Happy Helena

We had a four hour drive from Passau to Prague to enjoy a few days in that beautiful city. The countryside was unremarkable, but we were anxious to get to Prague.

Our hotel was well located, allowing us to have an easy walk to Wenceslas Square, an area surrounded by amazing architecture. Our guide took us on a short walk to get the lay of the land. The Prague extension from the Danube cruise was an add-on, so only a dozen or so of us got to continue exploring. Heather and Laurie, a fun couple from Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia Canada, also extended their trip, allowing us to enjoy a meal or two with them.

Tomorrow, we have a guided tour of the wonders of Prague.

Narrow cobblestone streets and the aroma of fresh gingerbread welcome you to Passau, a Bavarian town nestled on the confluence of three of Europe’s main waterways, the Danube, the Inn and the Llz. One of the homes looks positively medieval and the other looks very modern.

Today, we went to a local farm to see how rural people live. This third generation farmer and his family raise cattle in a mechanized way and create several kinds of cheeses. The cows looked relaxed and went into an area where they were automatically hooked up to be milked. When finished, they left the area (with smiles, no doubt). The floor of the barn had an automated bar that swept what the cows left several times a day (into a place I wouldn’t want to visit!). This is the before and after milking. The cows seems happier after!

They also had llamas, goats, and miniature horses. After the tour, we went into a large dining room where we tasted their homemade beer and the cheeses. It was very interesting, but not our favorite tastes.

We returned to Passau to walk through the town. For the first time in the past two weeks, the weather changed to heavy clouds and rain. As we walked, there were marks on the side of a building indicating how high the water was during floods and the year of the flood. It wasn’t very long ago and the level of water had to be frightening. In 2013, the water rose 12.89 meters, and in 2024, to 10.02 meters.

After walking around the town, we went to the city hall. It is quite impressive from the outside. As we were entering, the sky opened up, leaving us with the decision to walk back to the ship. A nice cup of hot tea awaited me, along with the normal 4:00 PM goodies in the bar area.

Tomorrow, we head to Prague, a city that by all estimations is among the most beautiful in Europe. It was never bombed during WWII, which allowed the Germans to store many of the goods they stole from the people they sent away, never to return to their homeland. After the war, many of the items were spirited out of the Czech Republic, slowly discovered over the decades.

I was always told by my mother that her town was on the Czech/ Romanian border (now Ukraine). This would have been on the far eastern end of the country. But, in doing research, I found that her town, Velky Buckov, was actually in Central Bohemia, west of Prague. This was a revelation to me. I was also told that my father’s town, Kobyl Poljana, was only about 12 km away from her town. This also was not accurate, if the Czech name of the town is correct. It may not exist or is called something else now, because a town with a similar name was quite far away, southeast of Prague near Brno.

I was born, in Teplice, almost due north of my mother’s town, where we waited for the final papers to immigrate to the US when I was six months old. I visited my birth city in 2005 to get a valid Czech birth certificate. My mother only had a worn type-written piece of paper indicating my birth. It took about two months, but voila, the official document was sent to the Czech Embassy in Washington, D.C., and ultimately sent to me. I was finally “official.” Then, I had to have it translated into English and Spanish. It was well-worth it!

Enough of my story. We had long bus ride from Passau to Prague, where we will be for a few days.

We stayed up long enough to experience going through the lock. The river gets higher as you go from Budapest to Prague, meaning you have to traverse through various locks to either raise the level of the water or lower it, depending on which direction you are going.

The boat pulls into a long, narrow corridor. Once inside, the solid gates close behind us and the gates in front open up. Water fills the corridor and you can experience the entire ship rising. The boat is not more than a few inches from the side of the corridor, which is amazing to see. It is done with meticulous care.

This occurred over night, so this morning, we docked in Linz to go to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic, to enjoy this charming town, and another castle! The river. After Prague, it is the most visited tourist attraction, mainly due to how it has remained largely intact over the course of the centuries. Most other towns suffered damage during WWII, but not here.

The gentle river that meanders around the town forms two prominent horseshoe bends that cradle around the central part of town. You can take a raft on the river and go down a gentle rapid, or go on a kayak, which many tourists were enjoying.

Cesky Krumlov Castle (of course, another castle) dates back to the 13th century, and rebuilt in the 16th century by the Rosenberg family, part of the prominent Bohemian aristocracy and great patrons of the arts. Ownership of the castle passed through several families, including the Schwarzenbergs, but it was transferred to the Czechoslovak state. It is the second largest in Czechia, after the Prague Castle, and one of the largest in Europe. The two family names could be thought of as Jewish families, but they were not.

By the way, Budweiser beer started here and has nothing to do with Budweiser in the US. They had the name first!

The town itself is charming. We had lunch with some new friends from Canada overlooking the water before heading to the Castle. In all of the pictures, if you see what looks like bricks or three-dimensional art, it is all trompe l’oeill. The artisans who built the Castle used various means to make the outside of the buildings have dimension. The term in French means “fool the eye,” which it does. And, it is everywhere!

If you enlarge the pictures, you think you are seeing bricks or stones on the outside of the buildings. It is an amazing feat to create something so real, yet the walls are flat!

Another interesting feature is that just outside of the Castle, there are two bears (brother and sister), who live on one side of the ramp to go in, and mama bear lives on the other side. Unfortunately, the bears were hiding or too dark to see. They have been there for years.

The last picture with the deer and boars is a shout-out to the hunting that was done from this castle. And no, they are not trompe l’oeill, but real sculpture.

We returned to the boat to relax for our overnight to Passau. It was another great day.

Today we had a leisurely day floating on the river, stopping at the charming town of Weibenkirchen in the Wachau Valley. This medieval town is a very prosperous due to the grapes grown for its special wine, with storybook houses and a fortified church complex. It boasts the oldest elementary school still in its original building.

As you walk around, it feels like you are at Disney World showcasing a charming Alpine village, not a real place. The houses are all painted perfectly, most with bowers of flowers in front of the windows. The streets curve just right and are immaculate.

As we slowly meander on the Danube, you see vineyards up the hills, but mainly one castle or cloister after another.

Now, we are on our way to Melk in the Wachau Valley in Austria, noted for its large Abbey, which is also a Benedictine school. Our guide was a young women who was a recent graduate. Additionally, the Abbey offers worship services, cultural events, exhibitions and a library. Since 1089, the monks have been living and working in the Abbey uninterrupted. Originally a castle, it was gifted to the Benedictines in the 11th century. It is also home to some of the most important medieval manuscripts.

It was a relaxing day today with only two stops. We are heading to Linz and Cesky Krumlov overnight, with at least one lock to get from the lower Danube to the upper Danube. The first one will be in the evening and we are looking forward to experiencing how this long ship fares in the lock.

We arrived to Vienna, with its sweeping boulevards, the birthplace of breakthroughs of music and psychology. The city encapsulates the opulence of the Hapsburg Monarchy and their ornate Baroque palaces. The day began with a guided bus tour of the Ringstrasse, their ring road filled with beautiful buildings. They are detailed with statues, making Vienna one of the most beautiful cities in Europe.

The St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral is out of a fairy tale book, with spires and rotundas.

We then started our walking tour of the city, walking first to the Imperial Palace, the winter residence of the Hapsburgs, while their summer residence was the Schonbrunn Palace near Salzburg. Since 1946, it is has been the official residence and workplace of the President of Austria.

Built in the 13th century, with additions over the years, the Hofburg Palace has details that make it unique from every perspective. The green dome is new (relatively), while the black dome is original. It is a huge building, difficult to take in one shot, but you can see the amazing details and gold accents on the building.

As you walk around the town, you see narrow residential streets. It is obvious that the buildings were built hundreds of years ago, before car traffic, but there was a specific, and very smart, reason they were located like this. The buildings can not accommodate air conditioning and with the hot temperatures in the summer, so having buildings opposite each other meant that they didn’t get a lot of sun exposure. It was “natural” air conditioning!

By the way, the coffee shop on the right side of the street is one of the oldest in Vienna. We enjoyed a nice tea and coffee respite, as many people must have over the centuries. Across the street is the Steiff store, famous for beautiful stuffed animals, especially bears.

As we walked around the corner to the square, we saw the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, with its amazing roof tiles and giant spires. Juxtaposed across from a modern hotel, the church is iconic in its detail, compared to the rather bland glass and metal structures nearby. Built in 1147, the inside is just as imposing, with ceilings that must be five or six stories. There are 256 stairs from top to bottom! No, we didn’t even try.

We continued our walk through Vienna and passed by the famous Spanish Riding School, featuring the Lipizzan stalions. They are incredible horses, who train for nine years before being allowed to perform. We just missed seeing the horses go from the exhibition arena to their stables, but once inside, they were treated like the celebrities they are. Their heritage came from the occupation of Spain by the Moors in the early 8th century, ending in 1492. The Moorish influence resulted in the cross-breeding of Arabic and Iberian horses, combining elegance and strength. The Archduke, Karl Franz in Austria decided to establish a stud farm in the late 16th century to breed his own Spanish horses. Interestingly, they are born dark and gradually lighten with age, not achieving the white coat for which they are known until 6-10 years of age.

Time to return to the ship for a wonderful dinner, then off to our next stop up the Danube.

Traveling overnight, we arrived to Bratislava in the morning. Seeing this rarely visited city, at least by friends who are avid travelers, we loved the beautiful parks with plenty of seating to enjoy seeing the families and young people there. It was the first day of school, so after their studies, many students stopped by to get together with friends.

Slovakia became an independent country in 1993, and since then, Bratislava has flourished as a new capital and cultural center. We walked the cobblestone streets in the ancient town center and admired the Gothic and Art Nouveau buildings. We then went to the Bratislava Castle, which looked like it had been plucked from the pages of a fairy tale. Every town, it seems, has a castle. The architecture varies from Boroque, to Gothic, to more contemporary (late 19th century) with ease. During its last re-building, it captured a Renaissance style.

As we approached the city from the Danube, it looked like a very modern city. You couldn’t see the gorgeous old buildings in the city center. The bridge going across the river has a tower on one end that houses a restaurant. The locals call it the UFO! On the other side of the building just to the left of the UFO is Austria.

Living in Vienna, an hour away by train, is very expensive. That is why many Slovakians live in Bratislava and commute. According to our guide, the annual income in Bratislava is 17,000€ per year, while in Vienna, it is 70,000€. That makes it significantly better to live in Slovakia and commute to Austria. If you look at the building to the left of the UFO, Austria is just on the other side of the building.

As soon as we landed, we saw a time gone by. There were what we used to call “street cars” in Pittsburgh, electric trolleys that move on tracks. They provide travel all over the city, inexpensive, resulting in fewer cars on the streets.

We began the day going toward the city center, where the main square is dominated by the Slovak National Theatre. It is stunning. As we walked into town, we enjoyed the curved flat cobblestone streets (flat being the best part). We worked our way toward the Castle, passing through Primate Square (not a monkey in site!), surrounding the square. One side is dominated by Michael’s Gate, leading to St. Michael’s Church. The inside of one of the buildings was an amazingly ornately painted ceiling. Each of the buildings surrounding the Square are of a different era.

Primate Square consists of many different buildings, each with its own distinct character. Everywhere we looked, we noticed something architectural and interesting. The pictures above are of some of the unique buildings surrounding the Square.

As we worked our way back toward the main square, we saw a sculpture that is definitely one that always brings a smile to the faces of visitors. Everyone wants to rub his head, hence the lighter color on the helmet!

After our full day of touring, we returned to the ship for another incredible meal, with a plan to return to town that night. It was a wonderful idea, allowing us to see some of the beautiful buildings in a different light.

Tomorrow, we head for the big city itself, Vienna. I was there in 1969 (yes, I am old!). It was beautiful then, and most likely, it will still be.

Although there were threats of rain in the morning, it never materialized. We boarded a bus with our guide, Nora, into town to view the beauty close up. The Buda side of the river is full of hills, where wealthy Hungarians choose to live. The Pest side is flat and very prosperous, the financial part of the city. They used to be two different cities, but once many bridges were built to connect the two sides of the river, they became one city.

We walked the Castle Hill, viewing St. Stephen’s Basilica and the Matthias Church. The view of the city below was beautiful. Interestingly, as you get to the area of the churches, there is a Jamie Oliver restaurant. For those who do not know him, he is a famous, creative chef. Many years ago, he went into a school, in Oklahoma, I believe, where he created menus for the school lunches, and taught the students about eating better. The parents participated, losing many unwanted pounds on the way. Going back to the Castle Hill, the tiled roofs of the Matthias Church is amazing. There are statues and lookout spots, too.

We drove near the Jewish Quarter, but we were unable to go in there. It seemed that there were many road closures, perhaps for a marathon or other event. I was there before, in the former Ghetto, which kept the Jews separated from the regular population during the war, but always was a separate enclave of the Jews of Budapest.

The largest Jewish place of worship outside of New York City, the Moorish-style Great Synagogue is one of Budapest’s most eye-catching buildings. Built in 1859, the distinctive structure, with its crenelated red-and-yellow glazed-brick facade and two enormous towers. The Quarter is quite different than it was originally. Built outside of the walls of Pest, it was where the Jews lived and worked. There is a small community still there, a fraction of what was there before WII.

Our next stop was in Pest near the Museum of Fine Arts. Across the street is Heroes’ Square, a beautiful area where many a demonstation was held, given its openness. We then went to the huge food market. Because it was a Sunday, many of the stalls were closed. Fortunately, I was able to purchase some local paprika (of course), for me, as well as our housesitters and housekeeper. There were so many varieties and options, including paprika pastes, both sweet and smoked. I have no idea how to use them, but will enjoy exploring the various ways to use them.

After a wonderful day of visiting Budapest, which we heartily recommend, we returned to the ship for an evening cocktail, relaxing until another sumptuous meal was served on board. It was a good day.

Tomorrow, we go to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.

Our flight on WIZZ Airlines was interesting. This Hungarian airline is a low fare option. However, we were unable to check in online or purchase the fee for our carryon bag. This left us in the position to go to the counter in the airport, finding out that the cost for two carryon bags was 74€ each, much more than the cost of the flight itself! Lesson learned. Of course, anyone can become a commercial pilot in two years with WIZZAIR! This says it all.

Once in Budapest, we were picked up at the airport by a driver supplied by Emerald Cruises. The arrivals area had representatives from several other river cruise companies, including AMA Waterways, and Viking. So far, we are impressed with the assistance we received from Emerald. Lots of river boat cruise ships waiting for passengers.

We arrived to the dock to begin our river cruise on the Emerald Star, a beautiful boat docked on the Buda side of the Danube. The boat holds 178 passengers, but had 168 on this cruise. Our stateroom is very nice, despite not being the largest or fanciest one on the boat. There is a lot of storage for our clothing, full-time high-speed internet (yeah), and very friendly staff.

The passengers seemed to all be English-speaking, from the England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, US, Australia, and us (the only people who live in Mexico!). That seemed to be of interest to some of the other passengers. We had a buffet lunch in the lounge, which was excellent, and then had time to get settled in our cabin, and an opportunity to check out the boat’s amenities. There is a small indoor pool, a gym, and facilities for massages. No casino, no children, and no shops – thankfully. We met a lovely couple at the pool from outside of London, Jan and Steve. We became friends quickly.

Around 6:00 PM, the Cruise Director, Captain, and First Officer welcomed us, giving us a preview of what to expect for the next eleven days. An hour later, we had an amazing meal in the dining room. There was a menu with many options to choose from or items to eat from the buffet. We sat with a couple from southern California who have visited Melaque annually for over ten years, but now retreat to Puerto Vallarta during the winter for a few weeks, Laura and Chris. Again, we immediately clicked and enjoyed our dinner together.

After dinner, we were regaled with a traditional Hungarian band and dancers. They were awesome. Much of the music sounded like typical Jewish Klezmer music, which always makes you want to get up and dance. It was the music of my family in Czechoslovakia (but of Hungarian heritage). They picked Jim and Chris to participate in a typical “hat” dance. They were a hoot! I took a video of it, but was not able to add it to the blog.

The boat, then, began to go up the Danube to show us the beautiful lights of the Buda and Pest (pronounced Pesht) sides of the river. The bridges and buildings were lit up, giving us a spectacular view of Budapest at night. We went up to the sun deck, which was a little wet from a light rain earlier in the evening, to take many pictures. We were all mesmerized .

Tomorrow morning, we go on a walking tour of Budapest. There are two tour options in the afternoon, but we decided to just stay on the boat or maybe even take a swim while many on board are away. Instead, I worked on getting the blog caught up and will be adding more pictures.

A nice option with this cruise line (Emerald) is the ability to do the regular walking tour at each stop, a more athletic hiking tour, or an electric-assisted bicycle tour. Many people chose the active tours, but we wanted to enjoy the slow pace and guided tour information, rather than using all of our energy to climb and pedal!

Tomorrow, we explore Budapest in depth. It was a good first day.

We left the boat to our hotel in Athens near all of the famous sites in the early morning. The NLH Fix Hotel was a nice surprise, as it not only was well-located, but had a full kitchen hidden away. Since we will only be here overnight, it was wasted on us, but good to know. It would be good to keep it in mind for a future visit.

Today, we will get some laundry done (avoiding the heavy cost of having it done on the boat or hotel), by going to a nearby self-service laundromat. We found it, and it was close to our hotel. An hour later, we were done and ready to enjoy the day.

Our hotel is about a 20 minute walk to the Parthenon and Acropolis. We first encountered the Temple of Zeus arch. Even early in the day, there were many tourists making their way to the ruins everyone wants to see. As you look through the arch, you can see the Acropolis, where we plan to go afterward.

It is an easy walk, although uphill to through the Plaka, a beautiful neighborhood with many markets, and restaurants. As we got close, the view of Athens’ Agora Temple stands out. The Agora was the original market thousands of years ago. From the base of the Acropolis, we could see the huge lines of tourists getting tickets to walk up to the Parthenon, as well as a crowded queue to see it up close. Both Jim and I visited the Parthenon on year’s past, so we decided to forego the actual visit this time. It was a good decision.

Once back at our hotel, we relaxed for a bit before our planned cooking class at 4:00 PM. This class is in a restaurant called The Artist in a rooftop kitchen with Stam, our chef. He was adorable, very funny, and well-trained, to teach us the basics of traditional Greek recipes. All of us were from the US, coincidentally. As we worked through all the steps of creating a multi-course meal, he had us chopping, mixing, combining, and measuring the ingredients, so we all contributed to the creation of the meal.

The menu included an Aegean Salad, Spinach Pie with handmade Phyllo, authentic Greek Moussaka, Tzatziki Sauce, and Galatopita (a creamy custard dessert). We donned our aprons and jumped right in. Once everything was prepared, the food that had to be cooked was taken away, while we made the salad and sauce. By 6:30, we assembled in a rooftop dining room with a fabulous view of the Parthenon. We got to enjoy each course with a wine pairing. It was a very special evening.

By the way, the area near the restaurant is known for amazing food items. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go in on the way there, and by the time we finished our meal, the shops were closed. If you want cured meats, Greek seasonings, or specialty cheeses, these shops are where you want to be!

We packed in a lot in one day in Athens, but we were ready to fly out tomorrow morning to Budapest to start our next cruise on the Danube.

Today, we docked in Hydra, an island that is one of the closest to Piraeus, the port of Athens. I was there in 1972, meeting my former husband at the end of his time in the Navy. We had a short time in Athens, and then went to Hydra. Truthfully, I had no recollection of the town itself. It looked totally unfamiliar.

We took a water taxi from our yacht to the town, where there were many restaurants, shops, and houses that crept up the hills on all sides of the port. We ate first, and then meandered through the various shops, which had beautiful things. I found a pair of shoes (what’s new) that I bought. I figured that they were light and almost flat by the time I scrunched them in my suitcase! And, they fit perfectly. I will be wearing them at home a lot!

There were many donkeys saddled up to take you on a tour of the town, and many boats of all sizes in the port. Every alley and open door offered a view into the lives of the Greek residents there. Some of the jewelry and clothing were incredible, and so were the prices. One group of necklaces looked like they could be copied by me once I was home. We’ll see how it goes. I am never averse to sealing ideas!

We were only there for a few hours before we took the water taxi back to the boat. The choppy water was no fun. I can’t imaging what they do to maneuver during storms. I wouldn’t survive.

When we returned to the boat, we cleaned up and then went to our final Captain’s dinner. It was very special, sitting with new friends, remembering how much we enjoyed each other’s company. After dinner, we had the pleasure of hearing Jennifer sing again, this time songs from “Oklahoma,” “West Side Story,” and finally a little opera. Her beautiful voice radiated smiles and tears from everyone – and a standing ovation!

The Captain said that he had piloted tankers and huge cruise ships for over 60 years, as well as now guiding this wonderful yacht. In all that time, he never had a guest give a concert, let alone one that affected everyone as it did. We were all so proud of her, particularly because she didn’t know she had the talent and confidence to perform in this way.

After dinner, we packed and got ourselves ready to depart in the morning for Athens, our final stop before going to Budapest. Going on a small boat, a yacht for sure, was a good experience. You become part of a family, with smiling faces wherever you went on the boat. And, the staff, especially our cruise director, Sophia, was incredible the entire time. She couldn’t have been more helpful in every way.

The other nice surprise is that one of the passengers, Crystal Yang, is an amateur photographer who documented everywhere we went in great detail. She offered her website to everyone to enjoy and use, to create a lasting memory of the trip for everyone. That was another wonderful treat for us all.

Tomorrow, we start another adventure…