Seeing the sights from Budapest to Amsterdam

Colleen Jeffreys

We stood on the top deck of our ship as it pulled away from the dock,

gazing at the silhouette of the Baroque and classical-style buildings

of Budapest in the evening light. It was like you’ve stepped into the

pages of a modern-day fairly tale touring Budapest with its many

castles and fortresses. We viewed the Fishermen’s Bastion, St.

Stephen’s Basilica, the Royal Palace and the many bridges, including

the famous Chain Bridge inaugurated in 1849. It spans the Danube

River to connect the two cities of Buda and Pest.

We had been looking forward to 14 days seeing beautiful gardens

and exquisite architecture, and we were not disappointed.

My Newport Beach garden club friend, Gladys Gabrielian and I had

started our journey with a Lufthansa flight from LAX to Munich, with

an aircraft change for a short flight to the Budapest Airport. A

swift drive brought us to our cruise ship, “The Viking Pride.” The

Viking River Cruise ships are elegantly appointed and feature gourmet

dining, entertainment, comfortable rooms, lounges and a sundeck. With

only a little more than 100 passengers, one can be assured of making

many new friends.

Our ship sailed to Vienna, a city filled with beautiful gardens,

memorials to Strauss, cathedrals and the grand Schonbrunn Palace. The

tour of the palace included the apartments of emperor Franz Joseph I

and Empress Elizabeth. The grounds included extensive Maze and floral

gardens. In the evening we enjoyed a concert and ballet at the Palais

Liechtensteinfeaturing the music of Mozart and Johann Strauss.

We cruised over to Durnstein and then to Melk, an important

spiritual and cultural center for more than 1,000 years. First it was

the residence of the Babenberg family and since 1089 a Benedictine

monastery. The Melk Abbey, with its two towers and large dome, has

undergone extensive restorations of the splendid Baroque buildings.

It stands as one of the finest attractions in Austria.

Then it was on to Passau, Germany, a trip that included a walking

tour to the lavish St. Stephen’s Cathedral, home of one of the

world’s largest church organs It boasts 17,774 pipes. We were

privileged to enjoy the moon day organ concert.

Regensburg on the Danube was founded 200 years ago and was our

next stop. Since escaping major World War II damage, it stands as

Germany’s best-preserved medieval city. We explored the towering St.

Peter’s Cathedral, Bavaria’s most impressive Gothic wonder.

In the afternoon, we transferred to a ferry boat for a ride

through the dramatic chalk cliffs of the Danube Gorge, with a visit

to the Weltenburg Abbey in Kelheim. It was there we again boarded our

Viking Pride ship at the confluence of the Danube and the Main Danube

Canal. This canal stretches 106 miles to Nuremberg and Bamberg and

passes through stair-step locks rising 1,332 feet above sea level,

the highest point on any European commercial waterway. The ship

passes through 53 stair-step locks between Vienna and Amsterdam.

We arrived in Nuremberg in the morning. Nearly destroyed during

World War II, Nuremberg was rebuilt to reflect its heritage of

medieval culture artistry. We toured Hitler’s parade grounds and the

Justice Palace, where the war crimes tribunal sat in 1946.

Our next stop was enchanting Bamberg, dating back to 902 A.D. The

old Town Hall stands picturesquely on an island in the river Regnitz.

Waterways run throughout the city. There are narrow, winding streets,

quite steep at times and are lined with beautiful gardens, Baroque

houses, Renaissance palaces and tall cathedrals.

All this beauty really made our journey worthwhile. And, on board

our ship, the menus featured foods and wines of the various regions.

Each city had its special guides and often we were treated to the

traditional music of the area.

Wertheim, at the confluence of the Main and Tauber rivers, was a

picturesque sight with its “Pointed Tower” and some 18 additional

towers and gates throughout the city. In the town square we visited a

colorful glassworks shop and observed an artisan’s glass-blowing

demonstration.

Early the next morning we arrived at Mainz, a university town, in

the heart of the Rhine wine region. While there we visited the

Gutenberg Museum, which features the history of the printing press.

We viewed the first printed Bibles by Gutenberg.

As we cruised the Rhine to Rudesheim, we observed miles of

vineyards along the riverbanks. We enjoyed wine tasting in the

Drosselgasse, the most famous alley in the world. We also visited the

Music Museum.

The cliffs on either side of the Rhine, as we approached Cologne,

allowed us to view numerous spectacular castles. Nearing Cologne, we

could see the 13th century Gothic cathedral with its soaring

twin-steeples. It is truly one of the world’s most beautiful sights

to behold.

Our cruise ended in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands and

Holland’s financial and cultural center. Consisting of 90 islands and

an intricate canal system, Amsterdam has been called, “Venice of the

North.” Its golden age architecture and colorful gardens are best

seen by canal boat. We viewed the Anne Frank house and the

world-famous Rijksmuseum.

The last day we had a wonderful farewell dinner aboard the MS

Viking Pride and after a good night’s sleep, we were off to the

airport for our 13-hour flight home.

* COLLEEN JEFFREYS is a Corona del Mar resident.