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CHEERS, DADDY!
October 16th was the birthday of our father, so it somehow seemed appropriate that we were sailing into Vienna on this day and would be attending a concert of the greatest hits of Strauss and Mozart this evening. He was a fan! Oh, do we remember those scratchy 78s. I remember attending a concert featuring the Vienna Boys’ Choir when I was a child. He taught us his love for the music we will be enjoying this evening.
Most of the day was spent in scenic cruising, as we enjoyed the sites along the river.
One required activity was the morning safety drill.
We had our safety briefing at 10.
We sailed through Bratislava and saw some beautiful architecture along the river.
We visited the wheel house on the top of the ship in the cool windy afternoon and watched as the captain sailed the ship and gave a commentary.
We had an early dinner after the captain’s welcome toast and watched as the ship docked in Vienna in the dark . We were about a half hour away from the city center, and saw many, many river cruisers stacked up with us. We tied up next to the Viking Thor.
We left the ship at 7:30 and met our bus. We were taken to the Shubert Theater, “where Leonard Bernstein once performed,” and climbed two sets of stairs to get to the event. This was a special concert for the Viking guests.
We were entertained by the Vienna Residence Orchestra, under the baton of Pierre Pichler. From the overture from “The Marriage of Figaro,” to the ending waltz ( with the audience clapping at the appropriate moments), and arias, duets, waltzes and polkas in between, we were delighted and captivated by the orchestra, the singers and the dancers. The concert was certainly a highlight of our trip.
Daddy would have loved it!
Tomorrow is busy with three events: Panoramic Vienna tour, tour of Schönbrunn Palace, and Heurigen harvest dinner in Grinzing. Stay tuned!
NOTE: if you’re reading this post on your phone, please clink on the title above to get the photos and narration.
This is the itinerary of the Grand European Voyage on the Viking Gymir
As the sun rises at our window, we say GOOD MORNING BUDAPEST, and goodbye for now. We have had amazing weather on this trip…so far.We left our hotel in Budapest just after 10:00, after the streets were cleared from the first event of the Budapest marathon. We were able to check out quickly and the taxi driver got to our hotel and helped with our luggage.
Our stay in the hotel was 137,879 HUF which is about $185 per night. Viking charged its participants in the pre- tour at $500 per person per night for their hotels. No thank you. We loved our charming Boutique Hotel Victoria. Taxi rides were also very reasonable.
We had the location of the meet up point for the bus marked on our map and we just waited a few minutes until we got on our luxurious bus with six other passengers and left at 11:00 , driving through the narrow roads of the Hungarian countryside to the hamlet of Nyergesújfalu, or as one of the crew members said, “ the middle of nowhere!”.
By 2:00, we were having lunch on the Aquavit Terrace.
Welcome to the Gymir!
We are very happy that we selected a cabin with a veranda, which greatly extends the feeling of having extra space. The cabins themselves are very well laid out, but they are quite small. The drawers are very convenient. It will take time to get organized. We’re still suffering from jet lag.
We started meeting people and enjoyed the company of two Canadian couples at dinner. I had salmon and Beatrice had rib eye steak, two main staples. I opted not to have chicken paprika because I had it the night before at the Fisherman’s Bastion in Budapest.
It is now Sunday and is much cooler. There was rain on our veranda. . We chatted with a couple and their son and daughter-in-law from New Orleans after the morning briefing , and joined them for lunch. Most of the people went on afternoon tour to see Budapest’s major attractions today , but it meant getting on the bus, driving an hour and a half back to Budapest, then returning to Komáron, two hours away, where the ship is now docked. We now have a steady internet connection- hooray! . The only site we didn’t see that was on the tour is Hero’s Square, and we did not want to spend 3 1/2 hours on the bus to see one landmark. We are enjoying this free time on our own. We were able to organize our room, watch a film, get our internet up and running and discuss plans for Vienna with one of the crew members.
Tomorrow is a sailing day. We arrive Monday night in Vienna, where we will see a Strauss/ Mozart concert. Tuesday we will be very busy in Vienna. Good news: my hip and knee are not bothering me. Fingers crossed this continues.
A popular spot: decaf cappuccino and cookies 24/7!
I read this declaration in a travel guide and it’s true. I felt it the minute we drove into the center of the city.
A river runs through it
The architecture is grand and imposing
The Seine or the Danube? The tree-lined Chemps-Elysées or Andràssy Street?
Fisherman’s Basion, Castle Hill Complex.
Opera performance
I’m having problems placing pictures today, so the photos will be out of sequence with the text. My apologies!
Back to reality! We had things to do, places to go.
First priority: how to get on the ship tomorrow!
We needed to know how to get on the bus to join the ship, since it is docked in a village forty miles from here because of the low water.
An astute Viking agent mentioned on the phone last week that there was a Viking service desk at the Hotel Intercontinental, so we taxied over to find out what to do. We had gotten misinformation earlier in the day with an email from Viking, giving us the phone number to call the ship; when I called, the representative there said we would have to pay for our own fare since we did not use the Viking hotel. This didn’t seem right. Thank goodness for Maria, the agent on the phone last week.
We got to the hotel and found a very long Viking service desk with competent people! What a relief! We spoke to a charming fellow who marked the location on the map and gave us the times the buses would be driving to the village where our ship, the Gymir, will be waiting for us. Sound complicated ? Yes. Traveling is not for sissies
We had a tour of the Hungarian State Opera House at 1:30, so we strolled over, stopping at several places along the way. We checked out a grocery store and enjoyed seeing what people eat. I’ve never seen Hello Kitty cereal before!
We stopped for a decaf cappuccino – the sisters’ coffee of choice – at the elegant café Callas, across from the opera house ( thanks to neighbor Rich for giving me the card) and got involved in a chat with a delightful English man and his wife, who also bought tickets for the tour.
The tour was fantastic! We even were given a short performance at the end with selections from Opera’s Greatest Hits, including “ La Bohème” and “Rigoletto.” Delightful! See photos above and below.
After the tour, we taxied home to rest my weary bone-on-bone hip joint and catch up on some long- neglected sleep.
A couple of hours later, we taxied over to the Fisherman’s Bastian area of the Castle Hill complex for views of the city. We did some souvenir shopping and ended the evening with a delicious chicken paprika with dumplings dish accompanied with a refreshing cucumber salad. My drink of choice was a Kir Royale; the sister had a Coke zero. The photo will be below because I can’t figure out how to put it here!
I was surpringly pain free so we strolled the Danube and saw more views before heading back to pack and get ready for life on the ship.
Fisherman’s Bastion
Chain bridge by night
Dinner at the top of Fisherman’s Bastion
Time for breakfast! We will join the ship today. Fingers crossed!
it’s Friday October 13 at 1:48 AM. Budapest time. I’m wide awake. Yes, we’re here. Everything was smooth sailing, so to speak: car to the airport, an almost eleven hour flight to Munich in Premium Economy section . We had a five hour wait until our flight to Budapest. Lack of sleep and a loss of memory (“where-did-I -put it” syndrome) don’t help.
it’s old age. Old bones. Stairs hurt my bum knee. Have to rest.
We opted not to stay at the hotel chosen by Viking because of costs and are instead at a charming small hotel called the Boutique Hotel Victoria, on the Pest side of the riber. We’re in a room with a view of Patliament and the bridges from our 7th floor perch. We had goulash soup at a cute Belgian brasserie next door.
. Unfortunately, the ship isn’t here because of low water levels, so we have to go to the dock Saturday to catch a bus to get to our vessel. There is a contact number. We saw a Viking representative at the airport who told us to take a taxi to the dock between 10-11 AM. I will try calling to verify.
Even though I’m struggling, things don’t seem so bad when I look out the window.
I’ll try to get back to sleep now. As Scarlet once said, “ Tomorrow is another day!”
The sister and I are about to set sail on the beautiful blue Danube this week. Today is packing day. Tomorrow we fly to Munich, then change planes to land in Budapest, where we’ll spend two nights before embarking on a two week Viking cruise, completing our journey in Amsterdam.
Our ship will not be awaiting us on the beautiful blue Danube because of low water levels so we will be bussed to another city about sixty miles away for boarding .
if you watch Masterpiece Theater on PBS, you’ll be familiar with all those beautiful ads. Marketing works! I’m looking forward to time in Budapest and Vienna. We already have tickets for the tour of the Budapest opera house. I long to see Melk Abbey.
We will be in veranda stateroom #203, which is the number of my classroom many years ago. Is this an omen? Will reality be as good as those gorgeous scenes we see on TV?
Here is the group photo, taken at our Farewell Dinner
From l- r: Dave and Karen, Robert and Joy, ( going on post trip);Andrea and her husband, ( going home) Linda from Florida ( post trip) , Karen ( moi, going home) Linda from CA, ( going home) husband and Norma, Ann from England (going home) , Ann and Dave,( post trip) Mark ( flying to Egypt on a new adventure via Casablanca) and Mostafa, who will be taking the homebound group to Casablanca and the airport.
I had to take one final shot from my room before leaving – such a gorgeous place!
We had our final breakfast on the rooftop terrace, then walked through the Old Town to two buses. The new van, driver and tour leader took the seven travelers to the Atlantic and we got on our sturdy bus number 30 with our driver Mohammed and Mostafa to Casablanca.
We drove the national highway and arrived in Casablanca in time for lunch.
The lunch location is a place that takes care of single mothers. It is a horrible social stigma if a woman becomes pregnant out of wedlock and this association helps the women with job training and child care needs. The woman pictured is the founder of the Association Sodidarité Féminine, Alcha Ech Channa, who has been the defendent and spokesperson for this organization for over thirty years.
We were served a sumptuous meal. The main course is served at weddings, which I thought added a touch of irony. The food was delicious. A social worker spoke to us about the ramifications of single motherhood after our meal.
I also had some close encounters with a couple of felines under the table during the meal.
The outside of the home is very beautiful, with the famous Moroccan blue accents.
Next stop: the beach! we also got views of the lighthouse and the Hassan II mosque, which we would be touring.
Mosafa drove us to the mosque and picked up our tickets for us. We had time to walk around the area and explore before going inside for the tour. My first overall impression: MASSIVE.
it has been said that during Ramadan this entire outdoor area is packed with worshippers. The inside consists of two stories: the prayer room and the ablutions room, for washing.
More facts, according to Wikipedia: Hassan II mosque, or la Grande Mosquée Hassan II is the second largest functioning mosque in Africa and the seventh in the world. Its minaret is the second largest, at 689 feet. Construction began in 1986. Completed in 1993, it was designed by Michel Pinseau under the guidance of King Hassan II and built by Moroccan artisans from all over the kingdom. The minaret is sixty stories high, topped by a laser directed toward Mecca. The walls are of hand crafted marble and the cedar roof is retractable. A maximum of 105,000 worshippers can gather together for prayer: 2,500 inside the mosque hall and another 80,000 outside.
We took our shoes off to explore the prayer room but put them back on to go downstairs.
I forgot to mention that women pray in a separate area in the prayer room. There are two ablution rooms downstairs. We were in the men’s section, which is green; the women’s section is pink. The tile work is magnificent.
After our tour, we checked into the hotel and discussed dinner plans. We decided to eat at a local Morrocan restaurant which was a ten minute walk from from the hotel. Ann and I got together before the dinner to drink our last bottle of wine which we’d gotten at the super market at the beginning of the trip! We would have a pre- dinner drink and a post – dinner drink!
I met the last cat from the trip as we were walking back to the hotel. Was he saying goodbye?
We said our good byes at the hotel lobby. Norma and Andrea and their husbands were leaving at 4:00 am; Linda and I were leaving at 5:00 am and Ann and Mark didn’t have to leave until 9:30 am. Poor Mostafa had to be awake most of the night. He will return to his family up north and will have a bit of time off before he leads his next group in October.
Ann and I met Mark on the rooftop for our final libation of the trip.
Hope you enjoyed the adventure.
I may post once more – lessons learned. You can learn from my mistakes!
I’m back home now, after a brutal flying day. I started the day at 3:30 AM the 23rd in Casablanca and walked through my doorway at 1:00 AM Saturday the 24th. I slept until 6:45 AM and did some chores, like post office pickup. I also visited our Moraga Wine and Pear Festival and got a pear pie, which I shared with my neighbors. We had a brief catch up session.
I also spent time editing photos and will be adding additional information about what we saw and did these last two days.
it’s now almost 6:00 am Sunday morning, California time. I’ve been awake since 3:00. This is called jet lag..
But back to the trip, day three of Marrakesh.
Our first stop was a visit to the Majorelle Garden, a two acre botanical garden created by French Orientalist artist Jacques Majorelle over almost forty years, beginning in 1923. The property was the residence of the artist and his wife until their divorce. The property was purchased by the fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé in the 1980s who worked to restore it. The villa also houses the Berber Museum.
it is a very popular tourist attraction. Fortunately we were the first in line, so it wasn’t terribly crowded.
The Berber Museum also held some interesting exhibits, especially the clothing and jewelry worn by the people.
Naturally, we exited by the gift shop. We found many Yves Saint Laurent LOVE posters. He began making these as greeting cards in 1970 that he would send to friends, collaborators and clients until 2007. They were fascinating!
We also found a café, and the FIRST decaf coffee in all of Morroco. We also found French smokers, of course.
Sasly, our time in this magnificent garden was coming to an end. Mostafa took a group shot of us.
Next stop: the water museum. This museum is not a tourist attraction, but it is a very important teaching museum, which explains the history of water conservation and plans for the future. There were also quizzes to determine if you understand water conservation. School groups visit this museum.
LUNCHTIME! Mostafa took us to the university area and we ate at one of his student hangouts: grilled beef and French fries, with green tea and sweets for dessert.
Our last stop was a surprise! We had asked Mostafa about the treatment of animals during our tour, so we dropped by the local SPCA, and were given an impromptu tour. This is what I love about OAT: much is unscripted. He knew we were animal lovers so he thought we would appreciate this visit. We did! This is a no kill shelter.
We went back to our riad for a brief rest, to pack, and to get ready for our final journey: to the south for the post trip with a new guide and driver, or to Casablanca for our final day there before leaving for the airport the next day.
We spied a cat on our walk back through the old town.
Ann had a swim in one of the little pools while I napped. She and I explored other areas of the riad. She’s in a separate building, which is ultra-modern. We loved the details.
Our last activity together was the Farewell Dinner, held at the Red House, a beautiful home that was turned into a riad by a French company.
We started out with a chat and farewell drink of orange juice, pomegranate juice with or without vodka and tasty snacks, then adjourned to dining room tables for our tagine with cornish game hen entree. Dessert was an orange/ cinnamon/ sugar combo with pastry. Decadent and delicious!
We headed home for our last night’s sleep in Marrakesh. Tomorrow we split up. Who will go where? You will find out.
Our first sightseeing exploration was a visit to the Bahia Palace, built by a vizar to honor the woman he loved. The architecture was Andelusian, as seen in southern Spain The details are magnificent.
We wandered over and around the mosque and met a coffee seller and his cart, and learned the art of coffee making. I did not partake, as im not a caffeine drinker and so far haven’t found any decaffeinated choices in the country.
We wandered the souk and went to a rug seller, who explained the art and craft of rug making. and we ooed and ahhed over the gorgeous rugs. Of course salesmen swooped in after the talk. A few people bought, with Mostafa’s help. The prices were reasonable based on the quality of the merchandise.
Outside the shop we had a close encounter with a friendly cat who ”belonged” to one of the shop owners.
We had two free hours to wander the square We had lunch. Ann got her garden tiles and I got a cute camel magnet. I also got a pillowcase but had to haggle for it. I don’t enjoy bargaining and I am not sure I got a deal. We stop for sorbet.
Back to the riad for R & R. I had a nap and met Ann on the rooftop for a drink.
As with the other guest houses, the decor and architecture are beautifully appointed and the views are magnificent.
We left for a horse drawn carriage ride, which took us through other sections of the city.. Parts are over-the-top opulent. New Marrakesh has the shopping malls we’re used to in the states. Starbucks and other chains are here. We eat at a restaurant owned by two Moroccan guys who lived in the US, then opened a restaurant here. It’s called the Caspian. Highly recommended. I had spinach- ricotta ravioli Delicious. Ann and I split a small bottle of sémillion blanc, which was very affordable.
Back to the riad to rest up for our last day in Marrakesh.
Good night!
We spent another glorious day in Marrakesh then came to Casablanca. I catch a plane home tomorrow but will report on other jewels from Morocco, including the Majorelle Gardens of Yves Saint Laurent and the Hassan II mosque, the second largest in the world. I may have to rest up a couple of days, though
The sun rises on a new day as we leave the tranquility of the countryside behind for the glitz and glamour of the big city.
Our journey today takes us over the High Atlas Mountains through curvy roads, testing the skill of our driver. Fortunately, Mohammed is up to the task.
After several hours and a couple of rest stops, the city comes into view. Mostafa puts on the Crosby, Stills and Nash recording to welcome us as we immerse ourselves in yet another new culture.
We are in another guest house, the Riad da Vinci. It’s charming but there are many floors, no elevator, and is not convenient to the City Center. Mostafa leads us through the winding alleyways of the medina. We tromp up three flights of steep stairs to the rooftop terrace, where we have a delicious lunch. We are given our room assignments and time to settle in. I am in bleu, on the patio / poolside level, two flights down from the roof. The rooms have names, not numbers. Each room is different.
I like my room. The plugs are convenient to the bed and I can open the shutters to see the pool area. I settle in and watch the live stream of the queen’s funeral..
We leave for the Secret Garden at 5:30 , about a ten minute walk through the souk, and spend time there and later walk on to explore the food market stalls for dinner.
As it turns out, there’s a spot at the beautiful secret garden for drinks and we can order alcohol! Ann and I order a Casablanca beer, perfect on a warm day. The weather has been perfect, by the way.
We’re given time to wander the gardens.
Mostafa knows a guy who makes the best nougat in town…we taste. Many of us buy.
Our street food consists of harissa soup, a specialty we’ve had before, followed by the sweet dessert. that accompanies it. I forgot the name of it. Another stall offers us a hard boiled egg sandwich with olive oil. I get a quarter sandwich. We taste perfect calamari rings. We finish off with ginsing tea – not at all to my liking. Mostafa touts the health benefits. Ann described it as tasting like cough syrup.
We finish our exploration by riding home in tuk tuk vehicles Each car holds four passengers. We find the street leading to our riad by the presence of Mama Kitty and her babies cuddled up in a pot.
Time for bed. More explorations and adventures in Marrakesh will continue..
We have three days here, then many of us (Ann and me included) return to Casablanca and fly home. Others will continue to the Atlantic coast for the post tour with one more week of exploration. It’s sad that we are almost done with our Moroccan adventure.
We leave the desert behind at Merzoga and move on to the area of the ksar, walled Berber villages, where we meet new people and learn more about this magical country. Our 8 hour bus trip is filled with stops which show us the diversity of the area..
During our two day stay, we have a ” Day in the Life” experience where we spend time with a family and go to the Imik Simak Foundation, to learn about the Grand Circle Foundation’s efforts to help women become more self sufficient.
We get off the bus at our first stop to meet a man who shows us the ancient water system and go down a well. Ann gets help up and makes a new friend.
We visit a ksar, a walled Berber settlement, where we have lunch at a restaurant owned by a woman and drop in on a pre-school.
As it’s Linda’s birthday, she is given a makeover at the small gift shop. The restaurant also made her a birthday cake!
Later in the afternoon we arrive at the town of Ourzazate, where we discover that our guest house is also in the middle of the walled Berber enclave. Each room is unique. My room has a view of the mosque. The decor is gorgeous. The stairs are steep but hand railings help. The view from the rooftop area is magnifent. We have dinner on site.
The next day we visit a family with the help of a local guide.
The family consists of a mother, a father, who works three jobs, and four kids. The eldest boy is the product of a first marriage. We learn how to make bread, and the guys on our tour make a brick. We chat in their olive fields as we have mint tea and ask questions. The family believes in education and the eldest daughter, Fatima, is very articulate and asks us questions. She is in boarding school but comes home for the weekends. Every one of us falls in love with this charming young lady.
We have couscous lunch served in the large room we saw when we came in. This room is locked and is only used when visitors arrive. The neighbor kids sing the Moroccan national anthem and Fatima and her sister dance for us It is quite a show. I give her some school supplies and wish her well in her future endeavors.
We go to the Imik Simak foundation to discuss its aims with the director. My camera has lost its juice as has my portable charger.so I didn’t get any photos of this event.
Our last stop was to the Atlas Film Studios. Did you know that films are made here? It is the largest film lot in the world. We saw the sets for ” The Game of Thrones” and several other films. Many locals work as extras. Commercials are also filmed here. With the help of our guide, we also made a small video, which I will get and send out later. This was sooo much fun. I was able to get a few photos from Ann. You can google Atlas film studios Morocco for more information. I could have taken a million pictures here!
We had dinner in town, at the oldest Greek restaurant in the city, then took an evening stroll through the area, ending up at our gorgeous hotel.
Ourzazate is known as the ” quiet city” and I understood and appreciated this area for the simple pleasures of life and beautiful architecture. We’re on to the hustle and bustle of Marrakesh next.
