1:40pm Panorama Lounge of the Amadeus Classic.
I am early, we do not board until 2:30 but I was told to go on deck upstairs and if that is too hot, to go into the lounge. And here I am. I took a cab from the Wilder Mann, €8.90, I gave the driver ten. Hey, it's a short ride for him and it is 30 degrees Celsius outside.
A boy with a sign for "Princess Sophie, Globus Tours, informed me that the ship had a defect and everybody would be picked up to go to the site (whatever that means)
I smiled and told him that I belong to the Amadeus. Now I see the poor Globus people standing out there in the sun, waiting, and I am in the shade.
4:30pm Panorama Deck Info
Fred is the Reiseleiter, von Bulgarien
Erika works for Luftner and explains security procedures.
Mirella shows Rettungsvesten. She is also Frisör and Receptionist
Breakfast is between 7 and 9. There is a half hour coffee ahead.
(we are at our first Schleuse. Jochenstein. There are eleven of them between Passau and Budapest.
Fitness center is "Zwischenetage by Mozart Deck
Hungary uses Florint. 290 of them make one Euro.
5:30pm My cabin.
Wow, I am level with the water. First pics from here. Now!
I really, really like this cabin. It is spacious, has a double bed and a fairly big bathroom.
Welcome drink at 6:30 and dinner at 6:45, table 24 by the exit. Round table.
Now to the excursions. This is what I signed up for:
Sunday, 29.4. 08:00 Hafen Dürnstein "Schönheiten der Wachau" 26 Euros
Sunday, 29.4. 19:30 Hafen Wien. "Wien bei Nacht". 29 Euros
Monday 30.4. 08:15 Hafen Wien. "Stadtrundfahrt Wien" 26 Euro
Tuesday o1.05. 14:30. Hafen Budapest. "Stadtrundfahrt Budapest". 23 Euro
Wednesday 02.05. 08:00 Hafen Budapest. " pusztafahrt" 35 Euro
Thursday 03.05 08:30. Hafen Bratislava. "Stadtrundfahrt Bratislava". 22 Euro
Friday 04.05. 8:30. Hafen Emmersdorf. "Stift Melk". 22 Euro
9:40pm. My cabin - 109
Welcome cocktail was orange juice without alcohol for me. With keyboard music (oldies like Engelbert Humperdink and Elvis Presley) in Panorama Lounge. Then dinner at 18:45 on the other end of the ship (still third floor, past all the 300 number cabins) at table 24. At first I sat alone for the longest time, then a couple (from Berlin) came in and later the maitre de called whoever else was supposed to share the table with us. A woman who is in cabin 105 (my neighbor) and her parents, actually her father and a "Tante" who either married her father after his wife died.
We had prosciutto as beginning then beef soup, then fine fish ragout with rice, then pork medallions with noodles. Dessert came in a tiny black and white mousse form on a huge glass plate with the word "welcome" written in chocolate. I had mineral water and coffee, most others had wine, the Berliner (who actually came from Poland) had a double Jägermeister.
Tomorrow the "schoene Wachau"
Aside: I will not be able to wear my dress, forgot a white slip. Everything I have is geared for dark.
Took shower, now I will read tomorrow's trip material and watch TV.
(did get a Phoenix backpack. It is turquois.
Sunday, April 29, 2012
4:55 My cabin
Woke at a quarter to five. We are stationary and the Danube is flowing rapidly past my window. I slept well except for cramping twice, which makes me jump out of bed to stand on my feet. The left leg is more trouble than the right.
We were told that the water is drinkable but that it is stored in tanks and it is better to drink bottled water if one drinks a lot. What does that mean? A glass bottle of .75 litre costs €2.90. I need at least 2 bottles a day. For seven days that is €38.60 or around $50.00. Besides, if I didn't have my week-old Apollinaris plastic bottle,how would I take water on four hour outings?
At 5:05 we are moving again. I guess I'll get dressed.
7:00am In the dining room.
Walked 40 times around the track, at 100 steps per round, that makes about 3 kilometers - 2 miles. At the same time the woman who had dinner with us came three times to smoke. It is unfortunate that smokers and walkers are on the same deck, but the wind blew pretty hard.
Castles on both sides, and vineyards on the left. Absolutely beautiful.
At breakfast I am amazed at how much people pack on their tiny plates.
Breakfast is abundant, but coffee service is slow.
2:20pm My cabin
The Dürnstein/Krems tour was long and it was very hot. Too many churches. We saw the Benedictine Monastery Götweid, walked old town Krems and old town Dürnstein. No water to buy anywhere but plenty of Merillenschnaps, booze made with Apricots.
Lunch with the couple from Berlin and the older Gentleman; his two women skipped lunch. The conversations are very interesting, mainly about politics, about now and then, about cultural themes, and questions about comparisons between US and Germany.
11:30pm My cabin
Returned from Vienna by Night at 10:45pm. Vienna is massive. And, according to the tour guide has the best living conditions in Europe. It is expensive but public housing is available. Unemployment is 4.5 percent.
After the tour we went to Heuriger Wolff. Heuriger is new wine and all sorts of rules are attached to its sale. It is sold by wine farmers who can't sell anything but rolls and spreads like cheese or bacon grease with it. In the old days People brought their own food to the place. To indicate which place is open they hang some kind of greens that look like fir branches in front of the doors. So they don't take customers from each other there are rules about who opens when, and they take turns.
I sat at a table with good singers, especially the two men. They knew the texts to the drinking songs. We locked arms, swayed, and sang. I did a lot of lalalas but remembered melodies from my Heidelberg drinking days.
I lost my one and only water bottle, the Apollinaris, on the bus. I hope somewhere in some town I can find another plastic bottle.
Monday, April 30, 2012
6:35am in the Panorama Lounge
Slept too long to go walking on the sun deck; barely made it to early bird coffee. It is another warm day, and I realize I should have brought more clothes for warm weather. And more dressy:) as if I had dressy clothes.
I wanted to take at least a few pics with the iPad, but I haven't figured out how to insert them at the right spot. Sometimes I do it right and other times the pictures and text decide where they want to go; moving them will only ruin the whole page.
And here it is, the Panorama Lounge
And a view of the Donau
And this is the huge chess set on the sun deck.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
7:00am Dining Room
Sitting at table 24 alone with my breakfast. We are in Sturovo, just landed.
The waiter gave the lady at the table behind me coffee and totally ignored me. He has a big chip on his shoulder. Maybe if I use some English on him it will change his attitude, or maybe only a big tip will. Fat chance.
All of them walk slowly, all do more cleaning up than serving.
It just occurs to me that I didn't report on yesterday at all. Vienna was very hectic, I barely made it back to the bus. And I never got to sit at a Cafė. But I did buy a white cover up for the sun deck. And I did get a few pictures in.
Another lady and I just went to get our own coffee. The waiter immediately came to carry mine to the table. He said something about Bedingungen. (rules)
Goulash for lunch
Pulykamell for dinner
In English that is turkey baked in bacon "mit Letschgemüse und Folienkartoffeln" whatever that means.
8:00am Sun deck
Well, now I did it, ran away without ordering. After he asked the ladies at the table next to me what they want for lunch and dinner and ignored me.
Did everybody else put "ein bisschen extra" (a little extra money) on the pillow to get service?
That's what my neighbor in 107, Brigitte did with the room cleaning girl. It gave her a Handtuchtier, a towel animal.
I see the big problem here with the "international" crew. They somehow are not motivated, either their pay is lousy or they just don't care. And our waiter seems arrogant. Some have limited knowledge of the German language. With Nicolae from Rumania I speak English, since he prefers it, or so he says.
The people from Berlin are wonderful. He worked for a large water company and she was a teacher. We talk a lot of politics and I learn a lot. The difference of "vor der Wende" and after. The people of the east went through a lot of difficult changes after the Wende. The couple spoke of Kinderkrippe where they never had to worry about a place for their children when they worked and about not making a lot of money but always having enough. About not worrying about food because they ate where they worked.
(Ah, waiter and girl just came by to sit at the crew bench for a morning break and a cigarette.)
All in all a delightful morning on the top deck.
8:40pm My cabin
Lovely excursion to Buda and Pest. I spent the biggest part with the Berlin couple; we skipped the Old Town walk (it was 32 degrees Celsius) and sat at a café with coffee and ice cream. ( By the way, the waiter did order fish for me for lunch and dinner. And he seemed a bit friendlier tonight.) No shopping in Budapest.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
On the bus to the Puszta
It is 30 degrees again and I still won't wear sleeveless clothes. Eitelkeit, one could say, or simply trying to fit in with the more conservatively dressed women on this trip. I am simply never dressed right, it seems, in my t-shirts. But I AM ALIVE and I am enjoying myself.
Tour leader is the same girl as yesterday, Eva
Driver is the same one too.
Btw, coffee was sitting on my table by the time I came back with my juice this morning. Costi from Bulgaria is learning to move a bit faster.
Hungarian is a very difficult language to learn. Here are a few words from yesterday. Junaput. - hello. Vislaat - good bye. Something like kösönöm - thank you. Agyshigira is zum Wohl, Prost
10:pm My cabin
I was extremely lucky to catch "Die Heimkehr" (The Homecoming) by Hesse on TV. And afterwards a portrait about the author. I gave up the Panorama Lounge and the Tombola for Hesse. He wrote Steppenwolf and Glassperlenspiel at Montagnola. .Funny, all these old people are reporting and reading his poems, as if all the hippies who once loved him, now are coming home to Hesse's wisdom. They called one of his poems about the Lebensstufen (my mother's favorite) a prayer. "folge deinen eigenen Gesetzen." (follow your own laws)
Toward the end of his life he just wanted to be left alone. He was uninspired for the last sixteen years and just worked in his garden.
They just read my favorite " Seltsam im Nebel zu wandern." (How odd, walking in the rain) about the end of one's life. I learned it by heart at sixteen.
In the news. Merkosy or Merkhollande that is the question before the French vote for a new president. Merkel's "center right" preference for Sarkosy is discussed among the cruise bunch.
And today was, again, a great day. Puszta Fahrt, bus ride to the country. Horses. A show. A snack. A bunch of pictures.
And a pleasant easing of tensions between Costi the waiter and our table. He smiles now. I bet that we can encourage him to engage in conversation by the time we leave here.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Panorama Bar
We are in Bratislava. I took the first part of the city tour, but it started raining hard and I returned to the ship. Had a cappuccino and am now listening to U Quadrat. Nice - writing, listening to rap, watching the Danube flow by.
All that is missing is the knitting, but the girl is cleaning my room and I don't want to disturb her a second time.
Pics from short Bratislava visit.
14:45 My cabin
Lunch with Helma, Ludwig and Walter. Brigitte and Friedl still don't eat lunch. Again, political discussions, this time about division of Tschechoslovakia into Czech republic and Slovakia. Georg, today's tour leader, said that division was "democratic" yet no people were asked. I have noticed that nobody here has faith in politicians.
Nicolae from Rumania goes to school and we discussed espresso makers.. Costi, the waiter, showed a very slight smile when I drew a smiley face on the "water with gas" bill.
This shows the typical problem with the Amadeus Classic food. It is supposed to be Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, but instead of a cherry soaked in cherry liqueur, this one is green and tastes like peppermint.
And the after lunch treat is the view from my cabin window while I get my paperwork together for the 16:30 handout of ten Euro transfers. Ship to train station at 8:45am on Saturday. The luggage will be deposited 15 minutes before departure on the Bahnsteig (train track)from which my train leaves at 11:24.
5:00pm My cabin
Just a little while ago Fred announced the departure procedures and I got my two hangers for two pieces of luggage to be deposited by me outside my cabin at 7:30am on Saturday and taken to track two of the Passau train station for the ICE train #28 to Nürnberg.
10:30pm My cabin
The evening was quite nice; the crew performed several skits, they sang, they danced, a Rumanian song and a Bulgarian dance. The announcer, one of the staff, said a very irreverential prayer. There was a piece in a men's bathroom that was hilarious, and a conversation about Schiller's desk being sold in Schaller's Antiquariat by two people on a train. Then a hilarious conversation between two former Amadeus employees, now retired and aching all over(final pain was hemorrhoids and friend suggested an "Arschologist in Paris, meaning an archeologist, but pronouncing it wrong and misunderstanding the meaning of the word using the German colloquial word for behind.
Helma and Ludwig had saved me a spot in the front row which I gave,up during "volunteer dancing with the crew" I drank a "Bratislava Stern" a lovely fruit punch. After we had done the Schleuse I excused myself
"gute Nacht ,meine Damen und Herrn," and went to my room.
Dinner earlier had been quite funny too. It was Pirate's night and all the silverware was mixed up, the waiters were in pirate's gear and had scars painted on their faces.
Friday, May 4, 2012
10:30am Sundeck without sun, looking back on my short excursion into Emmersdorf.
9:30pm My cabin
I sorted my bills, most of them are for water (mit Gas) about 65 Euro. And there are the trips. A total of 301 Euros.
Tonight was the captain's cocktail farewell and dinner. All dressed up and no pics. But I took pics of all six courses and the menu itself.
Maybe that's why coffee always comes late- it is counted as a separate course
This is Walter
Walter's wife Friedl
Walter's daughter Brigitte
The crew wishing us farewell
All packed. Paying in AM at 6:30, then breakfast. Out of cabin by 8:30. Transfer bus here circa 8:45. Oh yeah, suitcase in front of door by 6:30 too.
My train for Nuernberg leaves Passau at 11:24 and my luggage will arrive there around 11:00. All set. Next stop: Prague. And wifi again.
Saturday, May 5, 2012
10,50am Track 2, Passau Hauptbahnhof
Listening to people discussing train numbers and wagons. This train is not for me. I am waiting for the next one. This one leaves at 11:12 am.
My train leaves at 11:24, ICE 28, wagon 21, seat 35.
Noon - on the ICE 28 wagon 21 seat 35. Comfortable. Exhausted. German wives discuss every detail out loud with their husbands.
"What train is it? It must be on this track. Don't go in yet; look first. What seats do we have. You have the tickets. I gave them to you. We must go to the next wagon. Why are you going in this door? Etc etc etc."
I think that's why I didn't get much rest on the cruise; i was constantly drawn into discussions of everything that went on around us. And in discussing events, they became "documented" in a way and I no longer had the desire to write about them. That is why the excursions have gotten no write-up; they have already been talked to death. I should name the whole Danube episode "Yoo-hoo!!!Giiiisela!!! Yoo-hoo!" a constant, well-meant inclusion and quest for my input.
(Though I took about 500 photos on the Danube cruise, I probably posted inferior photos as it is very time consuming to pick the right ones on such a small screen and always losing my place or scrolling not far enough or too far or skipping around and losing what was already selected.)
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