In the morning we went on a walking tour of Regensburg, sometimes called “Italy’s northernmost city”. It was a short walk to Old Stone Bridge.
A model of Regensburg in Medieval times.

St Stephen’s Cathedral, first started in 1273, the building was considered finished in 1872. There is a mixture of styles (even on the same level) and materials used (limestone and sandstone).
The Goliath House, a successful merchant’s house built in 1260. When the painting was added in 1573, a green-coated town official would walk by every day to ask when the painting would be finished. Annoyed, the artist added a little green frog in the lower right corner. The most recent restoration of the painting eliminated the original frog’s mustache and glasses.
If you rub the little mouse, you will come back to Regensburg. Every town has been wonderful to visit, but Regensburg is one we would both like to visit again. So many large squares and narrow streets filled with little shops and cafes – all perfectly picturesque.

While we had lunch, the ship moved to a new location not far away. For the afternoon excursion we walked back into town, across Old Stone Bridge
to the basement of Ratskeller
to make weisswurst – a Bavarian specialty – made with beef, veal, pork, and seasoned with onions, parsley, lemon zest, cardamom, mace and ginger.
Everyone got to work!
Ingredients were added in a specific order along with ice to maintain a specific temperature. Parsley was added near the ended to insure green flecks could be seen in the final product.

Time to pinch and twist into 10cm lengths:
We ate the sausages we’d created in the traditional way – with beer, pretzels, and sweet German mustard. These sausages are simmered (not boiled) for 15-20 minutes because the pork casings are delicate.
To eat them, open one end and eat the filling but not the casing (delicate for cooking, impossible for chewing).

Schoolgirls on their way to Dunkin Donuts before heading home:
Walking back to the shuttle bus, I was the slowest person in the group, my ankle hurt, my feet hurt. I found out one good reason later – we walked 6 miles today – walking on cobblestones was certainly a factor.

In the morning I went on a walking tour of Passau (Adrienne took an all-day tour to Salzburg Austria – a Sound of Music-related excursion). It was quite chilly this morning, everyone was bundled up.
Since it was Sunday, most shops are required to be closed – cafes and souvenir shops are exempt.
Passau is at the convergence of three rivers as shown on this banner at a construction site. Note the different colors. On the right, Ilz, which comes down from the forests. In the middle, the Danube, which must be blue. On the left, the Inn which is greenish due to limestone sediments. Only the Danube is navigable.
Marks on a building to show height of biggest floods:
St Stephen’s Cathedral:
The pipe organ is one of the largest in the world, almost 18000 pipes, 5 separate organs, all played from one central location.

In the afternoon, I went on an excursion to Scharding. Crossing the moat (now a parking area) into the main square of town:



Next we took a little cruise on a small boat
where we had beer, pretzels, and a delicious cheese spread.

Back to Scharding:
Good news tonight: the rivers are just high enough that we get to STAY on this ship – the Gefjon – and don’t have to pack up tonight to switch to another ship for the second week!

As we motored through the Wachau Valley, there were many picturesque sights along the way – small towns, churches, castles,

steeply-terraced vineyards,
and, seriously, beauty all around us all the time.

We were back onboard in time for lunch. My salad choice today was duck with oranges:
In the afternoon, we went to Melk Abbey.

No pictures were allowed inside but there were incredible views of the surrounding town and countryside:



And we returned to the ship, it was a rainy day at times, cold and windy. But, nevertheless, lots of fun.

After breakfast we took the included tour, Panoramic Vienna.
I had to take a picture of this bookseller – Manz is my mother’s family name.
During our free time, we walked to Hotel Sacherfor a piece of original sacher torte and (neighbor Kathy: no Starbucks!) and a cup of real Viennese coffee.
Part of a display window along an avenue of very high-end shops:
St Stephen’s Cathedral:




In the afternoon, our tour was a behind-the-scenes tour of the Spanish Riding School, home of the Lipizzaner stallions. Hannah is the first female to ride horses here. When she arrived for work, these two horses knew right away and watched her as she walked over to give them each an apple.
The arena where they perform:
Another stop for coffee and pastry:

A full day of travel up the river today. The first lock of our trip (67 to go) was huge with 4 long ships. We were inches from the side wall. The fenders on this ship are built into the sides and have a very low profile.
Guests were invited to the wheelhouse this morning to observe the captain, the elaborate equipment around him and ask questions.
The program director did a presentation on the life of Mozart and the coffee houses in Vienna. There are very specific ways to order coffee in Vienna so the information was quite valuable but Ade and I might try to find a Starbucks anyway (but we’ll keep it a secret; apparently going to Starbucks in Vienna is not acceptable).
We passed by the castle in Bratislava, capital of Slovakia, on the north side of the Danube:
There is open seating at every meal and we’ve been trying to sit with different people each time. L-R: Terry and Mary are from Camrose Alberta and Patricia and Richard are from Quebec. Mary is a water color and fiber artist and instructor so I found her quite interesting.
Later in the afternoon, Chef Adrian taught us how to make apple strudel. (Cousin Terry in BC, I’m thinking of you!) A very good demonstration except for the passenger he chose to help him – a “diva” who made the demo more about her being “cute” for the crowd.
Then everyone got a slice of fresh warm strudel with vanilla sauce made in the ship’s galley:
As we sat down for dinner, we’d entered a lock. Here, the lock has filled and we are about to exit.
Vienna. This picture looks funny because of the reflection from the window next to our table, but I still like it:
We rafted up to another Viking ship. A very slim fender provided cushion.
Many passengers left right after dinner for a Strauss-Mozart concert, passing through the ship next to the quay. Since we are not fans of classical music (and we didn’t want to dress up), we stayed on board. Good night.

Ade and I have a room on the lowest of three floors. No big windows or balcony for us but still a great view this morning.
Breakfast is buffet-style but you can also sit and order from a menu.
We went on a tour of the city in the morning – so much better than the first one we took. We sat about halfway back in the bus and could still see out the front window via the tv monitor. In the upper left of the screen you can see a style of architecture call “neo-ugly” referring the the buildings constructed during the Soviet Communist occupation.
Our final stop was on Buda Castle Hill – St Matthias Church.
Hand-painted ceramic tile roof:
On this tour, we got to go inside.
On the way back to the ship, we drove past Parliament. At the river’s edge are 60 iron shoes anchored to the ground as a memorial to the hundreds of Jews and others who were rounded up in 1944-1945, walked to the edge of the river, then chained together and forced to take off their shoes before being shot in the back and falling into the river.
After lunch, we took an excursion to the countryside to a horse farm.
We were greeted with a snack and a choice of alcoholic beverages. Ade chose apple brandy. I’m not if she like it or not. What do you think?
Traditional Hungarian horseman:
After a cart ride around the property,
it was time for the show.
Bullseye every time:

Using a five-horse team, the horseman straddled two horses as they galloped around the arena:
Many trophies for the cases along the walls and more in lighted cases on the floor:
At 5:30 pm sharp, we set sail. We are headed north on the Danube River to Vienna.

The Pest side of the Danube is flat, the Buda side is quite hilly.
This morning we went on an excursion to Szentendre (Hungarian for St Andrew) and made two stops. The first at Skanzen Village Museum – an open-air museum on 150 acres with 312 buildings organized into regional units.
To see everything would have taken all day, but we saw a few buildings which showed rural life from 100-200 years ago.

To keep small children from touching the hot cooking area, they were placed in the hole in the heavy stool.

Hungarian Racka sheep with spiral-shaped horns:
Then we learned how to make traditional Hungarian gulyas (goulash). Everyone had to chop vegetables:
Other basic ingredients:
Traditional gulyas should be made outside over an open fire and ingredients are added in a specific order.
We did not eat what we made (thank goodness) but rather restaurant-prepared gulyas, bread and dessert.
We drove back into the town of Szentendre to the artist’s village – not too many artists but lots of opportunities to buy souvenirs.

We were dropped off at the ship at about 4:30
just in time for wine and cheese on outdoor terrace underneath the Chain Bridge.

Dinner at 7. Delicious food!
What a busy fun day!