This is a before (retirement) times post - had to have something to tide us over until R-day.
In the summer of 2023, we crossed European River Cruise off our bucket list and it was everything we hoped. We chose the Viking Cruises 15 day Grand European Tour from Amsterdam to Budapest, which included 5 countries, 3 rivers, 13 stops, and 68 locks. It was a whirlwind of great food (as much local selections as we could manage), delightful local beer and wine, lots of history and, my favorite, lots of castles.
We got to hike uphill to visit castles, lounge on the roof deck as we floated down the river and watched the castles go by, and check out city castles that were preserved for posterity and tourists.
The first castle we explored on the cruise was Marksburg Castle in Germany, built in the 13th century on the top of a hill overlooking the town of Braubach and the Rhine. Check out the amazing view from the battlements!
That afternoon, we cruised by a whole host of castles for a couple of hours. It felt very decadent to be lounging on the top deck, listening to the cruise director tell us background, as we got to drink in the sights AND some yummy beverages.
In Wurzburg, Germany, we had the chance to visit the Kappele Church, which had some great views itself, then hike down into the valley and up to the Marienburg Fortress. It was amazing to see the fortress from across the valley (first photo below) and then climb up through the vineyards to get to the scenic fortress. The vineyard was a very interesting design, with the vines oriented straight up the hill, instead of horizontally, so that the grapes got maximum sunshine and the wind could cool it off by blowing up and down the rows (photo 2). Just before entering the fortress, we were able to look back across the valley and see the church where the hike started (photo 3).
In Passau, we enjoyed seeing the confluence of three rivers, which was really weird, because you could see two of them actively mixing where they met because of their different colors (one had a lot of sediment in it). See the photo below showing the Danube River and Ilz mixing. The third river, the Inn, is much smaller and harder to see as it mixes in with the other two off to the side.
We also climbed a steep path to Veste Oberhaus, a fortress built on top of St. George’s Hill,. It was worth the hike, as we got to see amazing views of the city and surrounding valley. Visit the museum inside the fortress, which chronicles its six centuries of history along with that of the city and the wider region (see photos above).
See more photos from the trip:
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