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European Vacation
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By: Graham Simmons, Issue 35 – Winter 2008
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(MS Amadagio Cruise the Danube River – Budapest, Hungry to Nuremburg, Germany)
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LIKE JEWELS ON A EUROPEAN CROWN, THE DANUBE’S ELEGANT OLD CITIES FLOAT INTO VIEW ON THIS LUXURY CRUISE.
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When the Romanian philosopher Andrei Pleflu said that “Europe is not designed for speed”, he may well have had the Danube River in mind. From the North Sea to the Black Sea, this river spans two continents, joining Europe with Asia. But how do you describe a transcontinental river? What is its flow like? Is it muddy? Turbulent? Clear? Tranquil? Lazy? Playful? And what about the quality of the light? Is it feeble, glaring or reflective? And the mist: and the fog? Do they enhance or do they shroud the light? These are just a few of the questions that came to mind, when I was privileged to join a cruise from Budapest to Nuremburg along the Danube River, Europe’s second longest waterway (after the Volga, in Russia).
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The vessel is the stately MS Amadagio, possibly the most luxurious ship on the Danube, built in Amsterdam in 2006 and with state-of-the-art in-cabin facilities. But as we passengers were to find out, the river has an agenda of its own.
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“The Danube is an old Taoist master, and along its banks it gives lessons on the great Wheel and the gaps between its spokes,” says Claudio Magris in his path-breaking book Danube. “Ever since The Song of the Niebelungen, the Rhine and the Danube have confronted and challenged each other,” says Magris. “The Rhine is Siegried, symbol of Germanic virtue and purity. The Danube is Pannonia, the kingdom of Attila – the eastern, Asiatic tide.”
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Like many other passengers, I arrived in Budapest a few days early, to explore a little of ‘Attila’s kingdom’. The wide Danube River divides the fascinating twin cities of Buda and Pest, just as it once separated the Romans from invading Turkish tribes. An hour by rail north of Budapest, the giant Basilica of Esztergom keeps watch over the Danube. In the late Autumn, the surrounding countryside could have leapt off a watercolour painter’s easel, as yellow and red leaves turn burnt ochre, and other trees look as though every branch is aflame. The Danube Museum in Esztergom is also well worth a visit.
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The MS Amadagio, moored on the Danube in Budapest, has a striking presence. The ship, 110 metres long and 12 metres wide, boasts an observation deck with a tower that can be lowered to pass under low bridges. “We’re sorry that your in-cabin Internet may not work when the tower is down,” says the Captain. It sounds like a small price to pay. Our ship sets sail from Budapest, passing under the brilliantly floodlit Margaret Bridge.
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Sailing down the Danube at a gentle pace of about nine kilometres an hour might not be a world-beating speed, but certainly makes for pleasant cruising. Creature comforts aboard the Amadagio are extraordinary, with four-course gourmet meals (including complimentary wines) served in the one-sitting dining room by a jovial crew of Romanian, Bulgarian and Hungarian waiters. After dinner, the on-board entertainment is excellent and varied – from Gypsy violinists to a capella choir, with none of the ‘dumbing down’ for naive foreign guests that might be expected.
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A stop in the Slovakian capital Bratislava is an excuse for a brisk walk. Bratislava is a splendid old city, something like a mini-Prague without the pressure. In the old town, we pass a bank that happens to double as a coffee shop. “What a great idea!” says Steve, a passenger from the USA. “I might move my account over here.”
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From Bratislava it is only a hop, step and very small jump to Vienna. Our ship moors some distance from the centre of the city and we travel into town on a bus, returning on the excellent underground railway (U-Bahn). The underground is also excellent for getting around town and taking in the sights of the city. Near Schönnbrunn station, Schönnbrunn Palace is on most visitors’ agenda. But for many, a better reason to visit the suburb of Schönbrunn is its outstanding new Technical Museum, on six levels. And what else is new in Vienna? I put this question to Jan Bryde, our shipboard Cruise Director and a long-time resident of Vienna. “New? In Vienna? You gotta be joking!” was his reply. But while not much may be new in Vienna, there is at least one cool part of town – namely the bars in the little alleyways to the northwest of Schwedenplatz underground station. In Rabensteigstrasse and Seitenstettengasse, a dozen or more excellent pubs provide lively action. Check out the fast-‘n-furious action of Krah Krah.
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Outside the peak tourist months of July to September, the little Danube village of Durnstein is as sleepy as they come. “There is only one policeman here for a population of 700,” says local Elisabeth Alscher-bruck. “And he usually sleeps all day.” But Durnstein makes a great stopover. The Baroque church in the subtlest shades of pastel blue and white dominates the village nearly as much as does the Danube. “Our kids here learn to swim before they can walk,” says Alscher-bruck. “It would be so easy to fall into the Danube when it’s in flood and drown.”
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Further along the Danube – it happens to be a bleak day in the little village of Melk – a visit to Melk Abbey is a must. We are following in the footsteps of some illustrious visitors including Mozart, Napoleon and most recently (in September 2007) the Dalai Lama, who all come to marvel at the masterpieces of Baroque art works on display. The city of Linz, with its fine new Bruckner Concert Hall, is the gateway to some of the most scenic stretches of the Danube, as the Amadagio traverses the famous Schlögener Schlinge S-bend. Tall cliffs above the ravine threaten to careen down into the river. Then a quieter scene ensues, as we pass the attractive marina at the little village of Haibach an der Donau.
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Passau, where three rivers meet (the Danube, Inn and Ilz) marks the place where the Danube first enters Germany. Overlooking the river is the old Peschl Brewery, founded in the 14th century. “It’s wonderful on the terrace bar underneath the old brewery in Summertime,” says Christa Scheibner-Könister, who has lived in the city for over 40 years. “With a big stein of beer, you can sit and watch all the ships going up and down the Danube.”
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But this is not Summer. The weather in Regensburg – out-of-season blizzards – is not exactly inviting. Despite the city being the Danube’s biggest riverport, even the Danube Shipping Museum is closed. So there is little to do except take in some of the city’s splendid sights – including the old Spital brew-pub, housed in St Katherine’s Hospital.
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Sadly, we are about to leave the Danube, via the engineering marvel the Danube-Main Canal, which will raise and lower the ship over the ‘continental divide’. Charlemagne first tried to build this canal back in 793 AD. Work on the modern canal started in 1921, but it was not until 70-odd years later that it was eventually opened, at a cost of over v3 billion.
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On the other side of the continental divide, you can either chill out or be thoroughly chilled by Nuremberg. The city’s Nazi past is highlighted by a no-holdsbarred tour that takes in the sites of Hitler’s infamous party rallies of 1933. Off Yitzhak Rabin Street, the new Documentation Centre of the Nazi Party Rally Grounds is a sobering monument.
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So far, the MS Amadagio has performed flawlessly. But luxury does have its downside. Past Nuremburg, the ship comes to an impassable barrier in the city of Würzburg. Even with its tower lowered, the Amadagio is so luxuriously tall that due to swollen river levels it can’t get under one of the city’s low stone bridges. The ship’s final destination, Amsterdam, suddenly seems very far away indeed. Eventually, passengers are bussed to Amsterdam – just in time for a canal cruise. The canals of Amsterdam are 80 per cent fed by Danube-Main-Rhine water, so our trip is at a fitting end. The Rederij d’Amstel canal boat may not be as luxurious as the Amadagio – but at least it gets under Amsterdam’s bridges without difficulty!
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So… if you get to take a trip on the Amadagio, may the water levels be down and the ship’s tower riding high.
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Details:
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Tours aboard the MS Amadagio are organised by Australian Pacific Touring
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