Kim's Daily Journal

2005 Danube Holiday Cruise

                                                                                       Sunday, December 18, 2005

            Left for the airport at 6:45 a.m.  Wasn’t sure if we were even going to attempt the trip.  Gram went in the hospital yesterday morning but seems to be doing fine.  Dad is another story.  At midnight Porter’s called and he was in ICU with severe respiratory distress and on life-support.  He is so heavily sedated that I don’t even think he knew Raelee and I were there.  Decided to come on the trip because I really can’t do anything for him now.  Mom knows how to reach us if she needs to, sure hope we don’t hear from her.  What a shitty was to start the trip.

            Also worried about leaving Maximus and Trajan.  It’s the first time we’ve left them and I’m sure I’m going to suffer more than they are.  Rosemary is staying at our house so I know they will be in good hands.

            Got to the airport around 7:30 a.m., parked and then breezed through check-in.  Had quite a bit of time to kill so had breakfast at Pour Le France.  Called Mom, Raelee and the hospital.  No change in Dad.

            Plane to Dulles was a 777, we had the 2-side so I was able to sleep most of the way to D.C.  It felt good to get some sleep.  Arrived in Dulles around 3:50 p.m.  Had a beer and saw some of the GCT group, much older than us.

            Boarded the flight and again had the 2-side on Austrian Air.  Lloyd watched “Must Love Dogs” and I read.  Had raviolis, salad nicoise and cheesecake for dinner.  Was pretty good.  Also had a couple of glasses of wine with dinner.  Then we slept for quite a while.  This plane doesn’t have individual air controls and I got pretty warm. 

                                                                                    Monday, December 19, 2005

            Woke up to breakfast of meat, cheese, yogurt and bread.  Actually slept quite a bit and feel pretty good.  Should be in Vienna in about an hour.  Landed in Vienna, got off the plane, and boy, it is cold!  Wind is blowing really hard!  Glad I have all my cold weather gear.  Got our luggage and through customs with no trouble.  Met our guides who took us to the bus for our transfer to the MS River Aria.  The group is quite a bit older than us and my first impression is not as worldly or liberal as our barge companions.

            Got to the boat and checked into our cabin, #404.  It is so cute.  Two couches turn into beds, a writing desk, table, and a closet with a safe.  And a nice bathroom.  It is quaint but not as quaint as the Mirabelle.  We have a small balcony with two chairs – I’ll have to bundle up to enjoy that!  The room also has a poinsettia and an advent calendar for the countdown to Christmas.

            Toured the ship and everything is really pretty and decorated for Christmas.  The dining room is in the back end of the boat and is very cozy.  On the other end is the lounge, also very inviting.

            After looking around we talked to one of the guides (there are four for the 150 passengers) and he told us how to take the subway into the center of Vienna.  We walked a few blocks, found the station and away we went to Stephansplatz.  The subway system is very easy to use just like Paris and London.  We got off the subway and found ourselves on a wide pedestrian street, Kartner Strabe, lined with many types of shops from chocolate to souvenirs to very upscale clothing shops.  Walked all along the street, wind is really blowing, and it’s cold.  Found a booth selling Gluhwein, a hot spiced wine, and had some to warm up.  Walked back along the street to the cathedral, St. Stephans.  Went in and I think it is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve ever seen.  There are many elaborate carvings on the pillars.  It is gothic and somewhat reminiscent of Notre Dame.  It was warm and crowded.  The alter was very beautiful.  I lit candles for gram and dad.  We walked back to the subway and returned to the ship for a nap.

            Went down to the lounge at 6 p.m. for our orientation and port talk.  Met our guides, we’re in the blue group and our guide is Akos.  Sat with a very nice couple from Florida, Ron and Gloria, who seem to be real characters.  Had a welcome glass of champagne.

            Went to dinner and sat with Mal and Reeva from Atlanta and Gregory and Nadia (Russian immigrants) from New York.  All were very nice.  Gregory and Nadia had many interesting stories to tell about their departure from Russia.  Dinner was very good.  We started with a cold appetizer of smoked salmon on greens, a hot appetizer of halibut on mashed potatoes in a champagne sauce (yum!).  Then we had a lemon sorbet with campari.  Lloyd had Gorgonzola tortellini on sautéed spinach and I had veal loin with green beans and potatoes in the shape of a pear and an onion tart.  Very good.  For desert we had crème brulee and chocolate chip ice cream on a waffle.  The wine was poured freely and you had your choice of a merlot or a Riesling, the Riesling was very good.  After coffee we went back to the lounge.  Lloyd had a cognac (Hennessey XO at $36 a shot!) and I had a sherry.

            Went back to the room and our beds had been turned down (I just love that!).  We were in bed by 10:15 p.m.

                                                                                    Tuesday, December 20, 2005

            Got up at 5 a.m.  Slept really well.  Woke up quite a bit between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m. probably due to the three-hour nap I took yesterday afternoon.  Showered and it felt great!  Lloyd got up at 6 a.m. and got us coffee, he’s feeling a little under the weather.  I may explore without him today.  I went to breakfast, wow!  I can’t believe the spread.  Anything a person could possibly want is available.  I had some prosciutto, cheese, kiwi, bananas and some juice.  It tasted very good. 

            Got on the bus with the blue group for our city tour.  Drove through town and got dropped off at St. Stephans Cathedral.  Split the group into two, my guide is Maya.  We looked at the outside of the Cathedral but didn’t go in which was disappointing to a lot of people.  Walked through the city.  Saw many old palaces that are now mainly used for government buildings.  Most were sold by the families who owned them in the 1920’s during the depression when the economy went flat.  Saw some buildings with large brass plaques on them that denoted some historical significance.  Saw houses that Johann Strauss, Mozart and Beethoven had lived in.  We stopped at a coffee shop and had cake (I had Black Forest) and coffee.  It was nice to get out of the cold, but we stepped into smoke!  It was one of the smokiest places I’d been in in a long time.  We walked some more and saw the Opera, shopping areas, Lipizzaner stables, and a memorial to the atrocities of war.  The memorial was fascinating because it was built on the site of a building that was bombed in WWII and killed 400 people hiding in the basement.  We boarded the bus and drove to the Belvedere Palace.  It sits high on a hill and overlooks Vienna.  It is a huge structure and had a Christmas market sat up in front.  The gardens behind the palace were beautiful and would probably be pretty amazing in the summer.  The gardens overlooked the city and you could see the spire of St. Stephans in the distance.  Looked around the market and got back on the bus.  It is very cold and wet, but it feels like Christmas.

            Got back on the ship and had lunch.  It was a buffet and again, what a spread.  Had a potato, zucchini soup and some salad that tasted really good.  Went back to the cabin and started to work on my journal but fell asleep.  Took a 2 hour nap and woke up feeling very refreshed.  Went to the lounge for some Gluhwein, which was much better than the stuff we had yesterday walking around Vienna.

            Some of the teams have already started to decorate their trees.  They gave each person on each team one euro and we are to buy ornaments to decorate a small tree.  Tracy, a lady on the blue team, has taken charge.

            We had an early dinner due to the musical optional tour.  We ate with Nadia and Gregory again.  Had consommé, schnitzel with potato salad, and apple strudel.  Again, drank a Riesling with dinner.  Dinner was good but not as good as last night.

            We then left for our music night.  We went to an old palace and went to the top floor and were herded into a tight seating arrangement.  The ensemble took the stage and began playing selections of Strauss and Mozart.  They were very good.  The problem came when they introduced the dancers and singers.  They were very amateurish.  The program went for about 40 minutes and then there was an intermission and we had a glass of champagne.  The room had gotten really hot and I was feeling pretty sweaty.  I did get a Vienna floaty pen during intermission!  So the night wasn’t a complete loss.  Concert continued for another 35 minutes and again enjoyed it except for the singers and dancers.  Especially liked listening to the Waltz of the Blue Danube.  After the concert the bus drove us around town and we saw the city lights and the Christmas decorations, which were very nice.

            Got back on the ship and called mom at work to check on dad and gram.  Dad is doing better!  Gram was feeling a little under the weather.  I think we’re in for a rough go here.  Felt much better after I talked to mom.

            Went down to the lounge and had a couple of Cosmopolitans and a bowl of snacks.  We now have our favorite bartender, Tamas, taking good care of us.  It was very nice to just sit and relax.  Went to bed at 12:30 a.m.

                                                                                    Wednesday, December 21, 2005

            Alarm didn’t go off at 6 a.m. because I had it set for p.m.  Oops!  Decided to skip breakfast and sleep in.  Got up at 8:30 a.m. when Lloyd went to breakfast.  Felt really good to sleep in.  Showered and went down to the lounge and had some coffee and worked on the journal.  There are quite a few people staying on the ship this morning.  It is a nice day, blue sky and sun!  The first day we’ve seen the sun on this trip.  Lloyd is reading and looks like he’s ready to go back to sleep any minute.  Read on my book for quite a while.  Really enjoyable just sitting and relaxing and talking to people.  Had a Bloody Mary before lunch.

            Engines started up at 12:30 p.m. and we set sail at 1 p.m.  We had a safety drill where we had to put on our life vests and report to the lounge.  It was funny seeing everyone in orange.  After everyone had checked in we had lunch, without the life vests!  We had black bean soup and Lloyd had a club sandwich and I had a pork kebob, which was very good.  We had ice cream for dessert. 

            After lunch a group of people from the blue team got together and decorated our tree.  It was really fun and the tree looked really festive.  The other teams were a bit more creative than ours and their trees look really nice also.  Everyone seemed to have lots of fun working on the tree and it gave you a chance to talk to people you hadn’t really talked to yet.

            We went through a huge lock on the river.  It was much bigger than any we saw on the canal in Bordeaux.  We sailed along the river and saw many castles on hilltops and ancient walls.  The scenery is beautiful.  We got to Bratislava, Slovakia at 4:30 p.m., three hours earlier than expected due to good currents.  It looks like a fairly good-sized city.  The passport authorities got on board and checked everyone’s passports before clearing us to go ashore.

            Once cleared we headed out.  Had to go through a passport check building and then headed to the town square.  It was a short walk and we were soon surrounded by old and beautiful buildings, cobblestone streets, streetcars and a busy Christmas market.  There was a huge decorated tree in the square.  We walked around and looked at the stalls and it was so crowded.  Seemed to be a very popular social gathering.

            We walked back to the boat for port talk and dinner.  We sat with Dixie, Rita, Mal and Reeva.  We had an antipasti plate with cheese and roasted vegetables and some broccoli soup.  Lloyd had steak with peppercorn sauce and I had trout.  Both were very good.  For dessert we had Crepes Suzette that were very good and Lloyd ordered me a second one!  Had the same wine choice, Merlot or Riesling. 

            After dinner we walked Mal and Reeva to the casino in town.  We went back to the boat and had a drink and went to bed at 11 p.m.  

                                                                                    Thursday, December 22, 2005

            Got up at 5:45 a.m.  Lloyd went and got coffee and I showered.  Today is going to be very busy.  Decided to skip breakfast again so I just had a small sweet roll with my second cup of coffee.

            Departed at 9 a.m. for the city tour.  Drove through town and looked at some old and new buildings.  The local guide wasn’t very good.  It was very hard to understand her and, therefore, I didn’t pick up a lot of the local history.  We drove to the castle on the top of the hill and had a panoramic view of the Danube.  It started to snow and was very pretty.  The view from the castle would have been very impressive on a clear day.  The castle was almost completely restored, as were many buildings in the city.  By the time we got off the bus for the walking portion of the city tour it was raining/snowing very hard and it was very wet.  We (the group, Lloyd stayed on the ship this morning) walked around for about 30 minutes getting wet and cold.  I ducked out from the group to head back to the ship because I didn’t want to wait another hour for the bus to take us back.  The Christmas market was much quieter than last night and you could actually see things in the stalls.  I walked back to the boat and water was dripping off my hat, my hair was soaked and my feet were wet and cold.

            We decided not to attend to home hosted lunch and to stay on the ship and watch the snow and read.  There were 20 people who stayed on the ship.  We had lunch on the ship, chicken buillion, ham sandwich and fruit salad, all which tasted very good.  Went back to the lounge to read some but got really cold.  Went to the cabin to read with a blanket thrown over me and ended up taking a nap.  When I woke up the sky was blue and the sun was out!  Crazy!

            People got back from their lunch and everyone seemed to have had a really nice time.  Sounded much more consistent among host families than Bordeaux had.

            At 5:45 p.m. a girl’s choir from Bratislava came on board and performed.  They were very good singing a variety of music including Christmas carols in English and Slovak.  It was a pleasant way to spend an hour.

            The boat set sail at 6:45 p.m. for Budapest.  We had dinner with Dixie and Rita.  Dixie spends a lot of time in Mexico in San Miguel, not far from Chapala.  Small world.  We had a nice dinner.  Started with goat cheese with an apple fritter, then had a small piece of mushroom lasagna with escargots.  I had pheasant with sauerkraut, a sausage, and mashed potatoes, which was very good.  Lloyd had pizza.  For dessert Lloyd had carrot cake and I had a cheese plate that was very nice.  After dinner we went to the lounge.  Luckily we missed the fashion show of stuff from the gift shop.  Very weird!

            We went through another lock.  This one is huge and actually dropped the ship 66’!

            Had a drink and called home.  Dad is doing much better, may actually get moved out of ICU tomorrow.  Talked to gram and she is feeling better also.  What a relief.

            Went to bed at 11 p.m.

                                                                                    Friday, December 23, 2005

            Got up at 6:15 a.m.  Looked out as we got to Budapest and saw one of the most beautiful and biggest buildings I’ve ever seen.  It is the Parliament Building.  We are docked right across the river from it.  The river here is very wide.  We are docked on the Buda side (hilly and west); the other side is Pest (flat and east).  Had coffee and waited for the city tour departure.

            The city tour was the best one yet.  It’s a pretty day, blue sky but cool.  Went to the top of the hill to visit the citadel.  The view from the hill is amazing; on a clear day it would be spectacular.  The area around the citadel is very nice, cobblestone streets, small shops in interesting buildings.  The church and wall are beautiful, a great photo op.  The palace is also on this hilltop adjacent to the citadel.  We then drove to Hero’s Square where the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior is located.  After a short stop we went to St. Stephans Cathedral (yes, another one).  It is fairly new and very ornate.  It has 50 different kinds of marble on the interior and so much gold!  We visited a small shop in the square outside the Cathedral and I bought some paprika and tasted some Tokaji wine.  Drove to the synagogue in Budapest, it is the largest in Europe and dropped off Mal and Reeva and another couple.

            Returned to the ship for lunch and had the buffet.  There is so much to choose from that you end up eating too much.  Sat with a lady who was an absolute lunatic – her meds definitely need regulated.  She aggravated me a great deal.

            We were going to walk to the Christmas market but decided to stay on the ship and read, nap and relax.  I needed to calm down after my lunch experience.

            There were about 12 people on the ship from Colorado and we had dinner with the group of 4 from Aurora.  They are very nice but seem very religious and conservative.  We started with a salad and then onion soup.  We had lamb chops (which even Lloyd liked) for our main course.  I had fried Camembert and Lloyd had and apple tart for dessert.  Of course, we drank a bit of wine.

            After dinner we walked to the Christmas market.  It was about a 30-minute walk over the river on the first bridge built connecting Buda and Pest.  The market was located in a nice pedestrian shopping area and was the best market we’d seen.  Lots of nice arts and crafts.  Also, lots of food and drinks.  Bought a couple of small ornaments and a glass of really good Gluhwein.  Looked around the shopping area a bit before returning to the ship.

            Had a drink in the lounge.  People came back from the optional music excursion, which we didn’t go to, and seemed to go straight to bed.  It seems people are getting a little tired.

            Went to bed at 11 p.m.

                                                                                    Saturday, December 24, 2005

            Christmas Eve in Budapest!  I’ve decided I really like Budapest and could spend a lot more time here.  Seems like a very interesting city with lots to do and see.  Hungarians have their main Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve so most things will close today between noon and 2 p.m.  Got up at 7 a.m. and had breakfast.  Decided not to go on the excursion to the diamond factory.  I hate those canned shopping stops.  Today is much grayer than yesterday, maybe the clouds will burn off.  I feel really tired today.

            Walked to the Christmas market at 11 a.m.  Lots of people seem to be doing some last minute shopping.  Walked through the market and bought some ornaments and some Gluhwein in a souvenir mug.  Lloyd bought his Tokaji wine at the liquor store we visited the night before.  Stopped in a coffee shop for a cappuccino and bathroom break.  Felt good to get warm.  We then walked back to the ship around 2 p.m.  The market was starting to close up for the holiday.  Got back and went to the lounge to read.  We missed lunch today – yea!

            At 4 p.m. a local teacher got on board with 5 of her students to give a presentation about the holiday traditions of Hungary.  It was very interesting and the kids were very cute especially the little girl who started out so shy and then hit her stride and became such a ham.  Everyone seemed to really enjoy the show.

            We had dinner with Rita, Dixie, Ron and Gloria.  We started with salmon pate then had a rock lobster on a bed of sautéed spinach.  Yum!  We had a cassis sorbet that was very good.  Lloyd had a small cheese soufflé with raviolis and I had venison that was very good, tender and not gamey.  For dessert we had a meringue cookie, a poppy seed pastry (it’s a tradition to eat poppy seeds in Hungary on x-mas eve because they bring prosperity so you want to eat a lot of them.  You also sprinkle them on the sidewalk between church and home to keep the witches from getting you) and some ice cream.  It was a very good dinner.  As dinner was winding up the crew came around and handed out gifts to all the passengers.  The ladies got Swarovski necklaces and the men got Swiss Army Knives.  It was such a surprise.  All the ladies put on their necklaces and admired them.  It added to the special feeling of the day.

            After dinner the crew had the Christmas tree judging contest and one person from each group had to get up and say a few words.  Lucky me got the job.  I made Tracy get up with me and I said a few things about camaraderie, blah, blah, blah.  As expected, all the trees won.

            Then we had the crew show.   All of the crew took part and it was very funny.  People were very animated and seemed to be getting in the holiday spirit.  They got people up to do the chicken dance and then a chain dance that was very fun.  I got Tracy up to do the chicken dance and we laughed a lot.  I then got up and danced with a guy in a tutu – weird but fun!

            Went back to the room and got ready to go to midnight mass.  Oh my!  At 11:30 p.m. I walked over to the church by the ship.  It is a beautiful baroque church, not large, but very ornate.  It was very beautiful because it was all decorated for Christmas with nine trees and lots of lights.  I set in the back and the church got very crowded.  The service started at midnight with the playing of the pipe organ which was pretty amazing.  Then the priest started his sermon and it was all in Hungarian but still very interesting.  I stayed for 30 minutes, which was pretty good for me.  I started to get freaked out by some of the statues and paintings – they almost seemed demonic.  This experience would later be known as my attending a ritualistic social gathering.  I enjoyed doing this as I’ve never attended a midnight mass, let alone one in Budapest.

            I walked back to the ship and got to the room to find Casablanca on TV!  Stayed up and watched it until 2 a.m.  Didn’t have to do the face check with the Hungarian police, which was very nice.  Saw them leave so decided I could finally go to bed.  Went to bed at 2:30 a.m.

                                                                                    Sunday, December 25, 2006

            Christmas Day!  Got up at 8 a.m. and we are moving up the river at a good clip.  Ship started sailing at 2:30 a.m.  Had coffee and went to the lounge to hear about departure tomorrow.  It is very weird to be on the Danube at Christmas but really nice and special.  People seem to be in a festive mood even though they seem a bit tired today.

            A lady on board wrote a book about southern women after the Civil War and it’s being published in April.  She read an excerpt from it and it was very good.

            At noon we had a Bloody Mary happy hour.  Drank a couple and visited with Ron.  Had lunch of soup followed by the main course.  Lloyd had chicken that he said was very good.  I had boiled beef with horseradish sauce that I really liked.  For dessert we had a raspberry cake with meringue topping.

            Went to the lounge and read for a bit and watched as we went through the big lock again, this time going up 66’!  Read some more and just relaxed and watched the countryside glide by.

            At 4 p.m. they had high tea in the lounge and provided more to eat!  I passed.  They served strudel, pastries, and hot egg nog (Yuck!).

            Lloyd went to shower and I visited some people from Lakewood.  The man is a bit odd but nice.  What is really weird is that I went to junior high school with their kids!  It really is a small world!

            At 6:15 p.m. we had a farewell drink with the Captain and crew.  The worst champagne with crème de cassis, not a good combo.  We sat with Dixie and Rita and ordered real drinks.

            We went to dinner and sat with Dixie, Rita, Mal and Reeva.  Had a salad with smoked duck and some awesome pate.  Then we had a sole and salmon roll with some wonderful risotto.  Had a sorbet of cassis ice cream and pineapple juice.  The main course was beef in a whiskey peppercorn sauce and Baked Alaska for dessert.  It was a wonderful dinner with wonderful company.

            Called home and dad had been sent home yesterday morning.  Mom said he wasn’t ready to be released but they let him go anyway.  Said he was very weak.  Considering what he’s been through this week, it’s amazing he’ out of the hospital.

            After dinner we went to the lounge for our final cosmopolitan and visited with Joe, Tracy, Ron and Gloria.  Said our good-byes to everyone, including Tamas and went to bed at 10:30 p.m.

                                                                                    Monday, December 26, 2005

            Got up at 4:45 a.m. and we’re back in Vienna.  We leave for the airport and home at 8 a.m.  We’re all packed and I’m ready to get home to Maximus and Trajan.  It has been a really nice and relaxing trip.  And we’ve met some very nice people and seen some interesting things along the way.  I’d do another trip similar to this one without hesitation.  And I really like doing this at Christmas.

            The airports the day after Christmas are crazy!  I’ve never seen such crowds or lines and Dulles is horrible.  Wasn’t sure we were going to make our connection.  Once I was on the plane I was so happy we’d be home in a few hours. 

            Got home at 9 p.m. and everything looked great and the cats looked bigger.  Seems that Rosemary got along just fine with the boys.  It’s nice to be home.

Please send any questions or comments about this site to the webmaster at lloyd@vickery.com.