The Cat and Mouse Castles of the Rhine

The Cat and Mouse Castles of the Rhine

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Whenever I get stumped about what to write in our weekly blog, I somehow always think about castles.  So today’s blog is about two feuding castles.

The two Rhine River castles, Burg Katz and the smaller Burg Maus got their name from two feuding lords in the late 1300’s.  Their different size and proximity to each other makes them a special part of the lore of the over 40 castles in the Rhine River Gorge.

To understand the rivalry of these two castles, many of these castles were constructed on this stretch of the Rhine by competing factions trying to gain more wealth and power.  Burg Katz, across the river from Rheinfels castle, was built by to support Rheinfels fortress, while Burg Maus was built by the Electorate of Trier (one of the 7 voters for the selection of the Holy Roman Emperor) near Katz castle to undermine its’ power by also collecting tolls from the river merchants.

Burg Katz was built in 1371 to collect tolls on the Rhine River.  The official name of the castle that overlooks the village town of St. Goarshausen is “Neukatzenellbogen”. 

Here are some photos of Burg Katz, all taken by Anne:

The castle was built by the Counts of Katzenelnbogen, so it is easy to see how the name was shortened by locals to Burg Katz.

In 1626, the castle was besieged by the Electorate of Cologne and while courageously defended by 10 cannons and 80 soldiers, surrendered after 5 weeks when they ran out of ammunition.  The 7 electors of the Holy Roman Empire were constantly trying to increase their power and ranking among the 7 Electors, so armed conflict was just one means of getting more power.

France always feared a strong Germany, and they invaded this region in an effort to assert its superiority and dominance of the small, un-unified German kingdoms.  Both Germany and France wanted control of the Rhine River.  This important transportation river soon became an area of international conflict.

The next siege came in 1692 by the French.  The castle survived other attacks until in 1806 it was ordered blown up by Napoleon.

By 1770 it was in total decay.  It has been restored and now is used for a holiday center for German financial authorities.  Burg Katz is closed to the public.

Burg Maus (officially Thurnberg Castle) is much smaller than Burg Katz but is higher on the hillside and looks like to me, taunting the larger Katz Castle to come and get me.

Here are some photos of Burg Maus taken by Anne:

The Map shows how close these two castles are.

It overlooks Wellmick village and construction began on this castle around 1356.  The castle has a massive shield wall, and the keep (highest tower) is part of this wall.  Directly opposite this smaller castle is Rheinfels Castle.

Burg Maus was built to secure the borders of Trier against the Counts of Katzenelenbogen’s territory and to collect tolls.  Burg Maus was never destroyed. 

 Today it is used as a falcon training center and is open for visits.

Our Final Thoughts

A lot of Europe history is about conflict, and power.  In these 2 castles, it is a microcosm of these conflicts.  We hope you enjoyed this report and learned something interesting about these 2 castles.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

French River Cruises

French River Cruises

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

There are 3 distinct rivers in France that provide exceptional river cruising opportunities.  These rivers are the Seine, the Rhône and Saône, and the Garonne. 

The Seine, a slow flowing river, is 485 miles long, is the longest navigable river in France, and empties into the English Channel. 

The Rhône and Saône link northern and central France from the Burgundy region to the Provence Region and finishes off into the Mediterranean Sea. 

The Bordeaux region cruise consists of 3 rivers—the Dordogne ,the Garonne, and the Gironde (actually Europe’s largest estuary) and is in the southwestern part of France. 

You can sail from 7-days to 22-days by combining these 3 river routes which provides you a great opportunity to see a lot of France easily and adding a pre or post land extensions will make it a fabulous vacation.

So, let’s learn a little about some of the sights and reasons to take one of these 3 French cruises.

Seine

The Seine is usually a 7-day round trip cruise into Normandy, often starting and ending in Paris but some lines now offer a Paris to Honfleur one way option, with a return in the opposite direction.  

A Seine 7-day Cruise Map from AmaWaterways

The cruise highlights are Monet's village of Giverny, the harbor town of Honfleur, Rouen, the historic capital of Normandy and the spot where Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431 (also of special note is the 700 restored half-timber buildings in the old quarter), as well as a chance to visit the medieval towns along this scenic route and see some of the most important sites of D-Day at the Normandy beaches area. 

Omaha Beach Statue

Various lines have some visits to the Château of Versailles, and Le Harve with land extensions in St. Malo and Mont St. Michel.

Hall of Mirrors Versailles

Versailles Gardens

Mont St. Michel Photo Anne Schrader

This is a gentle voyage along farmland and meadows, historic towns, and good food such as brie and camembert cheeses, Calvados (apple brandy) and Normandy cider. 

If you like history such as the 100 Years War between England and France, want to learn more about the largest amphibious landing in history at the D Day beaches, and like impressionist paintings, this is the cruise for you.

Rhône and Saône Cruises

Route Map of a Rhone and Saone from AmaWaterways

The Rhône—most of these cruises go from Lyon to Arles (or the reverse).  Starting in Lyon, the gastronomical capital of France, you cruise through France's legendary wine growing regions of Beaujolais and Cote du Rhone, observe medieval villages in the Provence region of France; then on to the Papal town of Avignon and finish in Arles, where Vincent Van Gough spent much of his time. 

The cruise then changes direction from Arles to Lyon for the next 7-day cruise.  You will sample great wines, visit Roman ruins, and learn about the cuisine of Provence, among stunning scenery—fields of purple lavender, yellow sunflowers, and vineyards.  We have sailed on this route several times and each time it was awesome—we are ready to return anytime. 

Some of the highlight ports are:

Lyon, France’s gastronomic capital.  It was founded by the Romans in 43 BC, on the junction of the Rhône and Saône Rivers and is a showcase of medieval and Renaissance architecture.

Old Town Lyon

Lyon

Lyon

Tournon, a medieval treasure with a fascinating 16th-century castle.

Tournon Castle at Night

Hank and Anne enjoying a wine tasting

Avignon to see the 14th-century Palace of the Popes, which is the largest Gothic fortress in the world; home to a famous destroyed bridge that is part of a famous French song, and even a huge Roman aqueduct over the Pont River.

Palace of the Popes

Pont de Avignon

The Roman Aqueduct Pont de Gard

Arles, and Vienne which have excellent Roman ruins.

Roman Temple of Augustus and Livia in Vienne—it dedicated to the cult worship of Emperor Augustus and his wife Livia

Coliseum in Arles

There are excellent wines and food to learn about and sample while here.

Wine Regions Map from AmaWaterways

The Saône is often added to some lines offerings and now even has some lines focusing solely on the Saône.  The key ports are:

Macon, to tour the city or visit the Cluny Abbey.

A bridge over the Saone in Macon, France. Photo Anne Schrader

Tournus to take a city tour or visit the Château Cormatin and its wonderful gardens.

Château Cormatin Photo Anne Schrader

Some of the extensive Château Cormatin gardens. Photo Anne Schrader

Chalon-sur-Saône, where guests can tour the city or take the Beaune visit which includes the famous tiled roof of the Hotel-Dieu

The famous tiled roof of the Hotel-Dieu

Bordeaux River Cruises

The newest river cruise in Europe for most lines is in the Bordeaux region of France on the Garonne River and Dordogne River.  It is a round trip cruise out of Bordeaux and features wine tastings, chateaux and abundant vineyards along the Garonne and its tributaries. 

Bordeaux Route Map from AmaWaterways

The Bordeaux estuary is unique since both river cruises and ocean cruises can sail to some ports here—we first visited Bordeaux on an Azamara ocean cruise before taking a river cruise that started and ended in Bordeaux.  In Bordeaux, you can stroll down the wonderful gardens near the river or visit the museum of wines.

Bordeaux promenade

Riverside Building in Bordeaux

The usual port cities of Cadillac, Pauillac, Blaye, Bourg and Libourne are included in most sailings of this region. 

In Cadillac, you will visit an interesting château in the town or perhaps the castle fortress Roquetaillade;

Cadillac

the castle fortress Roquetaillade

Blaye is home to a huge citadel fortress;

Blaye Citadel Fortress

Libourne is near the quaint town of St. Emilion with its old timber houses and famous wines;

St. Emilion

St. Emilion

Bourg is a former walled city with an interesting carriage museum.

Bourg Wine Festival

This is an important wine region of France, and you will experience tastings of some of the most distinguished wines including Sauternes, Medoc, and Bordeaux wines. 

The Wine Regions of Bordeaux

If you like wine, cognac, oysters, truffles, chateaux, and the grand buildings of Bordeaux, this is the cruise for you. 

Our Final Thoughts

Sometimes, focusing on just one country on a river cruise becomes a fabulous trip and any of the these 3 are great options. Go to France on a luxury ship and learn about these 3 great regions of France on one or more of these excellent choices.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Little Bear and Lenny Meet the AmaWaterways Staff on the AmaMagna

Little Bear and Lenny Meet the AmaWaterways Staff on the AmaMagna

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Some of you may know how great the AmaWaterways’ Staff and Leadership Team are for curating luxury cruises for our guests and supporting those of us in the travel industry.

You might get tired of us telling you about their wonderful cruise line and why you should travel on it, so we have two unbiased friends, Little Bear and Lenny the Leopard, although very shy, to help us—they have agreed to tell you about the wonderful folks at AmaWaterways.

They have even decided to let you see their pictures on several river cruise ships and to tell you why the folks on AmaWaterways are special. 

Both would also like to tell you about why they think the AmaMagna is the best rivership they have sailed on in Europe—and wanted you to see Den Mother Anne’s pictures of all the staterooms, so you might select the right den for your next cruise on the AmaMagna.

Leadership

Little Bear and Lenny knew about the warm leaders of AmaWaterways but weren’t quite sure if it was okay to meet them in person, as they think they aren’t very important, and these are busy, and important folks.  But they found out how friendly and welcoming these key leaders are to all—even to our friends Little Bear and Lenny (they told us you would be treated the same way).

They just wish they could have met more folks, but sometimes, it is just too much for them to handle and they have to go back to the den.

Lenny the Leopard and Little bear enjoy a special drink made just for them on the AmaMagna

Lenny and Little Bear like to relax just before sleepy time—they like their nightcap drinks.

Here are some of the wonderful leaders they met:

Kristin Karst, with her sparkling smile and instant warm manner, greets all with the pride and love she has for those who river cruise with AmaWaterways.  She is the co-founder of AmaWaterways and strives to make all who sail with her company surprised and delighted with their luxury vacation.  They were so excited to meet her—they even ask for a photo so they could remember the occasion:

The radiant Kristin Karst, hosting a party on the AmaMagna in March 2023

Alex Pinelo is the VP of Sales, and very well respected in the travel industry.  He loves working for AmaWaterways and always finds time to respond to all, despite his busy schedule.  He is a passionate fan of AmaWaterways.

Alex enjoyed the company of Little Bear and Lenny

Diane Marie Horan has been working for AmaWaterways since 2011—our friends Hank and Anne met her early during their first trips on AmaWaterways.  She is the director of Strategic Accounts and loves AmaWaterways—she has even written a book of how AmaWaterways seems to create lifelong love connections among the employees.  Little Bear and Lenny love her book and rejoice in the stories she wrote about to share with others.

Alex and Diane relaxing with our two animal friends on the AmaMagna

Jazzmine Douse is the Director of National Accounts for AmaWaterways.  Smart, vivacious, and full of energy, she helps bring an enthusiastic dynamic to AmaWaterways, helping all to enjoy these great vacations, especially to help diversify the clientele on AmaWaterways, where all are welcome.

Jazzmine with Little Bear and Lenny

Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on the AmaMagna. From left to right, Diane, Jazzmine, Hank, Anne, Kristin, and Cesario (our cruise manager) Little Bear and Lenny are resting in their stateroom

Meeting the Bar Staff on the AmaMagna

The hard-working crew of the AmaMagna loved Little Bear and Lenny.

The bar staff on the AmaMagna loved Little Bear and Lenny

Our two heros are ready for a refreshing cocktail on the AmaMagna

Little Bear and Lenny love having their photo taken with the friendly staff

Little Bear Sometimes Ventures Out With Shy Lenny During the Day

Little Bear is very curious. He likes people, especially if he can learn more about their jobs. He especially likes seeing how the ship is steered, and how many warm, welcoming staff he can meet.

He got his Den Mother to take him out one day on the AmaMagna, with Lenny. It was very important to him to let you see these wonderful people, who take such great pride in their jobs, who wanted their pictures made with him.

The captain and first mate helped Little Bear and Lenny learn about how these skilled professionals steer the AmaMagna

The hard working gents in the reception area liked being introduced to Lenny and Little Bear

Our friendly onboard musician liked meeting Lenny and Little Bear

Little Bear Sometimes Goes Out on his Own

Little Bear likes to tour, especially if he can meet his other bear cousins in Europe. He most often gets to do it on an AmaWaterways ship, but sometimes he goes out during the pre or post trips. He wanted us to share some photos of him in action, before he goes to hibernate until his next trip.

Before his Christmas Markets cruise in December 2023, Little Bear cuddled with Lenny in Regensburg. He loves the Christmas Markets, but sometimes it is too cold for Lenny to go out.

Little Bear on the Treasures of the Main and Rhine Route in the summer of 2022.

While most folks would think that in Rothenberg is very picturesque, Little Bear was more thrilled to meet his giant cousin. He was proud his cousin lives in such a great place that lots of folks like to visit.

While this is a beautiful medieval town to tour, and it is very easy to do on the included tours on an AmaWaterways cruise, Little Bear liked the visit, but really liked meeting his cousin bear more.

Why They Like the AmaMagna Staterooms so Much

Little Bear and Lenny really felt safe, loved, and respected on the AmaMagna, as they have on other AmaWaterways 135m and 110m ships.  They especially like the cozy staterooms, that are elegant, yet so functional.  Both decided to share with you why it is a perfect den for them and for you. 

Before we tour some of the staterooms on the Magna, Little Bear wanted you to see his sleeping bag, so here is a picture of him ready for a nap. He didn’t want to hibernate on his trip, because there is so much to do during the cruise on the included tours, so he was very careful to sleep well, but not sleep for the whole 7-day Upper Danube Cruise!

Little Bear in his sleeping bag—it is warm and cozy for him.

Little Bear wants you to see the different staterooms, so here they are:

Here is what the Grand Stateroom (474 square feet, GS category) looks like from Anne’s pictures:

Grand Suite 309 is total luxury

You can even watch TV in bed!

It has an excellent tub and a separate shower.

The desk area.

Here is what the Suites SA/SB (355 square feet) looks like:

Floor Plan of the SB Category Stateroom

Wonderful luxury in stateroom 206 on the AmaMagna

Twin sinks and an excellent shower in this stateroom

A nice panorama view of this stateroom

Here is what the AA/AB Category (252 square feet) looks like:

Floor Plan of the AB Category Stateroom 230

Another elegant stateroom

It has a wonderful balcony

The bathroom area that has an excellent shower

Here is what the fixed window category (205 square feet) looks like:

Floor Plan Category D stateroom

Lots of light in this fixed window stateroom

Desk area in stateroom 103

Our Final Thoughts

Little Bear and Lenny are home now and safe with Anne.  They hope you enjoyed this report.  They are ready for more adventures and new dens, especially on AmaWaterways.  Maybe you should try this great river cruise company also—tell them Little Bear and Lenny sent you!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 52 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

The Significance of D Day 6 June 1944

The Significance of D Day 6 June 1944

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Tuesday 6 June 2023 was the 79th anniversary of the D Day Invasion.  As most of you know, we have led 2 tours during the 70th (2014) and 75th Anniversary of D Day (2019).  It was an experience hard to repeat, as it is both a celebration and a somber event.  Conflicts and wars result in suffering and loss of life that is sobering and causes me to have a lot of reflection about world events.

Overview of the D Day Invasion Plan Portsmouth D Day Museum 2014

Our 2014 tour group.

Some of our 2019 tour group

My hope in writing this blog is to recount how the events of the D Day invasion changed world history in Europe and in many ways shaped our present-day world.  It is also to recognize the sacrifice of the soldiers, sailors, and airmen of the allies to stop the aggression and occupation of Europe by the Third Reich of Germany.

Once you understand the consequences of this day in history, I think you will be compelled to visit Normandy to see for yourself the area of conflict that these brave, scared souls achieved on that fateful day.

This was a history changing day, so let’s learn together about this massive invasion, why it was so important, and why you should see the key sights in the Normandy battlefield beaches area.

What was the state of war in June 1944 in Europe?

The war was not going well for Germany in June 1944, as they were being pushed back on the Eastern Front by the Russian Army.  They also knew that there was an invasion coming from England—they were defending one active front and trying to prepare for a second active front.

In November 1943, the Big Three (Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill) agreed in a conference in Tehran, that the Western Forces of the United States and Britain would invade France in 1944 and open a second front against the German Fortress Europe. 

The clock was now ticking for the D Day invasion of France.  It was a race between German defenders and the Allied invasion force.

The ideal strategy was simple for the planners of the D Day amphibious invasion—attack lightly defended beaches, secure the beach, and move men and supplies quickly inland. 

Next, establish or capture a port to reinforce with more men and supplies. 

Then, defeat the German forces and win the war.

Executing it proved to be one of the most difficult military tasks ever attempted. 

During the massive planning operations, Pas du Calais (the most favorable landing site) and Normandy were under consideration.  Both had enough good characteristics to work for an amphibious landing.  But Normandy was the best choice, 1) as in 1943 it was a lightly defended part of the German Atlantic Wall and 2) the Germans anticipated an attack at Pas du Calais and fortified it and moved more soldiers into defensive positions. 

The German Defenders

The Germans realized they weren’t prepared to properly defend the vast Atlantic Wall in 1943.  The German commander, General Gerd von Rundstedt, drafted a report to Hitler about the scant fortifications and poor-quality units defending the area.  Hitler responded by adding General Erwin Rommel (known popularly as the “Desert Fox” for his Africa campaign) to oversee improving the defenses.

The Germans knew an invasion was coming—they just didn’t know where or when.  The choice that the Germans believed the Allies would select was an invasion of Pas de Calais, as it was the most logical invasion site—only 20 miles from England and had 20 miles of good landing beaches. 

The allies bolstered that illusion by creating a fake force under the command of LTG George Patton, complete with fake equipment, field barracks and even docking areas near Dover.  They relentlessly bombed the Calais area in the build-up phase, as well as other targets in France. 

In an unusual operation, they also dropped dummies by parachutes, to harass and confuse the Germans. 

dropped dummies by parachutes, in the deception program

Field Marshal Rommel was also convinced Calais was the prime invasion site and deployed the 208,000-man 15th Army to defend this area.  The deception plan of D Day was working as hoped for by the Allies.

The first priority for the Germans was protecting the major harbors, as any invading forces would need constant supplies, more men and equipment.  After securing these major ports, they then began building “Widerstandnesten” (resistance nests) along the beaches.  These were a series of pillboxes, gun positions, anti-aircraft weapons and trenches.  The beaches were littered with obstacles, mines (over 4 million mines).  Inland, flooded lowlands and stakes were planted in the ground to cut into gliders during landings and make parachute operations more dangerous.

Machine gun bunker guarding the beach and D-1 Draw on Omaha Beach. Taken during our 2014 tour.

A key concept for the Germans was to stop the invasion on the beaches, so all defensive resources were placed at or near the beach areas and no defense in depth was planned.  There were reserve units to stop breakthroughs, but the best reserve unit of panzer tanks could only be released by Hitler.  If the Allies could breach these tough defenses, and cut off the reserve forces, they would have a good chance of success.

By June 1944 all the beaches used for the D Day landings in Normandy had at least some of these defensive measures in places. 

Unknown to the allies, the best defended beach in Normandy was Omaha.

The stage was set for that fateful day 6 June 1944.

Concept of the Overlord Operation

You might be surprised to know the last successful armed assault across the English happened in 1066 (yes, the famous Battle of Hastings).  8 centuries later, this was about to change.

Amphibious landings are complex operations.  Trying to attack with 5 divisions over a 50-mile front in Normandy, from a base in England, would require naval forces, air forces and army units from British, Canadian, and American forces.  The allied armies and massive equipment needed to ensure success only added to the complexity.  150,000 soldiers would be required, with a fleet of 5,333 ships and an air armada of over 12,921 planes.

Synchronizing an operation of this size remains one of the most amazing military feats in the history of the world.

An Overview of the Invasion

Operation Overlord, the code name for the D Day invasion, was a complicated multipart attack.  To soften up and destroy some of the defending German forces, the area was bombed for about 6 weeks prior to the invasion. 

On the early morning hours of 6 June 1944, American and British paratroopers parachuted and later landed in gliders to secure the western flank (American forces) and the eastern flank (British forces). 

Then, prior to the start of the landings, a naval bombardment of about 30 minutes in duration started, followed by an aerial bombardment. 

Next, the amphibious landings took place on the 5 objective beaches.  The 3 beaches in the British Second Army sector, were Gold, Juno, and Sword.  They were attacked by British and Canadian units.

The 2 American beaches, under the U. S. First Army (commanded by Lt. General Omar Bradley), were Omaha and Utah

Unit Patches from the Attacking American Forces at Utah, Pointe du Hoc and Omaha Beaches

Reflecting on the Significance of D Day

Some historians claim this was the most important day in the history of the last 100 years.  The victory of the successful invasion was symbolic, strategic, and operationally sealed the fate of the Nazi regime.  It would also change the course of world history.

Symbolically, it put forces governed by democratic systems into the decisive ending of the war—essentially Russia and their totalitarian regime would not control all of Europe if the Western Allies had not invaded and Russia defeated the Germans alone.

Strategically, the war in Europe expanded with a second front, and the resources of the American, British, and Canadian forces executed the “Germany First” political strategy to finish off the German Army and then on to defeat Japan in Asia.

Operationally, it relieved pressure on Russia on the Eastern Front and required the Germans to defend with over 400,000 soldiers on a second front.

The result of the successful invasion made America a world power and led to the stability and wealth of future Europe.  Totalitarianism was not going to be the model of all Western European countries, yet some would suffer under the rule of Russia’s Iron Curtain in the war’s aftermath.  This ideological conflict would quickly develop into the Cold War after the end of World War II.

D Day also was a key event in the global balance of power of nations.  The resolve of the British in 1941 to return to the European continent was a crucial part of the conduct of the war prior to America entering into the conflict.  After D Day and the conclusion of WW II, America emerged as the most powerful nation in the world, followed by Russia.  Britain was the third most powerful nation.  All 3 of these nations projected their influence on the world stage today, but it was especially true at the war’s end.

Ultimately, it ended in the Yalta conference with the Big Three to discuss the postwar reorganization of Europe.  Despite promises by Stalin to allow democratic elections in territory such as Poland, he broke all his assurances of the agreement.  The start of the Cold War was on.

So, Why Visit the Key D Day Sites

Strategy and higher-level planning provide resources for an invasion of this magnitude, but it is the soldier on the ground that executes the planning.  How they achieved their tasks, and the terrain can not be fully understood until you actually visit the site of the conflict.

There is probably no Europe battlefield as well preserved as the D Day landing areas and fighting sites in Normandy.

Here are some sites we recommend you visit:

Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc is actually not changed much at all since 1944—the gun emplacements, the bomb craters, and the steep cliffs the rangers had to climb under intense fire, make their exploits come to life—how did they take this area given the natural defenses of this place?  Those of us, who are ranger qualified like me, realize at best a 100-foot climb of a 90-degree slope to the top of the bluff peninsula with a full combat load of equipment would be a daunting physical challenge under any circumstances, but to do it under fire is a testament to the sheer bravery and intense training of the soldiers who accomplished this mission.

The east side of Pointe du Hoc where the rangers landed on 6 June 1944

The sheer cliffs of Pointe du Hoc. Notice the narrow landing area. It is easy to understand why the Germans believed it was not feasible to attack from the sea. This is from our 2014 tour.

A really good view of the bomb damage craters at Pointe du Hoc

Pointe du Hoc during the 2014 celebration.

One of the 6 gun emplacements at Pointe du Hoc. From our 2019 tour.

This is the Observation Post Bunker at Pointe du Hoc. It is the present day site of the Ranger Bayonet Monument on top of the bunker

Bayonet Monument on Pointe du Hoc. From our 2019 tour.

Omaha Beach

This was the most daunting of the 5 landing beaches during D Day—the bluffs provided clear fields of fire for the German defenders.  With favorable terrain for the Germans to defend, and airstrikes that missed the majority of the defensive positions, this landing site was in doubt as secured for most of the day on 6 June 1944. 

Military trained personnel will quickly appreciate the open 300 yards or so, with no natural cover—it was a true “killing zone.”  It turned out to be the most heavily defended of the 5 beaches during the invasion.

When the first soldiers hit the beach, the beach erupted into withering fire from all directions—it was utter chaos!  Success at Omaha was still in doubt 6 hours after the attack began.

The chaotic battlefield resulted in over 2,000-2,500 men killed, wounded, or missing at Omaha—no one is really sure due to the confusion of this intense battle site.

As I walked the beach, I couldn’t help but wonder how anyone survived that day.

Part of Omaha Beach as seen from the American Cemetery—these were good defensive positions for the German defenders to engage the American soldiers.

Western sector of Omaha Beach. Taken during our 2014 tour.

Sculpture on Omaha Beach, from our 2014 tour.

Les Braves sculpture Omaha Beach 2019.

Memorial on Omaha Beach 2019. This is located on the Les Moulins Draw.

Utah Beach and the Airborne Combat Parachute Assault

Utah was a great success but a lesson to all leaders about the tenacity of the American soldier and decisive leadership.

Operation Neptune was the code name for the airborne and glider assault during the D Day invasion. 

The Airborne Forces, though initially scattered (one account I read reported 75% were dropped at the wrong drop zones), performed with great success one of the most daring behind the line’s attacks in the history of warfare to secure their blocking positions.

There were two reasons for their success, in my opinion.  First, the scattered forces confused the Germans—they could not focus their forces on one single area.  Second, the resolve of the soldiers and their leaders—makeshift units operated to accomplish their missions, when unit cohesion was lost.  Again, the individual fighting spirit of the soldiers to do the job despite the difficulties won the day.

It was not easy—after a week of brutal fighting about 2,500 were killed wounded or missing in action from the 2 Airborne Divisions.

The sign marking the site of Iron Mike,—it is one of the most powerful messages I have ever read about D Day.

Part of this sign reads “THIS MEMORAL SITE SERVES NO PURPOSE OTHER THAN TO ETERNALLY REMEMBER THE PRICE PAID IN BLOOD FOR FREEDOM AND PEACE. IN PERPECTUAL HONOR TO THOSE WHO BELIEVED THERE WAS NO BETTER PLACE TO DIE THAN THE LA FIERE BRIDGE AND NO BETTER REASON THAN THE LIBERATION OF NORMANDY.”

Iron Mike is a tribute to the soldiers who lost their lives capturing and defending the bridge at La Fiere. It was part of the mission to capture and secure the river crossings during the D Day airborne landings. The original statue is at Ft. Bragg, NC, home of the 82nd Airborne.. From our 2019 tour. Fort Bragg has just been renamed to Fort Liberty.

Paratrooper equipment and uniform on display in the Airborne Museum—this is what a typical soldier wore to jump into the Normandy countryside.

Utah Beach

The story of Utah beach is different than Omaha.  It started out by a mistake--the planned landing site was off 1000 meters when the first landing craft approached the beaches.

It turns out this lucky mistake put the Americans at a lightly defended portion of Utah, with fewer obstacles, as compared to the more heavily defended planned landing site.  A quick change of plans happened—the Americans took advantage of the poorly defended area and began pushing inland. 

BG Teddy Roosevelt, Jr, assistant division commander, who landed with the first wave on Utah, recognized the error but also quickly realized the poorly defended area was a huge advantage and as we like to say in the military, “seized the initiative”.  He and Col. James Van Fleet, commanding officer of the 8th Regiment, started sending troops inland on route #1 and pushed into the other route causeways.  By 1100 hours, exit causeway route #1 was secure—the soldiers of the 4th had linked up with soldiers of 101st.  Around noon, all 4 causeway exits were secured.

Utah turned out to be a roaring success.  As the darkness started, around 23,500 troops and 1,700 vehicles had landed.

Utah Beach 2019

Utah Beach—as you can see, the terrain is not as favorable to defend as Omaha was for the German forces.

Utah Beach in 2019. The monument in the background is the sailor’s monument.

Higgins Landing Craft on display at Utah Beach

A Sherman Tank on display at Utah Beach

Tank outfitted to swim. From our 2019 tour. Photo Hank Schrader

Going inland on causeway #1. This is the Leadership Monument. The WW II Foundation selected Maj. Dick Winters of Easy Company as the symbol of leadership during the D Day Invasion. It was dedicated on 6 June 2012. Many learned about Major Winters and Easy Company from the series Band of Brothers.

Arromanches Artificial Harbor and Arromanches 360

While there are scant remains of this site in the ocean, building a harbor as a temporary port is a genius idea that worked.  In the span of 6 days, this site brought about 300,000 soldiers, 54,000 vehicles and 104,000 tons of material to the Normandy battlefield theater. 

We toured the Musee de Debarquement in our 2019 visit.  It tells the story of the artificial harbor (the formal name is Mulberry Harbor, named after the towed parts of the harbor that were used to create this temporary port), from concept, to execution, to success. The port was named Port Winston after Winston Churchill.

The village of Arromanches.

Part of the remains of the artificial port in the oceans

More of the harbor.

Inside the museum

The D Day 75 Garden, near the 360 theater. In the background, you see some of the remains of the artificial harbor.

A monument to the engineer units. In the background is a mobile bridge to help soldiers and vehicles cross river obstacles.

Overlooking this tiny village, is the Arromanches 360 Theater.  For a 20-minute experience of 360-degree explanation of the 100-day battle of Normandy, this theater is shocking and spellbinding—we also have done it in 2014 and 2019 on our tours.

Longues-sur-Mer Battery

Located between Gold and Omaha beaches, this 4-gun installation is the only remaining coastal artillery site that remains in Normandy.  It is well preserved and a stark reminder of the defensive power that faced the Allied attackers.

5 reenactors posed for us on our 2014 tour. Notice the strong fortifications to protect the gun enplacement.

The Airborne Museum in Ste. Mere Eglise

There is no better place to be on 6 June in Normandy than in the first liberated village in France.  This is a festival, with parades, and reenactors.  It is also home to the Airborne Museum.

The 3-part museum is fascinating and dedicated to the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. 

The first area of the museum is the Waco building, dedicated to the glider units. 

Entrance to the Waco building in the Ste. Mere Eglise Airborne Museum

Sargeant’s jacket and slide rule used during the glider operations displayed in the Airborne Museum, Ste. Mere Eglise

There is also a C-47 building, dedicated to the plane used by the paratroopers and displays of their equipment and training. 

C 47 Jump plane on display Airborne Museum 2019

Mannequins dressed in uniforms are used to simulate a loading scene prior to the night jump of D Day. To get a better view of the hanger space, visitors can climb an observation deck above the C 47 airplane

Another loading scene

Thompson .45 cal. Machine gun and ammo used in the D Day Assault. This is on display in the Airborne Museum in Ste. Marie Eglise, France.

Weapon’s Display in the C-47 Building on display in the Airborne Museum in Ste Mere Eglise

The last part is called operation Neptune—using technology, you can experience a night jump into the square of Ste. Mere Eglise.

Here are some pictures from the festival, with displays, reenactors and festival folks celebrating the liberation of the village.

DUKW landing craft on display in Ste Mere Eglise 2014

Reenactors in Ste. Mere Eglise during the 2014 D Day Festival

This is a display from the only French Airborne Artillery Unit in the French Army, from our 2014 tour.

Part of the parade during the 2014 D Day Festival in Ste Mere Eglise

Ste. Mere Eglise church steeple with the replica of a dangling PFC John Steele

Waiting in line for grilled meats, D Day Festival 6 June 2014 in Ste Mere Eglise

Drink Tent Ste. Mere Eglise D Day Festival 2014

Normandy American Cemetery

The Normandy American Cemetery, perhaps the best known of all WW II cemeteries by Americans, is the final resting place for 9,385 killed and 1,557 reported missing during this campaign.  It lies just yards from the Omaha Beach area.

Experiencing this area is special—the rows of dignified markers honor these dead.  It was the first cemetery established in Europe by the Americans.

Walking this hallowed ground is a stark reminder of what it took to invade Europe—the sheer number of markers is just overwhelming.  Anne & I led a tour here in 2014 for the 70th Anniversary of D Day (June 6, 1944) and in 2019 for the 75th Anniversary.  During the 2014 and 2019 ceremonies, each gave site was marked with a small American and French flag.  It was indeed memorable and touching and a fine tribute to our lost soldiers.

This photo taken by Anne captures the vastness of this grave site and honors the religious afiliation of the deceased soldiers buried here.

Visitors paying tribute to soldiers with flowers. Many residents of Normandy have adopted a gravesite and leave flowers at individual grave markers. The French motto: NEVER FORGET

Endless graves—it is overwhelming.

This photo does a good job capturing the precision the graves have been placed on this former battle site. It adds dignity to the cemetery.

A grave marker of an unknown soldier. The inscription reads “Here Rests In Honored Glory A Comrade In Arms Known But To God”

A concert during the 2014 Ceremony honoring the lost lives and soldiers at the American Cemetery in 2014

I don’t think you can visit here and not feel that freedom is not free—it is earned by sacrifice.

Our Final Thoughts

D Day was a success but what really stands out to me is the resolve of the soldiers, sailors and airmen who made the operation work.  Heroic, innovative and resourceful, these military forces should be honored for their deeds.  They did not really see themselves as heroes--most just wanted to live to see 7 June 1944. 

The war’s end would not come for 336 days of more combat.  It would have never happened so soon, if these forces had not taken the first step on 6 June 1944 that ultimately ended the German occupation of Europe and opened a second front.

History was made that day, as the future of Europe would require the Allies defeating the Germans.  Europe changed from occupied lands and countries to some free democratic countries and some under communist control.  Today’s Europe could have been quite different if the invasion had failed.

We have led two tours in Normandy in 2014 and 2019 and those experiences have made this operation much more real for me.  We owe a debt of gratitude to these folks—their sacrifice and courage will stay with me for the rest of my life. 

If you have never been to Normandy and seen the D Day Beaches, I would encourage you to go.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

The Wachau Valley--An Awesome River Cruise Experience

The Wachau Valley—An Awesome River Cruise Experience

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

There are 3 incredibly scenic sections of Europe Rivers that are cited by most travel writers as sites on their “must-see” experiences. 

On the Rhine River, the Middle Rhine’s 40 castle stretch is always on their lists. 

On the Danube, there are 2 sites—the Iron Gates of the Lower Danube and the tranquil Wachau Valley on the Upper Danube.

So, let’s explore together and learn about the Wachau Valley on the Danube River.

Where is the Wachau Valley?

The Wachau Valley is a 30 km (19 miles) part of the Danube River from Melk to Krems.  Monasteries, grapes and apricots, tranquil vineyards and some scattered castles make this an area of beauty, a little intrigue, and a place to slow down and enjoy some Austrian good life.

It is a UNESCO heritage site, in recognition of the agricultural history of the region and the architectural significance of unique abbeys and other buildings in the region.

It is famous for high quality wines, and apricots.  The small villages dot the countryside, and the steep hills help make this a scenic area a great place to sail through on a river cruise.

Abbeys

There are 3 main abbeys in this region.  Melk Abbey, Göttweig Abbey and the Stiftkirche in Dürnstein are stunningly beautiful.

Melk Abbey, located on a high hilltop (748 feet above the Danube River.), was built in 1702, and refurbished between 1715 and 1733.  It is a massive baroque Benedictine monastery (17,500 square meters).

The Melk Abbey complex is built around 7 courtyards and stands out due to its mustard yellow paint on the structures.  There are 88 imperial guest rooms in the abbey.  The library of the monastery has over 100,000 books and manuscripts.  There are significant art paintings and frescoes in the abbey.  The church area is stunning in its detail and glittering gold adornments.

Göttweig Abbey, another Benedictine monastery is near Krems.  It is often visited by some river cruise companies.  Painted a pale pink, with a distinctive red roof, it is known as the “Austrian Montecassino”, a reference to the original Benedictine monastery in Italy.  With towers and defensive walls it is a spectacular site

Göttweig became famous as a center of earning and strict monastic life up until the 15th and 16th centuries, but by 1564 there was not a single monk left at the abbey.

The abbey has a library of 130,000 books and manuscripts.  It also has an important collection of religious engravings, antiquities, a rare coin collection, and musical manuscripts.

The Stiftkirche in Durnstein, has what is considered by most to be the one of the finest baroque towers in all of Austria.  Resplendent in blue and white, it dominates the small village as you approach towards the docking port.  The entrance way to this abbey is quite ornate.

Castles

There are some fascinating castles on this part of the river—three castle ruins and a castle built right on the river.

Schloss Schonbuhel is built on a rock about 130 feet above the Danube River that is on the riverbanks.  It began as a defensive fortress in the 12th century.  It is nick named the “Watchman of the Wachau”.

Burguine Aggstein castle is 15 km from Melk and built about 300 feet above the riverbanks on a rocky ledge.  It dates from 1180.  It is notorious for being inhabited by “robber barons” who imprisoned rivals for ransoms (they apparently tied victims to the rocky ledges around the castle and threatened to throw their captives off the ledges to their deaths) and exacted tolls from boats sailing in the area around the castle.

In Dürnstein, the ruins of Kuenringerburg, a hilltop castle above the town where Richard the Lionhearted was held for ransom during the Crusades, is often offered to guests as a hike up to the former castle site. 

The story of King Richard I dates to the 3rd Crusade dispute between Richard and Leopold the Virtuous.  During the crusade, Leopold was offended during Battle of Acre, where his standard (flag) was thrown off the walls of the city and he also suspected Richard ordering the murder of his cousin.  A huge ransom was paid for Richard’s release—35,000 kg of silver.

From the top of the hill, the views of the river and valley are glorious after a 20-minute hike up to the ruins.

Hinterhaus Castle was built in the 12th century and is first mentioned in writings in 1243.  It is near Spitz.  It has been besieged and destroyed several times—1409, 1504, 1620. 

Hinterhaus is said to be haunted by the ghost of a lady who appears annually on the date of her husband’s death.  Today tours are possible for visitors to see the remains of the castle.

Melk

Melk is the start of the Wachau Velley.  It is larger than most other towns and villages in the area and has a population of around 5,257.  It once was a walled city.  The city has an interesting city town hall square with a beautiful fountain.

Spitz and Weissenkirchen

Spitz is an attractive wine village.  It has a population of only 1,627.  The Spitz Parish church was once a fortified church and some of the defensive walls still remain.

In Weissenkirchen, population 1,291, has a fortified parish church that is surrounded by vineyards.

Dürnstein

This small village numbers only 600 residents.  A Dürnstein visit will allow you to take a closer look at its 16th-century Baroque houses and 13th-century Romanesque church on a walking tour along cobblestone streets, that you can experience on many river cruise companies’ visits to this area.

There are great chances to taste wine here and apricot products.

Krems

Krems is the center of the wine trade in this region.  One of the most important sites in this town is the Steiner Tor, a preserved city gate, dating back to the days when Krems was a walled city. 

Our Final Thoughts

You should sail through the Wachau valley and visit as many of the sights in lower Austria.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Exclusive Experiences on AmaWaterways Cruises

Exclusive Experiences on AmaWaterways Cruises

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

After 24 Europe River Cruises, we have been fortunate to participate in several experiences that are unique to AmaWaterways.  We have written about some of these in other blogs but never put together a report about the unique features that are exclusive to river cruises offered by AmaWaterways.

We have several clients who will get to experience these events in 2023 and 2024, and we want to get them and you excited about what is possible on some AmaWaterways cruises.

So, let’s explore together and learn about some of the Exclusive Experiences offered by AmaWaterways.  To organize this blog, we will present our experiences in the order we were able to participate in these unique offerings.

2009 and 2015—Zell

We experienced this small village on our Europe’s River and Castles cruises.

Zell is famous for its white wine (Riesling) Zellerschwartzkat (Zell’s black cat). 

It is a small town of about 4,300 people.  Among the sites to see here include an interesting market square, and the town hall has a wine museum.  However, it is really famous for its brand of white wine and there is an interesting story about how the wine was named.

According to legend, a large quantity of local wine was being stored in barrels in a regional cellar. When people approached, a black cat jumped on the barrel from Zell and started hissing to protect its contents.  Seeing the hissing, it caused the wine merchants to believe the wine from Zell was special and better quality than the other wines stored in the wine cellar building and they bought all the wine. 

Today the black cat is the symbol of this town.  It was a walled city but not much of the old walls remain.

AmaWaterways has an exclusive wine festival celebration in Zell.  The local children, dressed up like black cats, provide a performance that everyone who has visited Zell on AmaWaterways will remember.  I heard Kristin Karst, one of the co-owners of AmaWaterways, describe how special and unique this visit and performance is during a webinar—it instantly brought back great memories of this port stop.

AmaWaterways has a wine festival here, but the real treat is the children who visit the ship and perform songs and dances.  It is a lot of fun and you will fall in love with this unique little wine village along the Moselle River.

The festival queen leads 2 children dressed as black cats from our 2009 cruise.

These pictures are from our 2015 cruise of the kids performance.

The town water fountain features the Black Cat.

Here were some of the wines we could taste during this festival:

2017 Bourg Wine Festival

Another AmaWaterways exclusive is a wine festival in Bourg.  We got to experience this on our 2017 cruise called A Taste of Bordeaux. 

Bourg is pleasant and picturesque small town perched on the banks of the Dordogne River.

This area produces excellent red French wine including merlot, malbec, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

The wine festival was held at the House of Wines.  It was a lot of fun and we had a small band in period clothing to help us celebrate.

A view out of the back portion of the building towards the river at sunset.

2019 Lahneck Castle Tour

On the Enchanting Rhine, the Treasures of the Main & Rhine and other routes, there is an exclusive Lahneck Castle tour.

This is a great castle to tour, as it combines medieval fortifications, and great interiors.  It was built in 1244 and destroyed in the Thirty Years War (1633).  In 1852, it was rebuilt and fully restored in 1937.

It is a very interesting and pretty residential castle. 

The stained-glass windows of the chapel date to the 1400s. 

The stunning chapel room.

There is even a portrait of Queen Victoria, painted in 1840.

A portrait of Queen Victoria

It is full of fine furniture, porcelain, ceramics, a 15th century kitchen complex and a fully furnished 3-story doll house.

The old kitchen area.

The doll house

2021 Nefertari’s Tomb

We got to experience this ancient Egyptian tomb on the Secrets of Egypt and the Nile cruise in December 2021.

The tour starts in the Valley of the Queens. We started day 5 of our cruise in the Valley of the Queens to view Queen Nefertari’s Tomb.  Nefertari was the wife of Ramses III and his favorite wife.  He made her a deity during his reign; she lived an elegant life; and expected an elegant life in the afterlife. 

You are limited to only 15 minutes during your visit (the tomb can’t hold more than a limited number of tourists), and the Egyptologist guide is not allowed inside with their escorted group (they explained to us the questions that guests have often caused the group to stay beyond their allotted time). The Egyptologist encouraged us to take photos and he would answer our questions after we left the tomb to explain what the paintings symbolized.

After descending some very steep stairs, a wonderland of color and detail emerges—it was almost overwhelming—you will see the queen’s life journey symbolized by her interactions with the gods of that era.

Flash photos are not allowed and many sites in the tombs only allow cell phone pictures.  The policy is unevenly enforced and often even if you pay a fee to use a 35 mm camera, the officials at the entrance to the site may deny permission to take photos with larger cameras.

Nothing remains in the tomb but the wall paintings.  No other Egyptian tomb has this quality of preserved art works on the walls of the tombs in either the Valley of the Queens and the Valley of the Kings.  They are stunning; detailed; and the best-preserved wall paintings of the various tombs we visited—we could really see and understand Nefertiti’s journey to the afterlife.

Here are the pictures of Queen Nefertari’s Tomb. The paintings on the tomb depict her journey to the afterlife and her life in Egypt during her reign as queen.

The valley of the Queens desert burial area

Sign outside the tomb entrance

The steep stairs leading to her burial chamber

Nefertari before Thoth (god of the moon, wisdom, and knowledge) in the upper annex room

Nefertari making an offering to Ptah (on the right). Ptah is the creator god and the patron diety of craftsmen and architects.

Nefertari (on the right) making offerings to the gods.

This painting shows Ra, the sun god with the red circle over his head

2022 VolKach Wine Festival

This exclusive experience is part of the Medieval Treasures cruise we took in 2022.  We attended a wonderful wine event in Volkach, Germany.

It is an exclusive event where the small town puts on a wine festival with grilled brats, white and rose local wines, hosted by the mayor with a band and traditional dancers.

It was a lot of fun—here are some pictures:

The town Hall and square where the festival took place

This was the singing and dancing group that entertained us

The town band

4 lovely ladies enjoying the festival

Silvaner wine is grown in this region

The watch tower of Volkach

2023--2 Great Experiences on the AmaMagna

Wine Festival in Spitz

 Spitz is a small village in the Wachau Valley. In an old monestary that has been converted to a wine cellar and restaurant, there is a lively wine tasting, complete with traditional music and some good white wines.

It is another fun celebration and an excellent glimpse of the culture of Austria.

Here are some photos of the event:

The outside of the winery and restaurant

The impressive entranceway

An outdoor patio area

Our hostess explaining the wine we are about to taste

Our host playing and singing for us

One of the best wines grown in the region—Gruner Veltliner

Our host singing and leading us in toasts in German

Octoberfest in Vilshofen, Germany

Another great exclusive on AmaWaterways is Octoberfest in Vilshofen.  Instead of just limiting the celebration to Munich during the last weeks of September and early October, the local populace of Vilshofen decided to greet guests who want to start their cruise in their small town with an Octoberfest celebration.

There are several benefits of starting a cruise in Vilshofen—the primary benefit is that it avoids a low water point on the Danube in Regensburg, so many cruises will not be disrupted by the lack of rain.

So, here is our experience in pictures from March of 2023 in pictures.

The band is playing for us

Anne with the festival queen dressed in traditional clothing

Prost! Anne, Cesario (our cruise manager) and Hank with good beer

Each of the tables had pretzels and we were served beer

A rainbow over an Amawaterways ship

Anne and Hank in front of the AmaMagna after the Oktoberfest party.

Our Final Thoughts

We all crave exclusive experiences.  As you can see, there are multiple opportunities to participate in curated tours that will exceed your expectations.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Armed Forces Day 2023

Armed Forces Day 2023

American Cemetery Omaha Beach Photo June 6 2014

This is a departure from our usual blog about travel to help recognize the contribution of our Armed Forces to our Nation.

As many of you know, I served for 20 years as an Infantry officer and was proud to help defend our country.

So, I thought I would provide you some facts about today’s military in my humble salute to the men and women who defend our country and perhaps help you remember the service and sacrifice of those who defend our freedom.

It is probably best to start by explaining the major military recognition celebrations in America and then concentrate on the Armed Forces Day.

There is a lot of confusion to the exact purpose of three major recognition days for all US military members and former members.  Armed Forces Day honors those currently serving in the military.  Memorial Day honors those who have died while on duty in the military services.  Veterans Day is a tribute to all who have previously served in our armed forces. 

Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the 3rd Saturday of May, as part of Armed Forces week.  It honors the Army, the Air Force, the new Space Force, the Navy, the Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard.

The first 5 service branches are organized under the Department of Defense, while the Coast Guard is part of the Department of Homeland Security.  There are more than 1.4 million on active service and more than 1.1 million national guard and reservists. 

In 1949, Armed Forces Day was first established when the Army, Navy and Air Force were organized under the Department of Defense, instead of each service just marking their own individual recognition day.  The Marines did not come under this initial new holiday, and keep their separate celebration.  They later joined in.  In 1961, Armed Forces Day became a National Holiday. 

Each year Armed Forces Day has a unique theme—some past themes are Dedication and Duty, Freedom and Patriotism. 

Some Interesting Facts About our Armed Forces

The Department of Defense (DOD) is the largest employer in the US—there are about 1.4 million on active duty, 1.1 million serving in National guard and Reserve units and 700,00 civilians working in the DOD.

Here are the numbers of active duty—Army over 482,000; Navy over 343,000; Air Force over 328,000; Marine Corps over 179,000; Coast Guard over 44,000 and Space Force over 1,600.

Here are the numbers of reserve forces—Army National Guard over 337,000; Army Reserve over 184,000; Air National Guard over 108,000, Air Force Reserve over 70,000, Navy Reserve over 57,000, Marine Corp Reserve over 35,000 and about 7,000 in the Coast Guard Reserve..

31 of 44 Presidents served in the Military—30 were officers (James Buchanan was enlisted) and Teddy Roosevelt earned the Medal of Honor for action in the Spanish-American War.

Within 48 hours, the US Military is capable to reach any place on earth to provide disaster relief and international aid.

Only 28% of American aged 17-23 are eligible to serve in the military.

Many do not realize how few folks served in our military compared to the overall population--.4 percent (1,4 million are currently serving)

Our military is more educated than the general population.  99% of the military have successfully completed their high school education, while only 60% of the general population of the US have a high school diploma.

In many ways, the military has been leaders in our country by desegregating before other public institutions and opening full opportunities to women. 

My Final Thoughts

Words do not adequately honor those who served, suffered, died, were wounded and sometimes disabled—they are for the most part the best our society has among its citizens. 

They learned to work for a common goal, perform their assigned mission despite harsh conditions, sometimes under hostile fire and responded when no other organization could or would.

They are often deployed for long periods of time, away from their families, who support them during their long hours and often absences.  We must also remember their families who support their soldiers, sailors, and airmen.

Please just remember them—maybe attend a parade, display your flag, visit a cemetery, thank a member, or just think about a service member. 

Let’s be sure their bravery, strength and sacrifice do not go unnoticed—we owe a debt of gratitude to them and their families to help keep us safe.

Thanks for reading!

Henry Carl “Hank” Schrader, Jr Major (Infantry) Retired

Siena, Italy

Siena, Italy

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Siena is one of the hill top villages in Tuscany. It is in the northern part of Italy.

It was a rival of Florence during the Middle Ages but lost the battle of economic and political superiority, even though at one time the population was over 60,000, until the black death killed off over 1/3 of the population.

As often happens in well preserved medival towns, a historical event changed its course of history. In this case, it was later conquered by Florence in 1550 and became a much smaller player in Italy political and economic life.

Many think Siena is the best preserved medieval city in Italy. This town is built on three hills; has winding lanes and dramatic up and down small roads that require strong legs to walk; and is charming beyond belief!

So, let’s explore together this interesting city and learn about Siena.

Dramatic Veiws of Siena

It is amazing how jumbled yet dramatic this hill town is—it has amazing views, up and down hills with twisted paths and narrow roads.

This is one of the most relaxing places we have ever visited. There are 3 important sites which require about half a day to see and then experience dolce vida—the good life.

Here are some pictures:

Siena’s Main Square—the first key site.

The main square is pedestrian only. The city hall and its 330 foot tower that dominate the square. The tower is atop a chapel that today is only used to bless the horse racers of the Palio horse race.

The tower’s name is the Torre del Magnia on the Public Palace. The Public Palace still houses the municipal offices that are used today to govern Siena.

The Palio horse races are scheduled annually on 2 July and 16 August.

The Palio Horse Race

The Palio horse race is a contest between 17 different neighborhoods, complete with mascots and unique colors to identify the contestants, but only 10 get to compete in the actually race—they are drawn by lot. The seven losing neighborhoods are automatically in the next race, so in any given year all 17 get to complete (remember there are 2 races each year) but the lucky neighborhoods may get 2 chances in a given year.

The neighborhoods are called contrade, and the race winner gets a palio, or painted flag with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The race consists of three laps around the square and the jockey does not have to be on the horse to win—a riderless horse can win the race.

The race has been held since 1665.

This may be the most unusual horse race in the world where conspiracy and bribery are not only common, they are in couraged so long as a disliked rival doesn’t win. Rivalry is fierce—think about college or pro football competitions.

Here are the 17 different flags of the neighborhoods. This vendor sells the small flags for 8€, the big ones for 10 €.

It is quite common for businesses to display the 17 neighborhoods as we can see from this picture.

Although the first Palio is not until 2 July, it is commonplace to see practices like these two young men with their flags working out the routines. They are the Eagle Contrade.

Another interesting feature of the square is the Gaia Fountain.

Gaia in Italian means joyous and it got its name from the joy it brought the residents of Siena when it was completed in 1342.

The panels on the outside of the fountain were added in 1419.

They have been removed to protect them and the carvings are replicas.

The scene on the panels are from the Book of Genesis.

The wolfs in front of the panel represent the she wolf of Rome.

The City Hall and the Civic Museum

This is the chapel of the building. It was built as thanksgiving for deliverance from the plague.

The first floor area is constructed in stone, and the upper floors are made with red brick.

The she wolf symbol has an interesting legend about this symbol displayed in most important sites in the city. It is said that the city was founded by Senius and Aschius, two sons of Remus (one of the founders of Rome), making them the nephews of Romulus. They fled Rome after the murder of Remus by Romulus and they took the she-wolf with them to Siena.

The round symbol in this picture is the a christogram in the symbol of St. Bernardino. This symbol was placed on the palace in gratitude for his sermons to the citizens of Siena.

Siena’s Cathedral Area—the second key site.

The Cathedral is constructed of black and white marble. It was constructed between 1216 and 1263 according to Wikipedia.

The alternating black and white stripes are the symbol of Siena.

The upper facade mosaic is the coronation of Mary (triangle at the top).

Directly below the top mosaic is a large rose window. This photo shows these features very well.

There are 3 entrances to the cathedral. The central entrance is a bronze door.

The Duomo tower is the exact height of the tower on the Palace. One reason behind this symbolism is that the church and the secular world are equal.

The detail on the church is stunning. Many statues of saints are on the facade of the church. Please note the symbol of the she-wolf on the right column in this photo.

The marble floors and interior are magnificent but we didn’t get a chance to visit.

Basilica Cateriniana San Domenico

This is the third important site of Siena.

It is dedicated to Saint Cateriniana, a peasant girl, who had visions starting at age 5.

She wrote over 400 letters to the Papal leaders urging the church to unite from the French and Italian Pope disputes.

She is credited for helping to unite the church during this conflict.

Here is a picture of her church:

City Gates

Once a walled city, there are several city gates here. The city walls are over 1000 years old.

Great Food and Wine in Siena

Eating in Italy is an art—it is so important to the culture of this country. It is a slow experience, full of wonderful tastes, and often becomes the evening entertainment along with the food.

Italian meals are usually 4 or 5 courses.

They are several meal combinations, such as Antipasti, Primi, secondi, Contorni, insalata, fromaggi, dolce, and cafe.

The primi and secondi are usually hot courses and the primi often is a pasta choice, while the secondi is a meat or fish course. Depending on the food choice you may select contorni (side dishes) or maybe the meal will have a insalata, sometimes served with the meal or as a separate course.

The meal ends with fromaggi (cheese) or fruit and for most dolci (dessert).

A proper meal ends with cafe (coffee).

Here are 3 great meals we ate at Bagoga—it was full of locals and some tourists.

First, let’s start with the owner Papa, who has ridden in the Palio and makes you so welcome. He loves his guests and treats them in the best spirits of hospitality. Here I am with him:

A great primi—tagliolini con pancetta-carbonara (for me)!

Anne had tortino caldo di fromaggio (warm cheese pie with a walnut cream sauce)— she loved it!

Our secondi was pork filets covered with a delicious thin slice of lard for Anne ( she raved about the distinctive flavors —see the first picture below) and steak in pepper sauce for me (second photo).

Our third meal at Bagoga was on a Sunday afternoon. It was a great experience—Fiorentina T-Bone Steak!

The best way to start—a special wine from Papa’s vineyard. It was expertly decanted by David our waiter.

These steaks are huge (about 2.2 lbs) and traditionally cooked rare. It is so good and tender, it melts in your mouth. These 2 pictures don’t do it justice!

A Great Wine Tasting Experience

Right across from our wonderful bed and breakfast small hotel was a fabulous wine store. The owner, Fredricco, provided us an amazing wine tasting from the Tuscany region.

He was funny, and explained what made the small batched local wines special.

Here he is bringing down the 3 bottles we were going to try.

He was an excellent host and made this a fun experience.

Here is the 3 wines we tasted.

Fredricco makes his own olive oil. We got to sample some before our wine tasting.

He had an old grape press in the corner of his wine cellar cave that was carved out in the Middle ages.

I got a new appreciation for Chianti Classico.

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what a report!  Siena is a place to go to relax—slow down and enjoy life.

I think you can see why we are in the business—it just is awesome to help folks have a great vacation.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Monaco

Monaco

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

There are 5 Little Treasures in Europe—countries so small they sometimes are easy to miss. We call them Little Treasures.

Monaco is one of those countries.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Monaco.

Overview

Monaco is the second smallest country in the world.  It is officially called the Principality of Monaco and their official language is French.  It is among the wealthiest places on earth and known for glitz, glamor, intrigue thanks to James Bond films and a Formula One race in the streets of Monaco.

It is also known as a tax haven, there are no income taxes, and it is reported that over 30% of its residents are millionaires.  The government is a constitutional monarchy, but the prince wields immense power which is accepted by the populace.

One last fun fact—land and buildings are so scarce that one square foot in a building will sell for more than 100,000 Euros.

A visit to the key spots of its tourist industry and gambling industry (the most important parts of their economy) will help you understand this small, wonderful country and help you decide if it lives up to the hype as one of the most glamorous places on earth.

Key Spots to See in Monaco

Belle Epoch Monte Carlo Casino—built in 1878; the casino is the world’s largest and one of the most elegant European Casinos.  Admission charged to gaming salons, coat and tie required except for the casual American Room.  On the same square is the elegant Opera House. 

Monaco-Ville Palace—is the home to the Grimaldi family, the oldest ruling house in Europe.  The changing of the guard at the palace takes place daily at 1155 AM. 

The palace is a fortress built on the Rock of Monaco—here is a picture:

According to the legend, one of the Grimaldi family captured the palace disguised as a monk and let his soldiers inside the fortress—here is the statue of that event and another outside statue:

Visitors can tour the state apartments and throne room during the tour. They provide an audio box that explains facts about the rooms.

Among the rooms available to visit include the Hercule Gallery (has some impressive frescoes),

the Blue Room which is used for state functions,

the wood-panned Mazarin Room,

and the Throne Room.

Here is some more pictures of the palace:

  It is open from April 2 to October 31.  Admission charge.  Website: www.palais.mc/en/index.html.

Monaco-Ville Cathedral--Built with the stark white stones from La Turbie in 1875, this Roman-Byzantine-style building houses the burial places of past sovereigns, including Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.  Free Admission.

Monaco-Ville Oceanographic Museum and Aquarium—founded by Prince Albert I, this museum is a testament to the importance of the sea to Monaco.  

There are 3 Aquariums: the Tropical Aquarium, the Mediterranean Aquarium and the sea turtle aquarium.

We especially liked the Sea Turtle Exhibit.

There is a rooftop terrace restaurant which has great views of the coastline. 

Right next to the Aquarium is the Jardins Saint-Martin. We walked down through this garden off the Rock of Monaco.

Admission charge for the Aquarium .(www.oceano.mc)  

Monaco-Ville Jardin Exotique--This extraordinary garden, bringing together several million species of plants known as succulents, was opened in 1933.  It was boldly planted on the rocky mountainside where it blooms superbly; it has today become the object of worldwide admiration.  Admission charge.  Website: www.jardin-exotique.mc/en

Princess Grace Rose Garden—Opened in 1984, this garden is a tribute to Princess Grace. 

It has over 6,000 rose bushes and there are about 315 different varieties. 

Anne was really impressed by the size and color of the roses.

Collection de Voitures de S.A.S. le Prince de Monaco—this is a collection of the over 100 vintage cars owned by the Prince of Monaco.  The collection includes famous automobiles such as Rolls Royce, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and Maserati.

The Monaco Harbor—this is a spectacular port that has some of the best yachts in the world.  It has berthing space for over 500 ships.

The first two pictures are of Port Hurcle, the largest port and an amazing collection of huge yatchs.

The next picture is the port of Fontviella.

This is the view from our room at the Port de Cap D’Ail.

Jardin Japonais—this garden is designed in the Zen style.  It uses water, bamboo hedges, stones and Mediterranean tress sculpted in Japanese style.  The park has a waterfall, a koi fishpond with water lilies and a Japanese Tea House.  The park also uses Japanese lanterns and traditional bridges to complete this excellent garden park.

I was surprised at how small this garden is.

Monaco is famous for helicopters transfers and even has a circus each year.

Some last photos—the helipad with a helicopter and two elephants in tribute to the circus.

Getting Around Monaco

The best way to get around Monaco is by bus (www.cam.mc ). You can buy bus cards, which cost 2€ per ride, directly on the bus. Bus stops are set up every few blocks on the main streets in town and buses are scheduled every 5 to 10 minutes. Buses go to all the major tourist sites; just look at the front of the bus to see the destination.  There is an excellent tourist map that marks the lines by colors.

There is also a Hop-on-Hop Off bus (it is a big red bus you have probably seen in other places) that makes 12 stops. I took it and realized how spread out Monaco is with windy roads, lots of hills and tunnels—trust me the bus is your best option as taxis are few and far between and cost a flat rate of 25€.

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what an interesting place—you should visit.  Let Monaco transports you into a rarify world of money and glamor.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Regensburg, Germany

Regensburg, Germany

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

One of Bavaria’s excellent cities is Regensburg.  It has nearly 1000 historic buildings in the old town area and did not suffer much damage during WW II.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Regensburg.

First Came the Romans

In 179 AD, the Romans established a settlement on the Regen river, a small river that runs into the Danube River.  They stationed a legion (about 6000 soldiers) in the new town to help secure the northern border of their empire to protect from the hostile Germans.

They called the settlement “Castra Regina”—when translated into German, the town later became to be called Regensburg.  The Romans remained for about 300 years and abandoned the settlement, leaving behind their stone fortress intact.  This enormous stone walls attracted the Germans who settled here after the Romans left.  You can still see parts of the old walls in parts of the old town.

Regensburg Becomes the First Capitol of Bavaria

Charlemagne added Regensburg into his Frankish Empire in 788.  It was now an important town and benefited from favorable treatment in the empire.  Regensburg grew, trade flourished, and the upper-class wealthy built large town houses and the first stone bridge in Germany.

The economy collapsed with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 to the Turks, as eastern goods that came up the Danube River were no longer available.  Going from wealthy to poor very quickly is one reason so many of the medieval structures remain in the present-day city.

The Imperial Diet Era

Regensburg regained a little of its luster by becoming the permanent meeting place of the Imperial Diet.  This organization is a little hard to understand since they were not a legislature but acted like a central forum to advise and negotiate policies as part of the Holy Roman Empire.  Regardless, they were very important figures in society and there was no authority above them except the Holy Roman Emperor.  They were led by Emperor’s envoy, the Prince von Thurn und Taxis.

The Imperial Diet ended during the Napoleonic era and Regensburg became part of the Kingdom of Bavaria.

The Modern Era

As Germany expanded and became unified in 1870, the history of Regensburg is very similar to all of Germany—rail lines and major roadways were established, the town suffered from the two world wars.

The town has rebounded by the establishment of the Siemens plant and a BMW plant.  It became a UNESCO world cultural heritage site in 2006.  It is also a favorite port stop for many river cruise ships.

The Stone Bridge

Built between 1135 and 1146, the stone bridge is an impressive site.  It is about 310 meters long, has 15 arches and is the oldest medieval stone bridge in Germany. 

The Brucktor (Bridge Gate) guards the southern bank of the Danube and the entrance to the old town.

The knights and soldiers of the 2nd and 3rd crusades used the stone bridge to cross the Danube on their way to the Holy Land.

Historische Wurstkitche (Historic Sausage Kitchen)

It is said this kitchen fed the laborers who built the stone bridge, but no one really knows for sure.  Legend says it is oldest continuous restaurant in Germany.  We sampled the grilled sausages, and sauerkraut (Anne’s favorite, I never liked it) several times.

Goliathhaus

One building that is not really that impressive a structure is Goliathhaus built in the 13th century. The building was the home of a wealthy merchant.  It is the outside painting place on the structure somewhere around 1570-1580 that piques interest of visitors today.

Not the best picture, but you can see the painting in the background

St, Peter’s Cathedral

At 90 meters long, nearly 35 meters wide and 30 meters tall, the cathedral is the most impressive structure in Regensburg.  Its spires are 105 meters high and is considered the purest example of a Gothic style in all of Bavaria.  Construction began on the cathedral in 1273 and took over 250 years to almost complete, as the funds ran out to finish the structure.

It has a quite intricate façade and is quite interesting to study without going into the church.  However, do go inside to see the sculpted Angel of Regensburg created in 1200sThe Dom has its own museum.

Porta Praetoria

The remains of this gate of a side tower of the once huge fort date back to 197 AD.  The only comparable building in Germany is the Porta Negra in Trier.

Patrician Towers and Towers

There were once as many as 60 towers in Regensburg but today about 20 remain.  These were built by the big merchants and businessmen—the idea was to show how important you were—the higher the tower, the more important you were.  The towers were used as a residence, to store goods and for defense purposes.

The highest tower in Regensburg—the Golden Tower in Wablenstrasse

The Old Town Hall

This is the Gothic-era old town complex.  The town hall can be toured—on the inside is the Reichssaal (the Imperial Hall) that was used for 4 centuries (started in the 1400s) to hold meetings of the Parliament of the Holy Roman Empire (the Diet).

The Palace of the Princes of Thurn and Taxis

Located on the outskirts of town, this castle has a great Christmas market.  The castle can also be toured during the day.

Der Hutmacher Am Dom HutKoeing

The World-Famous Hat King Store—Anne owns several hats from here.

Some Good German Food

Our Final Thoughts

Regensburg is a fun city.  It is historic, has great Christmas Markets, winding alleys, and Anne’s favorite hat shop.  Combined with good German food, what more does a person need to enjoy life? 

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Octoberfest in Vilshofen

Octoberfest in Vilshofen

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

When you are traveling on AmaWaterways cruises that start in Vilshofen, Germany, your cruise will begin or end with an Octoberfest celebration.  This Bavarian town helps you celebrate one Germany’s best parties—Octoberfest.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Octoberfest on the Danube as an exclusive feature of an AmaWaterways Cruise.

What is Octoberfest?

Octoberfest originated as a celebration of the royal marriage of a Bavarian Prince in 1810 in Munich.  It was a 5-day celebration.  In subsequent years, the party was continued in Munich and slowly turned into a festival where the beer breweries erect temporary structures that feature long tables with plentiful beer served and traditional German food specialties.

It has evolved into one of the world’s best parties--there is plenty of food and especially beer served to all (one source I read says over 2 million gallons of beer is consumed in the 2-week period).  In Munich, there are parades, beer wagons and many dressed in the tradition folk clothes of the past and present day Germany.  Recent numbers say over 6 million attend these celebrations and a large number are tourists.

One reason, in my mind this festival is so popular is that it represents the feeling of Bavarian sense of gemütlichkeit—cordiality.  We want to share with a warm welcome to Germany and AmaWaterways on the the Danube and we’ll celebrate together in Vilshofen.

Octoberfest is celebrated in all parts of Germany—Anne took these photos in 1989 in Garmish. We were very welcome to that celebration and I think you can see how fun these events are for all.

Lowenbrau Beer Wagon 1989 Garmish

The beer wagon loaded for the Octoberfest in Garmish

This mother allowed Anne to take the picture of her son—he was quite shy but ready to celebrate.

Octoberfest in Vilshofen

Instead of just limiting the celebration to Munich, the local populace of Vilshofen decided to greet guests who want to start their cruise in their small town with an Octoberfest celebration.

There are several benefits of starting a cruise in Vilshofen—the primary benefit is that it avoids a low water point on the Danube in Regensburg, so many cruises will not be disrupted by the lack of rain.

So, here is our experience in pictures from March of 2023 in pictures.

Anne, Cesario (our cruise manager) and Hank celebrate Octoberfest in in Vilshofen.

After a brief rain shower, this amazing rainbow covered the Danube over the AmaViola in port in Vilshofen,

Just what you would expect in an Octoberfest—beer steins and pretzels .

Anne with the Beer Queen at the festival

the band played for us.

on the way to our Octoberfest celebration, this intense rainbow fascinated us.

Vilshofen sculture—in the background you can see the city watchtower

Vilshofen

The Vilshofen dock

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—Octoberfest in March.  This is a win-win for all—an AmaWaterways exclusive that involves the locals, is sustainable, and captures the spirit year-round of the famous Munich celebration.

We hope you enjoyed this report—it was fun to write, and share—Prost!.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

The Al Fresco Restaurant on the AmaMagna

The Al Fresco Restaurant on the AmaMagna

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Our recent trip on the AmaMagna was an amazing experience.

There are 4 restaurants on this double wide ship, and we ate at 3 of them—we missed the Chef’s Table but have eaten in this wonderful venue numerous times on other AmaWaterways ships, so we didn’t take advantage of this option on our cruise.

Perhaps our biggest surprise was the flexibility and food offered at the Al Fresco Restaurant.

So, let’s explore together and learn about Al Fresco Restaurant on the AmaMagna.

Overview

The al Fresco Restaurant is located on the Deck 3 of the AmaMagna.  It is a really impressive small restaurant, with floor-to ceiling windows.  The concept here is a paried down menu, a little lighter than the main dining room.  It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  For dinner you need reservations.  Here are some pictures of this cool venue.

Great views—we are docked in Budapest

A front view of the AmaMagna—the Al Fresco Restaurant is on the 3rd Deck just below the pilot’s control room

Breakfast

The menu is a little reduced, but you can actually order offerings from the main dining room if it is open during your visit to this restaurant.

I came for the Late Risers Brunch. It was a very good option for me.

Lunch

You will probably notice this much lighter fare and reduced offering during lunch.

A typical menu for a light lunch

This is the light lunch option.

Lunch is not restricted by the light option. They usually have a pizza available. You can also order the selections in the main lunch dining room.

the pizza was very good

A wonderful brat

One of my favorites—beef stroganoff

Dinner

Reservations are necessary to eat a night due to the limited space.

This was our menu

The beef was tender and delicious!

After Hours

Sometimes, there are night excursions, especially after the Vienna classical music concert.  But never fear, AmaWaterways offers a midnight type, tasty snack.

Alex is ready to serve us beef goulash—it was excellent!

We are posing with Anna—the maitre’d of the Al Fresco Restaurant

Our Final Thoughts

We really enjoyed the flexibility of the restaurant, and the food was excellent.  I think you can see how this restaurant could capture your taste buds.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

River Cruise Dinners on 3 Riverships in 2023

River Cruise Dinners on 3 Riverships

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a report of our experiences having lunch on 3 different riverships during the ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) River Cruise Expo in Budapest in March of 2023.

This is our 24th Europe River Cruise.  We have just returned back from the Danube and it is wonderful as always.  River cruising just never gets old, each day and season is different.

We had a rare opportunity to report on dinners from 3 different lines—AmaWaterways, Riverside and Scenic Cruises.

So, let’s explore together and learn about these meals on 3 different river cruise lines.

Overview

The design of the River Cruise Expo was to visit the ships to see their staterooms and on-board facilities, and to have a chance to eat either lunch or dinner on the different line that participated in the event.  We got to eat lunch on AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, and Viking River Cruises.  We got the chance to savor the cuisine offered for dinner on AmaWaterways, Riverside Cruises and Scenic Cruises.

To try to be as fair as possible, we decided only meals served during the ASTA River Cruise Expo could be compared and when possible, select an entre that was the same. Since almost everyone in the industry offers a steak, we used that as a good comparison point. Even though we sailed on the AmaMagna, after the Expo, we felt the AmaMagna had a little of an unfair advantage with its 4 restaurants, so the Expo meal we chose was on the AmaVerde.

I just couldn’t resist a couple of teaser pictures about our sailing on the AmaMagna and how lovely Anne looks in her drindl—the traditional dress worn in the German-speaking areras of the Alps. Enjoy!

Here is our report about these culinary experiences.  We will first show you the exact menu we were provided and then pictures and descriptions of each dish served to us.

AmaWaterways

Since we have sailed so many times on Ama, it would be easy to be a little biased, but I think the typical offerings will provide you with a clear picture why almost every serious travel writer and industry experts rate the food on AmaWaterways as the best.

Even the best laid plans sometimes go awry—I forgot to take a picture of the menu.

2 excellent wines for us to choose for our meal

Anne’s Caesars Salad

Beef Capriccio—excellent!

An excellent corn soup—AmaWaterways just seems to have the best soups on the river consistantly.

A stuffed chicken breast main course—I liked it very much!

Anne’s steak—the winner of the 3 we tried on each ship.

A serving of fries—most lines use these type of baskets to serve their fries.

My ice cream sundae

Riverside

We had dinner on the Riverside Mozart.

According to an interview I read in Travel Weekly, Gregor Gerlach, the co-owner of Riverside Luxury Cruises, said “Food is the most important thing for us…Riverside aims to provide the best cuisine and wine cellar on the water and will place an emphasis on freshness and quailty of all ingredients onboard.”

While this was a good meal, they certainly have some work to do—some agents said their food was cold and service slow. To be fair, they are just restarting, so I expect things to improve.

Anne ready for our meal on the Riverside Mozart

page one of the menu

Page 2 of the menu

Our 2 wines selected for our dinner

Donny was our waiter—he had sailed previously with Crystal who has been very successful bring back their ols crew.

The shrimp coxktail was my favorite dish—it had a fresh shrimp paired with smaller shrimps and pineapple mixture,

i had a small pasta dish it was very good.

Anne’s Steak. It was vey tough and disappointing.

the cheese plate—very nice slection

My perfitiros

The cooper designed wine display for the meals

A protriat at the entrance of the dining room

Scenic Cruises

We ate on the Scenic Jasper and the quality of the meal was very similar to our experiences sailing on the Scenic Opal in 2015.

Scenic has consistently good food.

The menu for our meal

Page 2 of the menu

page 1 of the wine menu

page 2 of the wine menu

The 2 featured wines for our meal

Gruner Veltliner is an Austrian White Wine—it is excellent!

Forest Mushroom Essence—a puff pastry dish—very tasty

My chicken breast—it was good

Anne’s steak—very good

Dessert—chocolate fondant

Our Final Thoughts.

This was a fun and eye-opening experience.  In our previous comparisons reports, we have voiced our opinions about the differences of the on-board food and our previous reporting is very, very accurate.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

River Cruise Lunches on 3 Riverships in 2023

River Cruise Lunches on 3 Riverships

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a report of our experiences having lunch on 3 different riverships during the ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents) River Cruise Expo in Budapest in March of 2023.

This is our 24th Europe River Cruise.  We are back on the Danube currently, and it is wonderful as always.  River cruising just never gets old, each day and season is different.

We had a rare opportunity to report on lunches from 3 different lines—AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways and Viking River Cruises.

So, let’s explore together and learn about lunches on 3 different river cruise lines.

Overview

The design of the River Cruise Expo was to visit the ships to see their staterooms and on-board facilities, and to have a chance to eat either lunch or dinner on the different line that participated in the event.  We got to eat lunch on AmaWaterways, Avalon Waterways, and Viking River Cruises.  We also got the chance to savor the cuisine offered for dinner on AmaWaterways, Riverside Cruises and Scenic Cruises.

Here is our report about these culinary experiences.  We will first show you the exact menu we were provided and then pictures and descriptions of each dish served to us.

AmaWaterways

Since we have sailed so many times on Ama, it would be easy to be a little biased, but I think the typical offerings will provide you with a clear picture why almost every serious travel writer and industry experts rate the food on AmaWaterways as the best.

The dining room on the AmaMagna

Another picture of the dining room on the AmaMagna

The lunch menu. This typical of ever day for lunch. It is far more extensive that most other river cruise lines. It is a four course meal or you can have a sandwich if you desire less food.

Here is the appetizer for this lunch. We had Buffalo Chicken wings/Olive Spread/Potatoe Cakes/Artichoke Salad

There were 2 soup choices. I decided on the Chicken Consommé. My other choice was Creamy Cauliflower Soup. Anne and I find that AmaWaterways has exce;llent soups.

The main course was a good selection. We could have had a Sandwich of the Day wich was a Tuna Melt. We also could have chosen Bouillabasisse a la Chef or Egg Plant Curry.

Te next course was from the Front Cooking Station. This is the Tandoori Chicken Curry. I could have selected theThai Shrimp Curry.

Anne really liked the Bread and Butter Pudding

I chose the Ice Cream Sunday

AmaWaterways pairs the wines to the meals but you can always request any of their 14 different wines.

I really enjoyed this red.

wine is unlimited during meals.

Avalon Waterways

We had a good lunch on the Avalon Envision.

At the entrance to the main dining room, this is the wine display.

This is how the main dining room is set up for lunch

Avalon does not have an extensive printed lunch menu. The printed lunch menu is to order from the menu with the wait staff. Most guests will visit the buffet.

Here is the lunch menu. As with all lines, they also offer their menu on line to save on paper waste.

Here is a picture of buffet area.

The sausage front cooking station had excellent sausages. which we both enjoyed

sides

Salad pfferings

This was the desert buffet.

the sausage was excellent but I did not care for the pasta.

This is their veggie burger

This is the hamburger which you can order every day at lunch.

My dessert cake.

Viking River Cruise

We ate lunch on the Viking Vali, and it also good.

This is a picture of the main dining room.

Another picture of the dining room

Here is the lunch menu. On this day, we had one choice for soup, 4 choices for a main course and 2 choices for dessert.

At the front cooking station, the chef prepared spaghetti a aa Carbonera. While this was good, I prefer a little less creamy sauce.

Another picture of the front cooking station

The red wine we had

This was the white wine

the corn soup

Our salad

Dessert

My coffee after lunch

You can also dine here

The outside uncovered area

The dinner menu

Our Final Thoughts.

This was a fun and eye-opening experience.  In our previous comparisons reports, we have voiced our opinions about the differences of the on-board food and our previous reporting is very, very accurate.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

St. Patrick's Day 2023

St. Patrick’s Day 2022

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

The 17th of March is celebrated as St. Patrick’s Day.

We are in Budapest for a River Cruise Expo one day before the big event—according to Wikipedia, St. Patrick’s Day is the most celebrated festival in the world.

So, let’s explore together and learn about St. Patrick’s Day.

Some Facts About St. Patrick’s Day

Gnomes decorating our home for St. Patrick’s Day 2023.

The first St. Patrick’s Day Parade was in the US, not Ireland.

The are no female leprechauns.

St. Patrick was born in England, not Ireland.

Lagend has it he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity—the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.

The Chicago River is turned Green for about 5 hours on St. Patrick’s Day.  In 1993, I actually marched in my first St. Patrick’s Day in Chicago as a member of the staff of St. John’s Military Academy (a private boarding school for boys—I was the athletic director and head football coach.).

St. Patrick’s Day for the Schrader’s

Our Best Adventure has to be Marching in a Parade in Sligo, Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day

Hank (Buzz Lightyear) and Anne (Jessie) —dressed as Disney Characters from Toy Story in the Sligo St. Partrick’s Day Parade 2009.

A pint during the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Sligo, Ireland 2009

Our Final Thoughts

Happy St. Patrick’s Day—may the luck of the Irish be with you for the rest of your lives!

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Better Than an AmaWaterways Brochure

Better Than an AmaWaterways Brochure

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

Perhaps you would wonder why we think we have a resource better than an AmaWaterways brochure or even their route descriptions online.  The reason is really very simple—we have decided to provide you a comprehensive day-to-day itinerary of every route offered by AmaWaterways in Europe with our pictures of the port stops.

To say the least, this has been a huge undertaking but it really is necessary to provide you the best possible, current information on the routes offer by our favorite river cruise company.  While it is not totally complete, we have finished 24 of the routes and all the rest are in draft form, so in a couple of weeks or so, this will be completely finished.

These guides are a report of our 23 Europe River Cruises with AmaWaterways and experiences of traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  By my count, there are 31 different routes offered in 2023 in Europe by AmaWaterways.  We have sailed on all rivers with AmaWaterways except the Seine and Douro (most multiple times).  And even though we have not sailed these two rivers, we have experience in both Normandy (ok, we led two tours the 70th and 75th Anniversary of D Day) and Portugal, we have visited the sites of the pre-trip land package.

Overview

There are at least 20 to 45 or so pictures in each presentation—almost all ours—as you know, Anne, our company president, and my boss, is an amazing photographer and she is responsible for most of these photographs!

Our last cruise was on the Danube in 2022 for the start of the Christmas Markets—it was very cool to experience these markets again, after they were cancelled during most of 2020 and 2021.  We are going this month to a river cruise expo in Budapest and will have the chance to sail on the AmaMagna—more chances for us to excel with new presentations.

So, let’s explore together and learn about our newest resource to better help you decide if this is the right company for your trip and the details of each route.

How We Organized this New Material

You will find 4 new pages on our website.  Each new page is organized around a major Europe River system, which makes it a little easier to find a route or cruise that may be the perfect fit for your next vacation.  It will also let you dream of a new trip that is possible with a cruise line that never disappoints.

To help you learn a little about this great new resource, I will feature one route of each section, so you can get an idea of the quality of these presentations.

AmaWaterways Danube Cruises (page link AmaWaterways Danube Cruises )

AmaWaterways offers 11 different routes on the Danube.  9 are completed, one is in draft form and the Grand Danube is a combination of two routes already completed, so I chose to create this one last. 

I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.

The Watchman of the Wachau—this is one of my favorite pictures taken by Anne but it is hard to chose from the more than 5,000 she has taken and we get to share with you.

AmaWaterways French Cruises (page link AmaWaterways French Cruises )

There are 5 routes in this page.  2 are completed, one will be posted shortly and 2 are in draft form.  I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.

This is the AmaKristina that sails the Colors of Provence Route

AmaWaterways Main Moselle and Rhine Cruises (page link AmaWaterways Main, Moselle and Rhine River Cruises )

There are 7 routes on this page.  All 7 routes are completed.  I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.

Lahneck Castle Tour—an AmaWaterways exclusive!

AmaWaterways Rhine Cruises (page link AmaWaterways Rhine Cruises )

There are 6 routes on this page.  All 6 are completed.  I have chosen this route as a good representation of this section.

Lucerne—it is our 2nd favorite town in Europe!

AmaWaterways Douro Cruises

This page is not live yet but will feature the 2 routes offered.

Our Final Thoughts

This has been a true labor of love—that’s what Ama means--love.  It was very important to update older presentations and create new ones, so you have an easy way to learn more about the routes offered and to help you really understand the value AmaWaterways brings to their guests.

We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Alternative Dining on 7 River Cruise Lines

By Hank Schrader, USMA ’71. Europe Destination Specialist and Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

One of the biggest changes lately on many river cruise lines is an added emphasis on alternative dining. There are several innovative changes to rivership cuisine, so here is a good update of the recent changes.

Before we start, here is a general overview.  Riverboats have small galleys and little storage space.  Each of the 7 lines described here uses a buffet for breakfast and lunch (some lines are doing away with buffets due to health concerns and to provide a more upscale experience) and a sit down meal for dinner—usually 3, 4 or more courses. 

Most have at least one or two special meals per cruise, with enhanced food offerings.  Despite the claims of 5 or more dining spaces on some lines, some of these are just small buffet style venues, usually added to the main lounge area.  There is just not space for large alternative dining spaces—two distinct dining spaces is about all the size limitations on riverships can accommodate. 

The exception to this is the AmaMagna, which is double wide and has 4 dining venues.

AmaWaterways Galley

AmaWaterways Galley. We were escorted by Miguel, the Hotel Manager

Scenic Galley

Scenic Galley

Now, let’s examine food and beverage offerings of each of the 7 major river cruise lines that market to US customers and highlight the alternative dining options for each line..

AmaWaterways

Cuisine has always been very important to AmaWaterways. They consistently are cited in the travel media as having great food or the best food in the industry (they get my vote). Perhaps the biggest change is the elimination of most buffets at meal times for both health reasons and to provide a more elegant feel at meals.

The main dining room serves most of the meals you will eat on board this river ship.  Breakfast and lunch used to be buffet style with options to order off the menu, but now all items are served to guests except for a few items at breakfast.

Most days I select the Eggs Benedict along with complimentary unlimited sparkling wine and fresh juices to start my day.  All breads are freshly baked every day and they even make homemade ice cream for dessert at lunch. 

Every evening on the dinner menu (a 4-course affair of an appetizer, a soup or salad course, a main course and dessert), there are 3 Entrée’s choices—usually a meat dish, a fish dish, and a vegetarian option—all are excellent! Here are some of our meals—they were impressive!

Always available steak

There is an Always Available Menu that features a steak, a grilled chicken breast, and a vegetarian or pasta option. 

The lunch and dinner meals feature a white and red wine from the region you are sailing thru, and they change daily (not every river cruise lines changes wines every day or offers included wine and beer).  There is also beer and other beverages.

In Europe, each AMA ship has the chef’s table specialty restaurant.  This program began in 2012.  This small dining venue (usually no more than 28 guests) features a kitchen where your meal is prepared right in front of you.  This unique tasting style menu is paired with carefully selected fine wines.  It is truly a great experience.  I wrote a whole blog about the experience and it changes every year and by region, so the experience is seldom the samr.

AmaWaterways chef preparing our meal

The main course of the tasting menu

Dessert to finish off a great meal at the Chef’s Table

AmaWaterways spends more than most other river cruise lines on the food and wines, and it shows, especially in this unique dining venue. We always go during our cruises and always arrange for the groups we led to dine together—it’s always a superb experience!

AmaWaterways is the first river cruise line member of the invitation-only La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, one of the world’s most prestigious culinary organizations.

Avalon

Some Avalon riverships have alternative dining area called the Sky Bistro.  It offers a choice of grill fare on the Sky Deck (weather permitting).  You can also have light lunch in the Panorama Lounge.

Avalon is adding Avalon Fresh, which is locally sourced vegetarian cuisine.  The additional dishes are the creation of Austrian chefs and brothers Karl and Leo Wrenkh.  These chefs are emphasizing fun and tasty food that is both fresh and healthy.  These new dishes will be added to the regular entrees for the evening meal and will be featured on the menu with a special Avalon Fresh logo.

Avalon usually gets the poorest marks for cuisine by reviewers, so maybe this new approach will improve their ratings. 

Emerald

The main restaurant is called the Reflections Restaurant. They use buffets for all meals. You can also order off the menu on an a la cart menu.

You can enjoy breakfast and a light lunch on the Terrace.

In Avignon they have a special meal prepared by Fabian Morreale, a finalist from the French culinary competition . The meal is an authentic menu highlighting the tastes of the region.

Tauck

Tauck is changing its onboard menu to add healthier choices to all meals and upgrading the wine selections.  They have a shore dining option offering guests the chance to enjoy regional cuisine at local restaurants and this has become a very popular feature on Tauck cruises.  Some are at spectacular venues like castles and palaces.  For example, on the “A Taste of France” itinerary on the Rhone, Tauck takes guests to Abbaye de Collonges, the restaurant of Michelin-starred chef Paul Bocuse. 

Tauck also has its Arthur’s dining venue, a more causal alternative to the more formal cuisine in the main restaurant.  In conversations with another river cruise industry expert, he told me that Arthur’s had an excellent steak dinner.  This restaurant features more American fare than European style cuisine, so those looking for a more European experience may be a little disappointed in this approach.

Scenic

Other dining venues include the River Café (a casual all-day dining place), Portobellos and the Table La Rive.  Portobellos Restaurant is for 32 guests at one nightly seating, and reservations are necessary, but each guest is given at least one chance to dine there during a 7 day cruise.  We thought the five course Italian meal that was paired with Tuscan wines was excellent and a special feature of the cruise. 

Portobellos Chef prepares our 5 course meal on the Scenic Opal 2015

Scenic Main Course at Portobello’s

Dessert at Portobello’s on the Scenic Jasper

You can also get room service from your butler, certainly not a standard feature on most river cruise lines.  During good weather there sometimes are special meals served on the Sun Deck area.  Some guests, on the upper diamond deck, can have a special dining experience at the Table La Rive (they have changed this option for only 10 night or longer cruises but we got to sample this on our 7-night cruise).  My problem with this, is the dinner occurs in the same dining room as the other guests.

With superb dining (based on our 2015 cruise) and fine wines, Scenic has gone a step further and is introducing an on board cooking school on their French sailing ships, the Scenic Sapphire and the Scenic Diamond.    This new space will be called “Scenic Culinaire”.  The school will feature cooking stations and the lessons will center on the regional cuisine of the areas of France the rivership is sailing.  This is an excellent addition!

Uniworld

Along with the main dining room, some ships have a Sky Lounge, glass-enclosed Lounge or have dinner on deck under the stars.  There are special dinners on select riverships such as on the S.S. Maria Theresa, in the Leopard Bar.  The bar converts to a special dining room that holds up to 20 guests on select nights during the cruise.  I talked with a highly respected river cruise advisor, who told me the 5-course meal was excellent and one of his favorite among river cruise lines.

Uniworld’s has an “Epicurean Adventure” program on select European itineraries, that includes wine tastings, culinary demonstrations, and special dinners.

Uniworld continues to upgrade its cuisine.  This will be especially true on its newer ship, the S. S. Joie de Vivre (joy of life), that will cruise on the Seine starting next month.  This new rivership will have 2 dining rooms, and both will emphasize French Cuisine.  Along with the main restaurant, called Le Restaurant Pigalle, there will be a private dining area featuring wines.

Uinworld’s food is inspired by Bea Tollman, whose cookbook, A Life in Food, contains many recipes used onboard. They are also featuring a wider variety of vegetarian options and a Traveling Lite menu that features the flavors of the traditional menu but with fewer calories.

Viking

Viking has an outdoor venue called the Aquavit Terrace in addition to its main dining room. It is a combination indoor-outdoor dining area. It is a more casual meal with a lighter fare. Sometimes they also serve on the upper deck (called the sun deck).

The Aquavit Terrace on a Viking longship docked in Cologne

For breakfast on the Aquavit Terrace they offer a typical breakfast you might get on land in most smaller B & B places in Europe—sliced meats, cheeses, and breads. You can also order egg dishes.

Viking also has on shore dining experiences but they usually come with an extra cost. I recently wrote about some of these experiences in our blog about comparing river cruise companies on the Rhine River. Having visited many of these ports beforehand, I can promise you you can often replicate the same experience for far less cost. A great example might be flammenkuchen in Strasbourg. Not only is it easy to find in the numerous small bistros, you can control you exact cost.

flammenkuchen in Strasbourg we bought without an excursion

Our Final Thoughts

There sure are some good food on river cruises and I think all are trying to improve. The trend is towards better dining options. Food and wine are generally very important to our guests and we see improvements everywhere.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 51+ years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Understanding Extra Charges on 7 River Cruise Lines

Understanding Extra Charges on 7 River Cruise Lines

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

One of the most confusing items in river cruising is understanding what the extra charges are for a river cruise.  For some, it is all about price.  However, for us, it is always about value.

Although it is sometimes difficult to understand the different pricing methods of each line, without a doubt, there is so much more included in a river cruise by almost all companies as compared to most ocean cruises, that river cruising is an excellent overall value.

I will be first to admit that advertised prices sometimes do not reflect the reality of what the actual end charges will be on the final bill.  Since this may cause confusion, I will attempt to explain the extra charges on each line and provide our opinion on which charges are the most aggravating to us. 

This blog does not address incentive offers, which often add great value to cruises or optional pre and post land tours.

So, let’s explore together and learn pricing methods and charges on the 7 river cruise lines we follow.

How Base Prices are Determined on each River Cruise Line

All 7 lines we follow (AmaWaterways, Avalon, Emerald, Scenic, Tauck, Uniworld and Viking) list their starting price at the lowest priced stateroom.  For all, this means a cabin with a fixed window on the first level of the 3-level rivership.  With the exception of Tauck, which has an innovative loft stateroom on some of their ships, it is a smaller stateroom with a fixed window space that varies in size.  It is on the same level as the crew quarters, and usually has the fewest number of staterooms on each ship.

AmaKristina

Avalon Vista

Emerald Destiny

Scenic Opal

Tauck Treasures

Uniworld River Royal

Viking Jarl

Most riverships are designed to hold 2 persons per stateroom.  There are few single passenger staterooms.  Some of the large staterooms can hold 3 passengers.  Single cruisers often pay a supplement for their stateroom.

The prices increases on the top two decks for staterooms.  These may or may not include a balcony or French balcony, but even some older ships have fixed windows on the top levels.  River cruise ships, for the most part come in 2 similar sizes—a 135 meter ship (443 feet) and a 110 m ship (336 feet).  The size limitations are due to the constraints of the lock system on most European rivers.

So, the most significant cost increase for most when taking a river cruise is their stateroom choice.  It is not uncommon to see a price range of $8,000 or less for 2 at the lowest priced stateroom to $15,000 or more for the largest stateroom.

Those new to river cruising might be shocked by these prices, but included are meals, excursions, free wi-fi, beverages, and the luxury of packing and unpacking once.  The transportation feature is the key—we have arranged many land trips and train and plane costs are expensive.  It is a hassle-free vacation which maximizes your opportunity to experience Europe with sights you could seldom visit easily on your own (or may even not know about) in the most efficient manner possible,

So, with this basic starting point, I will now explain charges by each river cruise company and start with the charges I find most aggravating.

Excursion Extra Charges

To me, this is a charge that should be included in the fare, although some charges are understandable and reasonable, in my humble opinion.  Only Scenic and Tauck do not charge for any tours available to their guests.  AmaWaterways only charges for the Vienna concert (I was told that they were losing money by making reservations for the night time concert when too many folks decided not to attend after signing up to go either from being too tired or having a bit too much to drink with dinner).  To me, that is reasonable.  These 3 companies get our best rating for quality and quantity of excursions.

Cesky Krumlov on a Scenic tour

Rothenburg on an AmaWaterways tour

While not a subject of this blog, the quality of the excursions offered and the quantity at each port is also a key factor in selecting your river cruise company and is also as important as the price.  When you see charges that seem high for more exciting tours, it causes one to muse that the price is not what it seems to be on the advertised cruise fare,

Uniworld and Viking make my worse offenders list.  Uniworld, which promotes itself as an all-inclusive line, has some significant charges on its Rhine Route for example, but at least they are up front and specify the charges online. 

Viking, however, is the worse offender in my opinion—on each cruise they include only 6 excursions and the rest result in extra charges.  To make matters worse, it is extremely difficult to ferret out these charges early—most guests receive a printed sheet in their stateroom of the optional charges which can add as much as 500 to 1000 euros to a fare.

Avalon and Emerald do charge extra for some tours, but most seem reasonable if you accept the fact that they will charge extra instead of including them in the fare.  On Avalon for example, I read an article in Travel Weekly that there were 31 options and 23 were included on a Rhone River Cruise and they were priced between $58-$69.  They seem very strong in Active and Discovery tour offerings.   

Avalon Bike

Emerald charges extra for their DiscoverMore program.  Some may have to be pre-booked prior to departure on the cruise.  Examples are a beer festival in Passau, a guided tour to Pont du Gard or a concert in Vienna.

Pont du Gard

Beverages

During mealtimes, all lines offer complimentary soft drinks, their specialty coffees and beer and wine.  Beverages are included on Scenic, Tauck and Uniworld all the time, but even these lines sometimes have a higher level package of premium drinks that are usually very high end.

Scenic Wine and food

AmaWaterways has a “Sip-n-Sail” cocktail hour that includes most drinks and features the drink of the day.  Every day on your cruise with Amawaterways they offer 2 different wines, a red and white, that are from the region you are sailing through for lunch and dinner . There are 2 special wines are included with the Chef’s Table are excellent which is complimentary on every cruise in Europe.

Chef’s Table Wine

Wine offerings on our Gems of SE Asia river cruise on AmaWaterways

Pouring the Chef’s Table Wine AmaWaterways

Avalon has recently added a free cocktail hour which will start in 2023.

Viking has a Silver Spirt package that costs 300 Euros per cabin. They often use the same 2 wines for the entire cruise. Beer and wine are included at meals.

One could easily argue that beverages should not be the second most problematic extra charge, but for most of our clients the quality of food and wine is extremely important.

Gratuities

Emerald, Scenic, Tauck, and Uniworld include their gratuities in the fare price

AmaWaterways, Avalon and Viking do not include gratuities. 

Some clients are very worried about the extra cost of gratuities, but for us this is a not an issue.  Our experience on river cruises, is that the crew earns their gratuities, and we always tend to pay the suggested amount and provide a little extra to folks that we have multiple contacts with such as the bar staff and waiters.  I like to say the crew becomes your friends and you will want to take them home with you. 

Port Charges

This is pretty straight forward.  Emerald, Scenic, Tauck and Viking include port charges in their fares.

AmaWaterways, Avalon and Uniworld do not include port charges in the basic advertised cruise fares.  One item to note—port charges are per person, not per stateroom.

All river cruise companies have expenses to use the locks and ports.  We don’t see this as much of a big deal.

Laundry, Massage and Hairdressing Services

If available onboard, all lines charge extra for Massage and Hairdressing services.

Laundry is a great perk.  Free laundry is offered in some of the higher cost staterooms on each line.

AmaWaterways, Avalon, Emerald, Tauck and Viking all charge for laundry service. 

Scenic, in their staterooms that have Butler service, has a one-time 2-pound courtesy laundry service.  Some Uniworld ships have free washers and dryers, as does the AmaMagna from AmaWaterways.

For us, the laundry service is reasonable and welcome—I use it to help reduce the amount of clothes I bring and Anne loves the fact that when we come home, it reduces the amount of washing we need to do after the trip.

In the laundry room on AmaWaterways—I’m holding my laundry request and this is the laundry guy between Anne and me

Our Final Thoughts

Money, Money, Money—we all want the best value we can get for the price we pay.

We hope you enjoyed this report and it sheds some light on our most frequently asked questions about costs.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Comparing Rhine River Cruise Itineraries

Comparing Rhine River Cruise Itineraries  

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

We always say that the most important reason to go on a river cruise is what you get to see and experience.  The Rhine River Route from Amsterdam to Basel or the reverse is the second most popular route for US guests.  The route allows guests to see 4 different countries and many of the cruise companies stop at common ports.

There is a significant difference between company offerings, when you consider what tours are included in the cruise fare and which lines charge for optional tours.

So, let’s explore together to compare the offering of various lines and learn about tours on the Rhine River.

Rhine River Overview

Born in the heart of the Alps, the mighty Rhine flows through 4 countries—Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. On this amazing journey, you will travel through the famous Alsace region of wine and quaint villages, sail the stunning Rhine River Gorge to view the 40 castles that dot the hillsides, and port in both Cologne and Amsterdam.

River Cruise Ports and Sights on the Rhine

To name the ports, I have decided to sail from north to south for most of these Rhine cruises.  Here is a list of prime ports:

Amsterdam, Cologne, Koblenz, Rhine Gorge, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Speyer, Strasbourg, and Basel are actually on the Rhine or very close like Strasbourg.

There are several sights that are near some of the ports that can enhance your trip.  Stops like Lahneck Castle, Cochem Castle and Marksburg Castle have tours of some very interesting fortifications that you can visit inside the castle.  There are tours to Heidelberg, Baden-Baden, Riquewihr, a visit to the Black Forest and Frieberg.

Note that not every port is available on every sailing, as a few sailing trips are themed cruises.

The offerings are also changing due to weather conditions, water levels, and other factors.

For each line, I have provided a Day-by-Day Route Summary with our Port Pictures. This should make the comparisons far more meaningful.

AmaWaterways

Map From AmaWaterways

The two routes are called the Captivating Rhine (north to south) and Enchanting Rhine (south to north).  AmaWaterways does not charge extra for any tours on these 2 routes.  Ports are Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rüdesheim, Speyer, Heidelberg, Strasbourg, Riquewihr, Freiburg and Basel (only tours on the Enchanting Rhine route of Basel).  On the Enchanting Rhine there is an exclusive Lahneck Castle tour.

Most stops offer 3 tour options at each port.  They are particularly strong in active bike and hiking tours and are the only cruise line with a dedicated wellness host who conducts daily classes and escorts the hiking and biking tours.

Amawaterways also has themed cruises on this route. Our favorite is wine themed cruises that have a onboard wine host who offers tastings and usually a wine pairing dinner.

There are pre and post tours.  They include Amsterdam. Lucerne, Zurich and Lake Como on the Rhine Castles and Swiss Alps itinerary. 

Avalon

Map from Avalon Waterways

The most booked route on the Rhine River offered by Avalon is named the Romantic Rhine.

The ports visited are Amsterdam, Cologne, Rhine Gorge, Rüdesheim, Mainz, Strasbourg, Briesach (gateway to the Black forest and the route ends in Basel).

Avalon has 3 types of tours. They are Classic, Discovery, and Active. They also have themed cruises on this route.

There are some optional tours that require an extra charge. During the spring, they offer a Kurkenhof gardens tour.

Emerald Waterways

Map From Emerald River Cruises

Jewels of the Rhine is the route that goes from Basel to Amsterdam.  There are 5 included tours, 3 active tours and 2 Emerald Plus tours included in the fare.  Tours to Freiburg, Heidelberg, Koblenz, Cologne city tour and extra cooking demonstration tour) and Amsterdam.

Extra charge tours include Riquewihr, and Cochem Castle.

Scenic

Map from Scenic River Cruises

There are 20 included tours in the Rhine Highlights itinerary.  In Amsterdam there are 3 tours—city tour or ,canal cruise or bike tour and excursion to Edam and Volendam.  There are 3 tours offered in Cologne.  Also 3 tours in Koblenz include a visit to Cochem Castle.  In Heidelberg you can visit the castle or tour the old town,  that night there is a special private evening concert at the Baroque Palace of Rastatt.  At the Baden-Baden port stop, you can visit the famous spa town, or take an active hike or visit the Mercedes-Benz factory.  In Strasbourg, you can tour the old town or go on a wine tasting Mittelbergheim in the Alsace and sample some of the best wines the region has to offer or tour the Black Forest.  Your final port of Basel is just to disembark.

There are no extra charges or optional tours—all tours are included with Scenic.

Tauck

Route Map from Tauck River Cruises

Tauck’s route is called the Romantic Rhine.  The tour in Amsterdam starts with a city drive, then a canal boat tour and a visit to the world famous Rijksmuseum.  Next, in Cologne, you will visit the old town by bus and take a walking tour of this unique city.  That evening there will be a Tauck Exclusive private evening featuring a cocktail reception, dinner and entertainment at Schloss Ehreshoven.  In Koblenz, you can either take a bike tour or a tour of the old city.  You have 2 great choices in your next port—Speyer or Heidelberg.  In Strasbourg, you will have a morning tour of the old town,  In the afternoon you can stay in Strasbourg or visit the spa town of Baden-Baden.  On your last day of touring, you will have the choice of visiting Lucerne and Mt. Pilatus or you can take a wine tasting at Château Haut-Koenigsbourg along the Alsace Wine Route.

There are no optional tours or extra charges on your Tauck cruise.

Uniworld

Map From Uniworld River Cruises

The Castles Along the Rhine is the name of the route offered by Uniworld.  Your tour starts in Cologne with a walking tour of the old town.  There are 3 choices in Boppard for Day 3 of the cruise.  They are Koblenz walking tour; Marksburg Castle Visit; and a Boppard Village Stroll.  On Day 4, after sailing on the Rhine Gorge, you have a Castle Vollrads wine tasting.  Day 5 is their signature visit to the Weinessiggut Doktorenhof estate for a special vinegar tasting in their Make Travel Matters program.  Day 6 is a walking tour of Strasbourg.  Day 7 is a tour of Freiberg or a visit to the village of Kaysersberg.  The tour ends in Basel where you disembark.

There is a special Generations program focusing on families on this route and have special tours.

There are optional tours that require an extra charge.  There is a Gourmet Vinegar Cooking Class and a Romantic Heidelberg tour choices on Day 5.  On Day 6 there is a Natural Beauty and Living History which includes a walking tour of the Vogtsbauernhof outdoor museum.  

Viking

Map from Viking River Cruises

The Viking route is called the Rhine Getaway.  As with the other lines it covers 4 countries.  Viking only has 6 included tours—the other tours require an extra charge.  Day 2 is a visit to the famous windmills at Kinderdijk.  On Day 3, you will arrive in Cologne and the included tour is a guided visit to the Old town  On Day 4, you will have a walking tour of Koblenz in the morning or a chance to see Marksburg Castle.  Later in the day, after sailing through the Rhine Gorge, you will have free time or optional tours in Rüdesheim.  The Day 5 tour is a tour of Speyer.  Day 6 is a guided tour of Strasbourg.  Day 7 is a tour of the Black Forest.

On this route, it is quite possible to get per person charges of more than 500 Euros per person, depending on your choices.

Our Final Thoughts

This may be an excellent start to understanding the difference offered between the 7 companies we follow.

I think you can see why we are in the business—it just is awesome to help folks have a great vacation.  We hope you enjoyed this report.

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent

 

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, Hungary

Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert

Anne Schrader, Certified Travel Counselor & Certified Luxury Cruise Specialist

www.dreamdestinations.com

This is a port guide about Budapest.

So, let’s explore together and learn about this wonderful city.

Overview

Perhaps the most stunning city on any river cruise, Budapest is actually 2 cities rolled into one.  By far the most impressive city on the Danube, Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is a town we love to visit.

Hungary is a landlocked country with no access to an ocean or sea, so the Danube River is a vital part of the country, and many important cities grew up along this key waterway along with Budapest.

It is really two towns that were separate but later became united—the high town of Buda that overlooks the banks of the Danube and Pest on the flat land.  They are united by several bridges, but the Chain Bridge is the most important and is a symbol of the city.  Both sides have some awesome structures—among them Buda Castle and Fisherman’s Bastion (Buda side) and the Parliament building (Pest side).

Once you visit, you will want to come back.  We have led tours here, but the most important sights are around the Danube River area—anything that requires a longer distance than the river area is difficult to see on your own without transportation.

Some History of Budapest and Hungary

Perhaps the best place to start is with the Magyars who started settling the area around Budapest in 896.  The Magyars were nomadic tribes constantly on the move around the Caucasus and Káma River areas.  In 1000 the first king of Hungary, Stephen I began consolidating power.  Then came a series of conquests of this area—first the Mongols in 1241 who sacked and almost completely destroyed the city. 

The next invaders were the Ottomans who took Pest in 1526 and 15 years later conquered Buda.  The Ottomans were driven out by the Hapsburgs around 1780.  Hungary and Budapest then became part of the Austria-Hungary Empire who ruled the country until 1918.  After a short attempt at democracy, in 1919 Hungary had a revolution which brought a communist regime to power and the country became known as Hungarian Soviet Republic.

WW II first resulted in German control of the city, then the Soviets after WW II until 1989.

What are Some of the Key Sights to See in Budapest?

I have tried to organize the sights into the way river cruise companies typically visit them on their tours in Budapest.  There are two common tours—a bus ride up to the Castle District and then a walking tour and a panoramic bus tour of the sights on Andrassy Avenue.  There are often onsite visits to St, Stephen’s Cathedral, perhaps the opera house, or the Central Market.

The Castle District

Buda Castle Hill--Elevated 168 meters (551 feet) above sea level, this striking area of Buda--the historic area of Buda--offers visitors the medieval Buda Castle, the Vienna Gate, the Magdalen Tower, and visits to two good museums.

The two best museums in the Buda Castle complex are the Hungarian National Gallery Museum and the Castle Museum. 

If you are not on a river cruise tour, the easiest and most scenic way to the Buda Castle is to ride the Buda hill funicular to the top.

Fisherman’s Bastion--the cobblestone streets of the Fisherman's Bastion (the name of the bastion comes from Guild of Fishermen, who were responsible for defending that stretch of the city walls during the Middle Ages) on the Buda side, lead to a series of seven neo-Gothic towers.  The seven towers of the Bastion represent the seven Magyar tribes that helped to settle the Magyar people in the Carpathian Basin.   The structure provides an awesome panorama of the Danube River, the Parliament building and the Pest side of Budapest.  Take bus 16 or 16A to Castle Hill if you are not on a river cruise tour.

Matthias Church—was founded in the 13th century.  It is an impressive structure and was rebuilt several times during the tumultuous history of battles for control of this area. 

Perhaps the most distinctive feature is the roof that is covered with the famous Zsolnay ceramic tiles, manufactured in the Hungarian town of Pecs.

Gellert Hill and the Citadel--For the best panorama of Budapest, Gellért Hill definitely is worth a visit. The old fortress and the statue of Liberty can be seen from a great distance.   They are an important part of the cityscape.  It is on the Buda side.  Take bus #27 to get to this location.

Typical Driving Tour Sights Offered by River Cruise Companies

Most river cruise companies like to drive on Andrassy Avenue to get a good overview of sights not near the Danube River.  Andrassy Avenue is a broad promenade of breathtaking neo-Renaissance architecture and home to many of Budapest’s must-see sites.  Most pass by Heroes’ Square, the Franz Liszt Memorial House, the House of Terror, the Szechenyi Baths, and the City Park.

Heroes Square--The monumental square at the end of Andrássy Avenue sums up the history of Hungary by displaying statues that honor Hungary’s heroes. This iconic monument features depictions of the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars, who are believed to have led the Hungarian people from central Asia to the Carpathian basin.  The millennium memorial commemorates the 1000th anniversary of the arrival of the Hungarians in the Carpathian Basin.

The Museum of Fine Arts and the Palace of Fine Arts are also located on this square.  It is the entrance to the City Park.  It is on the Pest side.  To get there take Metro to Hosok tere (yellow line)

City Park--The largest green area of Budapest conceals the Castle of Vajdahunyad (www.mmgu.hu) (a castle with 21 types of architecture, it was created for an exhibition), the Széchenyi thermal bath (one of the largest and most famous thermal baths in the world), and the Zoo and the Amusement park.  It is a beloved corner of the city for walking and relaxing. It is on the Pest side.  Metro Széchenyi furdo (yellow line)

House of Terror—you need a strong stomach to visit this museum.  This is the former headquarters of the ÁVH secret police.  This building is witness to some of the darkest days of 20th-century Hungary.  Exhibits have English signs.  Metro stop Okyogon (Yellow line).  (www.houseofterror.hu)

Dohány Synagogue Built in 1859, this is the second-largest working synagogue in the world (the largest is in New York City), and the second-oldest large building of those still standing.  The synagogue has a rich, but tragic history; it was one of many detention areas for Jews during the Holocaust.  A Jewish Museum next door traces the origins of Hungarian Judaism and features exhibits of ceremonial Judaica throughout the centuries.  The museum periodically puts on excellent temporary exhibitions.  The Holocaust Memorial and Heroes' Temple in the courtyard are well worth visiting.

Walking Tours and Sight Visits in Pest

St. Stephen’s Basilica--The largest Catholic Church in Budapest, where the most important relic of the Hungarian Catholicism, the Holy Right Hand of King St. Steven is kept.  The panorama terrace offers a great view of the city if you are willing to climb the 142 steps to the top.  It is on the Pest side.

The interior of the cathedral is a masterpiece of dramatic arches, marble and liberally applied gilding. Inside is one of Hungary’s most sacred artifacts, the Szent Jobb—meaning “Holy Right Hand—is the mummified right hand of St. Stephen.

Central Market Hall--the Central Market Hall is like a large treasure trove of fresh vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, and culinary delicacies.  The spacious market at the Pest end of Liberty Bridge (Szabadság híd) however is famous for its architecture too.  Built at the turn of the 19-20. Centuries, it was one of the most modern indoor markets not only in Budapest but in the whole world.  It is on the Pest side.

Hungarian Parliament--the monumental building of the Parliament is one of the biggest attractions of Budapest.  The parliament building is the largest building in Budapest and the third largest parliament building in the world.  Here are some facts about the size of this building—it has 691 rooms, 10 courtyards, and 12.5miles worth of stairs.

It hosts the diet and the crown jewels.  Guided tours are organized 4 times a day.  It is on the Pest side. Here are 3 pictures Anne took inside the parliament building on a tour:

Vaci Street and Danube Promenade--The bustling walking areas of the downtown offer famous cafés, terraces, elegant shops, boutiques, and theatres.  There are great views of the Castle from the Danube Promenade.  It is on the Pest side.

Chain Bridge--This was the first permanent bridge built across the Danube in Budapest. It was built between 1840 to 1849. It is 375m long and 16m wide. This bridge connected the towns of Buda and Pest and was a major reason the two towns became Budapest. In 1989, it was a site of protest for freedom and independence from communist rule. Today, the bridge is a symbol of Hungarian liberty. 

Opera House--the Opera House has a fantastically ornate interior featuring frescoes by two of the best-known Hungarian artists of the day, Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz.  Outside of the building, you can see statues to Ferenc Erkel (composer of the Hungarian National Anthem) and Ferenc Liszt (Hungarian composer).

Guided tours are given daily at 3pm and 4pm (these can be arranged in English) are the only way to see the interiors unless you buy a ticket to a performance.  Metro stop Opera (Yellow line).  (www.opera.hu)

Have a dessert in Gerbeaud Cafe—famous for their handmade deserts.  It opened in 1858 and has been a favorite of Budapest ever since then.  (www.gerbeaud.hu/en)

Try Strudel at the First Strudel House of Budapest—located in an old building, this establishment is part theater and great strudel.  The chefs make the strudel behind a display kitchen area.  The strudel is excellent—we try to stop by each time we visit Budapest.

Eat in Karpatia restaurant—the motto here is “the only king here is you”—great Hungarian food. A city landmark since 1877, you will experience traditional and contemporary Hungarian food, with a spirited gypsy band playing amidst historic walls. (www.karpatia.hu/en/)

Shopping--Just off exclusive Váci Utca Boulevard there are courtyards studded with boutiques and shops selling handmade leather gloves, intricate Halas lace and Herend porcelain.  Pricey antique shops and galleries cluster along Falk Miksa Utica near the neo-Gothic Parliament and just steps from Katti Zoób, Hungary's leading design diva.  Taste Hungary's finest wines at laid-back Bortarsaság near the Castle District.

Our Final Thoughts

Wow—what a great port stop.  We have been to Budapest several times and it is always interesting, vibrant, and fun.  We hope you get a chance to visit—it is our guess you will want to come back just like we do!

We are travel experts, ocean and river cruise specialists, and Europe destination experts.  We have first-hand knowledge of almost anywhere you want to visit in Europe.  We know our products and the vendors who sell them to you.  We have designed special tours for dozens of clients, led several and will continue to find just the right vacation that will exceed your expectations.

When you are spending your hard-earned money for a vacation, you want an advisor who can match you with the right trip.  You want someone who will understand your expectations and fuel your anticipation (or excitement) to get you the best possible trip experience.  And, you want someone who can help you with the decision making process.  We think we have all these qualities.

Whatever your Dream Destinations are, we are here to help you get the best possible vacation based on what is important to you!  We will provide you high quality, expertly planned travel.  Please give me a call 713-397-0188 (Hank) or email me at hschrader@dreamdestinations.com.  We want to help you:  Savor life…make memories…Visit Dream Destinations!  Your journey begins here!

ANNE has earned a degree from the University of Houston in Hotel and Restaurant Management.  Serving as the President of Visit Dream Destinations, LLC, since 2016, she is uniquely experienced professional travel advisor with over 26 years’ experience in the travel industry.  Among her numerous certifications, she is a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC) by the Travel Institute, considered the gold standard in travel agent certification and she is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC) by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), as well Luxury Cruise Specialist also from CLIA.  Having traveled often to Europe since 1989, she has expanded on her certification as a Destination Specialist in Western Europe (DS) with extensive first-hand experience in luxury vacations.  She holds numerous other specialty designations from individual vendors.  An expert photographer, she delights in capturing the true essence of destinations to share with all.

HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 50 years.  He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA).  This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years.  He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees.   His other Certifications:

  • AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist

  • Viking River Cruise Specialist

  • Scenic River Cruise Specialist

  • Emerald Waterways Specialist

  • Avalon Waterways Specialist

  • Brit Agent