Durnstein On The Danube

Our ship left Linz Tuesday and traveled through the beautiful and lush greenery of the Wachau Valley (a Unesco World Heritage site) to the Melk Abbey. Our tour there included many exhibits, the apartments, the amazing library and spectacular Baroque church, all perched high on a hill overlooking the Danube River. Then we continued our cruise east on the river to a small town gem of Austria: Durnstein. In this small town we saw ancient stone streets and the ruins of a castle where Richard The Lionhearted of England was imprisoned in 1192. Our tour of Durnstein ended with a wine tasting including a Zweigelt and a Riesling, which were dry and unusual wines. The local vineyards are so small that these wines are never exported. When we rejoined our Amadeus ship we traveled through two locks on our way to Vienna. - Dan

Excursion To Salzburg

Since we had not been to Salzburg in many years, we took the optional excursion there on Monday. It's a beautiful and historic city located in the mountains, the birthplace of Mozart, and the setting for Rogers and Hammerstein's hit "The Sound Of Music." We saw great Baroque architecture, the beautiful Mirabel Gardens, and we also sampled the delicious local chocolates. Then we re-joined the ship in Linz. Only after dinner did the ship resume its delightful trip on the Danube. - Dan

Passau On The Danube

Sunday we traveled by motorcoach from Prague to Passau, Germany, where we took a walking tour of the town prior to boarding our ship, the Amadeus Silver II. Passau has a long history of floods when the Danube waters rise. The primary edifice is St. Stephen's cathedral, a Gothic structure that burned in a severe fire in the 17th century. It was re-built in the Baroque style. Today we head to Salzburg by motorcoach for a tour.

A Wonderful Day In Prague

Saturday morning we crossed the Charles bridge and made our way up to the Prague castle on the other side of the Vlatva River. We walked up a huge flight of stairs then crossed in front of the ceremonial entrance to the castle complex. We entered the castle proper and enjoyed four attractions. Most memorable was the Gothic St. Vitus cathedral, with its stained glass, paintings and elaborate tombs. The other attractions we saw were the Romanesque basilica, the palace, and the picture gallery. We had a pleasant lunch on a lovely terrace cafe overlooking the lower city, including a Czech specialty...salmon stuffed potato cake with spinach and sour cream. Then we saw some great Baroque art, including a recently restored Rembrandt, in the National Gallery. After relaxing back at the hotel, where Jim had a swim in the pool, we explored the Jewish Quarter with its remarkable Old/New synagogue. Then we walked to the fantastic Art Nouveau Municipal Hall for a first-rate dinner at its French restaurant. It was a great day ending our too-short stay in Prague! - Dan

First Evening In Prague

Friday night, after a get-together for our shipmates at the hotel, we crossed the beautiful Charles Bridge to the other side of the Vlatva, where we enjoyed a fine dinner at the Hergetova Cihelna Restaurant, with its beautiful view of the river. The river is now covered with tourist boats, unlike 20 years ago when we were last in Prague. After dinner we saw a candlelit organ concert, with music by Bach, Mozart, Handel, Dvorak, etc, at a wonderful Baroque church, St.Salvator in Klementium. -Dan

Arrival In Prague

After a painless flight on Lufthansa, which landed here a half hour early, we took a jitney set up by Brand-g, to the Intercontinental Hotel, in an old part of the city. We then walked to the Old Town Square, site of the beautiful Astronomical Clock and the imposing Gothic Tyl's church. (see pics) We had a delightful lunch  (see pic of Dan) at the Grand Cafe Orient, described as 'Cubist' architecture. Our palencki (like crepes) were covered in a mushroom sauce and we washed them down with a refreshing local wine.-Dan

Why I Will Vote For HRC

Almost every presidential election in my lifetime has been a choice between the lesser of two basically undesirable candidates. Nixon v. Humphrey, Reagan v. whomever; the Bushes, Clinton, and a chorus of mediocre candidates from both major parties usually meant supporting some third party candidate with no real chance of winning. However, this election will be different. One candidate is a racist, xenophobe, homophobe, and neo-facist. This is a new development and raises the stakes in this election to a whole new level. It's not a choice between the lesser of two undesirables. Rather, it's the absolute necessity of stopping a truly dangerous person from becoming president.

Blue Beauties

Our Heavenly Blue morning glorys have started to bloom. What an early surprise!

Summer Garden Delights

I Had The Scruff Before It Became Popular

Dan took this photo of me and a new friend while we were in Oslo on vacation in 1985.