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My husband and I traveled to Budapest on December 26th to ring in the New Year sailing the Danube river with AMA Waterways. We splurged on business class seats on United Airlines so we could stretch out our legs and lie flat. I watched a movie with a cocktail before getting some sleep. What a treat to arrive refreshed after spending the night on a trans-Atlantic flight!
An Ama Waterways Representative met us outside the baggage claim area and we boarded a shuttle bus with about a dozen or so fellow travelers. We had some time to explore Budapest before having dinner aboard the Ama Sonata.
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The Christmas markets were still in full operation! My husband and I lived in Budapest for 3 months, a few years ago. We were so happy to visit some of our favorite haunts.
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Our favorite Christmas market is in front of St Stephen’s Basilica. We made sure to grab some mulled wine and a chimney cake!
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On Saturday, we skipped the tours of the city and spent a few hours at Gellert Thermal Bath. This traditional Turkish-style bath house is beautiful.We spent time soaking in the hot thermal baths and steam rooms before heading back out to the cold.
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I snapped a picture of the lobby, but the inside is even more beautiful. Visitors can schedule a massage, which we have done in the past, but not enough time on this visit.
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The after bath house mission was to find some stuffed cabbage! We visited the Christmas Market in Vorosmarty Square. We also warmed back up with some more mulled wine.
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Back on board the Ama Sonata for dinner and time to sail up the Danube river to the next destination. I made a new friend, Suzanne, a fellow travel advisor from the Chicago area. After a glass of wine we got chatting and discovered that our sons work for same company in Rosemont. What a small world sometimes! Here we are enjoying an after dinner drink in the lounge.
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We had only the afternoon in Bratislava and continued our journey, stopping in Vienna, Austria. Here we took another walking tour of the city, stopping for plenty of time at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in the city center. Our local tour guide regaled us with a tale of a recent find within the church. Restoration work had revealed 13th century graffiti done by young students who were bold (or stupid) enough to sign their names.And yes, it was the type of graffiti you’d expect young boys to do. I wonder what sort of repercussions they must have endured!
The tour ended with a stop at the Christmas market in Maria-Theresien-Platz. |
Which rolling pin did I buy?
Having fun with a gnome! |
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We also enjoyed more cocktails in the lounge.
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Here’s a handy tip: Ama Waterways has hair dryers in every room. European electrical systems operate on 220v. Passengers are advised not to bring curling irons or hair straighteners. They lack my normal hair routine in conjunction with daily hat wearing left me looking like this.(you can borrow those styling tools from the front desk, but by the time I checked into it it was too late). But no worries, looks like I was having fun despite the bad hair days. |
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The next day, we flowed up the river spending time cruising through Strudengau and UNESCO Wachau Valley. We stopped in Durnstein where we took a morning walking tour which ended ….not at a Christmas market...but rather a sweet cafe with these adorable sweet buns. We were told they represent good luck for the New Year. I didn’t need any convincing and one of those little piggies went to my belly.
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In the afternoon we visited Melk Abbey near Weissenkirchen, Austria. The medieval historian in me could have stayed for days in the libraries, but alas we were quickly ushered out so the next group could enter. The views from this Baroque-style abbey were beautiful despite the cold weather.
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On New Year’s Day we arrived in Linz, Austria. Many of our fellow travellers chose the excursion to Cesky Krumlov, but we opted for a late start. We took a leisurely afternoon stroll through the streets of Linz stopping in the New Cathedral (Built in 1862). In the evening, we dined at the Chef’s table and where we were treated to a wine tasting.
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Our last stop was in Vilshofen, Germany. We took the walking tour here and then found time to duck into a tavern to try the local beer.
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Sadly our final night aboard the Ama Sonata came all too soon. We absolutely enjoyed that evening’s entertainment: our very own mini-octoberfest!
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Later that evening we said goodbye to our favorite dining host and wine steward. Elena and Konstantin always greeted us with a smile and made us feel very welcome to each meal.
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