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July 8th, 2009:

Today starts like any normal day.  Kristin and I woke up and went to work.  But unlike a normal day we were home at 12:30 and utilizing the Ray and Nancy limo service that was commissioned to take us to Newark Liberty Airport for our trip to Europe.  Thanks Mom and Dad!

The Delta flight over the Atlantic was rather uneventful.  The first movie was “17 Again”, the second “Race to Witch Mountain”.  Dinner was a decent chicken dish in which I tried a Golsh beer.  Later we had the typical airplane breakfast of cereal and fruit right before we landed in Amsterdam.

July 9th, 2009:

Amsterdam’s airport was interesting because the primary language is English with a secondary language as Dutch.  Also, because of the EU regulations we had to present ourselves to customs there and go through security again.  After a nice 50 minute layover we were off on our 1 hour 15 minute KLM flight to Prague.  KLM served us this awesome cheesy bread, mmm, tasty.

Since we went from one EU country to another, there was no need for customs in Prague.  We picked up our luggage and met our limo driver who was holding a sign for “Mr. Joshua Hopp”.  He drove us to our hotel like a maniac but we safely arrived at the Hilton Prague.

Our room wasn't quite ready so we hung out in the lobby and took a short power nap followed by a longer real nap once we got up to our room.

Prague, Czech Republic:

Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic is a beautiful city.   Thankfully, it was not destroyed during the World Wars therefore it is one of the few examples of a major city in Europe that did not have to be rebuilt in the 1950's.

Kristin and I spoke to the concierge, got ourselves a map, and started walking.  Our hotel was in the business district so we were about a 15 minute walk away from Old Town Square, the classical center of town.  We found a restaurant near the square called Ambiente.  The restaurant is about two stories underground and the food was absolutely fantastic.

We booked a bus tour with Martin Tours that lasted for approximately two hours and it gave us a somewhat decent tour of the city.  Because of the clientele there are no live tour guides but headphones with 18 different language options that were supplied.

After the tour, we went back to the hotel for yet another nap.  We woke up around 9 pm ready to check out the night life of Prague - sitting in one of those outdoor cafes and having a drink/dessert.  Either Prague is not a happening place at night on weekdays or we were in the wrong part of the city; but, it appeared that the city shuts down between 10 and 11.  We walked all over and couldn't find any open restaurants.  We were going to buy some snacks at a local convenience store a few blocks from our hotel but by the time we got back that was closed too.  There was only one “restaurant” open late: McDonald's, which was thankfully only two blocks from our hotel.  There we were in beautiful Prague, and our first night we got McDonald's.  Luckily though the menu was a little different and I got an Olympus burger which had feta, black olives, and shredded lettuce.  Kristin got herself some McNuggets and a Lentilky McFlurry.  Lentilky is the European equivalent to M&Ms.  Also this McDonald’s did not have a drive-through but a walk-up, where pedestrians can walk up to an outer window.

Near our hotel was a bar where something major must have happened because there were a dozen police cars and ambulances and part of the street was roped off with police tape.  Glad we didn’t know that place was open because we probably would have gone there instead of McDonald’s.

We made it back to our room with our bellies full and promptly fell asleep.

July 10th, 2009:

We woke up rather late for us (9am!) and had our included buffet breakfast.  It was a good thing breakfast was included with our cruise package because it cost USD 33 per person.  The food was excellent though.  Something interesting about the breakfast buffet was the wide variety of meats, sausages, liver, baked beans, and about 10 different types of cheese.  Then there was the usual eggs and cereal bar which Kristin enjoyed.

We picked up our Prague Card (similar to the NYC Card which allows access to many attractions) and our three day Prague Metro/Tram card and after speaking with the concierge we were off.

Our first stop was the Sex Machines Museum.  Yes, you read that correctly, the Sex Machines Museum.  The museum had the ultimate collection of the tools of the trade from present-day back to the Mayan civilization.  It was quite an interesting place.

Kristin wanted to see what Czech pizza was like since it is known that Italian pizza is not like American pizza.  We found a neat pizza place called Ristorante Le Cinque Corone on one of the side streets and stopped in.  It turns out that Czech pizza is a lot like American pizza.  Mine had a fried egg in the middle and Kristin, who dislikes white pizza, really enjoyed her no sauce four cheese pizza.

We found an open air market, did some shopping around town, and visited the National Museum which was basically the Natural History Museum in DC, except that everything was written only in Czech.

Since we wanted to go to Prague castle early the next morning, we thought it would be a good idea to take a test run on the Metro, which I must say is the probably the easiest Metro we've used and it’s incredibly clean.  After our test run, we headed back to Old Town and ate at the U Zlateho Jelena creperie.

That night we had plans to go on the McGee's Prague Ghost Tour.  Well, before the tour started I needed to use the bathroom and besides the fact that I didn't want to pay for the bathroom there were none around.  I went back to the creperie where we had dinner.  The host recognized me and said that I could use the bathroom.  Unfortunately, there were quite a bit of directions involved and please note, that all the light in the photos below was from the flash of the camera.  Following the directions, I took the two minute journey through an unlit alley, up unlit stairs to the hotel connected to the restaurant, then out on a balcony where finally an automatic light came on.  The bathroom was in front of me but being terrified of the journey, I refused to close to the door behind me.  I was having thoughts of horror movies that take place in Central Europe.

Coming from the scary bathroom, I was definitely in the right mood for the ghost tour.  We met our tour guide, Jeff, at the world famous Astrological Clock.  This clock, built by clockmakers Mikuláš of Kadaňand and Jan Šindel in 1410,, is one of the most complicated and unusual clocks in the world.  The face calculates 21 different time based events (time,date, year, constellations, surise, sunset, etc)  The tour starts here because the designer of the clock was violently blinded by Prague city officials after he finished it so no other cities could have one similar to it. Once he discovered who blinded him he made his way to the clock and pulled on the main gear, destroyed it, proclaimed a curse on the city officials and died of a heart attack on the spot.  Oddly enough the city officials who were middle aged and healthy died within the year.

The tour continued through the back alleys of the city. Our guide told us many interesting stories and legends about the night.  One of the stories he told us is not a tall tale but a defensive strategy that the local townsfolk used which could definitely be responsible for the haunted city.  Under Prague is a series of tunnels that allowed the locals to move in secret from building to building.  When the city was under siege the residents would go into these tunnels to escape the invading forces.  Hidden in the tunnels were deep holes filled with water.  Because the residents knew where these holes were they would run around them.  Unfortunately for the knights in their shining and heavy armor, they would fall into these holes and drown.  These holes are said to be filled with the armor and skeletons of those knights.

During the tour, our guide told us to take as many pictures as possible because the camera will capture the spheres that the spirits emanate which are better known as orbs.  Apparently the spirits really enjoyed my camera because I captured orbs in almost every picture I took.

The tour ended around midnight and of course we couldn’t find anywhere that was serving food (there were a few places still serving drinks) so we went back to our tried and true 24/7 McDonalds.  This time I ordered the McShrimp and discovered that each sauce you get costs an extra USD 44 cents.  The shrimp was good and so was the McFlurry.  I accidently ordered a Frosty (Wendy’s) and the poor person behind the counter was looking at me funny until Kristin figured out what I was doing and properly ordered the Lentilky McFlurry.

July 11th, 2009

This morning while we were eating breakfast a clearly American couple sat next to us.  After striking up a conversation, we discovered that Fred and Joy were going on the Viking cruise too.

Today Kristin and I took the public transportation to Prague castle. The Prague subway has got to be one of the cleanest subways I have seen.  It is also the easiest subway we have used (yes, even easier than the DC Metro.)  When you get to the tracks there is a black dot with a “you are here”.  If your desired station is to the right of the dot, get on the right train, if to the left, get on the left. The only odd part is that the tickets are sold on an honor system.  You buy the tickets at the machine and walk to the subway.  No one checks them, there are no swiping machines.  The officials do random checks and if you do not have a ticket the fine is quite hefty.

Now the tram is a different story.  If we were not given explicit directions by the Viking concierge as to what train to get on we would have been standing at the Malostranská station for quite some time trying to figure out that map.  The tram ride to the castle is the most scenic route because the tram follows an overlook and one can see the entirety of Old Town.

Thankfully, we went to the castle via tram because there are two entrances and we only had to wait 5 minutes at the side entrance instead of the half an hour at the main entrance.  We picked up on audioguide, which was definitely a necessity. Without the $15 audioguide there is no point to visit the castle because there are essentially no information signs anywhere and the audioguide has about 4 to5 hours of information.  Also, the audioguide allows you expedited entrance in the St. Vitus’s Cathedral which normally has a 30 minute wait.

We started in the St. Vitus’s Cathedral, which is quite an impressive structure.  For the most part it had the look and feel of all the other gothic cathedrals we have seen in Europe, except in the back there was the most impressive tomb I have ever seen.  The tomb of St. John Nepomuk is a massive silver structure with incredibly intricate sculptures all around.  It was so big I wasn’t able to get the entire tomb in a single photo.

Our next stop was the royal residence.  This residence is very unique because it is the only classical residence that is still being used to house of current government.  The president of the Czech Republic has his office in this building.

Like many castles of that time period it had an immense great hall, but this one is unique for two reasons.  The great hall was used for jousting competitions and there are riding steps that allowed a horse to walk into the hall.  All around the hall are benches, but they were also used as platforms to allow the knights to mount their steeds.  The second unique fact is that this great hall is still used today as a celebration hall.

We heard an interesting story about how swift the judicial system was in Prague about 400 years ago.  Two catholic men were brought up on charges and after hearing the prosecution and defense speak, the “judge” declared both men guilty.  The two men and their scribes were immediately thrown out of the window and fell 30 meters.  Fortunately for them they landed in large pile of manure and limped away.

We made our way to the Golden Lane, which is a fascinating street.  Back in the 16th century the castle guards of King Rudoplh II asked if they could build small homes on the castle ramparts.  The king gave permission and these small homes were built on top on the castle wall.  Eventually the homes were sold and many were purchased by goldsmiths, hence the name the Golden Lane.  Up until the 1939 the homes were inhabited by many famous residents including the famous writer Franz Kafka and the prophetess Madame de Thebes, who was killed by the Nazis because she foretold the end of Nazism.  Today the homes contain many small shops and it is the busiest street in all of Prague.  We attempted to eat at one of restaurants in the Golden Lane but after sitting at the table for five minutes and no one coming by to help us we decided to eat elsewhere.

After the Golden Lane we went to the dungeon and then to the open air theater.

Finally, lunch!  We ate in the Lobkowicz Palace Café.  The Lobkowicz family was/is a noble family and had their residence in the walls of Prague Castle.  They are most famous as being the beneficiaries of the arts and in particular Beethoven, whom they almost bankrupt themselves supporting.  This part of the audioguide was done by William Lobkowicz who is the heir of the estate and the manager of the lands in Prague.  His family fled the Czech Republic after WWII and he currently resides in Boston.

For lunch I had the Goulash and Lobkowicz Beer, Vevoda Lager, which is like many of the Czech beers in taste but had a bitter aftertaste.  Kristin had possibly the tastiest apple strudel ever!

By this point we were getting quite tired.  We ventured into Powder Tower which houses the museum of modern day Prague military and police.  We then walked the perimeter of the castle and then made our way back to the entrance where we listened to the remainder of the audioguide.

Our next activity was the River Dinner Cruise.  We were picked up at our hotel by a rather impatient bus driver.  He took us the most indirect route to the river, which was OK because we got a short tour of part of the city that we hadn’t seen yet.

When we got on the dock we were separated into groups depending on what language we spoke; ours was the English/Spanish bus.  We took a 30 minute bus tour around the city with a tour guide that was decent.

After the bus tour we got on the river cruise.  We were greeted with a shot of Becherovka, a typical Czech liquor.  I thought it was tasty but Kristin couldn’t get past the alcoholic smell (which was very strong) after her first sip.  I then ordered a Bakalar Premium, which like all the other Czech beers had a nice refreshing taste but a bitter aftertaste.

The boat ride was very nice we got to see quite a bit of the city.  We also got to go through our first of many locks during our honeymoon.  This one was very small compared to the ones on the Danube River.  Another main attraction in the city of Prague is Frank Gehry’s Dancing House, aka Fred and Ginger, because it is meant to be a structure resembling Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  The best view of the building is from the river. As nightfall came Prague began to light up and it is a very pretty city.

After the boat tour we were off in the center of town.  Kristin and I wanted to go to a restaurant for dessert that Jeff, our ghost tour guide, recommended the night before.  We started out at the clock and retraced our steps and ended up in a dark alley next to an Italian restaurant which looked very creepy so we quickly turned around towards the main street.  On our second try we passed a United Colors of Benton which Kristin said she would have noticed so we knew we were not going in the right direction.  Eventually we found the door with two bears, where Jeff told us about the underground passageways, and we remembered that the restaurant was nearby.  So we walked down the street and there it was.  The reason I gave you so much details about the search is because the restaurant was about 20 feet from the dark scary alley next to the Italian restaurant.  Brilliant, I know, but see below and tell me you think that looks safe.

We walked inside Restaurant U Spirku and there was a small band with an accordion so we were looking forward to our dessert with this fun live music.  The manager came out and asked how many.  We say two and then he says, “Only drinks, kitchen finished”.  I thanked him and we decided to try the restaurant next door because Kristin and I wanted more than just drinks.  As we were leaving Kristin asked me what he said because she heard “How many drinks can you finish?”  She thought he wanted us to tell him what we were expecting to drink!

The restaurant next door, called U Dvou Velbloudu Restaurace, was open and still serving food.  For drinks I ordered a Budweiser Budvar.  Even though I did not realize at the time that this Budweiser has absolutely no relation to the American Anheuser-Busch Budweiser, the taste of this beer did not differ much.  It was very light and was OK, but then I started to get a headache from it and also a nasty aftertaste in my mouth.  I was not fond of the ensuing Buvar tasting burps either.  Overall, this was the worst beer I tried during our honeymoon. Kristin, deciding to be adventurous orders Grog, which is warm rum with what we think was nutmeg.  After having a sip and then adding 2 packets of sugar as recommended by the waitress, it was still very strong.  Kristin essentially ordered a full glass of straight up warm rum. Together we drank less than half of it.  The food on the other hand was excellent.  Kristin ordered some sort of ice cream sundae and I ordered a medovnik, which is a honey cake.  The food more than made up for the mistakes we made with the drinks.

At this point Kristin noticed something about Europe that we never noticed before.  Whenever we paid on credit card they would come to table with the machine, swipe your card, hand you the receipt, watch you sign it, and then you are done.  Also, there is no place to add the tip on the receipt so if you choose to leave a tip it is to be made in cash.  Quite a different process than here in States.

July 12th, 2009

The 12th was our last day in Prague so we wanted to make the most of it.

We had breakfast, which for me included a serving of baked beans.  Mmm.  Then we went up to the room, packed our bags, checked out, put our bags in storage, and began our day.

That morning will be remembered by Kristin and I as rush, rush, rush.  We finally fully figured out how the Prague Card worked with the Prague Card Map and we wanted to make the most use of it.  So we took the subways to the riverfront and walked across the famous Charles Bridge.  The bridge, which was built mostly in the 14th century, made Prague one of the most important trade cities because it helped connected Eastern Europe to Western Europe.  In the 1700’s the bridge was lined with 30 very impressive statues.  Today the bridge is used a marketplace with painters and craftsmen.

After we crossed the Bridge we realized there was another huge section of Prague that we completely missed.  We decided that will have to be for another time if we visit again because we didn’t want to venture too far from the hotel.

We crossed the bridge again and made our way to the top of the Old Town Bridge Tower, which is at the base of the bridge in Old Town.  From the top of this tower we have fantastic views of the Town and Prague Castle.  I am also glad that we went early because I could not imagine navigating those stairs with two-way traffic.

We then walked over to the Jewish Quarter and again decided that would have to wait for another time, because there was 4 to 5 hours worth of touring to do.

As we made our way back to the town square we passed a small vender selling Trdelnik.  This is a treat made of dough that is baked around a stick (so the center is hollow) and then covered with either cinnamon or nuts.  It was very tasty!

Our next stop was Old Town Hall, which is where the astronomical clock is located.  Unfortunately, the next English tour was an hour away so we decided to skip that and go straight to Old Town Hall Tower.  We decided to hike up the loooong stairs/ramp to the top of the tower where the last set of stairs was an incredibly tight and twisty spiral staircase.  The view from the top is definitely the best view of Old Town that one can get.  From up here it is very evident why Prague is considered one of Europe’s best examples of classical architecture.

Instead of taking the stairs back down we chose to take the elevator.  When we got to the lobby I found this really interesting window.  Not sure what is was but I found it quite cool.

For our last meal in Prague we decided to get some sweets at one of the restaurant in the square of Old Town.  We chose Restaurant Kamenny Stul mainly because they had a beer that I had yet to try.  I ordered a Radler, which was probably my favorite beer in Prague because it did not have that bitter hoppy aftertaste that the others did.  For our meal, we ordered a typical Czech treat of fresh vanilla ice cream with warm raspberries.  The ice cream was incredible and the raspberries were so fresh it was like they were picked that morning.

We made it back to the hotel with 30 minutes to spare.  We got out luggage and I made a quick trip up to the Cloud 9 bar on the top floor of our hotel to take some pictures.  I then changed a small bill to get coins for my Dad, who enjoys collecting foreign currencies.  I’m glad I did this because later on the trip I discovered that Czech Republic will probably incorporating the Euro with a year or two. We went to the bus and met our transportation guide Agnes and a few of the other passengers on the ship.  The doors closed and we were off to Nuremburg and our ship!

The bus took us through a beautiful part of Europe with rolling hills and gorgeous forests.  I was very excited because I finally got to ride on the Autobahn.  I would have preferred to be behind the wheel of an A4 but I was happy just being to the road.

Something else to note, trucks (lollies) are not allowed to drive on the Autobahn on Sundays, with the exception of buses and food service vehicles.  This makes for quite an interesting picture at the rest stops because all the trucks are parked there for the 24 hour period.

Before we crossed the border into Germany we stopped at a rest stop which had a (drumroll please) McDonalds and an AGIP Truck Point convenience store.  Since the McDonalds did not take credit card and we made sure to spend most of our Czech Korunas in Prague we could only go to the convenience store.  I ordered a cold ham and cheese pizziella and a bottle of Kofola, which tasted like very strong non-carbonated Coke.  Kristin decided to go with a large bag of Bohemia syrove variance potato chips, which were basically cheese flavored ruffles.  Both of the meal options were quite tasty, but my drink was a bit iffy.  For dessert we bought 2 Kinder Surprise eggs which we first discovered in France a few years prior. The Surprise Egg is neat because in the middle of the egg is a small toy that requires some assembly.  I got a skateboarding Tweety and Kristin got a fun little racecar.

After another 1.5 hours we arrived in Nuremburg and our boat, the Viking Europe.  Kristin and I boarded, checked in and unpacked our suitcases.  We decided that we should buy the silver premium beverage package, which allowed us two cocktails a day and unlimited waster, soda, coffee, tea, wine, and beer, which turned out to be a very good idea.

We were called into the Viking Lounge where Kristin and I decided to get our first cocktails.  I went with a Tom Collins and Kristin got a Cosmo.  We were first introduced to the ship’s cruise director and then our program director Marcela, or as she preferred to be called Marcy.  She was an incredibly enthusiastic woman who truly loves her job and we figured that out from the moment she started speaking.  She first introduced her assistants Michael and Niki.  She explained all about the ship, went over the safety regulations, and then did her first of many Daily Briefings.  During these sessions, Marcy explained all of the following day’s activities.  This was one of the longer ones because she described the many optional tours that were available to us.  After she finished Kristin and I signed up for the one optional tour we wanted to go on, which was the cruise through the Danube Gorge and visiting the baroque church at Weltenburg.

Now we were off to our first of many incredible dinners that we were going to eat on board.  Unlike Carnival, our only other cruise experience, this boat had open seating, which meant you could sit at any table with any other guest.  We tried to sit with a different couple every meal, which we mostly accomplished throughout the cruise.

After dinner Kristin and I left to ship to check out the small fair that was near the boat.  Unfortunately the fair was closing up which stunk because they had large beer steins and what looked like traditional German cakes, but we quickly realized that didn’t matter because we had no Euros and I doubt they would have taken credit card.  We walked around the fair, took some fun pictures, and got back on the boat.

We went to the bar to have some drinks and meet our fellow travelers.  I ordered a Hennessey XO for the first time ever, which is normally 16€, but with our plan was included.  It was definitely warmed me, as I heard it would.  We met a very nice couple from North Carolina named John and Vikki.  It is such a small world because it turns out that John is a manufacturing rep for the metal stamping industry and much to Kristin and Vikki’s chagrin, we started talking business for about 30 minutes.

It seemed like everyone was tired because almost everyone on the boat turned in early (little did we realize, that early was normal and we were one of the few couples that were night owls).

July 13th, 2009:

The tour today was the earliest of the trip so everyone was up and eating breakfast by 7am because we needed to be on the buses by 8am.  The breakfast was the same every morning and consisted of an excellent buffet of fresh fruits, pastries, yogurts, cereals, juices, and warm egg or French toast dishes that the kitchen would make upon request. 

Nuremburg, Germany:

Nuremburg is the epitome of a city that was completely decimated during WWII (with nearly 95% of the structures destroyed) and completely rebuilt in the 1950s.  Fortunately, Nuremburg castle was one of the few structures that was spared.

After driving through town for a bit, we arrived at our first destination.   Hitler was in the process of building a fantastic congress building, which luckily was never completed.  The structure is a gigantic horseshoe about the size of a modern football stadium.  The entire structure is made entirely of brick, but the designer had an idea to hide that fact.  The outside exterior, which is completed, was covered in a single layer of concrete, giving the impression of a heavy structure.  The interior, which as you can see by the pictures was only half completed, was to be covered in a single layer of marble, to show the wealth of the German empire.  Finally, a truly original idea of the time, the entire atrium was to be covered by glass, so the grounds could be utilized regardless of the weather.  The German people chose to keep the structure and use it as a reminder of what could have been.

Another area preserved is the infamous Nazi parade grounds.  If you have ever seen Triumph of the Will, the Nazi progranda film created by Leni Riefenstahl, these are the parade grounds where Hitler broadcast his speeches, showcased his Panzer tanks, and instilled confidence in his countrymen that they were in fact fighting the good fight.  When the country was invaded and the Germans were defeated, the Allies tore down the eagle statues, which our tour guide compared to the US Military taking down Sadam's statue in Iraq.  Even so, the grounds are immense and I suppose they would be inspiring. The Nazis definitely knew how to put on a good show.  Surprisingly, our guide told us that the grounds are currently used as a venue for concerts and fairs.

Our next stop was a quick, unfortunately, because the courthouse was under repair and we were not allowed to see the room where the Nuremburg trials took place.  So instead, we stood outside the courthouse and took pictures of that wing.

The next stop was Nuremburg castle.  It was very peculiar to see a city that was built in the 1950's with a medieval castle right in the center.  It would be like Atlanta with Hogwarts right in the middle.  Nuremburg castle is famous for the fact that it was never successfully invaded.  One of the primary reasons for this is that the castle walls were designed at angles that it is nearly impossible to be anywhere outside the castle that a guard would be unable to see an intruder.  On the other side of the castle is a mountain that it is built atop.  This was quite a safe place to reside.  The rest of the castle is in great condition and is a wonderful representation of the construction methods in the middle ages because it is one of the few classical structures in Germany that was not destroyed during the war.

After the castle we went to the center square of the city where we encountered a famous fountain, Schöner Brunnen.  There is a legend about the fountain that if you touch the mysterious golden ring in the gate then your will be more fertile.

We then had some free time (only 45 minutes!) so Kristin and I quickly walked around the town.  I was excited to find the famous picturesque building that is used on many of the brouchures for that region of the world.  I was even more ecstatic to find an official Steiff store because I really wanted to buy a Steiff stuffed animal.  I decided to purchase a rabbit in honor of Bella.

Before we knew it our free time was up and we were on the bus heading back to the boat.  The ship quickly left the dock and we cruising down the river!

Within about 10 minutes we were already at the first of the 26 locks that we would travel through.  I have never been though a lock this big before and it was quite a unique experience.  The boat (or 2 or 4 depending on the size of the boat and lock) enters the hold.  If travelling upstream, the boat enters on the lower level like we did.  If downstream, the boat enters on the upper level.  The lock doors close and the water is pumped in or drained respectively.  The amount of time the boat spends in the lock is around 25-45 minutes depending on the depth.

The Rhine and Danube have one of the most extensive lock systems in the world, and if you are a large boat (i.e. river cruise) then the company may have to schedule the boats up to a year in advance.  If you are piloting a smaller boat such as a bowrider or small cabin cruiser then you can just enter in with the larger ships.  Because of this scheduling, the river cruise companies are more likely to leave their passengers on land and then miss a lock schedule.  That was a big hint the program director told us.  There was actually an instance where a few of our travelling companions were strolling in a little late and the captain of the ship was yelling at them from the top deck.

During the next few hours we went through three more locks and had a wonderful lunch.  Since we were sailing throughout the rest of the day Viking provided us with an extremely helpful optional class about the EU taught by a professor at a University in Nuremburg.  He taught rather energetically about the history, formation, and current events regarding the EU, which was positively fascinating.

After the presentation and a few more locks it was time for our nightly daily briefing to tell us about the following day's events.  After that was dinner; we both tried oxtail soup, which was kind of like a watery beef stew.  I enjoyed it.

That night's activity was a music murder mystery. The  answers (similar to mad libs ) were songs that were being played in a “Name That Tune” style game.  Kristin and I quickly realized the songs were for the average age of the guests, about 40 years older than us, so we wrote in ridiculous answers.  Marcy told us that they were the funniest responses she had ever seen.

We got out cocktails at the bar and spent some time talking to the other guests.  That evening we met Donald and Lisa.  They are a younger couple from Philadelphia who was on the cruise with their two kids and other family.  Since we were the only ones awake on the boat and the only ones at the bar, we got to know the bartender, Feri.  He is probably the coolest bartender I have ever met.  Around 11:30 we decided to turn it in and headed back to our room for some sleep.

July 14th, 2009

Regensburg, Germany:

Kristin turned 25 today!

We woke up around 7:30am, had a hearty breakfast, and by 9am we were off the boat to explore this classic city.  Regensburg is an extremely unique city in Eastern Germany because it saw no action from WWII, and is therefore one of the only cities in that region that is fully (except for the Jewish section) intact.  Another reason is that Regensburg was a base camp for the Roman army (Julius Ceaser's Roman Army) and parts of the original base wall are not only still standing, but are still used with the current buildings.

We met our incredibly spunky tour guide at the original wall where she gave us a 15 minutes history of the city and its Roman influences.  Regensburg became a major trade city for Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Jewish merchants.  The Old Stone Bridge was built between 1135 and 1146 and is one of the oldest bridges on the continent.  One of the most traded commodities was salt, and our next stop was the old salt house, a massive 2 story structure that is now the Regensburg visitor's center

Other things to note about Regensburg, with pictures below:

Regensburg is home to Germany’s oldest restaurant: The Alte Wurstküche. If you ever visit this town, you must order a sausage and sour kraut sandwich or platter with its unique spicy mustard.  Excellent!

In the middle ages, a time of illiteracy and many different languages in this merchant city, the shops and pubs would have their names displayed at sculptures hung from the front of their building.  A funny one is the Whale's Head Inn.  At the time, the most widely known depiction of a whale was from the story of Jonah in the Bible, so this is what people that a whale looked like.

The famous Mural of David and Goliath is painted on a prominent building in the center of town.

Townsfolk displayed their wealth by the height of their homes.  The top 3 floors of this pink building are not usable, but are there for show.

Because Regensburg was a merchant trading city, in the center of town they had the official measurement rulers.  The one in the middle is a foot and as you can on the next picture my size 11 shoe is almost exactly one foot.

There was no DPW or Waste Management in the middle ages so people normally just threw their garbage and other refuse (use your imagination) directly out of their windows.  The wealthiest residents of the city lived off the creek on a wide street, which has not been covered but is still symbolized with the different color bricks in the middle.  The poor people lived in the narrow streets where the garbage would literally pile up for weeks until it was cleaned up.  It was advisable that people did not walk through the streets around dawn because that is the time when people would take out the trash and there was a good chance you could have the refuse thrown on top of you.

As I stated above, the city is almost fully intact.  Even though bombings and fighting did not come to Regensburg, the Nazi regime did.

The first photo shows a memorial dedicated to the original location of the temple. The artist decided to make the memorial a gathering place for the town. The border depicts the walls and the pillars represent the supports of the temple.

The second picture displays the hatred that the Nazi supporters had to the Jewish people.  Look closely and you will see a gravestone with Hebrew writing used as a brick on the building.  That is an official government building and was done to show how the Jewish people were not even human enough to deserve a proper recognition of their lives.

The third picture shows the efforts of a modern artist to make sure that no one forgets the Jewish people who were taken out of their homes and moved to the camps.  These “stumble stones” are made out of gold and are slightly raised because the artist wants people to stumble or trip over them.  Written on the stones are the names, birth date, the date they were deported, and where they ended up.  The stones are placed on the public walkways in front of the homes of the Jewish families.  The artist asked the current homeowners to pay for the stones and so far the majority have.  His goal is to put these in front of every home in Europe that a Jewish person or family was removed from.

Finally, the fourth picture is a plaque that is on the former home of Oskar Schindler.

After the tour we did not have much free time.  Kristin and I quickly got some food on the go.  For lunch we got a ham and cheese flatbread from Brunner Backer and then got a really tasty gellato for dessert.  I then tried a famous sausage and sour kraut sandwich which was incredible.  Kristin and I spent the last 15 minutes in a coo coo clock store.  We would have loved to buy one but the €700 was a bit much for us.  Also, I am glad I purchased my Stief beer in Nuremberg, because this shop sold them for about 15% more Euro.

Back on the boat it was time to give Kristin her birthday present. I got her a gold necklace with a tanzinite stone.

Shortly after that we were off the boat on our way to the optional tour of a ferryboat ride to explore the Danube Gorge and Weltenburg Abbey.  This excursion had two parts.  The first involved a river boat cruise through a gorgeous gorge.  Some of the rocks were given names based on their shapes but otherwise it was just a relaxing journey through mother nature's beautiful artwork.

The second part is the real destination: the Weltenburg Abbey.  This small village has, in my opinion, the most interesting church I have ever been in.  It was not a large church, about 20 rows of pews, but   when I first entered this church I was blown away by the vibrant colors.  Everywhere I looked there was gold, deep blues, polished whites, and every other color of the rainbow.  Unlike many of the other churches of Europe, this one was not a dark solemn structure, but rather an inviting home where people's spirits could easily be lifted.  I could probably spend hours on end looking at all the intricate paintings and brilliant sculptures.  Also, the “dome” of the church is actually flat, but by using perspective and a beveled trim around the ceiling, even knowing it was a flat roof, it was difficult to not see a dome.

An interesting story about this church, is that it was designed, built, painted, and sculpted by Cosmas Damian Asam and Aegid Quirin Asam  two brothers, one a painter and the other a sculptor.  As an honor to each other, the brothers each created a piece of artwork representing their sibling.  All of the people represented in the church are looking skywards towards the heavens and salvation.  In contrast, the painting and sculpture of the brothers are both looking down at the congregation, loving the awe in which people are looking up at their fine handiwork.  Because the brothers were sneaky about their creations, it is difficult to see these two pieces of art.  See if you can find them in the last picture of this group.

After the church we had about an hour of free time.  Kristin and I immediately started to explore the small village.  We saw a path and decided to explore.  After a steep uphill hike we reached the top and discovered a large field and small farmhouse.  Good exercise, but probably not worth the time.

I was getting excited because I had been waiting for this moment since we started the optional excursion.  I was about to try a beer from an abbey brewery that has been brewing since 1050.  The Klosterbrauerei is famous for its award winning strong dark Dunkel.  We sat outside, joined by another beer fan from our cruise.  I ordered my drink, and patiently waited.  The beer arrived in a heavy chilled glass and it was a beautiful dark color, almost like Coca-Cola.  It was nearly perfect. The beer had a smooth, full-bodied taste, a perfect blend of bitterness with a sweetness that can only come from a great recipe.  The aftertaste made me want more.  I would say, of all the 100's of beers I have tried, this is easily top five.

I purchased a variety pack of their beer to bring home and share with my friends. After a short walk on a scenic trail, we were on a bus and headed back to the Viking Europe.

Dinner that evening was extra special because it was Kristin's birthday.  Instead of normal candles the kitchen staff put this roman candle like firework in her dessert.  Awesome!

When the boat was moving to our next destination we were treated to a bizarre show in the lounge.  A “traditional” Bavarian entertainer boarded and entertained us with a mixture of yodeling, playing instruments and a comedy show that had most of us laughing hysterically.  I need to say though the guy was able to play about 10 different instruments with extreme talent.  Even our new passenger friend Donald joined the show, playing a tuba in an improve band. Unfortunately for him did not find out until the end that there was a rubber chicken in his tuba.  Take a look at this picture and you can draw your own conclusions what kind of show it was

That evening Kristin and I had our included cocktails (Kristin tried a drunken sailor), we watched another lock from the top deck, and then hung out at the bar with Donald, Lisa, and Feri.

July 15th, 2009

Passau, Germany:

Passau is the last stop in Germany.  This city is known as Dreiflüssestadt (City of Three Rivers), because the Blue Danube is joined there by the Green Inn from the South, and the Black Ilz coming out of the Bavarian Forest to the North.  You can see from this aerial shot how distinct the water color is. I tried to capture the convergence from the ground level, but was only mildly successful.

The most famous landmark in the town is the St. Stephen's Cathedral pipe organ. With 17,774 pipes and 233 registers it was the largest organ in the world until a larger one was built in Los Angeles in 1994.  During the summer there is a daily performance and the powerful sound was incredible.

Parts of the town are situated very close to the river, and those areas tend to flood.  During the dry season the shops on those streets are rented out to artists.  One of the neat things that I found all around town were these intricate pieces of art on the buildings.  I later found out that it was actually graffiti and frowned upon.  The most recent flood was in 2002, but the worst recorded flood was in 1501.  For reference in the photo, the “5” sign was about 5.5 feet up, a little above our tour guide’s head.

While on the tour I saw some locals sitting on the steps with their feet in the Inn River.  I wanted to be  cool so I also dipped my feet.  That glacier water is really cold!

There a beautiful castle across the Danube from the center of town, but we did not have enough time to explore that area.

We were given about 2 hours of free time, so Kristin and I decided walk the perimeter of town and cross the Danube and see where the locals lived outside of the tourist areas.  We then did some shopping and ate at Café Am Paulusbogen, where I drank an incredible Dunkel from the local Brauerei Hacklberg.  Kristin ordered a very tasty sundae.

We then went to one of the best “attractions” of our honeymoon: The Bear’s & Friends gummies store.  My mother, who used to live in Germany, told me about German gummis, and boy was she right.  The man who worked in the shop spoke perfect English and let us try samples of almost everything, which was a good idea because we bought a lot of gummis.  Marcy, our cruise director loves gummies, so we bought her a small bag and she was very excited to receive them.  I purchased gummis that are made with fruit juice, and I wish I bought a bigger bag.  If you ever go to Germany, this is one store you cannot skip.

As the Viking Europe was pulling away I spotted a Ferrari 430 Scuderia pull into a driveway.  I am happy I had my camera out to snap this pic.  Wow, what a car!

As you can see by the picture below, the river boat cannot be much taller.

After this bridge, which was the last of the low bridges, we were allowed on the top deck of the ship.  We learned that the captain’s bridge and the ship’s satellite can be moved up and down about five feet depending on where the ship is on the river.  Many of the bridges in Germany are quite low and the boat’s maximum height needs to be adjusted to accommodate.

Less than an hour after leaving Passau, we were in Austria.

For dinner that evening I had a very interesting entree which consisted of friend breaded gouda over black beans.  It may look gross, but was one of the tastiest meals of the trip.  Kristin was rather jealous that she didn’t order this meal but she was too nervous to order it.  That didn’t matter though because she ate a good portion of mine because there was so much cheese that I could not eat it all.  (I tried to make this at home a few months after the honeymoon.  Do not use smoked gouda.  It did not taste as good.)

That evening we were treated to a beautiful sunset.  Once it gets dark, the older generation decided to have a dance party.  It was quite entertaining to watch. Once everyone else went to bed, Kristin, Donald, Lisa, and our new friend Karin closed the bar with Feri.  It was a great night and we all felt like we had been friends for longer than a few days.

July 16th, 2009

Melk, Austria:

A Benedictine abbey is on the hilltop above the Austrian town of Melk.  The abbey was founded in 1089 when Leopold II, Margrave of Austria gave one of his castles to Benedictine.  A school was founded there in the 12th century.  The structure that is currently there was built in the early 18th century.  The Abbey is most famous for its impressive library which houses an immense collection of original manuscripts and maps.  We were not allowed to take pictures of these beautiful rooms, but a good comparison would be Professor Dumbeldore’s office in the Harry Potter movies.  Another impressive aspect of the abbey is the frescos on the ceiling.

The tour of the abbey was actually quite interesting and modern, filled with multimedia at every corner.  One of the items on display is an invention that was not well received.  One of the monks thought that since bodies decomposed anyway, it was a waste to make coffins for each person.  He created a coffin that opened from the bottom to dump the corpse into a ditch after the funeral ceremony.

Outside the abbey we were treated to spectacular views of the town of Melk and the Wachau Valley.

The church of the abbey was absolutely beautiful.  Similar to the church at the Weltenburg Abbey, the colors were vibrant and rich, but unlike the Weltenburg Abbey, this was a very large church.  Just take a look at the pictures, because words will not do the artwork justice.

After a short walk through the picturesque town of Melk, we head back to the boat.  Near our boat I saw a sign for a trolley tour and in Austria, they apparently added a second “p” to the word “hop”.  Neat!

While we waited to the rest of the passengers to join us, our boat needed to swap positions with another Viking ship.  That is when I learned how our captain steers our ship for those intricate dock maneuvers.  The boat actually has four propeller positions; one in back, one up front, one port, and one starboard.  Next to the captain’s bridge on both port and starboard are these small boxes.  When opened, a set of controls is revealed that control the port and starboard props.  The captain is able to move the boat in any direction with these controls.  When docking, he stands on the side the boat is docking to and move the boat left and right (and forward and backward of course), to perfectly position the ship on the dock.  The captain of our ship was awesome, because while he was doing this there was a small crowd around him and he was explained exactly what he was doing.

The journey to Vienna took us through the beautiful Wachau valley, where we were treated to an impressive landscape and plenty of medieval castles and buildings that were thankfully not damaged during the many wars in Europe.

The captain opened his door to the bridge and we were allowed to go in and ask him questions about the ship, how it is controlled, and anything else.  We learned that he is fluent in Hungarian, Czech, Dutch, German, Russian, and English.  The reason for this is because if you are to captain a ship on European rivers, you must be fluent in Dutch for the northern rivers, German for the central rivers, and Russian for the Eastern rivers.  We also discovered that when moving forward, the entire ship is controlled by a ship small joystick about the size of a telephone.  Also, for the most part, the captain pilots the ship entirely by radar.  He could technically be in a windowless room with his joystick and radar screen and successfully pilot the ship.  We also learned that he is a third generation riverboat captain and it takes about 15-20 years before one is allowed to be the captain of a ship.

Before the daily briefing we attended a Vienna coffee workshop.  We learned the differences between the different types of coffee and how to order them. We also learned that since the coffee in Vienna is so strong, it is served with a small glass of water to rehydrate.  The workshop ended with all of us getting a cup of traditional Vienna coffee and some apple strudel.

Dinner that evening with Vienna themed, and the waiters were all dressed up as Vienna’s most famous citizen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Vienna, Austria:

We approached Vienna and I was very excited.  The city is a mixture of modern and old.

There was an optional excursion to see a concert at the Vienna Opera House but Kristin and I chose not to partake.  We can see a concert at home and we wanted to explore the city in our free time. 

I am glad that Kristin and I are seasoned travelers and used to the NYC subway.  Before we arrived we looked at the subway map and saw a very simple and easy to navigate system.  While almost all the passengers were waiting for taxis, Kristin and I were off to the subways station and in Vienna in no time.  Similar to Prague, the subway was eat-off-the-floor clean and the train maps were so well laid out that you could navigate without knowing a lick of German.

We took the subway to the center of city and when we emerged from the station, we got that sense of awe that our friends do when we take them to Times Square for the first time.  Right in front of us was the St. Stephen's Cathedral, and to all other sides were the main streets, with architecture from old Vienna mixed with remarkable modern buildings.  There were crowds of people everywhere, and much like any major city, we made sure our belongings were secure because street performers were everywhere and we all know what happens when ones stands around watching them.

Something that Kristin and I had to get used to immediately is that in Vienna, unlike every other major European city we visiting, the pedestrians have right of way.  Cars actually stop for people.

We didn't have any plans for the evening except to explore the city, so we chose a random street and went.  What a lucky direction we chose.  After the first block we found a comic book store.  If you do not know, whenever I travel to a foreign country I buy a comic book in the native language.  I picked up the first Calvin & Hobbes in German.  The next block we had a choice of going down a large street or a crowded narrow street with a lot of people sitting in outdoor cafes. We chose the crowded street and found about nine restaurants that were apparently quite popular.  We made a mental note to come back here the next day for lunch.

A travel tip for those who visit Vienna.  The public restrooms are quite expensive and not always the cleanest.  I came to the idea that instead of paying for restrooms that may or may not be clean, there a few McDonald's around the city.  The McDonald's are very clean and their restrooms are free to use.  If you feel guilty, buy some fries.  It will cost about double a public restroom, but they are cleaner and heck, you get something to nosh on too.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the city.  Around 9:30 we went back to the ship for some dessert.  We were up pretty late the previous evening and knew that tomorrow was going to be a long day exploring Vienna so we decided it would be best to turn in early.

July 17th, 2009

Vienna, Austria

After breakfast we all loaded onto a tour bus and saw most of the city with some commentary.  We were dropped off at Hofburg Imperial Palace for an extensive tour of all the political buildings, sculptures and the royal families.

After the palace we walked past the stables of the Lipizzaner Stallions.  The foals were recently born and were out of display for the public to see.

No offense to the tour guide, but I was ready for the tour to end so we could start exploring on our own.  After another hour or so that finally happened.  We found ourselves back in front of St. Stephen's Cathedral and there was a Viking representative ready to take us back to the ship for lunch.  We and a handful of others said no thanks and immediately left to explore some more.

We heard about an outdoor marketplace and we both enjoy going to the shops the locals go to.  We got some faulty directions and after we got rather lost we consulted our map and found the marketplace.  It was exactly what we were expecting.  100's of stalls selling meats, olives, cheeses, pastas, fruits and vegetables.

We walked back to the Cathedral to get our bearing.  Kristin and I went to the comic book store to get our Calvin & Hobbes book and then figured we should eat some lunch.  We made our way back to the narrow street and found all the restaurants with businessmen and businesswomen eating there.  That is an obvious signal that these places the locals eat and I was excited to try some Viennese food.

As I expected, the food was similar to German fare and beer was absolutely fantastic.  Since we did not know anything about the restaurants we chose one with a neat name, Krah, Krah, and sat outside.  The waitress gave us menus completely in German.  We asked if she had any in English and they thankfully did.  I ordered spinatnockerln, which are spinach dumplings with ham and cheese gratinated.  Think of the best tortellini you've ever had and dump a load freshly melted cheese and diced ham.  I almost made the Homer Simpson “Mmm” sound out loud after my first bite.  The beer was a Hirter Morchel, a wonderful dark beer with incredible flavor.  This was probably one of the best meals of 2009 for me.  Kristin ordered a holzhackergröst'l, which is roasted potatoes with bacon and fried egg.  It was essentially a Denny's breakfast bowl but with much fresher ingredients.  We were both extremely pleased with the restaurant.

Vienna is a wonderful and cultural diverse place, similar to New York but with a much larger focus on pedestrians.  I am guessing this is the case since Vienna is 2000 years older (first traces of settlement around 500 BC) and cars were not the main mode of transportation.

Something funny about Vienna is their love of Mozart.  Similar to the I <3 NY, there are Mozart shirts, signs, stickers, and posters everywhere.  I really wanted to watch Amadeus, which when I did, I found out was actually filmed mostly in Prague.  Go figure.

We found another Stieff store with a giant stuffed bear outside.  We also found a neat hobby store that we walked around to look for more gifts, but it was too expensive.

After about an hour we were starting to get thirsty for a Viennese coffee.  We had probably walked past 100 small cafes and a few of the giant Nescafe restaurants.  I am being literal when I say that there were probably 3-5 cafes per block.  Kristin and I did not want to go to a Nescafe or the famous Cafe Central, so we found a smaller alley a few blocks from the tourist section of the city without many people.  There were about four visible options so we just chose one at random.  Cafe Malange was a little intimidating at first because the décor was beautiful, but when we looked at the menu the prices were average.  Luckily, the coffee was well above average.  With our coffee lesson aboard the ship combined with the photos in the menu, we were able to make an intelligent order.  Kristin ordered a café mélange and I got a coffee with two scoops of ice cream in it. :-)  Even with the two scoops of ice cream the coffee was still strong.  I tried a sip of Kristin's and wow, it was some powerful stuff.  Kristin said it was quite incredible, but even she had to add some cream.

The non-touristy cafes in Vienna are very laid back and a great place to relax.  That was evident because when we walked in there was a woman with an empty cup reading her newspaper.  We stayed in the cafe for about 30 minutes to rest our legs and to people watch.  The wait staff did not rush us at all.  We would have loved to stay longer and try more from the menu, but we only had an hour left before returning to the ship.

We visited some shops and took the subway back to ship.  Vienna is an incredible city and we both want to go back and see more of the city and the surrounding area.  Unfortunately, we only had about 20 hours there, which is not enough.

Back in our room we saw the housecleaning staff had folded our towels into kissing doves.  Neat.

Also, tonight was a special Captain's Daily Briefing. We were introduced to all the people who run the ship.

For dinner the waitstaff presented a really tasty Baked Alaska with the proper celebration marching around the room with giant candles.

This was our last evening aboard the boat that we could stay up late so we all made the most of it.  More people were at the bar with us and all the passengers had a really good time.  At 11:30 pm we approached one of the largest locks in Europe.  We shared the lock with four other full size river boat cruises and a handful of other smaller boats.  After the lock system began we made our way back to the bar and continued to have a good time.

July 18th, 2009

Budapest, Hungary:

At 7:30 am all the passengers were on the top deck for our approach to Budapest.  The city is divided into two sections, Buda and Pest.  Pest is the main square and the center of the city and the location of the famous parliament building.  Buda is the hilly side where the castle is located.

As we approached, the parliament building came into view and words cannot describe how magnificent this building is.  The building is 96 meters tall to commemorate the original founding of Hungary in 896 and the inauguration of the building in 1896.  On the other side of the river is Buda Castle, a powerful looking building, perfectly displaying the strength of the Ottoman Empire.

We ate a quick breakfast and then got on a tour bus.  The tour took all throughout the city and dropped us off at Hősök Tere, or Hero's Square for about 30 minutes.  Back on the bus we saw more of the city, crossed the river to the Buda side.  We went to a wonderful scenic overlook where we could see the entire city.  Then we were dropped off at the castle for more typical touristy stuff.  Then we saw an interesting Eastern European church with very unique architecture and colors.  Unfortunately, the building was full of tourists, and even with the headphones we had difficulty hearing the guide.

Back at the boat, Kristin and I ate lunch aboard.  We were trying to figure out what to do with our free time in the afternoon.  The temperature was 103ºF and we were both exhausted from the heat on our morning tour.  There was an awesome outdoor market on the Chain Bridge but the heat was so oppressive that decided against that.  There was a free optional tour to the Caprice Factory and Museum of Hungarian Jewelry and craft village in Szentendre outside of town.  We originally dismissed that idea, but with the heat outside we chose to do it. 

I am glad we went on this tour because of what happened with the weather, but that will be revealed later.  The first part of the excursion was a bus ride to the diamond factory which was 12 miles away.  We got to see where a lot of the locals lived.  Our tour guide, who was quite good and spoke perfect English, informed us that many of these building are not the greatest places to live since there is normally one thermostat for the entire building, so the residents better like the temperature the landlord chooses; otherwise they have windows to adjust the temperature.  We then saw some Roman ruins that really surprised us.  Apparently, what is not modern Budapest used to be a Roman capitol city.

The Caprice Factory and Museum of Hungarian Jewelry was a neat excursion.  The guide was a very funny representative from the museum who spoke perfect English and had quite a sense of humor.  We learned about the importance of jewels in the royalty of Europe and how it was used as a sign of power and of course wealth.  There were replicas of many of the Hungarian crown jewels and other information.  One of the things that we noticed was a map of Diamond Mines of the World.  Take a look at where the Arkansas mine is located.

After the museum we were herded into the showroom.  The items for sales were gorgeous but definitely marked up and overpriced.  Unfortunately, we discovered too late that there was another much more affordable showroom and Kristin saw an item she wanted to buy, but by then our tour group was leaving.

When we walked outside from the Museum the temperature was much much lower.  In fact, the temperature had dropped to 65ºF. The sunny blue skies had shifted to dark and cloudy.  The signs were out that we were in for a storm.  We piled back on the bus and were brought to a little craft village.  It is almost like a permanent craft show with some very colorful homes and interesting original artwork, crafts, and toys.  We visited about six or seven stores and the wind started to pick up.  I made a suggestion that maybe we should start heading back to the bus.  Our tour guide said that the weather was fine and she had a few more shops to us.  I looked at our Viking representative and then up at the sky and the very intelligent Viking representative announced, “Anyone who wants to go back to the bus follow me.”  About 10 of us did.  As we were walking back, the wind starting gusting and blowing dirt and other debris in our faces.  Walking with our heads down, we made it back to the bus and boom the skies opened up and it was teeming outside.  As we waited, nice and dry on the bus, our follow travelers were returning completely soaked.

When we returned to the ship Kristin and I figured that since our optional tour ended early we should make use of the time before our daily briefing and dinner and get ready our things ready to leave.  We filled out our evaluation forms for the cruise and packed our bags.  That is when I discovered that my bag was rather full.  To help solve the problem, I decided to drink two of the beers from the abbey.  I drank one during the daily briefing and one after dinner.  Both were excellent as expected, but not nearly as good as the dunkel I had at the abbey.

This daily briefing was a sad one since it was our last.  After announcing when passengers are scheduled to leave the boat for the airport (4:45am for us!) Marcy read a wonderful poem about hugs.  When she finished the poem she told us to make sure we hugged all of our new friends. As Kristin predicted, as soon as the poem ended, I immediately ran to Marcy and gave her a great big hug.  She definitely deserved it; she was an absolutely fabulous program director along with her assistants.

Dinner was typical Hungarian fare which was excellent.  Our backdrop was a gorgeous Budapest at night.  After dinner we went to the top deck for clearer views of the city at night.  Budapest definitely does not hold back on their lights.  Just look at this picture.

By this point we were exhausted so it was somewhat relieving that our evening entertainment was aboard.  We would have loved to see more of the city, but I think everyone on board was as tired as us.  The entertainment was traditional Hungarian folkdance. The music was energetic and the dancers were amazing.  Donald's son, Justin, was brought up to try and do one of the dances.  He was quite successful.

After the entertainment, since it was the last night, we were joined by a much larger group of people at the bar.  We all had a good time talking and exchanging contact information.  We met a couple from Michigan and another from Australia.  We attempted to start a dance party, but the disco music didn't quite work for everyone.  Around 11pm, we all decided it may be a good idea to turn in. Kristin and I got hot chocolate and made our way to the room.  I was restless and could not sleep so I took one last lap around the ship.  Budapest really is just gorgeous at night.  I finally settled in around 1am.

July 19th 2009

Hungary → Belgium → New Jersey

We woke up at 4:30am, quickly got dressed and said goodbye to our room.  In the lobby there was a very simple continental breakfast which I forced myself to eat since I knew it was going to be a long day of flying and would need the energy.  We got on the bus at 4:45am and were driven to the airport.  Something funny is that Malev Airlines, Hungary's airline, has a small display of their older planes outside the airport.  It was early and I was concerned that those were the planes we were going on.  Obviously they weren't.  I do think though, that Malev added an extra row to the plane compared to US airlines because the legroom was very small.  Luckily, we were only on the plane for about two hours so it was not too bad.

We had a short two hour layover in Amsterdam.  When we got off the Malev flight we looked at the information board and saw that our flight was boarding.  We freaked out, concerned our flight was leaving early or something, so we quickly went to the gate.  We were not late, but the TSA was personally interviewing every passenger for safety.  Then, as another safety measure, we had another security scan to walk through.  Quite frankly, I am perfectly fine with all the security and approve of the longer wait times.

On the plane we filled out our customs forms and settled in.  Kristin and I took one last picture from Europe and I think we were ready to finally go home.