Danube River Cruise 2013 – Germany and on to the Danube!

After another delicious breakfast in our hotel we said our goodbyes to Prague, and with all of our wonderful memories of the great times there, boarded our transport and headed south towards Germany.   We noticed as we passed into the rolling hills and farms of Eastern Germany how much it looked like Wisconsin!  My mother had once told me that when her German ancestors arrived in the U. S. they just kept going west until they found something that looked like home, and that was Wisconsin.  I certainly can see the resemblance!  The Czech Republic’s large corporate farms, reminiscent of their days under Soviet rule, gave way to Germany’s tidy small family farms.  It was a relaxing and beautiful drive!

Regensburg, Germany from Stone Bridge

The next stop on our journey was the historic town of Regensburg, Germany!  Here we were treated to a wonderful guided walking tour of this densely packed city with a colorful history.  Regensburg is located at the northernmost point of the Danube River.  It is here that we got our first glimpse of the river that would soon become our flowing home!  The Stone Bridge, shown here, is a masterwork of medieval construction and now serves as a symbol of the city.

Old Roman Wall

Regensburg became an important Roman city in the 2nd century, when the impressive city gate, the Porta Praetoria was constructed.  Still visible today are remnants of the original Roman wall, built using no mortar! The city was christianized in 7th century and St. Boniface founded a bishopric here in 739.  Declared a Free Imperial city in 1245, its religious and commercial importance brought growing prosperity during the Middle Ages.  Emperor Maximilian I in 1517 remarked “Regensburg surpasses every German city with its outstanding and vast buildings.”  In 1810 Regensburg became part of Bavaria.

I was so fascinated by this interesting city that I wasn’t watching where I was going and ended up getting a close up view of their historic cobblestone street!  A slightly scraped arm and a slight sprain to my ankle did not dampen my enthusiasm for this beautiful town, however!  Our local walking guide was very kind, asking if I wanted to “go to hospital”. But, my injuries were much less than my embarrassment.  This caused me to become a celebrity on the rest of the cruise, though, as hardly a day went by that someone didn’t ask how I was doing.  And many told me that they were now paying more attention to where they stepped because of my tumble.  I was too!

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Historic Sausage Kitchen

The walking tour ended with some free time to browse around the city and I decided to stop for a lunch break on my way back to the bus.  This would be a good opportunity to try some traditional German brats and sauerkraut!  Regensburg is home to one of the oldest restaurants in the world, the Sausage Kitchen, notable for its role in feeding the stone masons who built the adjacent Stone Bridge.  Lunch was delicious!

We left beautiful Regensburg, anxious to see our ship and home for the rest of our journey. It was an enjoyable ride, passing through the beautiful countryside and small towns of Eastern Germany again, before arriving at Vilshofen, Germany where we got our first look at our ship, the AmaCerto! We were happily greeted by the staff of the AmaCerto and headed off to check out our beautiful cabin before getting ready for the planned welcome festivities that the charming Bavarian town of Vilshofen had planned for us.  Set up on the dock was a mini “Oktoberfest” , hosted by “Miss Vilshofen”, and complete with music, traditional dancing, complimentary fine Bavarian beer and pretzels!  Then it was off to dinner with our group and all of our new friends joining us on this Danube adventure!

What a beautiful ship we have!  So much is included on European River cruises and AmaWaterways is one of the best cruise companies. All the meals were top-notch gourmet and included with every dinner and lunch onboard are unlimited refills of wines from Europe’s great wine regions and local wineries, beer and soft drinks. There is piano music every night, lectures, cooking demonstrations and special local entertainment.  In every stateroom there is a state of the art Infotainment System that includes free high-speed internet access, movies, TV and an extensive music library.  Shore tours are offered at each port and are all included!   Unlike some of the other river cruise lines, AmaWaterways offers a choice of tours each day, including town walking tours for regular walkers, and a different one for slower walkers or less active people, along with many specialty tours like cooking classes, specialty wine or food tasting with locals, etc.  Also included are bicycles (free of charge!) for those who want to explore on their own or take a bike tour at the ports.  I knew we were going to love this cruise!  Nothing like getting up close and personal with the land and its people!

Tonight we have sweet dreams of our upcoming adventure as our ship overnights in beautiful Vilshofen.  Tomorrow we will follow the Danube downstream to Passau, Germany!