Cruising the Rivers of the World

"No matter where you go, there you are."  Unknown

Our ship, The Amadaggio, disembarking in Regensburg, Germany

Another cruise option is the river cruise. All over Europe you will find the river cruise boats plying the rivers. They are only a few levels high, but very long. They are a lot more intimate then those huge ocean going cruise boats. You get to know almost everyone on board within a day or two. And they have all the amenities on board, the food is great and they make some interesting stops.

Danube River, Budapest, Hungary

The first river cruise I did was on a Christmas Markets cruise. We flew to Prague and spent 3 nights, then we boarded our boat in Nuremberg. The cruise went from there, down the Danube to Budapest. We made stops to visit the Melk Abbey, Regensberg Christmas Market, Vienna and Salzburg markets, and ended with an overnight in Budapest. Sailing into Budapest was particularly spectacular. The spires of the parliament buildings and the bridges, were magnificent. I have visited Budapest since, and it is one of the prettiest cities in the world, but nothing compares to the view as you sail down the river to Budapest. And they do have one of the nicest Christmas Markets. 

 

Victoria Queen on the Yangtze River

I also took a river cruise last year when my girlfriend and I visited China. We did the usual land cities, Beijing, Xian, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, but we also did a 3 day Yangtze river cruise on the Victoria Queen. The boat was similar to the ones in Europe. But of course, the food was mostly Chinese, as was the crew and entertainment on board. We had a wonderful guide that would be on the front of the boat as we were going through the gorges, and he would point out the sights and tell us the history. We had several shore excursions,which were all included in the price.  One of the excursions took us by small boats up one of the lesser gorges. The scenery was spectacular.

And our last stop was the new Yangtze River Dam, which is almost completed, and which the Chinese are very proud. We took a tour of the grounds. We had spent the night before going through the different locks of the dam. It was a fun cruise. 

There are river cruises all over the world, including the United States.  Cruising the Nile river is a popular way to see that area of the world.  Amazon River cruises are also popular. Russia is another place where cruising is a good option.  In the USA the Mississippi River has long had Paddle Wheel river boat trips, and the area I grew up in - the Columbia River - also has cruise ships that will take you up it to the Snake River.


Queen of the West-Columbia River

River cruising is something you should consider if you want to see an area that is connected by river. It is more intimate than the large ocean going ships, less formal, and you can get from city to city without unpacking. When you get to a port, a city tour is usually included in the price. You can watch the scenery go by from your window, it is relaxing and fun. And usually the places you stop are smaller cities which you will have time to explore while in port.

Christmas Markets

A Christmas market, also known as Christkindlmarkt, Christkindlesmarkt, Christkindlmarket, and Weihnachtsmarkt, is a street market associated with the celebration of Christmas during the four weeks of Advent. These markets originated in Germany, Austria and Alsace but are now being held in many other countries.

 

As a travel agent you sometimes see advertisements of things you had never really thought about doing, and the reaction is “I want to do that.”  In 2000, a flyer came across my desk for a trip to “The Christmas Markets of Germany and Austria.” It was a tour being sponsored by AAA, the company I worked for. I just had to do it. I had some vacation time coming, and I was so excited about it.

I went home and told my husband, and he really didn't get at all excited. It sounded like a shopping trip to him. He said, why don't you find a friend to go with. I immediately called Bonnie. She had been my roommate back in my college years and we were still best friends. She thought it sounded like fun and said yes. So we went.



Nuremberg Christmas Market

We flew to Frankfurt where the tour started and we traveled by bus down what the Germans call “the romantic road”, with stops at quite a few Christmas Markets. The biggest of the markets is in Nuremberg, and it was pretty fantastic, but even the smaller towns that we stopped at were great.  One of the best stops was in Rothenburg which is home to Kathe Wohlfahrt's Christmas store.



What are Christmas Markets?  Every town in Germany and Austria has a town square. In the town square at Christmastime, they set up a huge tree, and stalls.  And there are people singing carols. But the smells of the food is what hit me first. There are stalls that are serving the German sausages on rolls, and stalls making spiced nuts.  





And then there is the gingerbread. Lots of gingerbread stalls. And best of all, the hot Gluhwein. That is a spicy hot wine drink. Since it is cold out, just holding onto the mug is great. And talking about the mug, when you purchase the drink you get to keep the mug – they are great souvenirs. The mugs are a dark blue ceramic and each city has a different design logo on their mug. I have a whole set of them, and at Christmastime I serve hot Gluhwein or Tom & Jerry's in them.

The stalls also sell anything and everything you could possibly want to give someone for a Christmas present, as well as the best ornaments of all time. My weakness is the ornaments. For years I have made it a point to buy at least one Christmas ornament wherever I travel. That is not always easy if you are traveling to a country in the summertime, but I find something. I don't want something commercial that says where it is from, but something that will remind me of the trip when I hang it on the tree. As an example, while in the Canary Islands in September, I kept looking for an ornament. There were none to be had. But finally I found the cutest little frog, and he had a string of lights wrapped around him. He's just little, and doesn't have a string to hang from, so I wire him onto a branch each year, and when I do, I think of that trip.

While at the Christmas markets, I have to admit that I went a little crazy and bought lots of ornaments. Some I gave as gifts, but a lot of them go on my tree.

The trip included stops in Munich, as well as Salzburg and Innsbruck. We spent one afternoon taking a gondola to the top of one of the mountains in the Alps. Every city included a city tour, so we really did lots more then just go to Christmas Markets. It was a great trip. And we got a little snow, something that I rarely see anymore, since I live in Southern California. Bonnie lives in Washington state, so for her it was not a big deal.

When we got home from that trip and told about our adventures, our husbands both said that it sounded like fun and they wished they had gone. So in 2005 we returned to the markets as a foursome. The guys agreed they'd have a beer while we shopped. Although Bonnie's husband made the comment that there probably wasn't enough beer in Germany to cover the time while we shopped.
 



Regensburg Medieval Christmas Market

On that trip we actually started in Prague, then went over to Nuremberg and took a river cruise down the Danube all the way to Budapest. That was the way to travel, no packing and unpacking. The Christmas Markets in Prague and Budapest were quite nice, and of course we had been to the Nuremberg market before, but it is the most famous and a must stop if you are doing the markets. In the small town or Regensburg we had our most memorable market experience. The main market in the town square was very ordinary, and that is where most people from our cruise went. But I had read about a market that the locals went to, on the grounds of the palace. They said that the royalty actually mingled with the people at this market, and that the theme was medieval. There was an entrance fee to get into it, but it was different from the other markets, and if you should decide to do a markets tour or cruise and find yourself in Regensburg I would suggest giving it a try, it was quite different and fun.


Booth at Regensburg Market



Both times we went to the Christmas markets we came home loaded down with mugs from the Gluhwein, gingerbread, spiced nuts, and lots of fun ornaments and gifts. A great way to get yourself in the holiday mood, and you can do it and still come home and have Christmas with the family. The Christmas Markets start in early December and go through the holidays.

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One of the ornaments that I bought on my trip to Germany was a glass pickle.  For those of you who may not know about a pickle as an ornament, it is a traditional ornament for the Germans.  Here is the Christmas pickle tradition:

The glass pickle ornament is an old German tradition. It has become a welcomed addition to the present unwrapping dilemma of who is first. The pickle ornament is supposed to be the last ornament you hang on the tree. It should be hidden among the branches in an out of the way location. On Christmas when you are ready to open the presents everyone should search for the pickle. The first person to find the pickle receives a special prize, a piece of candy or some other token. They are also the first to start opening the gifts. The pickle has become a keepsake, which is handed down to future generations

To Read more about Christmas Markets you can go to the link - Trip Reports from trips we have taken - in the column to the right and click on Chrisktmas Market trip December 2006.  The trip report is from the emails my husband sent home to family and friends while we were traveling.