Danube River Cruise

10/11/2018 -- 10/22/2018

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The Danube was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire, and today flows through 10 countries, more than any other river in the world. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for 2,850 km (1,770 mi, 2nd longest in Europe), passing through or touching the border of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and Ukraine before draining into the Black Sea. The Danube is the only major European river that flows essentially from west to east – a course that has made it a unique bridge between, western, central and eastern Europe, between Christianity and Islam, Occident and Orient, Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.

 

Getting there ...

I planned this trip as a gift to my father's 85th birthday. Woanyu and I first flew back to Taiwan a few days earlier to stay with our families, and then flew from Taipei to Vienna together with my parents. We joined a Danube river cruise tour by Avalon with a pre-cruise package in Munich for 3 nights. River cruises are getting popular especially in Europe as a relax and luxury way to travel around to see different sceneries, cities, and small towns as many old cities/towns were built just right along the river with their old town centers within a short walking distance from the docks.   Our cruise started in Passau, Germany, and went into Austria through Linz, Grein, Melk, Durnstein, and ended in Vienna. It was a 4-hour train ride from Vienna to Munich, and it took us 4 days to cruise back to Vienna :-)  

 >> Starting Danube River Cruise (Day 7) ...

 

Day 2 (10/12) ...

 

 

 

When the Grand Suite was ready, we were taken to the suite by a private car and had a thorough walk through of the suite by a very nice staff. The suite entrance is right inside the Schonbrunn Palace (the current museum lobby) via a secret staircase (Geheimstiege) with 88 steps to the 4th floor. After some picture time around the suite, we were ready to go to the palace to enjoy the beautiful garden and to visit the museum.

 

 

 

Another very cool thing about the Grand Suite is you can book the dinner to be prepared and served in the suite. This is not just a regular room service. The Chefs came to prepare and cook the 5-course plus desert meal in the suite kitchen, and a waiter provided a detail and professional service. Unfortunately we were too full to enjoy the taste of the last main course: the famous Vienna Schnitzel. It was really an interesting experience to live like a king and queen :-)

 

 

 

After dinner, Woanyu and I decided to explore the palace in our pajamas as the daytime tourists and staffs were all long gone. We walked around the palace ground and walked up the grand staircases, and found out there was a concert held inside the museum tonight. It was kind of embarrassing to hide outside the window in our pajamas when there were a full house of people dressing formally in a concert....

 

 

 

Day 3 (10/13) ...

 

 

 

 

We were picked up at 9AM to have a breakfast at the Parkhotel. After the breakfast, we walked around the palace and prepared to say goodbye to the best and unique "hotel room" we have ever stayed.

 

 

 

 

Day 4 (10/14) ...

   


 

 

We found a place across the famous Hofbräuhaus beer house for lunch (so we could avoid the crowds in Hofbräuhaus and also had better food based on the Google review). It was really good to have German beer together with German sausage and port knuckle. After lunch, we walked through Hofbräuhaus and its courtyard to experience what a beer house looks like.

Odeonsplatz is a beautiful square bordered by the Italianesque Feldherrnhalle, Theatinerkirche and Hofgarten. In 1816 Ludwig I commissioned Leo von Klenze to design a new square at this site. The square is named after the Odeon, a large Concert Hall which was built between 1826 and 1828. The hall was heavily damaged by an air raid in 1944. After the war the building was transformed into a governmental office building.

 

On the west side of the Odeonsplatz is the copper-domed Theatinerkirche (Theatiner Church).  Built from 1663 to 1690, it was founded by Elector Ferdinand Maria and his wife, Henriette Adelaide of Savoy, as a gesture of thanks for the birth of the long-awaited heir to the Bavarian crown, Prince Max Emanuel, in 1662. The church was built in Italian high-Baroque style, inspired by Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome, designed by the Italian architect Agostino Barelli. The facade in Rococo style was completed only in 1768 by François de Cuvilliés. Its Mediterranean appearance and yellow coloring became a well known symbol for the city and had much influence on Southern German Baroque architecture. The church interior is elegantly decorated and is made almost entirely of white stucco, giving it a very bright appearance and setting it apart from most other Munich churches.

 

 

 


Day 5 (10/15) ...

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6 (10/16) ...

 

 

After the group city tour, we took the funicular to go up to the Fortress Hohensalzburg. In the year 1077, archbishop Gebhard had the fortress built and thus changed the Salzburg skyline forever. The fortress is enthroned on the Festungsberg, high above the rooftops of the Baroque historical district. We did not have much time (and my parents would not want to walk too much) to explore the castle and museum, but we had a nice lunch (with a very good Schnitzel) at the outdoor patio to enjoy a panoramic Salzburg city view.

 

 

 
 

 

 >> Starting Danube River Cruise ...


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