Danube Cruise Day 6

15th October

Up early for a coach trip around the sights of Vienna at 9.00 am, beautiful sunny weather again, lucky all week.  Massive five to six story attractive buildings all over the old part of town and all kept in excellent condition. Lots of churches, university and parliament buildings to see and a closer look when we had a walking tour around the city. We stopped for lunch in one of the busy cafes and tried some strudel before going back to the ship at 12.15 for lunch, which was an option or to stay out for the afternoon.  I'd seen enough churches etc to last me for a good while and couldn't taken in anymore information!  

After dinner we were treated to a one hour recital by a string quartet playing Mozart and Strauss. We left our berth at 11.00pm heading back to Budapest for an early morning arrival.

 Pre- breakfast shot from our berth - several high rise buildings

 Trams again

 Entrance to the Riding School

 Too many people!

Danube Cruise Day 5

Sat. 14th October

An early start this morning as we had arrived in Linz and coaches were waiting for us at 8.30.am to take us to Salzburg, a two and a half hour trip. Beautiful clean countryside, no birds seen though, not even a wood pigeon but there were a few crows and magpies. We arrived at 11.00 and were taken on a one and a half hour walking tour hearing all about Mozart etc.. Following that we had two and a half hours to wander on our own then back to the coach at 3.30 and back to the ship.

 The Paddlock Bridge, symbols of everlasting love, keys thrown into the river, mind you some had combination locks 'just in case'!

Trams very popular

Left Linz at 6.00pm and about turned back down river back towards Budapest. A lot of heavy industry at Linz, it would appear most of their material and perhaps comes upriver.

Huge mounds of spoil

  Motored overnight arriving at dawn at the next stop Vienna.

Danube Cruise Day 4

13th October

After breakfast we went ashore and free time to wander around the little village of Durnstein, also the place where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned.

 Leaving ship to explore Durnstein for a couple of hours

 Path leading to the village and church

 Church entrance - 3 euro entrance, manned by an Englishman who now lives there

 Confessionals at the entrance

Full skeleton within the glass case

 Xmas shop

A stroll back through the village to the ship ready to leave our berth at 11.30 to continue the cruise up through the beautiful Wachau Valley to our next stop at Melk.

The castle at the top of the hill

Out on the top deck as we left Durnstein and cruised through the beautiful Wachau Valley to Melk

 A couple of small towns on route

A few small dwellings on route

We arrived at Melk at 2.30 and boarded coaches for the short trip up to the monastery for another led tour.  Information overload was the problem plus the interiors were plain and quite boring nothing like that lovely gem of a church at Durnstein.

 No photos allowed inside not that I would have taken any!

A lot of Japanese types there as at all the sites and cities.

At last back on board by 6.30 and shower and change for another four course dinner followed by an awful performance/show by the crew. Some people loved it, laughing their heads off but not me!

Off to bed at 11.00 cruised over night to Linz.