and told him that the Bishop wanted to be the first one to cross the bridge and as mayor he should be second. He then said that in honor of his achievement, the town wanted the bridge builder to accompany the bishop and the mayor. The bridge builder started to panic knowing that the devil would be there to collect his souls. So, early the next morning he grabbed two of his roosters and his dog and released the roosters followed by the dog. When the dog chased the roosters over the bridge, Satan was furious realizing that he had been robbed of the souls he was promised. So, he got under the bridge and was pushing it up to break it. However, the bridge builder had done a great job and if you look at the middle of the bridge, you can see there is a rise in the center where Satan tried to break it. By the way, the bridge was built in only eleven years!
At the foot of the bridge is supposedly the oldest sausage kitchen in Germany, the Historische Wurstkuchl. It was built in 1616 and is still operating today. We continued on to see a few more sights including a small Christmas Market, the Goliath House, the Cathedral, and the main Christmas Market. Once we got to the main market, our guide left us to continue our tour on our own. We had our first mug of Glühwein in Regensburg and continued down more streets. We have a concert tonight by the Regensburg Girls’ Choir, so our dinner will be early. We decided to stroll back to our ship with a quick stop at the Wurstkuchl for a mug of Bavarian beer and then back to the ship.
After dinner we headed to a church for the concert. We were warned ahead of time that there would be no heat in the church and to dress accordingly, so I brought my electric hand warmers. Good choice! We could see our breath inside the church. The young girls had voices like angels and I cannot imagine a better way to start the Christmas season. We sat in the church lit by candlelight (and lights on the stage) and listened as they sang Christmas music a cappella. It was glorious! Then we walked back to the ship to retire for the evening.
Day 8 – December 11 – Regensburg
This morning after breakfast we were treated to a glassblowing demonstration. Karl was the same glassblower I saw in 2022 when I did the Christmas Markets on the Rhine. He is not only an amazing glass blower but is also quite the entertainer!
After the glass blowing demonstration, we walked back into town. Some of our group stayed to watch a cuckoo clock demonstration. We chose to move on since the shop was very crowded and warm inside. We decided it was time to try the famous Regensburg sausages and make the comparison to the Nuremberg sausages. For around $5 we got three sausages on a hard roll with sauerkraut and sweet mustard. It only took a few bites to determine that for us, Regensbrug wins the sausage wars. It was delicious. Of course, by this time it was time to find another Glühwein. It may seem excessive, but it is necessary for staying warm. 😉 We strolled around the streets of Regensburg as we made our way back to the ship for lunch. I found a second hand shop and made the decision to return this afternoon as I found several coats I wanted to try on. Robert has been looking for a leather bag to replace his turquoise blue day pack that he has been carrying when we travel. We stopped at a shop and found one that he liked, but he wasn’t quite sure so we made a note to stop by that shop again this afternoon as well. On the way back to our ship, I saw a Viking riverboat and went onboard to see if I could get a tour. I explained that I was a travel advisor and asked if I could get a 10 minute tour of the ship. The hotel manager obliged and I was able to see all different categories of rooms and the lounge on the ship.
After lunch, we headed once more into Regensburg, this time to Thurns and Taxis Palace for the “most romantic Christmas Market in Germany.” This market had an entrance fee of 9,50 euros and it was well worth the price. It is on the grounds of the Thurns and Taxis Palace and is the largest we have seen so far. It was time, so another Glühwein…..There were places all over the grounds with “warming rooms” or fire pits where you could stop and warm up while you eat, drink, or shop.
Speaking of shopping, Robert found his perfect bag – look at that smile! There was a pen with two alpacas named Max and Moritz, two famous children’s characters in Germany. Not only was this the “most romantic” Christmas Market it was also extremely beautiful. By the time we got to the Champagne Pavilion we were too tired to climb the hill, but it looked amazing. We found a cheese stand that had some very interesting cheeses, including coconut and lavender. They tasted a lot better than they sound! We bought some mountain cheese and some lavender cheese. Very unusual!
Our ship sails tonight to Passau so it was time to stroll back to the ship. We walked back through the main market to return our mug and get our deposit returned. On the way back, we saw a marker in the cobblestones. I remember from a previous trip that these markers are placed in front of apartments or houses where Jewish people lived who were murdered by the Nazis.
For dinner tonight we were served a Christmas dinner with a shellfish risotto and bell pepper risotto, an Aperol spritz palate cleanser, beef sirloin or pan-fried halibut and for dessert something they called “Caramel Parfait”. As you can see from the picture, I forgot to get a picture of my food again. 🤪
During our dinner the ship began to sail to Passau. We were tired so instead of going to the ugly Christmas sweater contest, we went back to our cabin to read.
Day 9 – December 12 – Passau
Today we arrived in Passau. Passau sits at the confluence of three rivers: the Danube, the Inn, and the Ilz. We started the morning with a presentation by a local guide on Christmas traditions in Germany and then a walking tour of Passau ending, of course, at the Weinachtsmarkt (Christmas Market). First we walked along the river where we could see the Feste Überhaus on the top of the mountain, castle of the Prince Bishop of Passau. We were surprised to see that most of the windows were painted on the castle. Our guide explained that was for defensive and privacy purposes since the Prince Bishops were not well liked due to their participation (and corruption) in collecting taxes. The date on the castle is 1499, not 1999. The second number is “one half of an eight”. The walls around the city center are not defensive walls, but flood control. The numbers on the side of the church show the various floods. The flood of 2013 was second only to 1501.
If you have been paying attention, the roads here are very narrow in some places, and therefore, the firetrucks must be very small as well. However, they carry a lot of technology to make up for their small size. This particular firetruck was parked here to celebrate one of their own who had just become engaged.💘 From the firetruck, we walked by the executioner’s house. Unlike popular belief everyone in town knew who the executioner was. It was a profession passed down to each generation. If you have ever watched the show Outlander, you may remember an episode when Claire is working in the hospital. The surgeon for the hospital is also the executioner. Many times the executioner doubled as a surgeon since it was illegal for physicians to cut into living tissue. However, part of the executioner’s job was to know how to torture people while keeping them alive as long as possible through the torture. Their knowledge of the human body in some ways far surpassed the physicians. Many time the people of the town would come to the executioner for treatment because they were allowed to perform surgery while the doctors were not. 😳
As we came to the Residenßplatz, or the residence plaza, we saw the largest Advent Wreath I have ever seen. Originally the Advent Wreath was a method of keeping time, daily, until Christmas. There were twenty-four candles on the wreath. Since candles were so expensive, the Advent Wreath was eventually cut down to four weekly candles. The wreath was in front of the “new” resident of the Prince Bishop. More than likely they got tired of living in the castle as they were very dark (remember the fake windows) and damp. However, the Prince Bishop was no less arrogant. The high threshold served two purposes. First, it was much easier access to the palace if you arrived by horse or carriage. Secondly, only rich people arrive by horse or carriage, so it was also a reminder to the people of their station in life.
Next door was St. Stephen’s Cathedral, the Prince Bishop was still a bishop of the church as well as a governmental figure. The back of the Cathedral showed an early Gothic style of architecture, but when you walked to the front of the Cathedral, the front had an Italian style of architecture. Our guide explained that there was a fire in the city and the front of the Cathedral was burned. The people saved the rest of the Cathedral and when renovations were made, the bishop wanted Italian architecture instead so the front is different than the rear.
Our guide then left us at the Christmas Market to make our way back to the ship as we liked. So what do you think we did…..Of course, we found some more Glühwein!! Then we strolled down the Artist’s Lane to do a little window shopping. On the way back, we found a store that sold some very artistic sweaters and jackets from Italy. I went in to look around and ended up chatting with the store keeper. I explained to her that my German was not very good, but I liked to practice. So she helped me along with words I didn’t know and we had a very nice conversation about our children and grandchildren. It was the first real conversation I have ever had in German. Thankfully, she was very patient. We told her we would return after lunch so I could think about which pieces I wanted to buy.
After lunch, we returned to purchase some of the sweaters I found and return one of our Glühwein mugs to get our deposit back. Then back to the ship for a sweet concert by the Regenboden Children’s Choir. After dinner they were singing karaoke in the lounge and back to the room to update the blog. Oh, I almost forgot, here in the south of Germany you do not greet someone with Guten Tag! Instead you say Grüß Gott, or God bless you. My new friend, the shopkeeper taught me that when we were speaking. Tomorrow we cross into Austria!
Day 10 – December 13 – Linz, Austria
Today I was attacked – but more on that later. 😉
We are now in Austria!! Our day started out with a walking tour led by a local guide. We started out along the river where we saw the Lentos KunstMuseum (the Lentos Art Museum.) If you didn’t know what it was – look closely, it’s written all over it! Some of our fellow passengers took a day trip to Salzburg. When the guide asked us what Salzburg is famous for, most of our group said, “The Sound of Music.” However, in Austria that is not the case, most Austrians have never seen the movie. Our guide explained that when the movie came out, Austrians were still trying to put the war out of their minds, so very few people saw it and it was never in the theaters. Now, it’s just another old movie. We made our way to the Hauptplatz (the main plaza) where the vendors were just setting up for the Christmas Market. The monument with the gold on top is a monument giving thanks for those who survived the black plague in the 18th century. Then we moved on to a beautifully decorated balcony. This particular balcony has historic significance as it is where Adolph Hitler announced the Anschluss to the citizens of Linz, Austria. Our guide explained that Austrians are now interested, as are the Germans, in talking about and teaching about the war since they want to make sure that it is never repeated.
From the Hauptplatz, we took a side street and found a place where Mozart lived – for one night. Mozart’s first public concert was in Linz when he was six years old. This hotel is where he stayed with his parents and his sister. You can’t really blame them for using this to their advantage. Linz is a city of contrasts. They have both old and new in the same place. We found a small plaza where there was a very unusual fountain. Instead of a fountain of water, it was a fountain of light installed in 2018. There are solar panels all over it that glow when the sun goes down. We were here in the morning hours, so did not get to see it light up. From here we moved on to another plaza where we found another plaque commemorating the residence of Mozart, this time for three months, while he wrote the Linzer Symphony. Our guide returned us to the Hauptplatz and released us to explore Linz on our own.
Our first order of business was to find some Austrian coffee. We heard that the Austrians take their coffee very seriously. Our Program Director, Bob, told us to order ein brauner. He directed us to a coffee shop across the Christmas Market which was called Kaffee Glockenspiel. The name was quite appropriate as the building had a glockenspiel on the top.
Properly energized, we set out to find some Christmas markets. We started with the main market and, you guessed it, went for our first mug of Glühwein today. It was a few minutes before 11 am, so we decided we could share one mug. We did a little shopping and then hit the back streets to find a small market we found on our walk. It was a medieval market. All the vendors were in medieval costume. The hot drinks were heated in kettles over open fires, there was a stand selling pelts of various animals, one woman was baking sourdough bread in a wood-fired oven, and there was a stage with some musicians ready to open the market.
We walked around the Altstadt (Old Town) for a little while longer and headed back to the ship a different way finding another Christmas market.
Before dinner we were in the lounge for cocktail hour when we were surprised by a visit from St. Nikolas and the Krampus (Krampi?) In Germany and Austria naughty boys and girls don’t get coal, they get a visit from the Krampus. The Krampus accompany St. Nikolas on his visits to all the boys and girls. They are horrendously ugly and have large bells on their back with make a terrible racket. Sometimes witches come as well. Parents open their doors and let the Krampus in to “scare the children straight.” St. Nikolas explained to us that beings “whipped” by a Krampus (with a horsetail) or by a witch with her broom is actually a good thing as it sweeps all the evil away. Robert was singled out by a Krampus, so he should be good for the new year. I was sitting closer to the window and thought I was safe. I was wrong! This Krampus not only whipped me with his whip, he jumped over Robert and tackled me on the couch I was sitting on. I can’t attest to exactly what happened (I was under the Krampus) but I’m pretty sure I was assaulted!! Hopefully that bears well for the new year for me as well. Finally St. Nikolas came by and assured me that all was well.
Day 11 – December 14 – Melk Abbey and Vienna
Today we made a stop on our way to Vienna to see the Melk Abbey. We met our guide in the main courtyard. It was very large and our guide explained that each part of the abbey had its special purpose. The wing on the left was the Imperial Guest wing. This is where visiting dignitaries would stay when visiting the abbey. The right wing is where the monks lived and worked and ran a school. Directly in front of us was the abbey church and just to the right of the church was the library. We were not allowed to take pictures inside (which I found out after I took the two pictures – the Advent wreath and the guest hall.) I am not usually a museum person, but I would have liked a little more time here to read about some of the items on display. They had some beautiful reliquaries (vessels to hold church relics), chalices, books, and some beautiful vestments. We had a very short time to spend here, so went pretty quickly through the rooms. In the Marble Room, where the guests would have dined, the fresco on the ceiling was an optical illusion. If you stood in the center of the room, it appeared that the ceiling was curved and higher than it was. Instead, it was actually flat. If you moved to one end of the room, you could see the difference. On the other side of the abbey, in the library, the ceiling was similar except it wasn’t an illusion, the ceiling was actually curved.
In the library, all of the books had been bound to look alike. Because there weren’t many windows in the library, and it would be dark, some windows were hidden behind false shelves and books. These doors could be opened to allow light into the library when someone was studying there. From the library we proceeded to the church. I have seen a number of churches around the world, and this was by far one of the most beautiful. Many of the surfaces and carvings were plated with gold. There was a beautiful organ with 3,500 pipes. While we were there, they were tuning the organ. Even being tuned, the organ sounded magnificent. After a short visit in the sanctuary, we were led out to the gift shop (some things are the same everywhere you go) and we purchased a couple of bottles of Benedictine wine and one cold bottle of Benedictine beer. We enjoyed the beer and found it to be very good. It was similar to an amber ale. Very tasty!
We were shuttled back to the ship and we spent the next hour or so in the lounge as we cruised down the Danube.
We had a pretty chill afternoon. After lunch we spent time in our cabin watching the scenery as we cruised, reading, and maybe a little nap. Tonight we had an early dinner as we wanted to have a little time in Vienna this evening. After dinner, we boarded a shuttle to the Wiener Christkindlmarkt. This was definitely one of the most beautiful markets we have visited. It is located in front of the Rathaus (city hall). The Rathaus was lit up, Christmas lights were everywhere, and they had the Tree of Love which was full of lighted red hearts. There was a children’s area with lots of things for children including a train. On the other side of the market, they even had a skating rink for adults and for children. We enjoyed our last mug of Glühwein and strolled the market. Robert decided it was time to spruce up his wardrobe and bought a driving hat. Then it was time to board the shuttle and return to the ship.
Tomorrow it is time to say goodbye to our home away from home and fly to Frankfurt and then the next morning to Dallas. We don’t leave until later in the day so will hang around the ship until it is time to go to the airport. So, until next time – Tchüss!!
