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Danube Cruise Experience by Carson Watson, Travelwizard.com Luxury Cruise Specialist.
April, 2007
The beauty of flying in over England in the early morning as the sun rises to see golden yellow fields of rapeseed is a real treat. My wife and I arrived in Munich in the early afternoon on a Saturday to emerge into the wonderful sight of flowers blooming in the downtown area on a warm spring day.
Spending a night in Munich, we experienced a wonderful breakfast of juices, fresh fruit, breads, eggs, yogurt, and a varied selection of meats, cheeses and delicious cherry jam, downed with some really strong, delicious coffee. Wunderbar!
The drive from Munich on the autobahn was delightful, passing mile after mile of green fields, and more rapeseed crops, making the countryside resemble the Brazilian flag. Rolling past one of the largest BMW plants in the world east of Munich and seeing the BMWs pass you at extraordinary speeds makes you think of German prowess in the manufacture of autos and high tech equipment exported to the far corners of the earth.
Passau is a lovely, little ancient town on the banks of the Danube about an hour and 45 min. from Munich where we boarded our vessel, the MV Mozart, owned and operated by Peter Deilmann Cruises. The boarding process is simple and convenient since there aren’t hordes of people like on a large ocean liner; you’re in your cabin in no time. The Mozart is the largest of the Deilmann vessels with a capacity of just over 200 people including a large lounge, dance floor area, and your own swimming pool, albeit small, at the front of the vessel. (The normal river vessel holds approx. 140-150 people and you’ll see lots of them during your cruise). If you wish to maintain your exercise regime there are a few machines onboard to stay in shape, plus a spa and a masseuse.
A large percentage of the passengers are German with a smattering from the U.S. and England but the cabin crew speaks English so language is no problem.
All the cabins are the same size completely adequate with a nice bathroom, mini-bar, TV and plenty of closet space. Our accommodations were very adequate. River boats only have 4 decks so don’t look for theatres, casinos and the normal areas you would find on a bigger vessel. A river cruise is for someone interested in the art and history of the place you’re visiting. The food was extraordinary in every sense of the word with real craftsmen putting the meals together. Presentation was a big thing with the dinner being extremely well constructed, gorgeous desserts, tastefully decorated entrees, you name it and they were able to come up with some extraordinary combinations. The soups were especially delicious.
Breakfasts and lunches were ample with lots of fresh fruit available at all times, a great selection of fresh baked breads and almost any beverage you could ask for. Desserts were quite special at dinner including baked Alaska on the final night. The food would get an A+ in my book. The service on the part of the crew and restaurant team was excellent and very cordial.
The onboard entertainment was quite good. A very talented duo from Slovakia entertained us one evening as well as some Hungarian dancers during our night over in Budapest. (Deilmann has just made ALL their cruises non-smoking, so this is a tremendous advantage, effective for all cruises that begin in 2008; up to now there was smoking in some parts of the vessel).
An advantage of taking a river cruise is you go to places you wouldn’t have the opportunity to experience under other circumstances. The itinerary for this sailing begins in Passau, Germany, to Budapest, Hungary, and includes stops in Durnstein, Melk and Vienna, Austria, Bratislava, Slovakia, Estergom, Hungary, all this in 7 days. Each town has its own history and charm.
The Benedictine Monastery at Melk has been operating since the 11th century; the 30 monks who work there perform jobs ranging from teaching to high tech and are a testament to the durability of an institution such as the Benedictines.
Sitting on a promontory overlooking the Danube, the monastery is a witness to more than a thousand years of history, but it has been completely restored with modern renditions of how it evolved over the centuries. I would say the monastery is one of the highlights of the trip and completely unexpected, unless you’d read up on your history before coming.
Vienna, a world class city by anyone’s definition, defies imagination insofar as music, writing, history, invention, you name it and Vienna comes to mind. You could spend a week here and not even begin to discover what it has to offer. We attended a concert at the Schoenbrunn Palace which was a pure delight. A trip like this just gives you a taste of what to expect in order to return at some later date for a longer visit. We visited the main cathedral in the city center and the Belvedere palace overlooking the downtown. A visit to the Sacher café in the city center for a Viennese coffee is a must. For pure people watching fun, it shouldn’t be missed.
Our guide in Vienna was well versed in its multifaceted history, cordial and open to any and all questions. We were there on May 1 and thus missed open stores since May Day is our equivalent of Labor Day, bad news for all those buyers! East of where our vessel was docked on the other side of the Danube there are any number of modern high rises and a TV tower.
One of the interesting aspects of our trip is passing through many locks: going towards Budapest you’re dropping down and, of course, coming back to Passau, you’re being raised up by the locks. This process is fun to watch and is a marvel of engineering since these locks were put in place many years ago which also supply large amounts of hydroelectric power to the surrounding electric grids.
From Vienna we arrived in Estergom, seat of the Catholic Church from many centuries ago. The cathedral on the hill is very large and houses some of the most incredible church vestments (some which weigh as much as 50 lbs.) and jewels one can see in the world. A 24 carat diamond is a stellar standout along with hundreds of other fabulous rings where jade and other valuable stones abound. Arriving in Budapest later in the afternoon, Buda appears on the right side of the vessel heading south and Pest to the left where the spectacular Parliament building sits.
As our guide explained, Hungary was on the wrong side of both world wars fought in the 20th century and is still trying to find its way after such massive destruction and chaos. The view of the city from the Buda side is well worth the trip as well as a visit to Ruzswurm, one of the preeminent pastry shops that can be found in this international city. A rich cream filled pastry with a large espresso is a treat for the palette.
Our vessel was docked in downtown Budapest so it makes it quite easy to get to the market, also near major arteries such as Andrassy Blvd. where we visited the Plaza of the Heroes, where the statutes of their best and bravest stand to defend them against new invasions.
Departing Budapest for our return to Passau, we arrived the next morning in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia. Bratislava sits on the east bank of the Danube with a splendid view of Austria, to the west. Our guide was quite colorful in her description of the political landscape as well as the physical sights. We saw some modern homes overlooking the Danube that would be well accepted no matter in which country they were built. Slovakia is a small, modern small country working hard to develop its economy and society as well as tourism figuring largely in its strategy. The downtown was really great where there are lots of renewal works going on, upgrading ancient buildings, plenty of neat shops and active street cafes with people from all over the world gawking at the passersby.
One important thing about our trip: everywhere we went we were greeted by cordial souls and most everyone speaks English. Americans, as is well known, are the world’s number one tourist so English is sort of a given. One caveat, on the Deilmann vessel since most of the passengers were German, a ‘danke’ and a ‘guten morgen’ were always welcome.
This is a trip I would recommend for anyone who wants a different kind of experience. If you don’t want to be with a lot of people older than 60, forget it. If you like wonderful food, great cities and a leisurely cruise with no rockin’ and rollin’, this might be for you. One thing is sure, Peter Deilmann Cruises delivers at every step of the way.
Carson Watson
Travelwizard.com
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