So today we are in Croatia, a former part of Yugoslavia, which had had a troubled both recent and past.

We started out tour in a different, but unique way, with a rural tourism host. Basically he takes a small party into his house, offers food ad drink, and you just interact with them as they speak good English.

I don’t know how to pronounce, let alone spell, our hosts name, but his family made us feel most welcome as he described the good and bad parts of his life. The little farm grew a lot of produce, and in particular his mother collects water fowl.

It was harrowing to hear how his Grandfather had built everything by hand, but they only had 15 minutes to evacuate when the country was invaded by Serbia. Fortunately they have managed to return, and since joining the EU have a fair degree of prosperity.

After a short coach ride to Osijek we visited the local 300 year old church, and were entertained by a pianist with a delightful voice.

Yet another coach ride to the old town now, and a wander around the Holy Trinity Square.

Once out of the main square damage from the most recent war was very evident. Yet most people want to put the past behind them, except in Vukovar where atrocities were committed. It will be interesting visiting Serbia tomorrow and hearing their side of the story.

Another interesting morning, time for lunch then afternoon entertainment……a Tamburica band will entertain us soon.

We are definitely moving into the countryside now, rather than an urban landscape. Still in Hungary, but the Danube has a few more twists and bends with sand on its banks.

The water level is low for this time of the year, meaning a steep climb up the gangplank for this mornings excursion.

First up was the Bakod Horse Farm, with some Magyar horseman demonstrating their skills and equipment.

They trained their horses to lie flat on the plains and ‘disappear’, with much use of whip cracking, but not in contact with the horse, thus training them to the sound of gunfire.

Grey longhorn steer, 2 in hand farm carts and a town carriage with 4 in hand were driven enthusiastically around the arena.

The finale involved an impressive display of 9 in the hand with the horseman atop the last 2 horses. You would definitely need flexible knees and a good sense of balance to do this.

Our extremely knowledgeable and personable local guide filled us in with the local agriculture; barley, wheat, poppy and sunflower, are grown in this fertile area. Indeed its name can be translated to “ in the middle of mud”. A short drive took us to Kalocsa Cathedral, set in a beautiful old town but with reminders of its Russian occupation until recently.

The Italian baroque style was in complete contrast to its surroundings, with the pink and white interior giving a much lighter appearance than some other Cathedral’s recently visited.

We were treated to a 20 minute organ recitals. The Angster organ was in maximum airflow mode! The sound was overwhelming and woke everybody up. Another great morning, time for lunch at the Aquavit Terrace and an afternoon on our balcony enjoying the passing scenery as we transit into Croatia

We waited for most of the disembarkation to take place before venturing out this morning. We settled upon a short tram ride to the markets, the ride being free for those over 65…….nice comments only please !

Set on 2 levels and covering a considerable area the range of goods was wide. Mainly meat and other perishables downstairs, with leather and linen up stairs. However it paid to wander around, as the prices and quality varied considerably.

We found a lovely Pashmina Shawl reasonably priced compared to Australia, but resisted the Goulash…….

Threatening skies and then rain have kept us aboard this afternoon, so we are watching the new faces appear for the Budapest to Bucharest cruise. This means ANOTHER Captains Welcome Aboard tonight………our third !😳 During dinner he took us back upstream, then turned around so that we could do a Budapest sail away with all the city lights shining……most impressive

We had a real treat this morning sailing into Budapest, first under some bridges, past Margaret’s Island and onto the Chain bridge opposite the Hungarian Parliament Building.

The shoreline was a maze of buildings…Churches, Apartments and Government buildings stretched either side of the banks.

Eventually we passed under the Chain bridge, and moored up just by it. Thankfully we are the first boat in our row, and our cabin faces inshore…..so no staring directly into cabin alongside.

We were straight of the ship and into a city tour by coach, ending up with a walking tour in the old city behind the castle.

Nicky then took us into King Stephen’s Church……everything was guilded, but all the tourists spoilt any Church serenity.

We had an hours free time before heading back to the boat, just enough to purchase a traditional hand embroidered table cloth, and try the local chimney cake……cinnamon and pistachio 🤫

We’ve had a quiet afternoon in anticipation of a farewell cocktail party, and dinner tonight for those not going onto Bucharest. We shall miss their company, but have another 10 days before the UK and Prime Thyme cruising, so hopefully will find another great table of dinner companions……I know a few are following this blog to see how it continues.

Well Bucharest at night is a lively place…..the castle is lit up, cruise boats are going up and down, a concert is going off in front of the ship and there are police cars with sirens on to ferry diplomats around for a meeting with the Türkiye alliance in town for the next couple of days

Today we took an optional tour rather than an included one, to Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. This is a landlocked country, whose eastern border is Ukraine ! Splitting from Czechoslovakia, and then overthrowing its communist regime in 1993, it has had a turbulent history. Nether the less we thought it worth a visit being so far from home, and not knowing much about it.

We were a small group of 25, plus our guide Eva, who was from Bratislava. It’s only an hours journey from Vienna, and indeed we could see Austria from the castles walls. The border is marked by wind turbines. Austria has them, Slovakia doesn’t !

Dominating over the city Bratislava Castle has been largely reconstructed after a fire, with the formal style gardens being a recent addition, but done in the correct period style.

After a wander we were coached down to the city, also dominated by the Slovakian Popular Uprising Bridge, or UFO bridge, due to its unique restaurant at the top.

Compared to Vienna it was quiet, a welcome respite from the last couple of days.

The city has a number of quirky statues, being popular for selfie’s these are loosely based on past locals.

Lunch was at Caranevalle Restaurant, being empty they were appreciative of our custom. The main dish of ravioli with creamy sheep’s cheese filling were delicious, but we opted out of the 70% proof local liquor.

After another hour or so for shopping / exploring it was time to meet Eva and head back to Viking Lif. It’s a fascinating city, still with many signs of its communist past, but obviously a country of great potential, witness all the car manufacturers there….Seat, Land Rover, and Peugeot to name but a few.

With the gangplank crane standing by Lif moved soon after our return. Sailing downstream we passed many other river cruise ships at their moorings, it’s a highlight for many of them.

Later that evening we sailed through Bratislava, the UFO bridge looked good being lit up in different colours.

Our arrival in Vienna saw a marked change in the weather, grey and wet, we started our walking tour with a short coach ride into the city. It’s very much an old city with an abundance of beautiful buildings, avenues of trees lining wide streets and statues.

We were dropped off near the Museums Quarter, the Sisi Museum having a particularly impressive facade.

Heading to St Stevan’s Cathedral we walk along the golden mile of shops and cafes, unfortunately most are closed as it’s Sunday. It looks like our mission to find the 2025 NYE Concert is doomed, I’ll have to try eBay Mum.

The exterior of St Stephan’s Cathedral is stunning, although the interior is more restrained than most we’ve seen.

After a couple of hours walking it’s time for a break Viennese style…..a Melange coffee with Apfelstrudel, delicious 👍 We’ve retreated to the boat for a few hours, though not by a traditional horse and carriage, as we have a Strauss themed evening ahead.

The day has ended with a wonderful concert by the Vienna Residence Orchestra, with soloist’s and dancers. With music by Vivaldi and Mozart, but mostly Strauss, what else would you play here on the Blue Danube. It might not have been the hoped for NYE concert, but a program and DVD will be on their way to Perth asap. You were here in spirit Mum and Dad ❤️M

We docked this morning under the gaze of the magnificent Melk Abbey. As well as being a UNESCO World Heritage site it houses a community of Benedictine monks who have been living there for over 900 years.

Walking down stairs to the Abbey were some poppies in flower, a lovely colour contrast to the stone.

The stunning facade embraced a courtyard, where we entered via the imperial chambers.

No interior photography was allowed, so I’ve included some post card shots. The library was most impressive, especially the fresco.Whilst the dining room was bit extravagant it was nothing compared to the church, especially the cupola. With everything being guilded and ornate it wasn’t my idea of a church, rather a representation of what they thought paradise to be in their time.

The views out over the river and town were spectacular, everything being on such a big scale.

The garden was a bit more intimate, more like a park rather than a lot of flower beds. Unfortunately we didn’t have enough time to explore it, being scheduled for a scenic afternoon cruise through the Wachau Valley.

Although not as stunning as the Rhine Valley Castle cruise the Wachau Valley provided plenty of castles, churches and little towns scattered along its course. Being protected there no modern buildings to detract from then.

Durnstein next to the Danube, with its overlooking castle that imprisoned King Richard the Lionheart in 1192.

We are currently moored up against Krems City mooring. The church opposite provides a most scenic outlook from our balcony. Tomorrow…..VIENNA 🎼🎻🎹

Yes it was that time finally, a tour to Salzburg, where 2 global music stars go head to head…..The von Trapp family vs Mozart !

Passing through another lock, we are descending the Danube now, saw us entering Passau for an early morning docking. It’s a most attractive University City with brightly coloured buildings along the wharf, all overlooked by the fortress on the hill.

Our group of 19 were first off, meeeting Pascal our local guide and Stefan our driver. The 2 hour coach ride went through some of the most picturesque farm land I’ve ever seen, and the KTM museum…..a famous Austrian bike manufacturer.

In the distance were mountains, still with snow, but it didn’t take long to get to Salzburg, nestled in their foothills, once we had crossed the border from Germany to Austria.

Walking through Government buildings, including a popular registry office, we got to the Mirabell Gardens. These were used in a number of locations for the movie “The Sound of Music”, produced 61 years ago. First up was the Pegasus Statue…..

Then onto an arbour, and finally the Gardens main entrance

A great start to the tour, the Von Trapps had come out of the starting blocks fast ! Time to walk into the town and see how Mozart fares….

Mozarts residence was just across the street, with a long queue of teenagers waiting to visit. So he’s still popular..It’s another beautiful city, with plenty of churches, squares and of course the fortress overlooking it all.

Mozart birthplace was as popular as his residence. At the moment our two musical contestants are level pegging, until Mozart unleashes his secret weapon…….chocolate !

As there are no direct descendents the Mozart name is not copyrighted……hence you can get anything with his name emblazoned on it. Umbrellas, miniature violins, T shirts and of course chocolates, made with nougat and pistachios; it’s rather nice and has possibly given him the edge in our running.

For lunch we visit St Peter’s restaurant , which first served a Pope in 803. Making it one of the oldest restaurants in the world. We are served a typical Austrian lunch of chicken and polenta, beef broth soup and a pavlovaesque desert. Plenty of beer and wine for those who want…….but what’s this I hear ?

The Von Trapps are back looking slightly older, still in fine voice though, and knocking out hit after hit, like Marie, Lonely Goat Herd, Doe Ray Me and a great rendition of Goodbye.

We exit the restaurant an hour later, humming all our favourites. I think the Von Trapps just win our contest, the sheer number of people miming the film and taking pictures shows just how popular the film still is. Walking back to our bus the weather looks threatening, and indeed it rains on the way back….but it doesn’t affect us…..we are running through a field somewhere with our arms outstretched…….a memorable day indeed.

During the night we moved from Passau to Vilshofen. It’s a popular spot, with much juggling as the ships brest up.

Rather than back track to Regensberg we caught the shuttle to Passau, aiming for a relaxing day before a full day to Salzburg.

The town has some great pedestrian ways with attractive shops either side, dominated by the Church, and castle across the water.

I had found another wool store for Hazel, some sock wool this time. We found a back pack for it all as well, but it might be a bit big for Qantas !

– NEWS FLASH – NEWS FLASH – NEWS FLASH – NEWS FLASH –

After a leisurely light lunch we wandered into Vilshofen, a delightful town bookended by clock towers.

Oh dear, we’ve found another wool store. Apparently it has some well priced Cashmere……..I need a new light weight sweater apparently 👍

On departing Vidar our coach tour to Nuremberg passed numerous Nazi Party landmarks, including the Documentation Centre, Rally Grounds and SS barracks. It was a chilling reminder of past gone by, and why 90% of the city had been flattened by allied bombing.

Nuremberg Castle was a solid chunk of building built onto rock, overlooking the town. Our Scottish guide provided an excellent commentary, explaining how towers had been added and defences changed with the advent of new weapons.

A beautiful Briar Rose was in flower when we started walking downhill into town.

The usual half timbered houses were present near the Castle, but as we walked into the town center it was evident just how much rebuilding had taken place

Our guide showed us where lunch was to be held, and where to meet for the coach at the beautiful fountain, which it was.

After our Bavarian style lunch…..beer, sausages and sauerkraut ! we boarded our coach to Viking Lif. Making us welcome on board all was familiar except the faces…..however The Maitre’d remembered ALL our names, 184 of them, by the end of dinner ! I think we are in good hands for the rest of the trip.

Our house sitters in Tasmania are doing a wonderful job back home, thanks Guys, I think Cooper and Rosie are enjoying their Windsor Walkies. We too are blessed to have met some great people and are greatly enjoying their company. We will start cruising again at 3am……so well done Viking, a seamless transfer.