Germany

Viking Embla has its top deck folded down and this is likely to remain the case for several days. This is not connected with the high water but is normal for the low bridges on this section of the river.

In Bamberg, Diva rebelled against another guided tour, especially since it was one where passengers were to be dropped off at one quay and collected from another. The ship’s record on keeping to such a timetable is not great, because of queues for locks. Diva spent a pleasant morning with a past paper for her maths exam. Scored 86%, which is only 1 mark clear of what she needs, so it was not the best attempt ever – normally she has managed to score 90%+.

TSH went on the organised walking tour of Bamberg which revealed the town to be the prettiest visited on the trip so far. The two hours of free time allowed TSH to wander and make extensive use of his camera. Whilst many places claim to be like Venice but have few waterways Bamberg did at least have a gondolier plying his trade on the river. TSH did not get round to testing the local  smoky beer which is said to taste like liquid bacon.

Embla sailed past a very friendly German town where the locals had obviously enjoyed the beery aspects of the Public Holiday of Ascension Thursday/Father’s Day. There was a group of girls who seemed to be practising their cheer leader routine. Many waved and one woman asked ‘Wovon sind sie hier?’, looking delighted when Diva replied ‘England’.

The visit in Wurzburg was to the residence of a prince-bishop. The outside of the building is not particularly attractive – it looks like a much larger(!!) Buckingham Palace. But the inside is full of art and very elaborate décor, especially the ’mirror cabinet’, which is a small(ish) room lined with mirrors and gilt and paintings.

The passengers now all know that the tragic incident on the Danube in Budapest involved a Viking cruise ship, although no Viking crew or passengers were harmed. River traffic downstream was halted for some time whilst emergency services searched in vain for survivors. The Viking captain has been arrested.

Viking Embla

TSH and Diva have the same cabin as before. Almost the same but the lighting system is different. Lots and lots of switches but this time without labels. And some seem to be interdependent!! The ship layout is identical to the Viking Lif.

The visit to Nuremburg was one of the best so far. Chilling visit to the Nazi rally area, followed by a guided walk around the attractive city centre. It has mostly been rebuilt since the serious bomb damage inflicted by the Allies in WW2. But, like everywhere else on this holiday so far, there is a huge amount of scaffolding and a huge amount of building work.

Before Nuremburg, Regensburg felt like freedom. No tour group. No waiting around. No monotonous guide. No earpieces. Just a stroll round a pleasant town, which is a mixture of a real town with real inhabitants and a number of tourists.

Now that the ship is in Germany, wearing of seat belts is compulsory.

The food on the Embla does not seem to be as good, but maybe that is just a bad first impression after a long tiring day. TSH did not finish his dessert at lunch time – a first for him!!

By moving ships, the opportunity to cruise the Main-Danube canal (a great feat of modern engineering) has been lost. The rest of the canal was mostly navigated by night. This has all been a great source of disappointment to Diva, who had attended a talk about the canal and really wanted to experience it.

Early Disembarkation

The Viking Lif captain has so far had very little communication with the passengers. So when he spoke over the PA system just before lunch, TSH and Diva already knew that there would be no good news. The Danube has risen so far that not only can the Lif not progress further, but it needs to retreat downstream - back towards Passau - to avoid being totally trapped.

So at some time over the next 24 hours, everyone will pack, disembark and transfer to an identical Viking ship which is somewhere around the canal. Tomorrow was to be a highlight for Diva - traversing the many locks linking the Danube with the Rhine, and then an escorted tour to Nuremburg. It is not yet clear what time the transfer will happen or where the new ship will be.

Watch this space!!

From Austria to Germany

The river is very high and the bridges are very low but so far the ships are managing to creep along, although the whole of their upper decks are folded flat.

The riverside is scenic – steep sides in some places, small groups of houses and the occasional castle. Melk Abbey is stunning   - lots of elaborate gold. There is a huge library and attractive gardens. There is also some modern art in some rooms – an interesting contrast

Passau – the first port in Germany – was very crowded with many river boats. The organ recital in the cathedral was most impressive.

The hotel Director spoke to the passengers about the fire alarm – they know what alarm triggered but they still do not know why. There were issues with communications on the night – some passengers knew immediately that there was no problem, whilst others, such as TSH and Diva, did not. Some guests did not understand that fire doors close automatically but can still be opened – they thought that they were trapped. The hotel Director said that procedures and safety instructions would be reviewed. Perhaps this should have been done after the Viking incident in Norway earlier in 2019.

Alarm!!

3 am. 7 short blasts on the Viking Lif alarm system. Warm clothes. Coats. Hats. Shoes. Contact lenses. Inhalers. Life jackets. No time for mascara.

About a quarter of the passengers gathered at the muster station on the top deck. Where were the others? There were no officers to explain what was happening, in spite of one passenger banging on the wheelhouse door asking what was going on.

Eventually, the programme director made an announcement that it was safe to return to state-rooms. No reason was given at the time but the next morning Reception said that a fire alarm had gone off but they did not know why. It is said that all the crew were dressed and ready for action in an impressive 3 minutes.

The adrenaline rush meant that Diva did not sleep for the rest of the night, in spite of drinking a cup of camomile tea.

In which Diva is very Diva-ish

The morning excursion to the centre of Vienna provided a good overview of grand buildings with magnificent architecture. Budapest is grand but Vienna is even more so. Many of the buildings have been cleaned and restored but there are still many in scaffolding, including the Parliament buildings.  The representatives are meeting in temporary accommodation – just like the plans for Westminster.

The afternoon excursion to the market with the chef was less successful. The group of 19 passengers travelled on the metro into town and then walked to the busy market. The market itself was interesting – fresh produce and many nuts and spices. There was even a shop with (presumably) legal cannabis. There were three tasting sessions as they walked around – nibbles such as humous and olives, sauerkraut made traditionally by fermentation and then cheese and wine. All excellent. Well, maybe not the sauerkraut.

But Diva got very hot and tired and the metro was extremely crowded. When they left the metro, the guide ignored the sign that said ‘to the ships’ and headed towards what she called ‘the scenic route’. Diva was by now exhausted. So when a passing tourist, obviously lost, asked her ‘are you going to the ship?’, she replied ‘I have no idea’. Which is, of course, Diva code for ‘I know exactly what is going on and I do not like it’.  When she overheard the tourist telling her friend that ‘that woman over there does not know where she is going’, Diva joined in the conversation, objecting strongly to being described in such terms. As a result of this altercation, which lasted a few minutes, Diva missed the green light for crossing the road and the group had to wait for her. By now, she did not care whether they waited or not – she knew she could find the ship without help. The situation deteriorated when the guide said ‘did you not hear me say that you should cross quickly?’ Diva does not like anybody giving her orders. TSH knows this well and never tries to intervene in such circumstances. A very wise man indeed.

A good dinner – Szechuan-style tenderloin of beef.

The water is said to be 2 – 3 metres higher than normal. And some of the bridges are very low.

A Day on the Danube

The cruise continues to pass by a bewildering array of countries – Hungary, Slovakia and into Austria today. The Viking Lif passed right through the centre of Bratislava, which is a mostly modern city. The surrounding countryside is mostly flat and covered with trees but there have been glimpses of distant mountains.

The entry into Vienna involved locks and a number of extremely low bridges. The Captain arranged for most of the infrastructure on the top deck – including his wheelhouse – to be folded down to pass under them. TSH stayed on the top but made sure he stood on the lowest section. The hope is that the river does not rise further, or there will be real trouble with the voyage.

TSH and Diva have been asked about ‘the royal baby’ by a number of people from the US, who seem far more interested than are most Brits. They were more surprised to be asked about the British experience with crop circles, which may (or may not) be of alien origin. Linked to a question about whether they saw aliens in South America near the Nazca lines.

Rumours

The river is very high. Parts of the upper Danube are already closed to river traffic which cannot pass under the bridges. This would mean taking buses to the ports and/or moving ship to a Viking ship at the other side of the problem.

Hopefully the situation will change soon.

Ready for safety drill

Budapest

This long-awaited city does not disappoint. In spite of heavy WW2 bombing, there are many neo-classical late 19^th century buildings in excellent condition. These are mostly on the Pest side of the Danube. The older, Buda, side has a magnificent cathedral and a good look-out point over Pest. The buildings around the river are all illuminated at night, providing a magnificent spectacle.

The guide seemed to be very supportive of Hungary’s right-wing government. ‘It is a good feeling that there are no immigrants, so we have no crime problems’. ‘The immigrants are all illegal and uneducated so we cannot take them here’. The arabs/turks were not creative people’. etc. etc.

Despite the lack of immigrant crime, there are many armed police, and in the evening there was a fast motorcade with many many blue flashing lights. This is all probably because there is a Chinese delegation in the city.

For the first time on this voyage, the rain started in earnest and TSH and Diva got very wet. Fortunately TSH has his water-proof trousers. Diva took the opportunity of a free afternoon to have her nails done at a Trip Advisor recommended salon – they did an excellent job.

There was also a free day in Budapest. In the morning, TSH and Diva walked along the bank of the Danube to the market Hall, which is a mixture of fresh produce for local people and souvenirs for the many tourists. Lots of paprika – some still on stalks. In the afternoon, they walked to the very grand Parliament building.

Viking has an annoying ritual of playing ‘Good morning, good morning, we’ve slept the whole night through …….’ (Doris Day??) as the first tour of the day departs. It is a sign of how much the plot has been lost that Diva found TSH singing along!!

About half of the passengers disembarked in Budapest and a new group has joined the Viking Lif. There are several Viking ships in the city, so during tours we are more like 1000 tourists rather than the 200 from the Lif.

Dinosaurs?

A dinosaur egg?

Lurking in the trees

Welcome to Hungary

The day’s schedule stated that the ‘face-to-face’ entry into Hungary would begin at 6:00, so TSH and Diva rose at 5:45. They wanted to be showered, shaved, dressed and mascara’d  before meeting Hungarian border guards. They were actually called at 7:10, followed by a morning on the river after the guards left!!

Hungary appears to be much more prosperous than anywhere else seen so far on this voyage. In particular, a large sum of money had obviously been spent on renovating the cathedral in Kalocsa. This was the venue for another, much more professional, organ recital.

The horse display was not, in Diva’s opinion, world-class, but a group of men rode horses and carriages at speed around an arena, cracking whips throughout. The most impressive was the man who rode standing with one foot on each of two horses, whilst controlling eight others. There were also long-horned Hungarian grey steppe cattle. Diva passed on the stables visit, as it was very smelly, but TSH went in and, as well as horses, saw curly-haired pigs. Diva had to spring quickly out of the way, as she ended up in the path of the carriage rides. Neither drank any of the strong alcohol which was provided, although both ate the bread with paprika spread and tried (and rejected) the cheesy scones.

Once more, TSH ate the regional specialities for dinner – goulash soup, paprika chicken and plum bread and butter pudding.

Croatia

The landscape is now very flat and very lush. The area around Vukovar is very agricultural but the city has a fine church, where TSH and Diva were treated to an organ recital. The square outside was impressive but there, and across the region, there were ruined buildings and some scarred by bullet holes, in a reminder of recent conflicts. The region has also suffered a major loss of industry and employment. Every guide has a different narrative about the conflicts – it is still a volatile situation.

    There was also a visit to ‘a typical family home’. Diva opted out of this because the domestic animals, in spite of huge pressure from the householder, who insisted that the animals would stay outside. TSH later reported at least one animal inside the house. The house was not that typical, in that the hostess was running a business selling cakes, alcohol, CDs and ice cream.

Food on board continues to be excellent but there was a temporary issue with the supply of Earl Grey tea. How many cruise ships has Diva drunk dry?

Belgrade

This is the most developed, most western and cleanest of the places visited so far. Even the dogs appear to be domesticated rather than feral. The shops, including familiar names such as Zara, were all open despite it being Sunday.

The tour started at 8:00, perhaps to avoid some of the crowds from the 8 other ships parked in the city – TSH and Diva had to walk through another ship to reach the quayside.

A walk round the fort provided panoramic views over the city and the two rivers which meet there. (Danube and Sava) This area had a small exhibition of large dinosaur models.

The Orthodox cathedral is still under construction and the only part currently open to visitors is the crypt, which is completely covered with magnificent frescoes. The dome is said to be amongst the largest in the world – TSH and Diva have seen many such spectacular domes with great claims to world-wide fame.

A statue of Tesla honoured the local man who worked on the theories of electromagnetism and alternating current – ironic that the cars which currently bear his name run on direct current.

There were a lot of brides in the city centre – it turned out to be the day when wedding fees were waived for a mass wedding at a public building in the city centre.

Serbia in general, and Belgrade in particular, have been fought over for centuries and the country has changed its name many times. The guide explained that by the age of 23 she had lived in 4 countries without ever moving out of Belgrade.  She also provided the Serbian narrative about the Kosovo troubles of the late 20^th century – a one-sided account.

The evening meal was a buffet with local dishes, enlivened by a performance from local singers and dancers and an overhead thunderstorm with hailstones.

Between the Balkans and the Carpathians

Today TSH and Diva are doing extremely scenic cruising between two sets of limestone cliffs. It feels similar to cruising the Norwegian fjords. Bulgaria has been left behind and now there is Serbia on the left, with Romania still on the right. Some of the buildings look quite Alpine, and there are low-level clearings with crops, including (possibly) vines. The entry to this part of the cruise was through the ‘Iron Gate’ locks. Like other locks on the voyage, there is no charge for passing through – the locks are funded by selling the hydro-electric power they generate.

Yesterday in Bulgaria, the excursion was to a group of weathered rocks which resembled a turtle, an elephant and Abraham Lincoln. Some people went to the top of the rocks and TSH won the prize for the fastest ascent from his bus. (a fridge magnet).

There are plastic bottles floating on the surface of the water in places, but this is not litter – they are in organised groups and mark (illegal) fishing nets.

The guide pointed out a white rock which he said was a dinosaur egg but TSH and Diva thought that was silly and that a palaeontologist would think differently.

TSH heard a cuckoo! And eventually so did Diva – her first ever!!

Food is excellent and laundry service is within a few hours. TSH and Diva have brought far too many clothes for the small wardrobe – if they had known about the rapid laundry, they could have transported much less luggage across Europe.

Forgot to mention that by the end of the first part-day on board, Diva had already lost her room key. In her defence, she has no memory of TSH passing it to her, as he insists he did.

Technical notes

Regular readers might remember that in August 2014 TSH and Diva were on a Viking ship where the lighting system was impossible to operate:

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Viking have clearly noted Diva’s comments and there are now 4 panels around their cabin that look like this: 

Diva has still not worked out what all the buttons do, but they are obviously trying.

Getting started

This is the first chance of updating the blog – Viking have kept TSH and Diva very busy indeed. The day in Bucharest, whilst interesting, was very long and tiring. The morning starts are early – especially if you are already 2 hours ahead of home. They saw the enormous palace built for the dictator Ceausescu – he never lived in it!! So far, no significant rain, other than a thunderstorm during dinner.

Romania is now finished and the ship has moved on to Bulgaria. Diva resisted the cosmetic products made with Bulgarian roses – the pure oil is more expensive than gold!! But she had succumbed in Bucharest to the locally developed anti-ageing cream.

In this area, both Romania and Bulgaria are very agricultural.

The food and service on board are as good as ever and TSH and Diva have already eaten chateaubriand. No time yet to drink the welcome champagne.

Creatures spotted along the way: A (model) giraffe outside the Bucharest natural history museum. Storks nesting on the top of telegraph poles. A rare black stork. A stegosaurus lurked in the trees but this may also have been a model.

Not at the river yet

TSH and Diva are in their Radisson hotel room in central Bucharest. It has been a long day, and the air control delays at Amsterdam added an hour or two on. But the noodles on the plane were good, the room is OK and Bucharest looks interesting. On the way in from the airport, they saw up to date modern development, soviet-style wedding cake blocks and grand 19th century buildings, some of which were beautifully kept and some of which were in ruins. There are a lot of flags associated with Romania currently being part of the EU Presidency soon. Early start tomorrow (again!!!)