Sweathog and Mountain Woman: September 2019

Tuesday, September 3

Windmill tour today - there are still some working. All mechanical parts are made of wood.

Wednesday, September 4

Spent the day in Cologne, Germany. This is the main cathedral. It is larger than any one I have ever seen. We are going to hear some classical musicians onboard our ship.

The main cathedral in Cologne

Roman Empire street from the 4th century

Thursday, September 5

Great afternoon motoring up the Middle Rhine passing at least 20 castles, some dating back to the 20th century.

Overlooking Koblenz, Germany from the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, approximately 400' above the Rhine River

Friday, September 6

It was a nice leisurely day cruising up the Rhine. We had a short walking tour in the town of Miltenberg where we were able to restock our wine supply.

Lunch on the bow of the ship

Houses in Miltenberg

I fit right in with the peeing fountain

Sunday, September 8

Bishop's House in Wurzburg

Bishop's Garden

A mime on the pedestrian bridge in Wurzburg

Flower tree in Wurzburg

At the bottom of a lock

At the top of the same lock. At least a 30' rise.

Monday, September 9

In Nuremberg today. We are thoroughly enjoying our trip. So much history. The atrocities of WWII are a little hard to fathom.

A small part of the Imperial Castle. Circa 1200 AD.

Some of the sculptures on various buildings

In the Market Square

Our Lady's Church

Tuesday, September 10

We took an optional tour to Munich today. It's an hour and a half bus trip from the ship. It was wonderful. So much history.

Visited the BMW headquarters

My new BMW. Only $90,000.

Susan's new BMW. A steal at $150,000.

Bishop's House. Vow of poverty?

View from the 9th floor of City Hall. The Alps are in the background.

City fountain

Wednesday, September 11

A fabulous day in Passau, Germany. This morning we did the Passau walking tour which ended at St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Of all of the cathedrals and churches I have seen this is by far the grandest. Their pipe organ is the second largest in the world with 17,974 pipes and 233 stops. At noon we attended a concert there. The acoustics were amazing. This afternoon we went to the Veste Oberhaus Fortress which is 4-500’ above the town and is 800 years old. Great history and views of the city. Tomorrow we will be in Austria.

Lantana tree

Pulpit

Main altar

Ceiling paintings

Close up

Organ

Panorama of the city taken from the fortress

Thursday, September 12

This morning we docked in Melk, Austria just before breakfast. After breakfast we took a short bus ride to the Melk Abbey. The abbey was built in 1702 although the monks had been in the area since the 11th century. We walked back to the ship for lunch. We then headed downriver to Krems. The weather was great and we spent the journey outside on the top deck. We passed several small towns and a few ancient castles. We attended a demonstration on making apple strudel. All in all it has been a great day. Tomorrow Vienna.

Main courtyard of the abbey

The town of Melk from the abbey

All wooden clock. The gearing is really neat.

A well kept old castle

A cathedral in Durnstein

Saturday, September 14

Yet another great day. In the morning we were on a tour called “Panoramic Vienna” which was part bus tour and part walking tour. Our guide was a native but spent two years in Dayton where her husband worked for NCR. Always a small world. Vienna is the city from which the Hapsburgs ruled for many centuries. We visited the Hofburg Palace which was one of the many Hapsburg residences and the Spanish Riding School home of the Lipizzaner horses. We finished at St. Stephens Cathedral which although magnificent was not as amazing as the one in Passau. In the evening we took an optional tour which was a Mozart and Strauss concert by the Vienna Residence Orchestra. I was able to snag front row middle seats. It was great and Susan with her love of classical music was in heaven.

Hofburg Palace

In one of the city squares

St. Stephens

Main altar

Sunday, September 15

We spent Saturday in Vienna walking around spending most of our time in a park about a mile from the ship. The park included a large amusement park with a giant Ferris wheel. We did take a ride. Expensive at $25. It was another clear day. We’ve had great weather for the entire trip. The ship headed for Budapest around 6:00 PM and after dinner we spent an hour or so up on the top deck enjoying the night sights and a full moon. We arrived in Budapest at 8:00 the following morning. The sail through the city with Buda on one side and Pest on the other was the really neat. We docked just downstream of the Chain Bridge which was the first bridge here spanning the Danube. It was first constructed in the 12th century and was built as a chain bridge. After breakfast we had a bus/hiking tour of both Buda and Pest. In the afternoon we were on our own and walked a mile or so to St. Stephens Cathedral. Of the three St. Stephens we have seen this was the least ornate yet still a magnificent structure. There was a young adult choir and we listened for a while. We then climbed a 325 step spiral staircase to an observation deck with great views of the city. It’s now Monday morning and we will soon be leaving the ship for two nights in a local hotel. The cruise was better than either of us expected.