Viking River Cruise: I realize many Rick Steves fans don’t like river cruises so I will be brief. I do enjoy cruises and many of my friends enjoy cruises so it is a way I can continue to travel. I am not brave enough to travel solo yet, and my husband died in our 50’s. Sailling through the Wachau Valley was a real treat.
First stop was Bratislava, Slovak. We enjoyed hiking to the castle on the hill and exploring the beautiful down with some original city walls. I came away with a much greater awareness of how the Soviet era and the Velvet revolution following the fall of the Berlin wall impacted so much of Europe.
The next stop, Vienna was the highlight. I loved Vienna. Beautiful buildings and castle complex. We also saw the Lipizzaner stallions.
Next came Krems and Linz, Austria. We visited Gottweig Abbey near Krems. Abbey is beautiful and so well situated on a hilltop with awesome views. At Linz, I visited Mauthausen Memorial site of a former concentration camp. This was my first opportunity to visit a site like this, and I think it is important to learn and listen.
I had thought that Passau, Germany was just a place to end the cruise but was pleasantly surprised to find a lovely town where three rivers converge. Beautiful streets and cathedrals. Also, on the theme of the trip, there was a castle on the hill across the river.
All too soon the cruise ended, and we were waiting for our transport to Prague, Czech. I had ordered a van with driver from Mike’s Chauffeur service recommended by Rick Steves. Shared among four people the cost was not that much and oh the luxury of having a van waiting right on the dock. We were off to Prague with a stop on a Cesky Krumlov on the way.