Europe 2008


ship 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


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