Ok! We left Prague at 0830 this morning, boarding a bus headed toward the Danube on the German/Czech border. We had one rest stop along the way and arrived at the ship prior to 1300 just in time for lunch.
The plan for the afternoon was a walking tour of Passau. [Please note – I am providing the Wiki links because some of you enjoy finding out a bit more about some of the locations rather than me blathering on, potentially inaccurately.] George happily went on the tour – I stayed on the ship, enjoying the almost total peace and quiet. I am thinking that we have visited her at least three times before, maybe four. The first time would have been our first tour in Germany when just about all our relations came through. The second would have been a cruise down the Donau when the youngest three were in Elementary grades. Third was I think in 2013 when George and I took a cruise by ourselves over the winter holidays.
So that does make it the fourth time, right? It is a lovely town with a nice yarn shop. But it is not like I need anymore yarn. Instead, I wandered the ship. All of the cruise boats sailing on the rivers are purpose built. They are long, not so wide, very flat with a maximum of three decks above the water line. It is not that the companies wouldn’t want to haul more passengers/make more money, it is that the ships have to be able to navigate the waterways and pass under the bridges.
So Deck 1 is the lowest with cabins and dining room. Deck two has cabins to both ends of the ships center. Deck three has cabins, the lounge
and a forward outside sitting area.
Like every where else, smoking is not permitted inside the ship. Above the third deck is an open seating area with rails from where you can enjoy the scenery passing by on both sides of the ship.
When sailing from the German border all the way to Bulgaria, there are locks.
About 14 of them as a matter of fact, most of which we will be passing through at night. Since we are headed downstream, it is sink as you go.
This particular ship was built in 2019 – so it is really new and shiny
with one main corridor and everything off of it. Our cabin is on Deck 2 –
Not large, but adequate with bed, tiny sitting area, closet, bathroom and a huge porthole (which you can see).
Dinner was most excellent. Did I mention that this particular tour is a combined Alumni/Smithsonian group? Total of 31 people (+ two tour guides – one from Ireland and one from Bulgaria). So the dining room had people well spread out. Just as an example – presentation is obviously important …
I am skipping the live (and too loud) music/dancing in favor of some stitching and early bedtime.
Are you going all the way to the Black Sea and back?
This cruise ends at the Black Sea. We get a day or so in Sophia – then fly back to Frankfurt