Tentacles of the Danube
Some reflections on a journey by Doug and Veronica in late October, 2014, by train and river boat to visit historic cities and dramatic countryside around the Danube basin. Our main focus on the sights and cities forms the first section, whilst descriptions of the river cruise and the rail journeys follows.
SECTION 1 - SIGHTS AND CITIES
(in order of visiting) Strasbourg, Lindau, Linz, Vienna, Esztergom Basilica, Budapest, Bratislava, Durnstein, Melk Abbey, Prague and Dresden.
Strasbourg
Capital of the province of Alsace, but close to Germany, it is firmly French in culture, but with strong undercurrents of German language and influence. The city centre, on an island surrounded by canals and rivers, is a fabulous old town with many grand old buildings and narrow streets. Much is pedestrianised (just avoid the cyclists, vans and trams) and contains shops, grand stores, venerable old churches, restaurants and bars.
We strolled around in the late afternoon soaking up the atmosphere, then ventured out from the excellent Hotel Monopole Metropole (they were full, as were many other hotels, in spite of the European Parliament not arriving for another week for its' monthly four days in Strasbourg). Anyway, they bumped us up to an executive room because of my Best Western loyalty card - the first time it has done anything for us - so we were content!
To the nearby Le Schnokeloch (must be a local word!) restaurant offering authentic Alsace fare. I had a superb jellified veal concoction, but far too much of it - V did better with her calves intestines or suchlike. The heavens opened as we left, but we strolled about a little when it eased, then had to seek shelter again in a convenient bar.
Next morning brought intermittant rain, but we decided we must visit the Cathedral. Swift walk across town to find it was not open for another hour, so with the poor weather, we decided to leave Strasbourg two hours earlier than planned and without any pictures - but definately on our list for another visit.
Lindau
Scenically situated on a small island right at the eastern end of Lake Constance, it is ancient and affluent. We stayed in a 500 year old Gasthof with a cow on the roof and a bathroom large enough to sleep in.
The small town is very compact and we ambled through the attractive streets and alleyways to the harbour with five star hotels surrounding the quayside and facing out across the lake.
Walking back past our current abode, the Gasthof Inselgraben, and through the vibrant (well, one person in view) main shopping street.
Just a moment before this, V bent down to study some goodies in the shop window on the left and displayed a touch of naked flesh on her back - "krank, krank" teased a well wrapped, gentle old man as he passed. Soon afterwards, a pause for refreshment
Than on past the exuberant exterior of the old town hall.
For dinner, we walked the streets in indecision, then came across a Thai Restaurant that filled with customers. It was excellent.
So Lindau, a lovely place to sample and now crossed off the list and probably won't see it again.
Linz
A convenient city to spend the night before we caught the river boat at Passau, it was the only major Austrian city we had not visited in the past, so worth a stop on those grounds alone. We arrived on a Friday evening and I had had a problem booking a hotel. Nothing like the problem in finding a restaurant not already fully booked for dinner. After several abortive attempts whilst foot slogging around the centre of town, we were about to concede defeat and eat in the hotel, when we came across a fabulous Italian Restaurant almost next door.
The following morning, replete from an excellent dinner and a massive breakfast buffet in the hotel, we ventured out to explore the city in daylight. Unfortuately, it was another very dull day, but the old part of the city next to the Danube showed off its' history. The infamous bit of modern history is the birthplace of Hitler, but not much is said about that particular celeb.
Vienna
A grand city in the strongest sense of the word, it is full of graceful, imposing architecture reflecting the dominance and solidity of the Hapsburg empire at its' height. But our first view, magically in sunlight after traversing a thick river mist right up to the outskirts of the city, was of the nearly blue Danube.
Quickly moored and off on the efficient subway to Stephensplatz in the heart of the city and the magnificent St Stephens Cathedral.
A stroll onwards along pedestrian streets throbbing with Sunday shoppers, admiring the opera house and the Hofberg Palace (the winter residence of the Emperors and the famous Spanish Riding School).
Then back for a quick change of clothes before heading off by taxi to the wonderfully ornate hall of the Palais Niederoesterreich
for a lively concert of Viennese music - mostly Mozart in the first half and Johann Strauss in the second - performed with extraordinary enthusiasm by the small Vienna Royal Orchestra and pairs of dancers and singers. Never ending applause at the end and a memorable night to celebrate our tenth wedding anniversary.
Next day, we returned to the Hofburg to view the ostentatious private apartments of the Hapsburg monarchs,
before seeking a total contrast. After lunch, we took the tram to Grinzing, a famous wine village at the foot of the Kahlenburg mountain.
But before we were too tempted, we climbed up to the vineyards above the village
but after an hour and a half of warm, solid walking, reward came in an ancient old wine stubel. It was empty at four o'clock in the afternoon, but by evening it would be full of Viennese folk relaxing with a glass (or two), a song and a meal. Nevertheless, a traditional jug of heurige wein (young wine) slipped down perfectly.
And so back to the ship, for an evening departure to Hungary.
Esztergom
On a damp, drizzly morning, the boat made a short stop at Esztergom to visit the Basilica, the largest church in Hungary and seat of the Roman Catholic primate. A church was started nearby in the sixteenth century, but was destroyed during the 150 years in which Hungary was occupied by the Ottoman Turks.
We climbed the 100 or more rough, slippery steps up the hillside (most people from the ship took a little road train, but with a German commentary, we did our own thing). It's main glory is an Italian marble chapel and a treasury.
Budapest
Four hours more cruising brought us to the twin cities of Buda and Pest, where lies the Parliament building, partly modelled on Westminster.
Pest has the vibrant shopping, theatre and entertainment district, as well as museums and parks.
Across the river, historic churches, castles and Buda Palace maintain solemn watch over frenetic Pest from the heights of Castle Hill and nearby Gellert Hill. Joining them is the Chain Bridge (also known as the Lions Gate Bridge).
The Matyas Church survived being turned into a mosque by the Turks and bombardments during the siege of 1686, which evicted the Ottoman army, and later revolutions against Austrian rule as well as heavy fighting as the Russian army drove out the Nazis. Now King Stephen stands sentinel nearby.
Nearby the church, a welcoming cafe gave shelter from the chilly wind and what better to eat than Hungarian goulasch served in individual loaves.
Making our way off the hill, we came across the guard changing ceremony outside Buda Palace. Sharp and snappy, but no busbys or bands!
And so we thoroughly enjoyed our sojourn in Budapest, in spite of indifferent weather. Perhaps the highlight was another dollop of culture, when we ate dinner in the formal Callas Restaurant (the service and food was perfect), then crossed to the adjacent Opera House for a performance of Mozart's Cosi Fan Tuti (in my untutored view, fabulous music to start with, but becomes very repetitious towards the end of three hours). This is one of the cheapest places in Europe to attend the opera (booked best seats on the web for £38 each - add £200 at Covent Garden).
Unfortunately, the picture didn't turn out very well, but it gives an impression of the opulent interior.
Bratislava
A relatively small city, often neglected on the Prague / Vienna / Budapest circuit, but it has a well preserved old town and considerable character. The immediate attraction our lovely guide from eastern Slovakia showed us were the fun statues.
Man at work studying ladies' legs
and Napoleon (not a much loved figure in this part of the world after the devastastion he wrought).
The centre is quite small, but vibrant and attracts many people from nearby Austria for the cheaper prices.
From the castle (nothing to see inside), there are good views across the Danube to the extensive high rise flats typical of Communist building throughout former iron curtain countries. They have apparently been much refurbished in the recent decades.
but surviving all that time is a lovely blue church
But a lovely city to visit and much in need of further renovation when funds become available. The split from the Czech Republic seems to have settled down into being amenable neighbours.
Durnstein and Melk
The main attraction in these neighbouring villages in Austria is the Abbey at Melk. However, the whole valley around Durnstein is a World Heritage site. This reflects the history and specacular scenery of the Wachau region, a great wine producing area and claims to gormet cuisine..
Durnstein's main call to fame (at least to the British) is Richard the Lionheart's imprisonment on his way back from the third crusade, with the legend of his minstral, Blondel, singing a special song outside his window and obtaining his release. (If he had never been stuck in Durnstein, we might never had had the tales of Robin Hood!)
then on to Melk
A fabulous Benedictine Abbey for a thousand years, it has a record of enduring intellectual accomplishments. It continues to be a centre for education and the sciences. Absolutely inspiring on its' perch above the Danube.
Prague
What to say about intriguing, constantly changing, ever elegant and vivacious Prague? Well, firstly that half the world seemed to think the same thing and was there at the same time. We loved it, but got a bit fed up with the crowds at all the main sights.
Nevertheless, as steadfast Brits and Irish we set forth on our own two feet and covered most of the tourist bits. Regrets were not joining the ever long queues to see some of the attractions on Castle Hill and the Jewish Quarter. So, here are our memories. First off, the massive Staromestske Square, with a famous Astronomical Clock on the town hall. Have to say, I found it a bit underwhelming compared to Munich's Glockenspiel for example.
The square is even used for fashion shoots. Amazingly, he didn't want me in the picture as well.
Next, a banner remembering the first President of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel (for years, an intellectual dissident against the communist regime) at the top end of Wenceslas Square. Nearby is the memorial to Jan Palach, the student who burnt himself to death in front of the Soviet tanks. These poignient reminders of the convulsions Prague has gone through in our own lifetimes - the Nazi terror, then the Soviet regime - brought a little lump to the throat.
Now to the Vlatva River and Prague Castle on the other side.
There are several bridges across, but only the centuries old Charles Bridge has any call to fame.
A bit of an uphill trudge leads to the Castle complex and views over the city.
After which, we joined another queue to enter the Cathedral, which looks empty, but believe me, everyone was squashed into packed aisles.
A stroll around outside
before we gave up trying to enter any more historic buildings and took ourselves off to the second largest (according to the publicity) model railway in Europe (Kralovstvi Zeleznic for those interested). The lighting changes the effect from day to night every 20 minutes.
On our last night in Prague, we treated ourselves to dinner in the Zvonice Restaurant at the top of a medieval bell tower. It has been very sensitively remodelled and serves superb Czech cuisine at two to three times normal Prague prices. So what. We enjoyed the experience and it was only a short walk from the 987 Hotel - another very comfortable (and reasonable) find only a few hundred yards from the central station.
Dresden
The final stop and a long anticipated visit. The wide pedestrian path from the station lead through very modern, large stores and shopping galleries, before arriving at the largely reconstructed old town. One moving feature of many of the surviving buildings was the fire darkened exteriors, left to commemorate the thousands who died in the allied fire bombing. But the city is lively and very much living in the present.
Highlights are the Frauenkirche, a landmark in the city, which collapsed after the bombing and the rubble was left by the East Germans as a war memorial. Following the reunification of Germany, it was rebuilt with considerable funds coming from public subscription.
Near the Frauenkirche is a short street with an amazing mural over three hundred feet long. It was painted in 1876, then was transferred to around 24,000 Meissen porcelain tiles in 1906 and contains scenes of Saxon kings on horses.
Other venerable buildings lie in the old town
And to more earthly things, the restaurants and food shops showed more than ever that at least this part of East Germany is no longer short of essentials.
SECTION 2 - THE RIVER CRUISE
We were to join the Arosa Bella in Passau for a week's cruise to Vienna, Esztergom, Budapest, Bratislava and Melk. Arriving at Passau Station, we found the transfer coaches at a distance from the main entrance. Cruise customers were standing around or seated on the two packed coaches. Everything was in German and when I spoke to one of the couriers, she was helpful, but obviously stressed. What we did not realise until later was that (a) there was a strike by many German train drivers and arrivals were extremely erratic (we had arrived on an Austrian train) and (b) the boats had been moored some miles from Passau, because they wanted to get a head start through a lock next day where one of two was being repaired and the previous weeks cruise had been delayed for 10 hours.
Eventually, we arrived on board and had every help and consideration shown to us. All the crew spoke English to some degree and the Hotel Manager and Tours Manager were especially helpful. Nevertheless, we and an Argentinian couple were the only English speakers. This was a surprise, but did not spoil the trip at all and the German passengers were very considerate, with quite a few conversing enthusiastically in good English. Most announcements were, at least in an abbreviated form, transmitted in English as well as German.
Our cabin was extremely comfortable and the service from all the crew was exceptional. Many took pleasure in greeting us - the only English on board. The main bar had evening entertainment, but we mostly managed to sit to one side and avoid the jovial blast. The barman quickly offered his best whisky (a Bushmills Malt - should have added the "e") available on our all inclusive package and kept me topped up.
The food in the self service restaurant was excellent, with a considerable range of meats and fish at lunch and dinner. One evening, we paid for the haute cuisine "Wine and Dine" menu, with specially selected Austrian wines selected for each course - tiger prawn with pan fried pumpkin and lemon mayonnaise; foamy red cabbage soup with duck breast; cassis sorbet; beef medallion with mushroom risotto and red wine shallottes; plum and apple tarte.
Overall, the cruise was excellent and a few glimpses follow, starting with a selfie showing the sparkling wine in our cabin on arrival.
and some views en route, starting from the cabin window
and a rose on our anniversary!!
Much of the river travel between cities was at night, which was so smooth there was no sensation of movement. There was a distinct difference to the speed going downstream to returning upstream from Budapest against the flood current on the Danube (more later).
All the berths were within walking distance of the main attractions of cities we were visiting or close to a subway station (Vienna). Equally, the boat reception desk would call taxis to the quayside if requested. There were tours on offer at each stop, but we only took one, prefering to do our own thing with map and guidebook.
On the return passage, heavy rains in the Alps had swollen the level of the river and on the second to last day, it was announced that the vessel would not be able to reach Passau. The high water level meant it could not pass under some bridges and the voyage would have to terminate in Vienna. The problem was easily visible from upstream villages!
Coaches were arranged from Vienna to Passau (early morning calls at 03 30 and 04 30), but we decided it would be far easier to take a train direct from Vienna to Prague, where we had a hotel booked for two nights. So, we popped off to the Hauptbahnhof and were very quickly supplied with train times, tickets and reservations for the more civilised 09 31 departure. Unfortunately, the calls and landing instructions were broadcast in every cabin, so we didn't quite get the sleep advantage we anticipated!
SECTION 3 - THE TRAIN JOURNEYS
All booked through the German Railways (DB) UK booking office in Surbiton, except in France, where their systems can't access discount fares. Rail Europe is the UK distributor fot France, but I booked directly through the SNCF website. We were entitled to discounted or free rail travel (having retired from railway employment) and mostly travelled in First Class, although in France, the public senior citizen offers were cheaper than the employee discounts, as were the sleeper fares from Dresden to Arnhem.
I have set out the detailed itinerary for our own record and anyone interested, with brief descriptions of the journeys.
First Day
09 55 Eurostar Ashford International to Paris Nord (arrive 12 47)
13 47 Paris Est TGV- Est to Strasbourg (arrive 16 21)
So, so easy to take taxi to a relaxed Ashford International station, then slip away through
the tunnel to France. A ten minute walk through unfortunately persistent drizzle between the stations, then a real search around the Gare de l'Est looking for a light lunch. Quite a large food court eventually found hidden behind shops and not well signed.
A long walk to the single level TGV train, which was parked at the far end of a long set of empty bi-level TGV coaches. Almost every other platform seemed empty - sure there was some SNCF logic somewhere! A five minute late start (surprise, surprise), but then a smooth ride to Strasbourg, initially along the TGV Est high speed line, but the last hour or so on conventional track winding though the hills of Alsace - quite attractive.
Second Day
10 52 Local Strasbourg to Offenburg (arrive 11 21)
11 59 Regional Express Offenburg to Singen (arrive 13 43)
13 57 ~ ~ Singen to Friedrichshafen (arrive 14 43)
14 51 Local Friedrichshafen to Lindau Hbf (arrive 15 22)
As described above, we left Strasbourg two hours earlier than planned because of the inclement weather. The rain stopped as we crossed the Rhine and looked clear at Offenburg station, where we bought very fresh and tasty bread rolls at for lunch on the train. This slightly contorted itinerary was designed to take us through the heart of the Black Forest (the Schwarzwaldbahn - the stations looked very much as though there was a community railway approach). The Regional Express did just that and the views were superb from our upper level seats, but heavy rain reappeared as we climbed into the mountains and pretty much swamped the views.
It did clear later through the attractive countryside leading down to Lake Constance (the Bodensee). We had our first contact with the Danube when we made a brief stop at at Donaueschingen. The Danube officially starts here, fed by two headwater streams called Breg and Brigach.
Third Day
11 01 Local Lindau to Bregenz Hbf (arrive 11 13)
11 40 Railjet Express Bregenz Hbf to Linz Hbf (arrive 17 13).
A dramatic ride across the heart of the Alps on Austrian Railways finest new train. All very new and plush, with the restaurant car next door, from where we were served lunch at our seats. Most Austrian long-distance services and many international ones are composed of this new train branded "Railjet". It was about eight cars long from Bregenz and going to Vienna, but another eight cars (together with their engine) were added shortly afterwards, which were travelling from Zurich, through Vienna, to Budapest. The train seemed pretty full thoughout!
Soon we were crossing the dramatic Arlberg Pass and an excellent moment for a spot of lunch. Their Autumn special was a pumpkin concoction and veg - quite tasty and washed down with some local water and wine.
After Innsbruck, there was a stretch of new high speed line, but it has all been constructed in tunnel (presumably for environmental reasons), so of little benefit to lazy sightseers. Luckily for us, it only goes a relatively short distance and then past the Kaiser Alps to traverse a large chunk of Southern Bavaria, because this is the quickest way to Salzburg. This is the route for virtually all Austrian domestic expresses from Innsbruck to Salzburg, after which we ran non stop to Linz.
Fourth Day
12 51 Local Linz to Passau (arive 14 23).
Pleasant ride through undulating country and a lovely approach to Passau along the river bank of the Inn.
First Return Day
09 31 Eurocity Express Vienna Meidling to Prague Main (arrive 14 21)
OBB (Austrian Railways) seem to be close to completing massive rail infrastructure improvements around Vienna. One effect has been the closure of the main Haptbahnhof to all long distance services (reopening in December). We took taxi to the Meidling Station, quite a long ride to the edge of the city, and expected to find somewhere for some breakfast. Unfortunately it is only a suburban station and amenities are minimal, so we had to hike up the road to a nearby McDonalds (never did I think I would be so glad to see one!)
Once on the train, there was confusion in our coach because the seat reservations did not tie in with the seat numbers - clearly a different design coach had been substituted for the scheduled one. Anyway, after getting things sorted out, we had a really comfortable ride up to Prague, through some very attractive scenery in the Czech Republic. It was a Saturday and we passed several sections of weekend track repair work, often with single line working, which made our arrival about 15 minutes late.
There was an Austrian dining car, with the same menu as the Railjet, but tables seemed very cramped together and the one attendant was pushed to serve the constant flow of customers, many only wanting a drink. Nevertheless, we had a pleasant light lunch. The train was pretty full - quite a lot of American voices and lots of youngsters from south east asia.
Final Return Days
12 31 Eurocity Express Prague to Dresden Hbf (arrive 14 45)
then
20 53 City Night Line service Dresden Hbf to Arnhem (arrive 08 46 next day)
08 51 Intercity Express Arnhem to Roosendaal
11 24 Local Roosendaal to Antwerp Central (arrive 11 13)
12 21 Intercity Express Antwerp Central to Brussels Midi (arrive 13 04)
14 56 Eurostar Brussels Midi to Ebbsfleet International (arrive 15 45)
16 00 Ebbsfleet to Ashford (arrive 16 21)
16 30 Ashford to Sandling (arrive 16 42)
A modern Hungarian train for the first stage, which had orginated in Budapest and arrived 20 minutes late, but took us to Dresden in fine style. We had an (almost old fashioned) six seat compartment to ourselves and enjoyed the ride along the banks of the River Elbe through some dramatic mountains and gorges.
The Hungarian restaurant car was of a graceful, traditional design and the crew gave excellent service. We had to have goulasch!
By Dresden, we were on time and looking forward to sightseeing before leaving later that evening on the sleeper train.
The CityNightLine train, a German sponsored train was comprised of modern Czech Railways coaches, including the sleeping car. We had a standard two berth compartment, which was fine, except the light for the lower berth didn't work - seems minor, but makes a big difference at sleepy time. The German attendent was most apologetic, but I wondered if Czech trains and German staff don't exactly manage quality control very well.
Actually, we slept quite well and the light breakfast served in the compartment was fine. Almost on time into Arnhem and a quick scuttle across the footbridge got us to the Intercity to Roosendaal, which left on time. A pretty standard cross country Dutch train, which had commuters leaving and joining at each stop, but we managed to loose five minutes on every core section. Thus we arrived in Roosendaal long after our connection to Brussels had left. A pleasant Dutch gentleman sitting near us could not understand why we were late, because he regularly took this train and it was never late. Thanks!
So, the train schedule above shows the slow train we had to take to Antwerp and then an Intercity to Brussels. All good and efficient in Belgium. Still time for a super lunch at Brussels Midi in the adjacent Pullman Hotel, before the last stages to England and Sandling (for Hythe).
