Spitz, Austria--My New Favorite Place

 The skies were gray and getting darker as we ate breakfast but the impending rain couldn't erase the beauty of our location. Hillsides full of grape vineyards surrounded us on both sides of the river. This is what Spitz is best known for.

As we ate, we watched a small car ferry struggle against the current from our side to the other with a few cars on it. The ferry seemed to almost go sideways as it worked hard to keep from ending up downstream of the dock area it was aiming for. Later we would learn (and see) that a cable stretched high above the river helped the ferry navigate the river crossing. 

It did rain but not hard, as we walked to the buses that would take us for our morning tour. While I'm not keen on museums, at least we would be indoors and out of the rain. 

A short, very short, drive and we were at the Schiffahrtsmuseum. We walked a short distance to the entrance and were divided into two groups. One group would begin by touring the museum and the other would begin with the wine tasting. Whoa! It wasn't quite ten o'clock yet but it was tasting, not drinking.

We ended up in the tasting group first. There were three white wines all from the same grapes but harvested at different stages of ripeness. I like the way the wine expert who was here learning how wines were made to enhance his knowledge explained it. A green banana has a certain taste and a brown overripe banana another. They still taste like banana but with slight differences. 

The best samples we got however were from the apricots that are also grown in the region. There was an apricot liquor that was very good, an apricot jam that would be tempting to baste a turkey with, and "gummy bears" made from apricots. They were the best. Not as sweet as your candy gummy bears in the stores and a great apricot flavor.

Next we were off to follow our second guide around the museum. He was very knowledgeable of the history of shipping and boating on the Danube. The current is quite strong in places and the boats that carried goods and people were fine going down stream. Long hand held rudders steered the boat.

Going upstream was a whole different ballgame. Depending upon the size of the boat, there could be as many as sixty horses pulling it upstream. Once they reached their end point, the horses would be sent back downstream to do it all again.

There were many models of boats on the Danube from the past. They had an expert model builder who our guide said was actually an architect and did the model building as a hobby. The intricate hand made details were amazing and everyone had a laugh over the fellow depicted at the bow of one model sitting on a makeshift toilet of sorts with of course an instant flush--everything went right through.

Some of the costuming from ages past were displayed. I especially enjoyed the handmade bonnets. The larger ones were for the married women and the smaller for the single younger ladies. I stood for a time and managed to get a general idea of the history of the lady who made the ones in the case. My high school German comes back a little. Frau Huebner would be proud.

The rain had stopped and we opted to walk back to the riverboat. We had planned to do do some walking around the little town but decided to drop our umbrellas off first in the room. The morning rain appeared to have moved out.

The night before at dinner there had been schnitzel but it wasn't very good. On the walk back to the ship, we saw a restaurant that featured schnitzel. We returned, got a seat in the small local establishment and ordered schnitzel with fries. So much better!

It appears that we will be shopping for sweatshirts tomorrow in Passau. Today we had all our layers on and it wasn't quite enough. The temps drop into the 40s F overnight and barely recover past 50. It doesn't look promising for the next week as we head further north.

Vienna, Austria

About six in the morning I felt a big bump as if the ship had hit the dock. I assumed we had arrived in Vienna. When we got up a while later and looked out our window we were greeted by a cement wall. There was a ladder embedded in the side going straight up and joked to Bob that it was going to be our way up to shore. The next time I looked out, the ladder had all but disappeared underwater and we were looking straight out to shore. We had been in a lock the whole time!

While we ate breakfast, our ship arrived in Vienna and we began to make plans for our day. We had not signed up for any excursions because what was offered were things we had already done when we'd visited several years ago during the Christmas markets. This time though the riverboat was not as conveniently located as it had been then so we were a little more challenged--but up to it!

About an eight minute walk from the ship was a metro station and we knew that it wasn't a difficult one to navigate. When we approached the ticket machine, there was a tour leader there from a Viking ship who was helping her guests. She was gracious enough to help us quickly purchase our tickets as well. A round trip anywhere for a senior was only 6 Euros.

The stop for St Stephen's Plaza, a central point of the old town, was only a couple of stops away. Once out of the station, we started walking and soon realized we'd headed the wrong direction. We back tracked a bit and found the familiar St. Stephen's Plaza only minus its colorful market booths that had filled the square at Christmas time.

We stopped inside the cathedral for a few moments and then began to pick and choose what we wanted to see. After a pass by of the House of Mozart, we found The Sacher Torte store was interesting and the cafe attached was hugely busy. It's a special chocolate cake with a chocolate icing. Chocolate on chocolate and more chocolate.

A stop for tea and an upstairs vantage point in the cafe helped us to warm up and people watch. The temps were not expected to get to 60F. While we sipped, we planned to visit a couple more places on my GPS My City tour and then get back for lunch.

One place we had not seen before was the Capuchian Church Imperial Crypt where there are now 145 Hapsburgs interred. The crypt has been around since 1633. The ornate and often huge  sarcophagi seem to go on endlessly. Hapsburgs from the 1600s up to 2023 each have a small plaque telling their accomplishment during rule or their contribution if any to the well-being of their country during their lifetime. 

One of the sarcophagi that had some flowers and drawings placed at it belonged to Empress Elisabeth of Austria (1837-1898). She was born a Bavarian princess and became Empress through marriage to Emperor Franz Joseph I. She was celebrated for her beauty and free spirit. Apparently she was a bit of a rebel when it came to the rigid court life of the Hapsburgs. I need to look further as there was mention of movies made about her.

After the crypt, we walked by the Hofburg Imperial Palace and watched a few horse drawn carriages take people for a ride. From there, we found St. Peter's Church with its large green dome. A stop inside revealed an immensely decorative interior. Too much to take in with only a few minutes to visit.

Retracing our steps to St. Stephen Plaza, we found our way back to the metro and back to the ship.

Lunch, a nap, an early dinner and we're ready for a concert.

Our evening concert, dedicated to Strauss was delightful. It was a short twenty minute ride to an abbey that is over 800 years old. We climbed stairs to the refectory where chairs were set up facing a small platform stage for the instrumentalists and performers.

Two violins, a bass, a cello, a piano and a flute made up the musical features. There were two sopranos who sang a couple of arias from Der Fledermaus and a couple who exhibited the wonderful grace of a waltz done well. There were light hearted moments and sweet beautiful music and a light refreshment break in the middle. Everyone was delighted.

Cruising The Danube - Oh, The Food!

Our morning on the last day of the cruise was spent visiting the Schonbrunn Palace Zoo (or the Vienna Zoo--whichever you want to call it). While the sun kept peeking out from between the clouds, it was still chilly, enough to want a bowl of soup. On our earlier trip to the Schonbrunn Palace Christmas Market I had seen soup in a bread bowl. It was a good reason to return.

For a carbohydrate "addict" a bowl of bread sounded perfect. Add to it a potato soup that was delicious and all was heavenly. To my surprise the bowl did not leak. Instead the soup kind of soaked into it a bit but not so much to make it real soggy. The stand where we purchased them offered real tablespoons to eat it with and we walked a little bit away to a table to stand and eat it.

Just a note: There were no tables with chairs at the markets. The tables were all chest high except for a few just a bit shorter for kids. So if you are person who needs to sit a spell after a long walk around the market, you need to be prepared to go into a cafe.

We pretty much cleaned up our bread bowl of soup and felt more than satisfied. We returned the spoons and I wondered how well that kind of trust would work back home. Would people return them or throw them out with their trash?

It was still early afternoon but we had packing to do and one more excursion in the evening so we headed back on the subway. Later, all bags packed and stored with just enough clothes left out to get us through our dinner excursion and the morning trip to the airport, we relaxed with some coffee and tried to refrain from eating anything with it. Coming up was a Michelin dinner (no it's not at a tire store) that we didn't want to spoil.

That evening, four buses awaited our departure for four different Michelin star restaurants in the city.
We had our choice and had picked the one we thought from the menu we would enjoy the most. We had no idea what to expect. We'd never eaten at a Michelin restaurant--at least not that we knew of.
So what's the deal with Michelin stars?

To my surprise, the Michelin stars awarded restaurants do have something to do with tires. The Michelin tire company (yes, the one with the Michelin man) is based in France. Not only known for its tires, it also publishes travel guides and road maps. It all began in 1900, just 11 years after brothers, Andre and Eduord, started their tire business. They were clever fellows. They figured if they encouraged people to drive more, they would need to buy more tires as they wore the old ones out.

Their guides expanded to include most of Europe and their one star rating rose to three stars. One star is superb, a second star is greater and the third means it's a destination place to go to dine. The inspectors, chefs themselves, who travel to the restaurants to rate them are trained and remain anonymous (for obvious reasons). They may return several times to be sure the quality of the chef's product is award winning. And it is mostly about the chef and how he/she chooses ingredients, creates his dishes and presents them.

While the chef is important, it is the restaurant that gains the star/s. You can lose your stars if the quality drops. And your restaurant does not need to be fancy. There is a three star establishment that serves from a wooden counter at a car park.

Our restaurant, Le Ceil, was no car park. It was on the top floor of the Grand Hotel Wein which in itself was quite a place to visit and see. Beautiful chandeliers. Exquisite decorations. Charm and beauty. The restaurant was the finishing touch.

White table cloths, candles, polished silverware, elegant centerpieces, glassware and dinnerware gave the evening a special atmosphere. White gloved waiters poured water and drinks and brought us each course on the menu all while a pianist played on a grand piano near us. Each dish was presented artfully on the plate and was absolutely delicious. Ours was a set menu and I thought that was just because of our large group but according to their menu online, you can also order a dinner that way.

It was quite an experience to end our cruise on. The next morning would find us on a plane heading for warmer weather and a few days of laundry, grandkids, and warming up for our Caribbean adventure.

Cruising The Danube - Back To Vienna

Through the night our the Crystal Mozart returned to Vienna. We would have one more day and night to enjoy our adventure before leaving with our memories and pictures. The excursions for the day did not appeal to us--partly because they involved museums and a lot of history and partly because we were ready to be off on our own for a change.

The weather had warmed a bit and there was even the promise of a bit of sunshine so we decided to return to the Schonbrunn Palace and the zoo that is there. Besides that, I wanted to go back and try the soup in a bread bowl we had seen there.

Bob and I set off for the subway and found our way back to the palace. We purchased our tickets and set off in the direction we thought the zoo was. We were sort of right but hadn't realized it would be such a walk.

The zoo sits way back almost at the end of the garden area. While it was quite a walk, it also gave us a chance to take a look at the garden that we hadn't seen on our first visit.

Except for a few small groups of school kids and some other tourists, the zoo was pretty empty. What we didn't know though was how large it was. It was called the Imperial Zoo and since I knew it was originally begun by Emperor Franz I Stephen, I just thought it would be a small kind of private zoo. At least that's how it started.

In 1752, there were enclosures built around what would be a central pavilion and they held thirteen animals. Since then the zoo has expanded and expanded. The central pavilion and the circle of enclosures (now with bars instead of walls) are still there but the zoo radiates out from there.

The menagerie became a zoological garden in the late 1800s. In 1914, it held 3,470 animals, the most it would ever have. Of the 500 or so animals they have now, there were several that we definitely wanted to see before we left.

Our polar bear back home had died a couple of years ago of old age. I was eager to see a polar bear again. There were two in a wonderful exhibit that was several levels which allowed you to see them from above, at eye level and below the water level. The bears were very playful and we enjoyed them at all the levels.

The hippopotamus at our zoo was also gone so we enjoyed seeing several of them even though they were indoors and not in the water.

Then we happened upon the rain forest exhibit. It was quite different from ours but we enjoyed the warmth, shedding our coats for a bit. We found one spot that had a sign of someone with a finger up to their lips indicating that we had to be quiet when we entered. What it didn't say was that it was completely dark--or at least dark enough that it took a long time for eyes to adjust. We went through all the flaps that were hanging and hoped for a little light to see where we were going. There was just enough to see that there were things flying through the air just above our heads--bats! We hustled!!

It took us a while to find the other animal we were looking for but we finally did and spent some time watching one panda sleep and the other sit and eat his bamboo shoots. We hadn't seen pandas since our trip to China in 2003. Obviously it didn't matter too much which part of the world they were in, they didn't do a lot of moving but did do a lot of eating.

All in all it was a great adventure and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Cruising The Danube - Krems, Austria

City Gate

After a morning of cruising along the Danube, we arrived at Krems, Austria. It was already mid-afternoon and with the winter days, the sun was already getting lower in the sky. Our guide for our tour of Krems and the Christmas Market was very energetic. She was a little difficult to keep up with at times.

Being Sunday, a lot of the places in town were closed and while it was a quaint area, it didn't offer a lot to do that day. She did manage to get us into a gift shop that was open. Other than giving the merchant a chance to make some money, I have no idea why we were there. Perhaps the building had some history but it wasn't evident.

We visited another church. Maybe I'm a bit worn out on churches but after a while they begin to look alike. As we entered, the guide began fumbling in her purse and then apologized for not having remembered her two Euro coins for the box that would turn the lights on.

Bob reached in his pocket and pulled out two one Euro coins and she gave him a big smile. "Your sins will surely be forgiven," she said with a chuckle. He got a lot of slaps on the back from fellow passengers who congratulated him on being set free from sin.

The church was beautiful and ornate. Lots of gold accents and a lovely organ in the loft overhead. My interest was waning however and I was getting cold and tired. When we were told we were going to see another church that was set up on a hill I shrugged and started up a long set of stairs that was to take us to the door.

"We don't have to do this you know," said Bob as he put a hand on my arm to stop me.

"You're right," I said. "Thank you."

We turned around and went down the few steps we'd taken and found our way back to where the bus had dropped us off. The small Christmas Market was right there but most of the booths were closed. A couple had some warm drinks and we indulged. The best part was a booth that held a group of instrumentalists who were paying Christmas music. As I looked around, it seemed we had become a part of the neighborhood. Everyone smiling with Christmas cheer and friendliness.  It didn't even bother me when a few snow flakes fell.

Cruising The Danube - Cruise Morning

My idea of river cruising was always sitting on the boat and watching the scenery go by. That doesn't happen a lot as much of the movement on the river is done at night. There were a couple of times however where we could spend a bit of time watching as our boat made its way along the Danube. One such morning came between Passau, Germany, and Krems, Austria.

There was a beautiful sunrise to begin the day and the sun stayed with us for most of the morning's journey. We sat in the forward lounge and sipped coffee and watched villages and farms and churches pass by.

Lock near Hofamt Priel

Along the way we went through several locks which are always interesting to experience. I think the river locks are more fun than even the Panama Canal locks--although the history and the size of the Panama Canal locks certainly make them a bit more spectacular. It is a thrill to see the boat either raise or lower to the level of the river as you circumvent the dams. The gates to the lock open and you see the river ahead and continue on your journey.

Lock near Persenberg-Gottsdorf

About mid-morning, there was a Crystal Society Party in the lounge (can you tell we never moved from the lounge?) We were in the top three for number of days cruising with Crystal Cruises. That 108 day world cruise gave us quite a boost--and probably the upgrade.

I love how my iPhone labels my pictures. It makes it so much easier to tell where they were taken. I have wished for that for a long time. This trip I had left my camera behind. I was glad I did. My phone took great pictures and with the labels I can tell now where the picture was taken even though I am writing this weeks after the journey. I will label some of the pictures we took as we cruised that morning.

Seeing the beauty of the landscape along the Danube makes it tempting to take the trip again--only in warmer weather.

Ybbs an der Donau

Weissenkirchen in der Wachau

Cruising The Danube – The Mauthausen Concentration Camp

Chances are we may never make the trip to Auschwitz so when the opportunity arose to take an excursion to another concentration camp, we took it. I’ve always been touched deeply by the Holocaust and what it unleashed in the world. The trip to Mauthausen was another reminder and an opportunity to pray that the hatred in the world and the quest for power would be replaced with the peace and love for one another that God intended.

The sun was shining brightly when we drove through the countryside to just outside a small town where the camp was built. It was actually referred to as a labor camp as those who were brought there (men mostly followed by a few women as the years went on) were forced to work in the large granite quarry where the camp was built.

Mauthausen survived the years after the war much better than some of the other camps as it was built from the stones dug from the quarry and carried on the backs of the prisoners. We left our bus and walked to the entrance where the officers cars would enter and leave. There was a large swimming pool there and our guide told us that the officers’ families would enjoy the pool while just on the other side of the fence people were dying from the conditions in the camp.

Walking some steps up from the garage area, we found ourselves standing in front of the entry gate. That was the first thing the new prisoners would see as they were led up by foot from the village road below. Looking through the gate as our guide spoke, I could imagine prisoners lined up in the parade area between the barracks before us, shivering from the cold or oppressed by the heat of the day.

Our guide walked us through one of the three original barracks that have survived. I believe there were at least 20 that housed prisoners and at one point they were so full that a group were put in an open area outside or made to work 24/7 because there was no place for them to rest.

The buildings across from the barracks were used as a kitchen and a “medical building” among other things. The medical building was where prisoners who could no longer work or make it up the “steps of death” (186 steps that led up out of the quarry) with their hundred pound quarry rocks on their back were taken. There was no return from the medical building. At first those prisoners were sent to camps where their was a gas chamber or they were killed by lethal injection. Eventually Mauthausen got their own small gas chamber and crematorium to take care of their own.

We were left on our own to explore the museum buildings that contained pictures and memorabilia from the camp. There were too many stories to read in the time we had but one that was outstanding was a good one.

One survivor of the camp was given a bicycle by nuns in Linz. He did not want to wait for everything to be organized for his return to his home in Poland. Together with two other survivors, they set off with the bicycle on the long journey home. He kept the bicycle until the end of his life as a memento of his trip and it was eventually donated to the museum.

Prisoners wore labels on their striped clothing and were classified as Political, Professional Criminal, Emigrant, Jehovah’s Witness, Homosexual and Antisocial. There were also special markings for the Jews (star of David), Poles and Czechs and other small groups of prisoners categorized in various ways.

The business of the camp was to send the granite mined from the quarries up the river from there to where they would be made suitable for sale to construct buildings and such. Basically the camp was economically successful and lined the pockets of some of those in power.

Someone asked the question of our guide about what the village of Mauthausen thought was going on here. While he said it was not an excuse, he asked us to put ourselves in the shoes of those in the village at the time. Most of the men were off fighting in the war which left women at home trying to feed children. When the soldiers demanded food for the camp there was little they could do to refuse. They needed to provide for and protect their children. Thought provoking at the least.

Our group eventually returned to the bus as the sky was getting dusky in the early winter evening. One more stop was in store though before returning to the Crystal Mozart and our beautiful accommodations. We stopped at the quarry.

As we stood looking at the 186 Steps of Death that led up and out of the quarry and to the camp, our guide told us how he leads a tour of teens from the high schools who come as part of their education. He first takes them to the quarry and has them climb the steps to the camp. As kids do, he says they start out heartily challenging each other to be first to the top. The further they go, the harder it is, until they reach the top winded and tired and usually ready to listen. That is when he begins the story of how a prisoner with little food in his belly, a cramped space to share with three or four other prisoners in a bed, and with thin clothing that did not protect from the heat or cold would make that climb several times a day and with a huge rock on his back. To stumble and fall could mean a death sentence.

The ride back to the boat was a bit quieter. 

Cruising The Danube – Linz, Austria

It was an early arrival in Linz. The Crystal Mozart had cruised through the night. I remember awaking a few times and I wonder if it was the times we may have gone through a lock. We would see several of those during the day when we cruised in the daylight hours.

The options for Linz excursions all were for long full day excursions. We’ve been to Salzburg several times (in warmer weather) and were not intrigued by seeing more countryside and Christmas markets on a day long bus ride. The excursion to Cesky Krumlov in the Czech Republic was tempting but I really want to go to Prague where my family roots are so, weather considerations and all, we decided to stay in Linz and explore.

We walked into town and around the square area where a Christmas market was not yet open. Feeling adventurous and not too cold yet, we walked down the main street and explored a couple of churches as well as a shopping mall where we warmed up a bit.

When we returned to the square, the markets were opening and we enjoyed looking around them. We weren’t terribly chilled through yet so we decided to take a ride up Postlingberg, the mountain with an overlooking view of the city. There is a tram that goes up a steep side of the mountain but we opted for a train ride instead. There were more stops and we got to see a little more as we enjoyed the ride.

There wasn’t much at the top considering the season. A souvenir shop and a small cafe looked closed. We found the church open though and peeked inside. Outside we enjoyed a view of the city and then went back to the station to wait for our ride down. We were getting hungry and cold.

Back at the Crystal Mozart we ate a nice lunch and then opted to spend the afternoon watching Christmas movies in our beautiful suite that we had been given as an upgrade. It was snowing outside by then and so it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

That evening we went to dinner alone as Bob’s brother texted him that he didn’t know when they would arrive. The roads had turned icy and their return trip from Salzburg was going to take longer than planned. They did make it back safely and in time for dinner and the wonderful Gracia Trio, three lovely talented ladies from Hungary who made beautiful music with their violins. 

Cruising The Danube – Melk, Austria

The Crystal Mozart spent part of the morning finishing its journey to Melk, Austria. Had it been at least 40 degrees warmer, it would have been a nice ride on the top deck viewing the passing countryside. We sat in the forward lounge with a cup of coffee and enjoyed the view in warm quarters.

Our arrival was just before lunch and our scheduled excursion was to be just after. We enjoyed another wonderful meal in the Waterside Restaurant on board and then bundled up for our trip to Melk Abbey. It was a cloudy, cold and windy day again. Our hope was to get indoors as quickly as possible.

Our bus made the climb to the Abbey which overlooks the town of Melk. It was a beautiful view but we didn’t stop long to admire it. Our group hurried along behind our tour guide to a spot just inside the courtyard of the Abbey where he explained to us some of the background of the amazing structure.

The Abbey was built between 1701-1736 upon the foundation of a medieval monastery. It now houses a private school for boys and girls. Our guide for the tour inside the Abbey was a young man who had been a student there and was now studying at a university. He was quite personable and did a wonderful job giving us background and history and a few personal stories.

The library is one of the most spectacular features of the Abbey. The main hall we visited has over 16,000 volumes but there are over 100,000 more books in 12 other rooms not open to the public. It is still an active research library. The ceiling is a fresco by Paul Troger. It was amazing in that it was painted to appear to be curves and yet it was flat. You had to really look hard to see where the wall met the ceiling at an angle.

Of course the other spectacular area of the Abbey was the church. To get to it we walked along a curved terrace that overlooks the town as well as the Danube below it. Cold as it was, we still lingered a bit for pictures as well as just admiration for the view.

Inside the church is another breathtaking ceiling by Troger as well as many other designs by several other artists of note. It is truly impressive.

There was an option to go into town but we opted to head back to the boat to get warm. We would learn as we went that churches and cathedrals are not heated. While Bob went to a lecture on the Austro-Hungarian Empire, I curled up in a blanket and tried to warm up. Yup, you guessed it. I napped.

Cruising The Danube – Concert At The Belvedere Palace

An afternoon walking tour was on our agenda after settling in to the new upgraded suite aboard the Mozart. A bus took us into the old historic area and we saw many of the same buildings we’d seen while on our three day pre-cruise visit only now we were able to have a name to put to the buildings. We walked past the Belvedere Palace that was to be the site of our concert after dinner the next day. 

Then we spent a lovely evening being entertained and dined on board our wonderful riverboat.

The four of us had agreed we’d had all the Vienna Christmas markets we wanted to see so we passed on the tours that were included on that day and my sister-in-law and I spent the day reading and getting nails done while the boys decided they really wanted to get a special sausage sandwich they’d seen near St. Stephen’s Cathedral. The sandwich was made first with a large roll that was threaded down a long spiked metal rube that was heated and toasted the inside of the roll. Then they put a sausage down through the center along with any condiments like sauerkraut and mustard that you might want. They had a great time getting there and back and enjoyed their lunch.

Crystal is always planning special events for their cruisers and the concert at the Belvedere Palace was no exception. The buses lined up after dinner and took most, if not all, to the Belvedere Palace. We enjoyed a welcome with liquid refreshments and then a tour of the art gallery where the famous painting, The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, is displayed. There are several other works of art that are significant but this one is kin to the Lady In Gold which was the center of quite a lawsuit to get it returned to its original owner family who were Jews during the Hitler regime when artworks owned by Jews were confiscated.

After our guided tour through the gallery, we were led into the Marble Hall and found a seat. I was in awe looking around. Huge crystal chandeliers that we had only seen through the windows as we had toured the grounds now hung above us shimmering with light. The ceiling was an amazing piece of art topping off beautiful moldings and walls of wood and perhaps marble. I never got close enough to decide if it was faux and just painted to look like marble. Soon the Schloss Schoenbrunn Orchestra of Vienna entered followed by the conductor and the music began.

There were of course several pieces from Mozart and Strauss and the orchestra was joined by the Ballet Club Wiener Volksoper. (Loosely translated, it was the Vienna Ballet and Opera). Two dancers and two opera singer performed a few pieces and it all blended into quite an evening of entertainment. I was impressed with their acknowledgement that not all in the audience might be fans of classical music so it was lightened with a little humor. Much appreciated and applauded.

 After our return our riverboat began its passage on the Danube. Next stop would be Melk, Austria.

Cruising The Danube - The Crystal Mozart

The three days on our own in Vienna ended and we checked out of the motel and made our way to the riverboat. We hired an Uber who got us to the river but the address that Crystal Cruises had given us was a restaurant. What we didn’t realize was that the boat was on the river on the other side of the restaurant.

Our driver, whose English was a bit confusing, had no idea where to go. We spotted some Crystal tour buses parked a bit down the road and we had him drop us off there. Once over the other side of the levee, we could see the riverboat. It was a bit of a trek with us dragging luggage (thank goodness for wheeled bags). When we arrived, we were greeted by staff who asked if we’d walked. When we said Uber, they chuckled. “None of them know how to get here. Just the taxis.”

But all was well. We were at our destination and were ready to settle in for ten days. We were shown to our room which was ready however Bob’s brother and sister-in-law had to wait a bit for theirs. The room was on the small side but expected and we had a window with a view of the dock wall just above the water level. It was a nice room and we went about unpacking our things and settling in. We had no sooner finished when we received a call from the front desk that the hotel manager would like to speak to us.

Like two chastised kids wondering what we’d done to be called to the principal’s office, we walked up to the reception desk. We were greeted by a charming lady who introduced herself and said that we had been given an upgrade to a penthouse suite. (The boat only had three decks plus the top sundeck so I wondered what that could mean.) She took us around the corner and opened a door to a much larger room with a double sink bathroom, shower and tub, a walk-in closet and a French balcony (sliding glass doors that open to the outside but with no place to sit). It was beautiful.

“So,” she asked, “If it is acceptable you may have it.”

Acceptable?! I had a hard time keeping my feet from jumping up and down. “Oh, we would never turn down a lovely gift like this,” I said hoping that I sounded sophisticated and polite and I wasn’t salivating as I said it. “We just finished unpacking though.”

“No problem,” she said. “The butler will move your things.”

Oh, no he won’t, I thought. I hate the thought of someone else touching my more personal items. We agreed that we would pack the things from the drawers and bathroom back into the suitcases and then they would move the things on hangers for us. After lunch we made the move. We wondered if our travel companions had been moved to the old room but it turned out there was a single lady who didn’t like the room she had who was moved into the one we vacated.

This trip was getting better already. Wow!

Oh, and the rest of the riverboat was beautiful with a nice restaurant, café and lounge where we enjoyed music before and after dinner as well as several special performances from local entertainers. The boat was also decorated extensively for Christmas and the holidays. Again, all was beautiful and certainly beyond our expectations even for Crystal. By the way, I think our World Cruise gave us the upgrade. It turned out we were the third longest experienced cruisers with Crystal aboard the Mozart.