Pat Jeske is a travel consultant at James TravelPOINTS and has been chosen by American Express as a River and Barge Cruise expert.
After a couple of exhilarating days in Amsterdam, we embarked MS AMADAGIO, our home for the next two weeks, and began the journey down the Rhine River. Cologne (Köln) was our first glimpse of Germany’s Rhineland with the twin spires of its enormous Gothic cathedral. Sailing towards Rüdesheim we passed dozens of ancient castles, all rich in history and easily viewed from the sundeck of our 150 passenger ship.
Miltenberg and Wertheim are charming neighboring villages with narrow cobblestone streets, and classic half-timber houses. Wertheim is famous for glassblowing, and we were treated to a demonstration by a 5th generation craftsman. The city of Würzburg is a highlight of the Rhine Valley with its elegant Residenz, the baroque palace, home to Franconia’s prince-bishops. We visited Nuremberg, with its storybook 900 year-old ramparts, Imperial Castle and Justice Palace where the War Tribunals sat in 1946.
We finally reached the Danube River in the Bavarian town of Regensburg, where we enjoyed a walking tour guided by an ex-pat from St Louis who has been teaching at the university for 20 years. After strolling the winding cobblestone streets, crossing the stone bridges and absorbing the old world feel, we understood why he’s still there!
The Danube soon led us into Austria. We visited the extraordinary Melk Benedictine abbey situated atop a cliff, enjoyed local apricot brandy in Dürnstein, and then sailed into the capital, Vienna. St. Stephan cathedral was spectacular, as were the young Lipizzan horses of the renowned Spanish Riding School. On one special evening we were blessed with a private performance by the world famous Vienna Boys Choir, who charmed us with songs from around the world.
After a short visit to enticing Bratislava, we moored in Budapest which was once two cities, Buda and Pest, one on each side of the Danube, until they were united by an enormous stone bridge in the late 1800’s. Buildings and bridges along the river are lit up at night, giving Budapest a magical, inviting essence. Modern boulevards, intriguing side streets, and romantic riverside walkways make Budapest a dynamic city and the final mooring for our two-week river cruise adventure.
Pat Jeske, River and Barge Expert 1-800 549-2575/303 444-2799
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