Alsace - Lorraine canal boat trip

We are now back with reliable WIFI after exploring the canals in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France/Luxembourg/Germany. The route took us along the Moselle and Saar Rivers, therefore we had to share the waters with the big boys! We learnt pretty smartly to give them plenty of space!!

Our journey began and ended in a little corner of France called Lutzelbourg. Although cute we arrived on "everything is closed on  Monday", so started out with a shortage of the essentials - wine, cheese and baguettes. From there on our 18 days on the water were planned around gathering supplies at the boulangerie, and various local markets where we bought everything from cheeses we couldn't pronounce, to wines we knew very little about, to foods we don't normally eat like smoked goose and roast rabbit. Must add we went on our water adventure with friends from Tauranga, Neil and Carol. This would be a typical dinner setting!

For the majority of our trip we basked in Europe's heatwave. Most days were 35+ degrees and it was a battle to beat the heat. The scenery varied from the absolutely beautiful......

to the darn right ugly.........

But each day gave us a different vista, a new challenge, and generally a bundle of laughs (especially when we were in competition getting the ropes over the bollards). Our deepest lock was 18 metres which made our boat look pretty insignificant. We also had to go in a boat lift (128m) which was like being transported to a different level in a giant bath-tub.

At one stage the canal took us through a three kilometre tunnel requiring really careful steering!

Special moments included an illumination show at Nancy, Bastille fireworks on the Moselle River, and the World Cup football final at Metz. The latter was jubilant and scary at the same time,....best described as one big party,......the car horns, music, chanting and fireworks carried on to the small hours. National productivity must have surely been at an all time low the next day!!

Sadly we had to leave the many delights,......old French cottages, delightful historic villages, colourful geraniums spilling out of window boxes, the quirkiness of the local, the wine of Alsace, and the beautiful Lorraine fare to spend our last couple of days in Munich before returning home. Will sign off with our love and a token of our best memories...

On the Baltic Sea

Off on our cruise and for the entire time we were robbed of darkness! Was weird peering out the cabin window in the middle of night to be blinded by daylight. Most people boarding a  cruise head straight for the bar. We headed straight for the ship's doctor to try and stem the colds we received on the Danube. To my shock I was found to have a temperature!! Another 0.2 degrees and I would have been quarantined for four days. Lucky escape!!!

The first day was at sea - a long sail from Copenhagen to Estonia. Seems like their country has leapt ahead  after being released from Soviet stronghold. Business is flourishing and they have developed a well-oiled tourist machine.

The weather turned nasty and temperatures dropped from 30 to 13 degrees by the time we reached St Petersburg. This city has only 40 full sunshine days a year and it decided not to share any of them with us. It has a spectacle of golden spires, guilded domes, and pastel palaces with ornate chandeliers, semi-precious stones, priceless paintings, stunning mosiacs and pure extravagance. We embraced the grandeur and elegance of St Catherine's Palace, Hermitage Museum, Peterhof Gardens and the Church of Spilled Blood.

Although we marvelled at the iconic treasures that showcase St Petersburg, there was a downside. There was something unnerving about walking around. Street gangs operate as businesses and pick-pocketing is rife. The riot squad had presence in the central city because swarms of hard-core FIFA World Cup fans were ready to party! Although the city centre is delightful the outskirts are dirty and heavily laced with graffiti.

Our captain made two attempts to get off the berth when we left St Petersburg. The screaming side-thrusters and a tug boat were no match for the Gulf of Finland winds, (50kts). If he didn't succeed on his third attempt we would have had to stay there until the next morning and miss the Helsinki stopover. But, after more shuddering and lots of engine grunt we made it!!

Who could not like Scandinavia? We chose to explore Helsinki and Stockholm at our own pace. Both cities are clean, dynamic,.......and best of all, the people smile!! Stockholm maintains a picture-book  charm, especially its historic quarter. The food is just as fantastic and expensive as we remember it from previous visits.

We entered Stockholm's Ice Bar for an igloo experience and found it pretty weird drinking vodka out of ice glasses. At first we thought they had given us coloured water, but when we re-emerged onto the pavement, the street lights were at strange angles!!!!

By the time we reached Warnemunde (biggest industry - manufacture of riverboats) we were over crowded large cities so we decided to wander around the beach resort and check out their beach baskets.

It was alarming sailing into our last port of call (Kiel, Germany) to see wharves lined with warships?? Then we learnt the main industry is warship and submarine manufacture. Six of us took off for a cycle ride around the waterfront and across Kiel Canal with a local university student. He shared lots of valuable information with us, including the best micro-brewery in town. Great way to finish our trip,.....beer and bratwurst!!!

Between boats

We were sad to leave the riverboat and our leisurely trip up the Danube and down the Rhine. Our lasting memory will be of the Rhine gorge and concentration of castles and fortresses towering above pretty little villages, surrounded by vineyards.

With a few fancy pads thrown in!

Our last significant stopover before disembarking in Amsterdam was Cologne. The only memory of a previous visit to Cologne was the cathedral. Not likely to add to that this time because we took off on our bikes along the riverbank to escape the crowds. Amsterdam, however embraced us,....just can't get enough of this crazy city.

Two-wheeling is their way of life. Bicycles rule and you are likely to be taken out if you step onto their territory by mistake. Bicycle bells make more noise than car horns. Little wonder the city gets creative with bike parks.

We spent three days just wandering around quirky alleyways, marveling at the crooked architecture, enjoying life on the canal front, and mixing  with the weird and wonderful. No matter how hard the girls in the Red Light district worked to attract clientele they couldn't compete with large screens featuring world cup football!!

The short flight from Amsterdam to Copenhagen took us all day with international processing and looking for our digs. Although Copenhagen is well-known for its royal palace, modern architecture, Carlsberg, and the little mermaid statue, nothing is more colourful than Nyhavn.

Bicycles also dominate the roads in Copenhagen, but Danish riders are not nearly as aggressive as the Dutch! Bikes are used for everything from delivering the kids to school to selling pancakes on a street corner. There is a clever design for each purpose.

Wish we could spend longer here but tomorrow we board the big tub and head off to the Baltic. Into the zone about four hours of darkness each night!

A string of beautiful places ending in berg or burg

We have just finished a week of beautiful Germany, summarised by medieval villages, cobblestone streets, geranium flowerboxes, half-timber houses, beer, pretzels, sauerkraut and sausages. Most days we struggled to get smiles from the locals and a few million faces became totally grim when Germany failed to perform at the Football World Cup. Regensberg boasts the oldest sausage kitchen in Germany, back to 1135 in fact!! Mad not to stop for more sausages and beer.

We were also attracted to the old craftmen quarters that didn't have the luxury of plumbing when the houses were build so all the 'piss pots' were emptied out the windows onto the streets. Trecherous for those walking by!!

And so on to Nuremberg, famous for Lebkuchen,....the best gingerbread cookies....even better coated with chocolate. In contrast to the stark area where Hitler held his Nazi Party rallies, there were pretty parts in the Old Town including this fountain in the market square.

Next was Bamberg which boasts 81 breweries, but is most famous for its smoked beer. Even the locals say it takes three glasses to get to like it, but by that stage you don't care!!

On to Wurzburg, Rothenburg and Miltenberg and more into white wine country. Can't believe the steepness of the vineyards. Poor grapes appear to be defying gravity while attaching themselves to the soil. Picking equipment and sprays were sent up on cablecars! When we became totally overloaded with yet another castle, cathedral or fortress we took off and biked along the riverbank, at this stage getting close to the Rhine.

Our last port of call before Cologne was Rudesheim and nothing better than sitting down to a Rudesheimer Coffee mid morning. The fact that it is hugely laced with Ashbach brandy and is topped with cream and chocolate makes it even harder to ignore!

Decadence continued later that day when we were treated to a banquet dinner at Namedy Castle, the home of Princess Heide von Hollernzollern. In her words the castle costs 10,000 Euro a month to run, so she needed to think of practical ways to meet the costs. We were given champagne on arrival, then spent time in the garden and reception hall before dinner and a piano recital. Very special.

Jumped ship

From Budapest we followed the Danube along the Hungarian-Slovakian border. Next port of call....Vienna. What a beautiful city! Not only does it show off it's imperial architecture, but it keeps opera alive by showcasing the great masters. We had the privilege of attending a Mozart concert at Leichtenstein Palace. Unbelievable!!

The other great past time in Vienna is drinking coffee. The Viennese obviously use cafes as their lounges. The setting are quite luxurious and the waiting staff are immaculate. It would be lovely to return to Vienna at Christmas time,.....apparently they go crazy with their lights and decorations.

By contrast our next day was spent on Bratislava in Slovakia. We were taken around by a local lady who gave us a great insight on life under communist ruling. Now that they are liberated their average wage is still way lower than their neighbouring countries. In answer to the question "how come there are some beautiful mansions?" she replied "some Slovaks are good at laundering"!!! Although Bratislava was not as graceful as Vienna it was a pleasure to wander around without being jostled by swarms of tourists.

Into quieter waters now and we couldn't help falling in love with Durnstein (Austria). It's specialties are wine, apricots and chocolate!!! From here we jumped ship and biked for 34km to Melk, mainly along the riverside but also through a small forest and about six little villages. It was around 30 degrees so just a few buckets of sweat were released. The day ended with a thunderstorm!

Yesterday in Salzburg our weather luck ran out and we were soaked for most of the day. The highlight though was a Royal experience........a trip in the Majestic Imperator train, which once served Emperor Franz Josef. Something NZ rail could aspire to!!

Meanwhile back on the riverboat, the captain was battling with the rising waters of the Danube. The crew had to remove all the railings around the top deck and the wheelhouse had to be lowered to allow enough headroom to go under the bridges. Now we know why there is a clause about schedule changes if the river became impassable! Looks like we dodged a diversion, but the boat looks really weird without its superstructure!!!

Collecting countries

Sadly we had to leave beautiful Prague, but not without buying a small country pad to retreat to. Just have to remove the current owners who live in a small wing because other spaces are too costly to heat. Their efforts at renovation have been remarkable, especially considering it was in a sorry state after communist occupation.

As mornings were light around 4.30 in Prague we set off to explore the city early to avoid the tourist madness. Now we think we must be in every Asian bridal photo. Around every corner were these China dolls, beautifully made up and posing in their fairy-tale layered gowns. Big business apparently.

In leaving Prague we travelled through 3 countries: Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary to join the riverboat in Budapest. Now we are chugging up the Danube through Slovakia to Austria. Thought this river was supposed to be blue?? It looks more like the stuff that comes out of a cow shed, but without the smell. And the locals are swimming in it!!

A highlight of our long trip from Prague to Budapest was lunch in a wine cellar. Slovakian Pinot Grecio! Aha.... an excuse to celebrate Caleb's birthday!

Budapest greeted us with an amazing warm night, then all hell broke loose with wild thunder and lightning this morning.

The city's crumbling architecture looked even more sombre in a grey atmosphere. These are sad reminders of the ravages of WW2 and the 1956 Revolution. Although the city has undergone a radical makeover since the free elections of the 1990s, it struggles to finance much of its basic infrastructures.

As a postcript, Hungary boasts one of the  most sophisticated styles of cooking in Europe but I still can't get enthusiastic about cabbage soup, and goulash with dumplings!!

Kick starting in Prague

Managed to get everything done at home before handover of our house to friends and became fleetingly excited about our trip until we hit the crazy long weekend traffic to Auckland. We thought SH2 had become a giant parking lot at one stage. Added over an hour to the trip. Our flight to Dubai had a few large pot holes in it, either from patches of cyclonic activity or from the curry fumes over India!! We thought Emirates cabin crew dropped the ball with their service, but they redeemed themselves on the Dubai-Prague leg. 22 hours in the air went quicker that we expected so we must have slept reasonable well.

Prague is where beer is God and food has not yet come under the "eat healthy" fad. Our first impressions found it a paradise for aimless wandering and people watching. I am sure I will fall over someone soon as I keep getting trans-fixed by the decorations on the buildings. All tell some story of history in a gothic setting.

We took a walk before dinner last night and found another side to these serene and serious Czechs. They were becoming seriously stroppy at a rally a couple of blocks away from our hotel. We found out they were protesting against the current Prime Minister. Although we couldn't read their banners we certainly understood the drawings of stick figures pissing on the PM's head!!

Prague is a maze of cobbled lanes and hidden courtyards. We love the way little alleyways lead to cute cafes, unexpected gardens, lively bars and then open up to yet another vista of church spires, domes and statues. Today we walked our feet off around the castle, Charles Bridge and the old city square. If felt like we were sharing Charles Bridge with half of humanity. Unfortunately being Summer there is a seething mass of Chinese with selfie sticks to dodge at the key attractions. Tomorrow we plan on getting up really early and explore the streets in relative solitude.