Europe 2008
Tom and his wife traveled to Budapest, Hungary, in September of 2008 for a two week river boat tour with Viking River Cruises. They cruised along three rivers of Europe: the Danube, the Main, and the Rhine. During their river journey, the Viking Danube (photo on right) had to squeeze through a total of 68 locks, with drops of over 80 feet in three of the locks. The rivers took them across five countries: Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Germany, and The Netherlands. They stopped every day for a walking tour of a village along the river or a bus tour of a capital city. In Budapest, they visited a hilltop castle, crossed The Chain Bridge, drove by the Parliament and St. Stephen's Basilica, and stopped at Heroes' Square. In Vienna, they visited Belvedere Palace, St. Stephan's Cathedral, and Hofburg Palace. They toured the 900-year-old Melk Abbey in Austria and the massive Gothic cathedral of Cologne, Germany. They cruised past many old castles along the Rhine. In Amsterdam, they took a city tour via canal boat and visited the Van Gogh Museum. They stayed an extra three days in Amsterdam to see more of the city and to experience other parts of The Netherlands. They visited the very moving Anne Frank House and the Rijksmuseum. Their stroll through the Red Light District was very eye opening. They took a bus tour out to the village of Edam and a boat ride between the fishing villages of Volendam and Marken. They learned how to make cheese and wooden shoes, and climbed up into a working windmill used to make peanut oil.
Two tired travelers arriving in Budapest, Hungary
The Chain Bridge over the Danube, connecting Buda (on left) to Pest (on right)
Heroes' Square
Shoes on the Danube, memorial to Budapest Jews shot during WW II
View of Parliament from Castle Hill
St. Stephen's Basilica
Departing Budapest at night
Entering one of many locks on the Danube
Bratislava, Slovakia
Belvedere Palace in Vienna, Austria
St. Stephan's Cathedral, Vienna
Rainy day in Vienna
Michael Wing of Hofburg Palace, Vienna
The baroque Melk Abbey, Austria
Town of Melk, Austria
Passau, Germany
World's largest cathedral organ, St. Steven's Cathedral, Passau
Cruising under low bridges
The Old Stone Bridge (Germany's oldest bridge) in Regensburg
Regensburg, Germany
Gothic St. Peter's Cathedral in Regensburg
Hitler's Nazi party rallies held at Zeppelin Field, Nuremberg, Germany
Palace of Justice, site of 1946 Nuremberg Trials
Medieval Kaiserburg Castle, residence of the Roman emperor, Nuremberg
Bamberg, Germany
Ducking under really low bridges while wine tasting on upper deck
Wurzburg Residence, a Baroque palace built between 1720 and 1744
Rothenburg, Germany
Wertheim, Germany
Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany
11th century Romanesque cathedral in Mainz, Germany
Music Museum in Rudesheim, Germany
Castles along the Rhine
The massive cathedral of Cologne, Germany
Enjoying a beer in Cologne
The canals of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Anne Frank House, Amsterdam
Visiting a cheese farm north of Amsterdam
A walk through the village of Edam
Fishing village of Volendam
Boat ride to fishing village of Marken
Wooden shoe factory
Windmills at Zaanse Schans