Biking in Lower Austria

 Monday, September 28

We were up and at it again this morning to hop on the bus to travel into Vienna  for our countryside bike ride. This time we have a longer 18 mile ride. Since we had just gotten off a one hour bus ride our first stop was in 200 yards where a different Viking ship was docked so we could use their restrooms. This begs the question, why did they get to park there..I could have slept in if it was our boat!

We started our bike ride on the Danube Canal. The Danube was spit off many years ago to prevent flooding in Vienna but it was not enough. In 1972 a new arm of the Danube was built. This is parallel to the main Danube but is an artificial channel that can be regulated. Ever since this has been built, Vienna has not flooded. The ride was primarily on a bike path as we headed north out of Vienna. There are nine central states in Austria. We left the state of Vienna and entered the state called Lower Vienna, known for the Wachau Valley and agricultural fields. 

At our halfway point we stopped at a little outside cafe beside the canal. We found out while visiting with one of our guides and owner of the bike company that he is a retired US Marine now living in Vienna. Small world..

After the break we boarded a little ferry with our bikes which took us across the canal. This took awhile because the ferry doesn’t have a motor, it just relies on the current. It is attached to a cable that runs across so it doesn’t float downstream. Because the water level is down, the current is running slow but fortunately we didn’t have that far to go.

The second half of the trip was a little more scenic as we were riding along the New Danube, the artificial canal that I previously talked about. All of the earth moved while digging it out was formed into a 21 Kilometer long island that runs beside it called the Donauisel (Danube Island.) The island is a popular recreation area for walkers and runners where no cars are allowed. Because it was a sunny day there were a few people sunbathing and swimming in the canal. We had a great ride with no mishaps for me. It was great to be in the countryside although this was not as scenic as our Passau bike ride. 

Horsing Around in Vienna

 Saturday, September 26

 Today we got to have a lazy morning and slept in. Most everyone left early to be bussed to the Melk Abbey for a tour. We have already visited the Abbey when we were here 2 years ago so we took advantage of not doing anything.

The best part of river cruises is waking up to find that you are docked in yet another quaint little town that is so scenic it almost seems unreal. Grein, Austria is one of those places. It was a lovely day so we spent most of the morning on the top deck of the ship enjoying the view and the sunshine. 

After lunch we joined the walking tour of the town which didn’t take long - old church, old town hall, old square..but this time we were shown the town theatre, the Stadttheater Grein. This is Austria’s oldest preserved civic theatre and was built in 1791 by the townspeople. It was originally a granary. It is still used today by local and touring groups and entertainers. Currently, a high school group is performing 12th Night. 

The theatre is small and seats around 130 people. The floor is slanted to create theatre seating but the chairs are hard wood with no cushions. However, the seats fold up and can be locked and only you would have access to the key for the season - the original season tickets. Another quirky thing was that the prison was also in the same small building and there were peep holes so the prisoners could watch the performances for free. Theatre goers were expected to bring treats for the prisoners to keep them happy and  prevent any disturbances during the shows! Another "amenity” was a pit toilet behind a curtain on the side since some of the early performances could run 5 hours. If you were using the facility you could easily peak out the curtain to see what you were missing! 

Don and I found our way up the hill to the Schloss Greinburg, a castle built between 1488 and 1495. This served as a residence and hunting lodge for generations of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family. There were only a few rooms that we could tour and nothing was furnished but the courtyard was beautiful and the architecture definitely something to see. I think I have decided that we need a courtyard… Of course the added benefit of walking up the hill is to see the view. 

Unfortunately, no shopping to be had today since it was Saturday. Although Europeans have better work/life balance it sure is inconvenient for tourists!

Sunday, September 27

This morning we left Grein by bus for the 2.5 hour trip into Vienna. Our ship will later move a little closer to Marbach so we will have a shorter bus trip back. We were told that is the closest docking available to Vienna because there are so many ships. 

This is our second trip to Vienna and I think I’ve decided that there is so much to see that I probably need a few more to see everything. We did a bus scenic tour around the main historic area and then a short walking tour. I was disappointed with our guide who I think was trying to break the world's record in how many facts he could ramble off instead of being understandable. 

In our free time we were able to meet up with our friend Craig who is living in Vienna and teaching at the American International School. He was Alex and Paige’s band teacher when they were attending Arvada West High School. We were also able to see him last time as well. 

Craig took us to Cafe Schwarzenberg which was a traditional coffee house established in 1861. When you visit a coffeehouse in Vienna, you are welcome to stay as long as you want. If you are in a hurry then you pay as soon as you’re served or you may be waiting a while for the check. I had the classic Viennese coffee called the Melange which is very similar to a cappuccino. It is served with a glass of water because they believe if you drink water between sips of coffee, the taste of the espresso will be more profound. We also decided to try the Kaiserschmarrn, a scrambled pancake that is served with a delicious plum compote. It was very good but we should have shared just one serving!

After saying goodbye to Craig we rejoined Karen for the tour of the Lipizzaner Spanish Riding School which is located in the Hofburg Palace. It is called the “Spanish” Riding school because the Habsburg rulers in the 16th century obtained horses from Spain for their soldiers. Lipizzaner is now a special breed of stallions which are trained at another facility but perform here. It takes about 4-8 years to train the horses and they learn with one rider. You don’t have to be an established equestrian to be hired as a rider because you will be trained in their way of riding. However, you do have to be young (16-25), 5’8” with preferably a short torso and long legs (makes the horse look good), and speak fluent German (horses are trained in German.) Well, there goes that career path…

We were able to go into the stables but were not allowed to take photos inside, just out in the courtyard. Also we were not allowed to touch any of the horses. I guess they are not the friendliest. Indeed the horses seem to have had a little “I know I’m handsome and don’t mess with me” attitude. No treats allowed either because each horse is on a special diet to ensure peak performances. There are about 120 horses and rotate between the training facility and the Vienna facility. When they are retired, they get to live out the rest of their years at the breeding farm. There is only one resident veterinarian but they also use local vets if needed. Surprisingly, the program is only funded by ticket sales - tours and performances. I wish that we were able to see a performance and will definitely need to do this if we come back to Vienna again.  

To wrap up our tour we were treated to a short tour around the palace grounds and surrounding area in a horse drawn carriage. A great end to a special day in Vienna.

A Day In Grein

 Saturday, September 26

 Today we got to have a lazy morning and slept in. Most everyone left early to be bussed to the Melk Abbey for a tour. We have already visited the Abbey when we were here 2 years ago so we took advantage of not doing anything.

The best part of river cruises is waking up to find that you are docked in yet another quaint little town that is so scenic it almost seems unreal. Grein, Austria is one of those places. It was a lovely day so we spent most of the morning on the top deck of the ship enjoying the view and the sunshine. 

After lunch we joined the walking tour of the town which didn’t take long - old church, old town hall, old square..but this time we were shown the town theatre, the Stadttheater Grein. This is Austria’s oldest preserved civic theatre and was built in 1791 by the townspeople. It was originally a granary. It is still used today by local and touring groups and entertainers. Currently, a high school group is performing 12th Night. 

The theatre is small and seats around 130 people. The floor is slanted to create theatre seating but the chairs are hard wood with no cushions. However, the seats fold up and can be locked and only you would have access to the key for the season - the original season tickets. Another quirky thing was that the prison was also in the same small building and there were peep holes so the prisoners could watch the performances for free. Theatre goers were expected to bring treats for the prisoners to keep them happy and  prevent any disturbances during the shows! Another "amenity” was a pit toilet behind a curtain on the side since some of the early performances could run 5 hours. If you were using the facility you could easily peak out the curtain to see what you were missing! 

Don and I found our way up the hill to the Schloss Greinburg, a castle built between 1488 and 1495. This served as a residence and hunting lodge for generations of the Saxe-Coburg and Gotha family. There were only a few rooms that we could tour and nothing was furnished but the courtyard was beautiful and the architecture definitely something to see. I think I have decided that we need a courtyard… Of course the added benefit of walking up the hill is to see the view. 

Unfortunately, no shopping to be had today since it was Saturday. Although Europeans have better work/life balance it sure is inconvenient for tourists!

Over the River and Through Passau

 Friday, September 25

We were overly ambitious a year ago and booked two excursions today. A hike in the morning and a bike ride in the afternoon.  Of course this is the morning that I was not feeling the best (thanks Don for sharing!) but  thank goodness for Mucinex!  

We woke up to fog this morning in Passau, Germany with the temperature in the high 40’s. Our hike started at the ship, across the bridge and up the mountain to the fortress. Yes if you haven’t noticed by now, all of the towns have a fortress. This one was also built by the Prince-Bishop. The closer we got the more we realized something…the first floor windows were painted on! This was done so that the townspeople would think the Prince-Bishop was doing well financially because windows were expensive but in fact he couldn’t afford to put them in. I’m not sure how long they were fooled as I imagine word would get around!

Once at the fortress we could look around the museum a little and then enjoy a beverage in their beer garden which had wonderful views of the town. By this time the sun was shining and it was a beautiful day.

On the way down we had a great view of the point where the 2 rivers in Passau merge together. The two rivers, the Danube and the Inn, are different colors. The Inn River comes from the mountain glacier so the water is bluer than the Danube.

After a quick shopping trip for Lederhosen at a shop in town, we joined our next excursion-a bike ride to Austria. Ok I’ll let you be impressed for awhile before I tell you that we were only 7 miles to the Austrian border and there might have been e-bikes involved!

We followed a nice bike trail past the Passau University. By the way,  it only costs 140 euros a semester for students to attend whether you live in Germany or not! Tell your friends..

The path then led through the forest and beside the Inn River until we got to the bridge. The river divides the two countries (except a little bit of Passau but that’s another story.)

In the middle of the bridge is a marker that marks the spot. We had a beverage stop (are you now seeing why I sign up for these activities?!) with a fresh baked pretzel in Austria. We then rode back on the Austrian side for a while and then went back into Germany.

Ironically, one of our guides has a full time job as a Border cop. Because of the formation of the European Union, the borders are open between European countries so his unit works primarily preventing drug smuggling. When Don also found out that he loved American football and better yet the Broncos, we didn’t hear any other scenic info from him because he and Don were too busy talking about Fantasy Football, etc!

Back on board we enjoyed German Night in the restaurant with all kinds of German dishes so I guess it was good that we were so active that day.

Prost!

 Thursday, September 24

Today we embarked on a 2 hour bus trip for the main reason we booked this particular cruise…Oktoberfest in Munich! A surprise bonus was a comfort break at the BMW headquarters on the way. I was this week old when I realized that BMW was an abbreviation for Bavarian Motor Works. The showroom was very impressive and included the latest BMW models as well as the Mini-Cooper and Rolls Royce (I didn’t know that BMW made both of these brands). From this location we could also see the 1972 Olympic housing which are now apartments. 

Our tour guides met us at BMW and took us on the subway to Munich’s Old Town. Don and I took the kids here about 20 years ago but of course have forgotten a lot about it. We walked past the Munich Residenz which is a former royal palace that I didn’t remember and the Hofbråuhaus, the famous 16th century beer hall which I did remember - go figure..

We ended up in the Marienplatz which is the square where the Town Halls are located and the famous Glockenspiel, a 16th century mechanical clock tower. Our guides were so organized that we made it there by 12 noon which is the only time it does its 15 minute show. The show is done in 2 parts. The top tier figures tell the story of a 1568 royal wedding and includes a jousting tournament between Duke Wilhelm V and Renata of Lorraine. Then the bottom tier has dancing figures that recreate the Schåfflertanz dance commemorating the end of the plague in 1635. 

From there we took another subway ride to Theresienwiese, a festival ground where the 191st Oktoberfest was in full swing. Oktoberfest started in Munich on October 12, 1810 as a public wedding celebration for Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.The success of the event resulted in this becoming an annual celebration combining it with the state agricultural fair. The dates have been moved to September to take advantage of warmer temperatures although it was kind of drizzly the day we visited. 

Because it was Thursday and in the early afternoon, the crowds were not too bad. It doesn’t cost a thing to enter and the number of amusement rides could rival Elitches. Of course there are food booths everywhere but you have to go into a tent and sit at a table to be served a beer. The “tents”  are massive with wood framing that makes you think you are in a permanent building. Each tent is run by traditional Munich breweries. Only Munich brewed Wiesen beer is served. Some tents are rowdier than others. We poked our heads inside one where the party was in full swing and few seats to be had. We ended up going into the Historic section and found a tent which had traditional dancers and band. Your only option for beer is a 1 liter stein with the alcohol content of a six pack of Bud Light. 

Surprisingly, all of our guides said that the traditional food to get there is roast chicken - not bratwurst. Their suggestion was correct because the chicken was terrific. Most locals wear traditional Bavarian clothing which is lederhosen for men and dirndls for women. It was fun to people watch and see all of the different styles. We have later found out that women wear bows strategically on their dirndls to signify if they are married, single, or widowed. Waitresses wear their bow in the back and that signifies “don’t mess with me!” 

Oktoberfest was definitely an event to attend. Such a fun atmosphere enjoyed by all ages. I think we need to attend again and definitely sporting a dirndl and spiffy lederhosen!

The Good and the Bad of Nuremberg

 Wednesday, September 23

Last night we had to pack up again because tomorrow we drive to Passau, Germany from Nuremberg where we docked this morning. We were supposed to have sailed out of the Main River and onto the Danube today but the section of Danube is too low between Nuremberg and Passau.

Nuremberg is the second largest city in the Bavarian state of Germany. This is the first city that we have visited in Germany that was not founded by the Romans. The first recorded date of the city is 1050.

The city is known for the Nazi Rallies that were held here in the 1930’s because Hitler had a fondness for Nuemberg and created large areas for parades and gatherings. The city was bombed heavily in the second part of WWII with 90% of the city destroyed.

Nuremberg is also known for the. Nuremberg Trials held here at the Palace of Justice from 1945-46 were Nazi leaders were prosecuted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. 24 top Nazi leaders were indicted, 12 were sentenced to death with 10 actually hung in Nuremberg.

Don and Gary wanted to find out more about this so they went on the Nuremberg and World War II tour. Karen and I opted for something less dark and went on the Survivng the War: Art in Nuremberg.

About 3 miles of the original wall that surrounded Nuremberg is still standing and we entered in through a gate to the historic part of the city. Inside this area reconstruction of the buildings were done so as to look like it was before the war. Outside of the historic part, we saw many basic looking concrete apartment buildings which were hastily built after the war so that the displaced citizens had a place to live. 

The outside of the churches in the historic area had to be rebuilt but all of the stained glass and art were saved through the guidance of the Nuremberg mayor at the time, Willy Liebel. Saving the art was one of his only good attributes as he was a devout Nazi who implemented anti-Semantic policies.

Art from the churches and other areas in Nuremberg were gathered in the Historischer Kunstbunker which were built underneath the Nuremberg castle in the Middle Ages to store beer. In 1940, Nazi officials under the direction of Liebel, renovated the cellars which have been empty. Since the invention of refrigeration. State of the art heating and ventilation systems were installed to preserve the art which included the Imperial Regalia of the Roman Empire.

Some of the art like the city’s “Beautiful Fountain” was too large to move so they built concrete and brick casing around it to protect it. Some church sculptures were encased in wood and then filled with sand. 

Near the end of the war, mayor Liebel got nervous and had some of his men move the Imperial  Reglia and hid the items in a brick wall. After the war, an American unit called the Monument Men found the bunkers and thanks to the German penchant for keeping meticulous records, returned the art to its owners. The men who hid the Regalia were arrested and one was “convinced” to show them where the treasures were hidden. However, the Monument Men made a mistake according to our Nuremberg guide. It was decreed several years ago that the collection of Regalia should always stay in Nuremberg but it was sent back to Vienna where it was safeguarded for a short time at the beginning of the war until Hitler ordered it to be returned to Nuremberg. This is a sore subject for the people of Nuremberg because Vienna refuses to return it. 

We met up with our husbands for lunch and then finally had time for shopping. Nuremberg is known for its gingerbread which usually they eat only at Christmas but because of the many tourists you can find it all year round. Their tradional gingerbread has no flour and a lot of nuts with spices but surprisingly no ginger. It was delicious!

Not the Excursion We Had Signed Up For

 Tuesday, September 22

Today we didn’t get the excursion that we planned for. Don had been fighting a cold for the last couple of days and it hit him hard last night. The Viking crew was very helpful and later convinced us that he should visit the hospital in Bamberg the next day to “get a shot of vitamins” instead of going on a beer tour. He said I could go on the tour without him but let’s think about that…an American man who isn’t feeling well and who has trouble understanding anyone with an accent, by himself at a German hospital…what could go wrong? Nein! I went with him. 

The program director hailed us a cab and gave instructions to the driver who didn’t speak any English. I thought we both would have more injuries before we got there but we ended up getting there in one piece. Did I mention that where we have been in Germany so far, none of the public signs have English on them. In Italy, many signs have English subtitles and I can kind of figure out words because they are somewhat similiar but this is not so in Germany. “Emergency Room” in German is “Notaufnah me”. Needless to say, my Translator app came in very handy, especially when I was dealing with the payment office. The women in there did not speak English.

Fortunatley, Don’s nurse was very fluent in English and the doctor was pretty good. The ER visit, blood work, x-ray, ultrasound and IV fluids totaled 700 euro. It would probably be at least double that in the states. We think that the Viking Program Director called ahead and emphasized that Don needed on the fast track since we got to the hospital at 2:30pm and needed back at the ship by 5:45pm. Don kept reminding the nurse of that as well. (He may or may not have turned up the drip on his IV.) They perked him up with fluids and all the tests came out good. We were in the cab by 5:20pm and slid into the meeting point exactly at 5:45pm! 

The Klinikum am Bruderwald is a very nice teaching hospital in Bamberg but I don’t think Viking should add it to the excursion list..I guess we need to come back to see Bamberg properly and taste the smoky beer which is this area’s specialty.

P.S. For the record, Don wanted me to add that he didn’t have any problems with understanding the German accents….