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.