Subject: Day 1 - The Journey Starts – 24 May 2006

 

Well I started the trip in the usual way – injuring the dog. I had had her ears glued for the last time and I have nicked her once but nothing too serious. Getting the glue undone is quite the job and this was new glue so even though it had been down three weeks, it wasn’t coming off. I had one ear done and the other was on its way (its hell being a show dog). That took about an hour or more. I had the glump of hair, and I swore it was all hair – no – it was her ear. Blood everywhere and I was reliving the day I cut Irie’s toe almost off. However, after careful examination, I realized it would be impossible to stitch, so I just doctored away. She will live but it is quite nasty, and Judy bless her heart is continuing the doctor job.

     Things are looking up; however, we are now in the JFK Czech Airlines first class lounge having wine and wonderful turkey wraps and different cheeses. The wine is flowing! and they have free wireless internet access as you can tell by this e-mail. Judy, you asked a super question, “What type of food do they serve on Czech Airline?” That is our airline to Prague and then from Prague to Budapest. We will have to let you know.  Maybe I should have another turkey wrap, but Tom says as long as the wine flows it can’t be too bad. We will land there about two in the morning my bodies time. I will just sleep my way through the airport, even though Tom says I must stay awake. I don’t listen, I sleep and walk. I just stay awake enough to follow Tom and find the airline that will take me to Budapest. Next email will either be from Tom during our wait in Prague or from me when we reach Budapest. We will have email every night until Sunday when we sail. 

 

Holly

 

Day 2 -  AM -  Prague, Czech Republic – 25 May 2006

 

Written at 8:45 am in the Prague Airport

 

It is now 8:45 am local Prague time and we have a 3 hour lay over before our flight to Budapest and a warm shower. We are in the Czech Airlines VIP lounge and I am drinking a fine Czech beer to stay awake while Holly is sound asleep in an overstuffed chair. She needs her rest so she can hit the ground running in Budapest and book every tour available within 20 minutes of our arrival. I would post a picture of her but I want her to speak to me the rest of the trip. On the way to the lounge we passed an airport gift shop and purchased our first souvenir. We had to have something from the Czech Republic which at one time was called Bohemia and the home of my great grandmother on my father’s side. Standing in the country of my roots sort of brought a tear to my eye; either that or it is drinking beer at 8:45 in the morning. Oh well its five o’clock somewhere. 

The flight over was uneventful, after a good Czech meal and wine we slept for about four hours and landed right on time. A little trouble at first navigating the Prague Airport, so rude of these people not to speak English, but are doing great now. The next big test will come at 1:30 pm local time when we arrive in Budapest and see if the transportation I arranged over the internet is waiting for us at the airport, and if our luggage decided to take the same flight we did. It did surprise me we didn’t have to claim luggage in Prague and clear customs. I guess the Czechs are more trusting than us Americans.

 

More later,                                 

Tom

 

 

Day 2 PM - Budapest – Arrived – 25 May 2006

 

As with the past two years we are keeping a daily travelogue of our travels to help us organize our pictures and thoughts when we return home after three weeks of travel. This year we will be spending four days in Budapest, Hungary before boarding Viking’s River Cruise Ship The Spirit which will then become our home for two weeks as we travel the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers winding our way through Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany and The Netherlands, ending up in Amsterdam where we will conclude our trip by spending four days smoking pot and visiting the red light district before we fly home on June 14^th. Holly hasn’t quite bought into this part of the trip yet, she is more into seeing the Anne Frank House, fine dining, and visiting some museums during our stay in Amsterdam and in the end will probably win out. We have never taken a River Cruise before so this is going to be a new experience, the ship only holds 150 people and the cabins are much smaller then we are use to staying in on our ocean cruises. We are not going to be able to e-mail every day as in the past because the Ship does not have internet access, however since it will dock daily in the center of the towns we will be visiting, I am sure we will be able to find an occasional Starbucks or Internet Café where we will be able to send and check e-mails and post pictures. As always, if our e-mails start to get too boring please use the delete button or e-mail us and we will take you off the list

As you could tell from our previous two e-mails from the airport lounges, our Delta Flight left Orlando Airport at 11:30 am 24 May for JFK Airport in New York where we switched to Czech Airlines for our flight to Prague, Czech Republic. Eight hours later and a 6 hour time change we arrived in Prague at 8:00 am local time 25 May. After a four hour lay over we boarded another Czech Airlines flight for a 1 hour flight to Budapest arriving at 1:30 pm 25 May. We were met at the airport by a driver who I arranged over the Internet to meet us and provide our transportation to the Hilton Budapest Hotel in the heart of the Castle District. Amazingly our luggage arrived on the same flight that we did. I love it when a plan comes together. We just had our first meal in Budapest at a small casual café across from our hotel. For a casual Hungarian Meal we ended up eating for 3 hours because we met a lovely English couple on holiday and they had arrived in Budapest yesterday so we were pumping them for info on what to see. We have reservations at two fancier restaurants for Friday and Saturday. Holly will write more about tonight’s dinner latter, but for now I am ready to crash, my body hasn’t felt a bed for over 36 hours. Some of today’s pictures have been posted on the above web site.

 

More to follow

Tom & Holly

 

Day 3 am - Budapest – 26 May 2006

 

   For last night’s dinner they actually had an English section so we could read the words but it really didn’t help since very little of it is anything we are used to eating. We thought for just a fleeting moment of going back to the Burger King we passed on the way in, but that wouldn’t be the pioneering spirit I am so fond of sporting. We had tenderloin Hungarian style. No, not filet mignon. It was very thin cut port tenderloin with a cabbage/tomato sauce with lots of spices. No, not my favorite food ever eaten, not as good s the hard boiled Quail Egg we had with our meal on the flight from Prague to Budapest on Czech Airlines, but good. The potatoes were mashed and then fried. We don’t have anything like it, but the potatoes were tasty. What made the restaurant wonderful was all of the culture. There were numerous languages being spoken, however everyone could somewhat communicate with each other through a primitive and very broken form of English. Unlike France where when they think you speak English they walk away from you. The English couple we met drives all over Europe but refuse to go to France for that very reason.   The money here is so different we have to carry a calculator to figure out what anything costs.  My meal last night was 6,500 huff, or 22 euro, or 31 America dollars. That is a lot of math after 25 hours of flying. Note the photo of the violinist with all of the money under the finger board of the violin. We paid him a huff bill with lots and lots of zeros. The way he played for me, we figured that he must own the Hilton where we are staying.

    This Hilton is a renovated old castle. They have kept part of the old construction. For example they have a wine cellar. They aren’t kidding, it is a cellar. We walked about three or four stories underground. Very damp and dark down there. They only used candle light. The wine must have loved it. For just a moment I let my mind wonder how many insects and other living creatures must have loved it too. The wine was good so that thought quickly left my mind. Holly

 

PS from Tom- I am bootlegging off a very low wireless signal coming from the neighborhood around the Hilton, but giving me free Internet access. As long as the Internet is free we will keep e-mailing.

 

 

Day 3 pm  - Budapest - 26 May 2006

 

 

   We are staying in the old Castle District of Buda. Buda is the old city, and across the Danube is the modern city of Pest.  Of course to the Hungarians, the river is named Duna. Later we learned that we aren’t the only ones who change names. To the Germans the river is the Donau. There we go changing the names of everything. Today we walked to Fisherman’s bastion which is the castle’s bastion which overlooks the Duna. Our hotel, the Hilton, was part of the imposing showpiece residence that the Hungarian kings would call home for seven centuries. It is now also the site of the Hungarian National Gallery with its some nine miles of medieval underground tunnels used during WWI.  Sounds like a good place to get lost, right?? No, we have become very savvy during our many walks around castles, and one does not go outside the walls of a castle. What seems an easy way out has its way of turning you around. I have learned first hand that bastion and castle walls were made for one reason, to keep people out.

    We have also learned that Huffs, Hungarian money, are necessary in Hungary.  Go Figure! I have discovered that I can put a little plastic card in a slot and it spits out Huffs like crazy. I believe Holly has gone through more than 20,000 huffs shopping since we have been here. It is really scary to be buying things and giving out bills left and right with that many zeros. Our rest at a local café with one beer and one wine cost 2,500 Huffs which in actuality was $12.50. The picture of me seeing Europe before Holly was in my other life where we used to try and visit every bar in Europe, Holly is trying to visit every shop in Europe, the only difference is her method cost a lot more, and I have to carry a lot of stuff around all day. More pictures posted at: More to follow,

Holly and Tom

 

 

Day 4 pm - Budapest - 27 May 2006

 

     Last night we went to a very formal, upscale Hungarian Restaurant called Kiraly. We ate for three hours while being entertained by a string quartet with opera singers and gypsy dancers during dinner. After an appetizer of Grilled country goat cheese with broiled paprika for Holly and Meat pancakes Hortobágy style and  Dumpling soup Nyírség style for me, we both had Fillets of breast of pheasant filled with truffles in sour cherry sauce with mashed pistachio potatoes as a main course, and of course a bottle of fine Hungarian wine. We finished off the meal with one Plum pie with cinnamon almond sauce and one Crepes a la Gundel for dessert. Really fantastic but the restaurant we are going to tonight is called Gundel  and is in a book Holly received from a parent at the end of the school year called “1,000 Places To See Before You Die”  It is supposedly one of the five top restaurants in Europe, so we are really looking forward to a culinary experience.  They discreetly informed me when I made the reservations that “We require the jacket for gentlemen in the evening.” I am sure that the bill will be as amazing as the restaurant. Each dollar equals 208 Huffs or Forints. so I am sure it will contain a lot of zeros. Holly and I were talking yesterday about how incredible the world we are living in today is. Tuesday night we were sitting around our pool in Satellite Beach after packing our suitcases and Thursday afternoon we were sitting outside in a street side café in Budapest having a good Hungarian Beer and glass of chardonnay, and today we were in a bunker built by the Germans when they occupied Hungary during WWII and later turned into a Soviet Encampment after the war. The merchants there were selling small sealed cans with the label “The last breath of communist domination.” 

      Of all of the cities we have visited to date, Budapest is probably the friendliest. Merchants are never pushy. The French and Turkish people could take a few lessons from the Hungarians. Holly feels guilty if she doesn’t buy something from every store because they are so nice. Also to our total surprise, everyone speaks English.

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

 

Day 5 – Budapest - 28 May 2006

 

I don’t know where to begin to describe last night’s dining experience at the “Gundel Restaurant.” We sat down at 7:00 pm and walked out at 10:30 after a five course meal which included a different vintage wine for each course and concluded with a 50 year old Napoleon Cognac with the coffee. It was not touristy at all, just a very old, elegant Hungarian Restaurant with great ambiance. The first course included Beluga Caviar from the Caspian Sea, followed by a fish course, then Smoked Goose Liver which Budapest is renowned for, then the main course which was a meat medley of Veal Filet, Rack of Lamb and Beef Tenderloin and numerous vegetables, and then the dessert course of Iced Plum Dumplings. Each wine was made to complement the individual course and truly made for a culinary experience that we will relish forever. A copy of the bill will always hold a place of prominence in our scrap book. After a taxi ride back to the hotel we walked up the Castle Tower overlooking the Danube, which is lit up so beautifully at night, and just admired the magic of the evening. A beautiful and romantic night that we will never forget! Budapest is a city that will long live in our minds, the Hungarian people are so friendly and helpful and Hungary is a country that has emerged well from communist domination. They don’t dwell on the old days, but have moved on. The only reminders are things like the can of “The Last Breadth of Soviet Domination” and old Soviet Military Hats and Uniforms being sold in antique stores. I thought Holly would look good in an old Soviet Uniform when she was teaching, but she didn’t buy into that idea, thinking the parents of her students might not see the humor. Hungary is nothing like the previous two ex-Soviet countries we visited on previous trips, Bulgaria and Ukraine. Bulgaria is still stuck back in 1945 and many of the people in the Ukraine would like to go back to the old system where they were housed, fed, and given the basics. After the collapse of communism the criminal element thrived in the black market and the rest had to fend for themselves, many not doing so well. Our guide in the Ukraine told us how many of the people after being taken care of for so many years by the communist government were really struggling with Democracy. This is definitely not the case in Hungary, a country I would love to come back to and spend more time some day, but there are a lot of places left in Holly’s new book, 1000 Places To See Before You Die that we have left to see before we return to Hungary.

   Today we get on the ship at 3:00 pm and don’t know when we will have internet access again. This free bootlegged wireless internet access we picked up in our room has been great, but the ship doesn’t have internet access. We will continue to keep a running log and send when we are in a port that has a Starbucks or internet café or some other unknown source that we can use to our advantage.     

 

    

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6 – Budapest - 29 May 2006

 

We boarded the ship and to our pleasant surprise the room was much roomier than we envisioned. It is well laid out and provides more than ample storage; however it is not the suite we are used to on our ocean cruises. After unpacking we toured the ship which took about a minute and a half and then went to one of the two common areas on the ship, the lounge, the other is the dining room. We immediately met four Australians traveling together and were asked to join them. They are on a 7 week tour of Europe and were some really fun loving people. We ended up joining them for dinner and were the last ones to leave the dinning room because we were laughing so hard, I love Australian humor, so this has the makings of being a fun trip. Dinner consisted of a choice of two starters, two soups and two entrees, a lot less than an ocean cruise, but extremely good. We are now docked in tandem with four other river cruise ships and the view of the Danube with the bridges all lit up at night is spectacular. We have two tours lined up for tomorrow including a tour of a Hungarian Cowboy demonstration on a cattle ranch. We then sail for Bratislava Slovakia at 7:30 pm under the lights of the Danube bridges with a sail away party planned on deck.

Another bit of information for those of us, including me, who like to complain about the price of gas. Gas here in Hungary is $6.50 a gallon when you translate liters to gallons which is bad enough but when you consider that the average monthly income in Budapest is only $500 a month with 35% going for taxes you can understand why we didn’t see any overweight Hungarians. They do a lot of walking.   

    

 

 More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

Day 7 Port 2 – Bratislava - 30 May 2006

 

   Bratislava is situated in the south-western corner of the country, practically on the borders of two other countries, Austria and Hungary. After the split of Czechoslovakia in 1993, the city became the seat of the Slovak government. Like Budapest and Vienna, it is striving to retain a nostalgic atmosphere of bygone days. One of their ice skaters recently won a gold medal at the Olympics, this made him a National hero, which brought in much needed money to restore old buildings. Unfortunately, many of the most beautiful buildings belonged to the Jewish population of 14,000 before WWII. Now there are a scant few hundred Jewish souls scattered throughout the city. The Germans destroyed everything that belonged to them, and there is now a modern bridge where they once lived. Next to the bridge, there is a wall with an engraving of what was one of the most elegant Jewish temples in Europe. That is all that remains. The German Nazis destroyed so much. Of course, before them the Turks wreaked havoc on all of Europe. In 1944 Slovakia revolted against Nazism, and returned to using all of the Slovakian names instead of the German names. Our guide told us that names of mountains, buildings, and even some cities can be confusing depending where on Europe you are from – whether you use the German name or the original name. I could tell our guide was proud to not be using the Nazi names. Of course, when Communism took over, she, like yesterday’s guide, refused to learn the Russian language in school. A quiet way to protest!

    It is an extremely cultural city, but simply smaller than nearby Budapest and Vienna. We visited Palffy Palace which today is the Austrian Embassy. In 1762, the six-year old Mozart gave his first performance. It would be his only performance in Bratislava. Franz Liszt also made his first performance here at the age of nine. People were impressed and helped support his education. He paid them back with 22 concerts.

   Of course Tom was pleased to learn that the Slovak people have been making white wine for 3000 years. We have found the wines to be excellent, so I think all of that practice paid off. There isn’t enough sun here to grow red wine grapes. Boy was that the truth today. I thought I was back in Nebraska, and it was about to snow at any minute. I am freezing here.

    Tomorrow is Vienna, Austria. We have three tours tomorrow including a tour of a Mozart exhibition celebrating his 250th birthday and then a Mozart concert at night.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

Day 8 Port 3 – Vienna - 31 May 2006

 

    Where does one start to share the experience of Vienna? We spent a full day visiting coffee houses, palaces, and museums. This year Austria is celebrating the 250^th anniversary of the birth of Mozart and the 150^th anniversary of the birth of Sigmund Freud, both who came to fame in Vienna.

   A brief history – In 1529 and again 1683, Vienna successfully hindered the Turk’s march on central Europe.  Then nothing remained to impede its growth in becoming a great city.  The wall, that so successfully protected the city, has today been torn down. In its place is a beautiful boulevard, such as found in Paris, and now this boulevard surrounds the inner city. The Baroque vitality and the wise rule of Maria Theresa (1740 -1780) brought the city to an incomparable period of greatness.  Today, decades after the destruction of WWII (30% of the city was destroyed) Vienna has changed in many ways. Once the metropolis of a great nation, Vienna is now considered simply the capital of the small neutral country of Austria. However, in its greatness, Haydn, Mozart, Gluck, Beethoven, Strauss and Schubert discovered Vienna as the musical capital of the world. These musicians were richly supported by the extremely wealthy imperial Hapsburg family, and the reason one finds so much culture in one small area. When the Viennese tour guides speak of Mozart, they do so with great reverence for his incredible genius.

    Yesterday, I believe that we took in as much culture from Vienna as one could possibly cram into one day. We started the day with a tour of the city which included the Albertina Museum. This museum is dedicated to the Hapsburg family and includes the Spanish Riding School.  The Spanish Riding School has always been a stable and riding school, only now it is open to the public. The Albertina Museum now also includes an entire wing to honor Mozart’s 250^th anniversary.  It was amazing. Then in the afternoon, we visited the Schonbrunn Palace which was the summer residence of the Hapsburg family. The opulence of these people was incredible.  Mozart played in this palace for the royal family on two occasions. The first time Mozart played there he received 50 ducats, and the other, now unknown musician traveling with him, received 100 ducats. There were 1,441 rooms of which 40 can be visited.  Today, it continues to be the seat of international conferences. In fact, President Bush will be at Schonbrunn in a few weeks.

     The day was topped off after dinner, with a concert of Mozart and Strauss played by the Vienna Residence Orchestra that I wished would never end. What fabulous musicians. The cellist did not even have a music stand in front of her. I believe she had played it a time or two before. It was held in the Palais Auersperg which was another Hapsburg Palace built in 1706. Mozart performed in this palace many times starting at the age of six. Haydn, Strauss and Beethoven also performed there. Mozart actually lived there for a while, and it was there that he wrote the Marriage of Figaro. I truly expected to see him walk in at any moment. That captured the ambience of the day. The Palais Auersperg is said to have the best acoustics of any hall in the world and is the actual place that Mozart, Hayden, Strauss ad Beethoven presented their music to the Hapsburg Royalty. It is also the actual place that Holly sat on the Royal Throne and Tom downed a glass of Champagne during intermission. They concluded the concert with “The Blue Danube Waltz” written in Vienna by Strauss when he lived in a small apartment we saw during our tour which is now directly over a McDonalds. Strauss must have been drinking a lot of Schnapps when he wrote the “Blue” Danube because the Danube is brown, and various shades of green but certainly not blue.  Vienna is definitely a city we plan to return to and spend more time.

We then went back to the ship and had a drink with our new found crazy Australians friends who now have hoisted an Australian Flag at the dinner table we seem to migrate to each evening. They marvel at the way we eat, cutting with the left hand and then switching hands with the fork. As they say “How terribly inefficient mate.” The food has really been good but not near the number of selections each evening as on a large cruise ship, however probably better quality because of the much smaller number that the kitchen staff is preparing for.  One course each evening is representative of the country we are in. On the way back to the ship as we passed a gas station our guide pointed out the price of gas, $6.75 per gallon, and said we would love to be paying what you are complaining about. The weather has been much colder than we expected or packed for, however with enough wine each evening man can manage well.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

Day 9 Port 4 -  Melk -  1 June 2006

 

Hello and Warm Wishes to All,

 

    Ok, I give up, I am freezing. However, I think I have it down now. Yesterday on the tour, I wore my shirt, sweater, sweatshirt, and jacket. I was still a little cold but much better than when I was trying to be more fashionable.  So, on this trip, every photo we will be wearing the same thing. Tom is very sorry he did not bring his leather jacket. It is very damp, rainy, and incredibly cold. Our cruise manager each night gives a briefing of the next day’s activities, and he calls this weather, “changeable.” Then he reminds us he is only the messenger, so please don’t shoot him. Of course, it isn’t stopping any of us from having fun.

     Yesterday’s tour was of Melk Abbey in Melk, Austria. The Abbey and its grounds are about the size of Satellite Beach. The monks knew how to do things up right. The paintings on the ceilings rival the Sistine Chapel. We also saw room after room of amazing artifacts some dating back almost 1000 years.  To me one of the most astounding areas was the library. There are over 1,800 books several of which date back to the 9^th century. A great number of these books are handwritten. One can actually check these books out. Scholars come from all over the world to study at this library. It is also and has always been a working high school. There are currently 900 students. The town of Melk only consists of 1300 souls as they say in Europe, so the students must come from miles around. The school is not a boarding school. This must present quite a challenge due to weather. Our guide told us that in the summer, the Abbey has almost 20,000 visitors a day, but in the winter there is no one.

     Now we are in Passau, Germany known as the city of three rivers.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

Day 10 Port 5 – Passau - 2 June 2006

 

Hello to All,

   It was nice to be able to check the Internet today. We have not been able to for a few days, and we seem so cut off when that happens. Tom really goes into withdrawal, and I wonder what is happening at home. Nice to know all is well on Day 10 of our trip. I am certain Vienna had many places to email, but they kept us too busy. I am very glad that I did not miss a thing.  In Melk Tom was just certain that the Abbey must have had wireless. I have a photo of him trying to get on the Internet sitting in an obscure corner of one pew. We guessed that the Abbey is all hard wired. How backwards and rude of them.

   The food on the ship is great; however, it is nice that there is not constant food everywhere you turn. They feed you all you can eat three times a day. The portions are small so that is good too. However you can order as many as you want. One of the dinner choices tonight is deer stew, a German dish. We saw the deer being raised like cattle in the pastures along the river. Since our chef is German, I guess he should be able to make it correctly. I’ll let you know what I think. Tom will probably opt for one of the other choices. One of the cultural unique items they have every day for breakfast is a meatloaf that tastes like glorified Spam. The vegetables and fresh fruits however are wonderful.

    Today was Passau, but I have to write more about the Melk Abbey because it fascinates me.  The Abbey was used as a fortress during the two Turkish invasions, the Peasant Wars of 1597, and The Thirty Year War. In the war between Austria and Napoleonic France, Melk was twice occupied by the French. Napoleon himself was in the monastery in 1805 and 1809. He is said to have burned messages in his room, damaging the parquet floor. During WWI, the Abbey was able to function with difficulty but remained untouched. In WWII, the Abbey was changed into a national socialist school, and more and more rooms were taken over by the NS-regime. Due to the clever workings of the Abbot at that time, he was able to save the fate of the Abbey even thought the monks were under constant threat of arrest. In the Abbey there was little damage or plundering except for the wine made by the monks.

    In Passau, our first German town, they were of course under the rule of Hitler. Due to a clever governor the city did not receive much damage, so in our photos you can see the narrow streets that still exist. They, of course, missed the Communists we have heard so much about in Austria.  The other side of the Danube is Austria so it was under the Communists. The people of Passau were not allowed to visit friends or relatives on the Austrian side. That lasted for thirteen years.

    One thing about river cruising that is very nice is the fact that our ship is docked in the heart of the town.  After our morning tour where we heard an organ concert played on the largest organ in the world –Guinness Book of Records.  It has five different organs played by one person. There are 1,771 pipes. Anyway after our tour, we walked back to the ship for lunch. We then went back out to the town for some shopping. Rather cool! Tom of course had another one of those great German Biers.

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

Day 11 Port 6 - Regensburg by Bus - 2 June 2006

 

Hello to All,

    Every evening we have a briefing on the next day’s activities. They always announce it throughout the ship, but last night they announced that it was very important. They even announced it several times. When we saw the captain there too, we knew something was up. Right now the river is too high for us to continue. It is exactly 70 cm too high. Keep in mind that 100 cm is just a little over a yard – 39 inches. Yesterday they took down all of the railings and laid down all of the chairs on the top deck to get under one of the bridges. We will post a photo of that.  Our guide yesterday gave us a foreshadowing when I heard her say, “Oh, you are trying to get to Amsterdam.”

          Last night after dinner my two new Australian friends and I decided to walk into town and have a beer because they had Bingo on the ship and that didn’t at all interest us. To get on and off the ship you have to turn in your key at the desk, that is how they know who is on or off the ship. The Australians were waiting for me at the desk talking to the German Cruise Director and told him that they were with an ex American Officer who could probably call in an air strike to take out the bridge so we could continue on up river. When I walked up I told the Cruise Director that I was going to call George “W” and tell him I heard that there were Weapons of Mass Destruction under the bridge and he needed to send in an Air Strike. The German Cruise Director informed us that this was a World Heritage Bridge and protected. The Germans have a different sense of humor than us and don’t at all see the humor in getting bombed. Must have something to do with their history.

       Well now it is 9:00 p.m. and the river did not go down so we have to change ships. We will be bused for three hours tomorrow around the train bridge that is still 40 cm too high. We will then get on the Viking Pride which is a sister ship of this one and move into the identical cabin. All though the River Cruise to date has been fantastic you cannot predict the water level which is a real downer.  

        We were bussed to Regensburg today and we ate the absolute best sausage that we have ever had. The picture of us shows our great German meal. I don’t even like sauerkraut, but this was so fantastic that I absolutely loved it. I cannot describe how much we loved our meal.  We have truly never had anything to equal it. Regensburg is the home town of Pope Benedict XVI and you can really see the pride within this town.

       Have no clue as to when the next email will come. Hope all is great at home. Tom today bought me a beautiful figurine of a wire haired fox terrier, so all of you are constantly on our minds.  

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 12 Port 7 - Nurnberg by Bus & Transfer to the Viking Pride - 4 June 2006

 

We are now in Wertheim and have finally found wireless access so will be sending a series of e-mails covering the last few days.

 

Hello All, We are typing this on the bus on the way to Nurnberg.

 

     Well, guess what, it is cold and rainy again. Tom broke down and got a REAL jacket, but the ship only had one so I will wait until the next ship and see if they have another. Until then, my Florida jacket will have to do. As I mentioned, the river did not go down so we are trading ships with another group trying to go the other direction on the Danube. Same company so thank heavens they have lots of ships.  It is a train bridge at Deggendorf that is holding us up. What a mess departing the entire ship this morning, however the ship we are transferring to is identical to the one we left so it will be easy to unpack. We will be on that ship, we hope depending on the river, for 7 days before arriving in Amsterdam. The bridge is a World Heritage bridge so we have to leave it alone. I have to give the cruise lines credit. They are trying desperately to make certain that we do not miss a stop.

        We really like Regensburg yesterday. What a wonderful city! And even the sun was actually peeking through. An interesting trivia. We learned about the old towers. All others in Germany have been bombed, but this city was untouched during the war. If you had a business with a tall tower it meant you were successful. If you had a short tower, not so. You see if you owed people money they would come and take a floor of your tower off to sell the stones that it was made out of. If you were very successful you kept building floors to your tower so you could store more stuff. People haven’t changed much, It is all about who has the most “stuff.” The sausage restaurant that we ate at, was built in 1320. It still looks the same and is run by the same family. It has to be one of the highlights of the trip.

        Many people we are traveling with have already been traveling for months. I do believe I am not quite ready for that experience. It would seem to me that it gets old and one cannot appreciate so much culture. There is only so much the mind can absorb.

      I do like the fact that one in Germany can take their dog everywhere. It was an extremely clean city so everyone must carry their doggie bag. I noticed that all of the dogs were so calm, but that is because they can go into every store and be with you constantly. I wish Nikki could have experienced that, but I know she is better off at home.

          Today we are going to tour Nurnberg, home of the Nazis Party. We will get to see the infamous square where Hitler gave his inflammatory speeches surrounded by Swastikas. It is also the home of the famous German Dirigibles, which is also included on our tour. Then tonight we board the new ship and Tom will have to acquaint himself with a whole new set of Bartenders and waiters, but he and the Australians have been doing that quite well. It is starting to clear up so maybe we will have a sunny day in

Nurnberg after all. Supposedly a warm front is moving this way from England.  

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 12 Port 7 – Thoughts on Nűrnberg, Germany - 4 June 2006

 

Hello to All,

    

    The entire time I have been in Germany, I have had thoughts about how such a beautiful country, known since the Middle Ages, for its handcrafts, fancy gold and silver works, and marvelous toys for children, could commit such atrocities.  Of course, it was certainly not all of Germany or all of the German people. Germany is working hard to be known as the City of Human Rights. They are now very proud of the fact that the notorious post-WWII war trails were held in Nűrnberg. We learned that the trials were held here because the Palace of Justice was one of the few buildings in Europe still standing that was large enough to hold the trials. Ninety percent of Nűrnberg had been destroyed. One of us tourists asked, “How did the German people feel about the trials?” Our guide told us that at the time they were simply trying to survive. Now they are proud. There was also a jail next to the Palace of Justice with underground pathways to the now famous courtroom, “Room 600.” That way the prisoners did not have to travel a long way in the open. Twenty-four people were indicted. Hitler, of course, and two others had committed suicide, so twenty-one were tried. Twelve were sentenced to death. The countries were very careful to not make is a show trial. In fact the judges deliberated for over a month. The accused were able to defend themselves, and of course their defense was easy to guess, “They were following orders.” From that day forward, you are responsible for your own doing. That could prove to be very tricky when dealing with the likes of Hitler. 

    Every place you go in Europe is described as to how much was destroyed or saved during the war. When it came time for Nűrnberg to rebuild, they decided to only rebuild if there was at least a partial foundation left and the building was inside the old city center of Nűrnberg. Of course, the two main churches were a high priority for the Germans. Both were built as Catholic churches and keep their original names; however,  Nűrnberg was the first city in Germany to follow the Reformation. So, one church is Lutheran and one Catholic even today.  All over Europe the stained glass windows were removed from churches and buried more than twenty feet below ground. That is why today, you can still see beautiful stained glass created in the Middle Ages. 

    The year 1050, is the first written documentation about Nűrnberg. Before the discovery of the Americas, Nűrnberg was the cultural center of the Western World. It was easily reached by the various water ways and was well known for its gold and silver work. The first documentation is one of love. This young nobleman went to ask the Imperial Ruler to free a serf girl. He wanted to marry her and without her freedom, their children would be illegitimate. So the first documentation of Nűrnberg was one of love. Quite the contrast from Hitler’s story!

 

   

Day 13 Port 8 - Bamberg - 5 June 2006

 

Hello All,

          Last night we had a Bavarian duo come on board to entertain us. They were great and could really drink the beer. They drank about four liters each of beer during their performance. We are now settled in on the new ship and the weather is starting to cooperate. We will be stopping in Bamberg, Germany in about three hours; however even though it is Monday most of the stores will be closed for Pentecost which is a National Holiday. Sort of a relief because will be able to tour without Holly stopping at every store along the way to spend money. Today we will be going through 34 locks on the Main Danube Canal as we move from the Danube River to the Rhine River.

           In Bamberg Germany I had to drink a Hecht Schlenterla Rauchbier better known as a Bamberg Smoked Beer in the very Tavern/Brewery that it was invented in 1536 when a fire burned the Hops and they figured out a way to use the burnt Hops. Now Smoke Beer is sold all over Germany.

              Bamberg is the northern starting point of the Main Danube Canal that was started in 1960 and finished in 1992. The canal is 171 km long and climbs a height of 175 meters through 16 locks. It allows ships to sail from the North Sea across Europe to the Black Sea, a total of 3500 kms.

               The city of Bamberg is a UNESCO World Heritage City. There are 400 such cities worldwide and twelve of these are in Germany. Bamberg is the third largest in Europe. Vienna and Prague are larger.  Bamberg was chosen because it was untouched during WWII. We saw a statue of St. Kunigunde. She looks sort of like our Statue of Liberty, and our guide told us that she usually has roses placed around her. The reason – it is said that she cast her veil over the city during WWII, and the city was spared.  Our guide said that the real reason the city was spared was the fact that there wasn’t anything in the city worth bombing. Most of the Jews in Bamberg were lucky enough to flee to America or England.  The only thing in Bamberg was a slaughterhouse that dumped the remains into the river.  This of course attracted fish, which in turn attracted fisherman. Today you still have their homes along the river. Today there are thirty different species of edible fish in the river. Our guide’s family were rafters, and hauled their timber/rafters up the river to Bamberg, spent all of their money at the breweries, and would go home penniless. Gotta love a town that has a least one brewery per block. They even converted an old historic church into a brewery.

          Today we go to Rothenburg another very old city with a past history of drinking, my kind of town.

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 14 Port 9 – Wurzburg - Rothenburg - 6 June 2006

 

Hello All,

   Today we visited the Wurzburg Residence where wealth came together with the genius of the architect. It is said that no palace or castle in all of the Europe can surpass its imperial Baroque style. This means that the every detail is in perfect harmony; the architecture, balance of lighting from placement of the windows and candles, the stucco work, and even the paintings themselves are in perfect harmony.

   Here is a quick example to share what ostentations lives the Catholic Prince-Bishops lived in those days.  Towards the end of WWII, in a twenty-two minute air raid, 90% of Wurzburg was destroyed. The palace caught fire and most of it laid in ruins. All of it has now been refurbished. It took two million dollars to rebuild just one of the rooms we saw.  All of the walls and ceiling were covered in gold leaf stucco, mirrored paintings.  No wonder Martin Luther believed the church needed reform. 

   Another interesting part of the palace was the only slightly damaged by water, and you are able to see the original fresco with all of its still vibrant colors. Truly Amazing! You see this fresco as you climb the staircase considered a most magnificent architectural triumph. It has three separate landings. This gave the Prince-Bishop three choices as to where he would greet his guest depending on their importance.

   We also learned that people in those days did not bathe. Before the plague they used to frequent bath houses which are still operational in Europe. When the plague broke out; however, they did not believe it was due to the fact that they had bathed together, but due to the fact that they had taken a bath. So no bathing was done. Can you imagine? Also, all of this opulent wealth, and no bathroom facilities. That is why they had gardens except for the bishop who had a beautiful wooden cabinet which enclosed his private “throne.” He often had this brought to the dining room, and it was considered a privilege to be present when he used it. It was important for the Bishop to stay and finish his nine course meal because being fat was a symbol of wealth. Guess the Reformation was necessary. 

    Today the people of Wurzburg host a yearly Mozart festival in this beautiful palace. By the way, it now has WC’s.  If you want to attend the 2008 week-long concert, it will be necessary to book now.  Also, today the city has a very large university system where students come mainly to study physics. In 1895 Wilhelm Conrad Rötgen invented the x-ray. He was the first ever to be awarded the Noble Prize for Physics.

    Tom and I are having fun, but all of you are in our thoughts.

          On one additional note, we had planned to be able to get on line at a Starbucks in almost every city but have learned that Starbucks is having a hard time making t in Europe. They can’t fight the tradition of the European Coffee House. For Example Starbucks had planed to open 60 Starbucks in Vienna by 2008, they opened 20 and only 2 are still open, and doing badly. Europeans love their traditional Coffee Houses.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

 

Day 15 Port 10 – Wertheim - 7 June 2006

 

Hello All,

   Stories from Wertheim – On the ship today, we had an eighth generation glass blower. He told a fascinating story about his grandfather who lived in East Germany. His grandfather had heard stories about life without communism. It was also rumored that Dow Chemical, Corning, and other scientific glass instrumentalists companies would support glass blowers who would defect. He wanted to check it out, so he told his family that he needed to buy tools for his trade – glass blowing of scientific materials. He said he was going to Berlin when in actuality he was going to Wertheim to see if the rumors about life without communism were true. One night his grandfather woke up his family without any previous knowledge to them, and said grab whatever you can, and we are gone. They walked through the woods to Wertheim, and the family has been there ever since.  His grandfather is extremely proud that his grandson, who was on the ship today, has the freedom to be creative.  Yes, we bought a few items.

   Our guide told us other amazing stories. She told stories about how the mayor saved the town by waving a really large white flag. They had nothing in the town worth bombing, and he wanted the world to know they just were not worth the ammo.  She told another interesting story about the mayor. In 1936 the mayor had a really bad feeling about the safety of the Jewish population which was exactly 119 persons. One hundred and one of them believed the mayor and moved to New York. Today in New York you hear the name Wertheim frequently. The town of Wertheim continues to search for the eighteen who remained. They know of three of them – one is now the third richest man in Israel. 

      They also are one of the only European cities who actually discovered that it was easier for the Protestants and Catholics to use the same church. All other cities have two churches, one Catholic and one Lutheran. They did so for over 200 years. In any other European city during the thirty year Protestant Catholic War, any Catholic entering a Protestant church or vice a versa would be hanged. You have to wonder why the entire world cannot be more like Wertheim.

     Today was our first really gorgeous day, and we were able so sit on the top deck in shirt sleeves and enjoy the beautiful scenery of vineyards and castles as we cruised the Rhine River enroute to our stops tomorrow in Mainz and Rudesheim. Mainz is known for the Gutenberg printing press and Bible which are housed in a museum there and Rudesheim  for its fine wine. Tom thinks he will like Rudesheim more.

 

 

Hello All,

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 16 Ports 11 & 12 – Mainz & Rudesheimer - 8 June 2006

 

Hello All,

   The day before when we visited the grandiose palace of Wurzburg, we also visited Rothenburg, a small village that was both picturesque and unspoiled. It gave me the feeling of being immersed back into the 16^th century. It also provided me with numerous stores to simply marvel at the romance of the city. My mother would have absolutely loved being in Germany. She always loved treasures that came from here, such as the nutcrackers, smoking Germans (incense burners), Christmas ornaments, teddy bears, and a wide variety of dolls.

   Our first stop yesterday was Mainz, a very modern city.  We did, however, see the town’s great 11^th century Romanesque cathedral. We also saw the Gutenberg printing press and Bible, and received a lesson on its workings. Johannes Gutenberg printed approximately 180 Bibles. He was born in Mainz in 1397. We saw a handwritten Bible written by the monks of the day and a complete Gutenberg printed Bible. The museum bought the Gutenberg Bible for two million dollars. Obviously, it was encased in a darkened room under an air tight seal. It was incredible to see it. If you purchased a Gutenberg Bible in those days, you purchased 1247 loose leaf pages. Then you took it to an illustrator that added ornamental drawings to each page. We saw two different styles, one simple and one very ornate. The amount of ornamentation on each page depended on one’s taste and one’s pocket book. Then you took all of it to a person for binding. Gutenberg never numbered the pages. As the pages were printed and dried, one person sat and hand wrote the last word of one page on the top of the next page. Later these words were cut off of the pages. We saw a Bible that was not cut properly, so the handwritten words were still visible. An amazing process! Gives you an idea of why the Bible was so expensive. We wanted to purchase one page to have framed to remember our visit; however, one page cost in the range of over six hundred euros, so we will not have a Gutenberg page hanging on our walls. Even the copies of the pages were outrageous in price.

  While we were there, a field trip of students were waiting to enter the museum. It appeared that they were having their snack before entering. Flash backs came to me as I watched them. They were about the same age as I teach, but their behavior was unacceptable in my book. They were running around and jumping off of objects. Their teachers seemed unconcerned, so I realized our kids are pretty well mannered after all.

    After a short trip down the Rhine, we were in Rudesheim. We saw a museum that housed a collection of mechanical musical instruments. We saw a music box that was longer than our dining room and approximately 7 feet tall.  It contained more than fifty mechanical dolls. When they turned in on, all of the dolls came to life. What a sight! After that, we shopped; however, we only ended up with a sausage and pretzel and of course some good German Beer while at the Internet Cafe. I have now tried a sausage in every German town I can find. However, none can compare to the sausage kitchen in Regensburg. The ambience of the place added to the taste, I am certain.

    We are now castle watching as we travel further down the Rhine towards Cologne.

The weather has really changed for the better and last night after dinner we were able to sit on the top deck drinking good German Wine and enjoying the view as we swapped lies with our new found Australian friends. Ostrich was on the menu last night as our menu contains a different international dish each evening. Ostrich definitely does not taste like chicken.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 17 - Port 13 – Cologne, Germany - 9 June 2006

 

Hello All,

    Each port has certainly been different but nothing could prepare us for Cologne. It was the first day of World Cup Soccer and the city was “crazy” to put it mildly. We were supposed to see another World Heritage Site cathedral and have a city tour. However, the city was soooo loud that it was almost impossible to hear our guide, which made the poor guy boring compared to the people in the streets around us. They were anything but boring. The drinking age in Germany is sixteen and no one cares if someone drinks at a younger age. Our guide told us that it is not uncommon to see a twelve year old drunk. It is a real problem in the schools. You see Cologne always has some sort of holiday going. They have from 800 to 2000 tour buses a day in the city. Our guide told us that the day we were there was actually calm by comparison to some of the festivities that go on in Cologne. Not a place I would like to live, and I am certainly glad I do not attempt to teach school there. I don’t think it is even on my list to revisit. I guess I am just not the party type. The hundreds of police in the city streets let one know that they expected the people to party heavy. Too much for us!

   We did learn one interesting thing about the city and the Rhine.  The city will flood at least twice a year. One cannot get flood insurance and store owners are responsible for their own damage. I don’t know if I mentioned it or not, but all of the old building were built out of red sandstone. After a flood the red sandstone dries out in about three weeks time leaving absolutely no mold. Pretty cool! You would never know there was a problem because there is no lack of businesses close to the water for the millions of tourists that visit the city. I guess putting up with flooding is worth the dollars brought in through tourism.

    We have photos and a book about the cathedral. It is now black from pollution. I can only imagine its grandeur before pollution. It is built out of gray sandstone, so if one tried to pressure wash it, they figure over twenty percent of the stone would be damaged and then in a few years it would be black from pollution once again. While were inside lighting our usual candles, we noticed people from each team lighting candles and praying for their particular team. God’s head must have been spinning, or maybe he just laughing and hoping we all had fun.

    Before this river cruise, I pictured the Danube and Rhine Rivers to be these beautiful peaceful waterways. Nothing could be further from the truth. They are beautiful, but certainly not peaceful. The now more than 60 locks do help to control them somewhat, but the rivers are still very dangerous. I can only imagine what it must have been like before the lock system.  As we have traveled down the rivers, they have explained many other means that have been put in place to control Mother Nature.

    Our next port is Amsterdam. The last one on our vacation and the place we will part company with our new found Australian friends. They gave us Australian Pins as a farewell gift last night at the Captains Farewell Dinner and waved a large Australian Flag with our help during the Baked Alaska Parade.

 

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 18 - Port 14 – Amsterdam - 11 June 2006

 

Hello All,

We have arrived in Amsterdam and are checked into the Hotel for the final four days of our trip. I have heard a lot about Amsterdam but it still turned out to be like nothing I ever expected. The first day we saw authentic Rembrandts and some other boring stuff by the Masters that Holly will write about later, but the first thing I learned is that you have to be 18 to go into a coffee shop that doesn’t sell anything alcoholic nor does it sell coffee, but sells everything else. Out Hotel room overlooks a Coffee Shop and when we open the window and breathed we felt we could fly home without an airplane. One of the 1000 things in Holly’s book that we must see before we die is a church in the middle of the Red Light District. Our stroll to the church showed me things that I have never seen and I didn’t exactly lead a sheltered life. The Red Light District is a major tourist attraction and the girls are standing in the door ways showing their wares. I would say that they are scantly clothed except they didn’t have any clothes. But at least they live close to one of the most famous Churches in Amsterdam. Our guide on our canal cruise of Amsterdam told us that there is very little crime because everything in Amsterdam is legal and if not legal at least tolerated. Truly an amazing city, Holly is still in shock and my eyes hurt.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

 

 

 

 

Day 19 - Port 14 – Amsterdam - 12 June 2006

 

Hello All,

 

   As Tom said, I have to tell you about our first day here in Amsterdam. We took a canal trip around the city and it was a surprise to see so many canals. The canals were not very clean, but the good thing about that is the numerous birds use all of the trash for their nests.

    We then went to the Rijksmuseum. This year will be 400 years ago that Rembrandt, Holland’s greatest 17^th century painter, was born, so much of his work is on display.  It is said that like no other painter, he captured light and shadows and made his work come alive. We saw one of his masterpieces that he completed in 1642 when he was 36. It is an enormous canvas 14 x 10 feet and is called the Night Watch.  He was one of the first painters to paint portraits of people in motion. When you saw the Night Watch, you sat in a darkened room, and then they dramatically used lasers and sound effects to capture different parts of the action.  It was truly breath taking. We had one more night on the ship, so we went back to dinner with our Australian friends. 

   Yesterday, after we checked into the hotel. We walked around town and Tom has already given graphic details of that adventure. Then we went on a tour outside of Amsterdam. Our first stop a windmill village. We saw some typical Dutch countryside of “polders.” There is no English translation for “polders.” To gain more land, the people drained lakes and made all of these little canals to keep the land drained. So, basically a “polder” is reclaimed land. Of course windmills were used to continually keep pumping water out and the land dry. Today it is all done by computers. There we also saw them making wooden shoes. Next we visited a cheese farm and learned that Holland keeps all of their farm made cheeses and ships their factory made cheeses around the world. Can you tell the difference?  Yes, absolutely you can. We later saw an old fishing village with wooden houses. It was like you stepped backwards a few hundreds years.  We were pretty tired, so we came back to the room and had wine that we bought in Budapest and cheese from Holland. How is that for being international? We have checked with several local cheese stores to see if they ship to the United States. The answer is always a quick, “NO!” So farm cheese from Holland will have to be one of those wonderful memories of our trip.

    I am so glad we saw the Anne Frank house. There is a quote from a Holocaust survivor inside the museum that now surrounds the house that reads, “One single Anne Frank moves us more than the countless others who have suffered just as she did, but whose faces have remained in the shadows. Perhaps it is better that way, if we were capable of taking in all of the suffering of all of those people, we would not be able to live.” I, personally, cannot fathom living in the upstairs of a small house for two years. Never being able to go outside or even crack a window to breathe fresh air. They had to whisper and walk quietly during the day, so the people in the factory below could not hear them. They couldn’t flush the toilet during the day or run the water in their small kitchen. The museum is visited by a continual stream of people who will not, cannot or feel they ought not to forget the significance of Anne Frank’s story. To emphasize this point even further, as you leave the museum, there is an exhibit about human rights in general. The point is obviously that if we as a people turn our heads and ignore persecution of any human by saying, “Oh that is not me, so I won’t worry.” One day we may wake up and find that, “Oh, dear, it is me!” It is a very moving place especially as you squeeze behind the bookcase and climb the very stairs up to where she lived.

 

Hope all is well at home,

More to follow,

Tom & Holly

 

Day 20 Port 14 – Amsterdam - 13 June 2006

 

Last Day Amsterdam – We are coming home.

 

From Holly

    We started the day at the Maritime Museum and went on a replica of a Dutch West Indies ship that sailed to America. Compared to our river ship, it had the same number of decks, same width, but half the length. In addition, it carried twice as many people as our ship. Very interesting and just like today the captain had it pretty good.

   For lunch Tom had a Dutch pancake. Pancakes here are nothing like we are used to and you don’t eat them for breakfast, but for lunch. Very tasty! Last evening on the way to our authentic Chinese restaurant our taxi cab driver told us about a supposedly great Dutch restaurant. We are going there tonight, so I will let you know. We have read the menu on line, and I don’t recognize many of the menu items. I know it will make our last night a memorable one.

  Our hotel room provides us with an excellent view of the coffee shop across the street. Remember coffee shops in this area do not sell coffee. It has been a saga in itself. We saw the owner opening up today and even though he probably wouldn’t become my best friend, I deemed him a good guy because the cats came running to greet him. He also had two in his upstairs window. If the cats love him, he must be ok. It is interesting watching the people sit there and roll whatever it is they are smoking. We have seen several people in the streets who have definitely had too much coffee. They don’t bother anyone so no problem. The only danger is the people on bikes. They will run you over if you accidentally walk in the bike path.

    Amsterdam has been extremely interesting. I guess one could say it offers everything. I am glad I was able to share in its atmosphere, but I don’t believe it will be on my list to revisit.  Of all the cities we visited on this adventure, I must go back to Vienna. I know we just barely scratched its surface.

 

From Tom

   Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away. We have seen many of those on this trip and checked off many places in Holly’s book of “1000 Places to See Before You Die”. Next year we are going back to Ocean Cruising and have booked a two week cruise from London with stops in Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Germany and an overnight stay in Saint Petersburg Russia with the cruise terminating in Copenhagen. If I survive tonight’s authentic Dutch meal we will leave Amsterdam tomorrow on a 9 hour flight to Cincinnati then change planes and arrive in Orlando around 11pm local time. I know its time to come home because we are out of clean clothes. It has been fun writing our travelogue and posting the pictures, thank you for putting up with our thoughts and nonsense. Hope all remains well at home.

 

See you soon,

Tom and Holly