Culture, Castles & Countryside: Danube Cruise Adventures in Days 3–4
Danube Day 3-4 Linz/Cesky Krumlov/Salzburg, Durnstein/Wachau Valley/Melk
Photo By Matt Wolfe. Castle in Cesky Krumlov. The complex was built starting around 1250.
Matt Wolfe, has three degrees. Graduate of St. Pete Junior College, A.A. Mass Communications, B.F.A. University of S. Florida, Art & Photography, Therapist A.S., Walter’s State.
Carol Birkner, holds a B.S. East TN State, as an educator, IT technology specialist.
We are members of Coastline Travel Group, Virtuoso Consortia, CLIA cruise membership. World Travelers with many countries left to explore with you our clients and future guests.
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Traveling from west to east on the Danube our next two ports, city centers were Linz followed by Durnstein both in Austria. Again with AMA we had many options of places to visit. For example, in the city of Linz we had the following options:
Day tours of either Salzburg or Cesky Krumlov, both via motor coach followed by a gentle walking tour with 3 hours of free time to explore the cities on your own.
Stay in Linz and take a bike tour.
Walking Tour of the city of Media Arts in Linz.
Also, a fast paced active walk with the activity fitness leader.
An afternoon whisky distillery tour.
Free time in Linz that evening.
What a value to have all those options included in your cruise! I didn’t mention the morning stretch and yoga classes, 10 bikes always parked on the shore ready to borrow and active walking tours led by the fitness/activity instructor.
Views of St. Vitus Church
We chose the Cesky Krumlov day tour due to the slightly shorter bus ride compared to Salzburg. On our next trip we will choose Salzburg.
Cesky Krumlov resides in the Czech Republic. From the boat in Austria you cross the border into the former Soviet Union when it was Czeckoslovakia, now two separate countries.
Views from below of the Castle buildings.
Cesky Krumlov has a long history dating back to 1250. The large castle pediment has over 50 buildings overlooking the small town. The bohemian village is quite charming, very picturesque with old world scenes. Churches, a castle, and the Vltava River frame beautiful views around every corner. Carol wanted to sit and sketch a scene with her art supplies, I wandered off to explore. The town was fairly quiet despite several buses of tour groups having all descended at the same time. Being shoulder season the town had settled into it’s off season routine.
Carol’s drawing of Chesky Krumlov.
Later that evening upon returning for dinner we took the bikes to go see if we had made a mistake by not staying in Linz for the day. It was a beautiful city as many European downtowns are. A busy electric tram runs through the heart of the town while many young people bustle about shopping.
We took the AMA bikes for an evening ride through downtown Linz to buy chocolates to give away to friends and family. Their bikes have headlights and rear brake lights, helmets included as well.
The other members of the group went to Salzburg for the day and said how beautiful the scenery and town were. One of them did express disappointment about the short length of the tour (an hour) and too much free time. Both couples felt a longer guided tour would have provided more relevant history. They felt a bit overwhelmed and unsure where to go or what to do on their own. Had Carol and I been with them I think we could of guided them and filled in the time gap. While Carol and I love the free time to go explore it’s important to note that not all of our clients are comfortable with being on their own.
Carol’s family in Salzburg taking the gentle walking tour with their AMA guide.
Salzburg, home of Mozart.
The next day was a more relaxed morning for breakfast with no tours scheduled before 1pm. Instead, we got to experience the natural beauty of the Danube while traveling through the Wachau Valley. It is known for being a wine growing region, mostly white wines, both dry and sweet.
We also had the experience of seeing how locks worked to lower us down to the next level of the Danube. Our highly knowledgeable tour director Reka, educated everyone, giving an in-depth lecture about what was happening in real time.
After lunch both gentle and active tours were offered, one to the Melk Abbey and the other a 13 mile bike ride along the Danube.
Melk Abbey entrance.
The Melk Abbey tour rode in a coach to the Benedictine Monastery dating to the 11th century. The Melk is operated by monks and is the largest Baroque monastery in Europe. They enjoyed this tour very much while we were a bit disappointed by our bike ride “tour”. We did have a guide who stopped us many times to talk about the history of the region. The vineyards were pretty and peaceful but the tour stated it would take us to Durnstein when in reality we just rode past it. We expected to see the small little village and maybe have some free time to explore and have a drink.
Carol with her Aunt Lynne. Viewing the Melk Abbey and vineyards from the AMAlea viewing deck.
Views from the top deck of AMA with Dan, my father-in-law while sailing the Wachau Valley during the morning.
That evening AMA offered us a wine tour featuring wines of the Wachau Valley. However, being a bit tired from the bike ride and some jet lag finally catching up to us, we stayed onboard.
We had the Chef’s Table dining this night. The Chef’s Table is a special 6 course meal in an intimate dining area in which each guest gets to attend once on the cruise. Carol and I had thoroughly enjoyed each course and it was perfectly prepared. The presentation was exceptional.
One of the many expertly prepared meals served on the AMALea.
Next blog update will be Vienna and Bratislava. Days 5-6.
