One of dozens of picturesque towns in the Wachau Valley. Kajmeister photo.
Can there be too many quaint Austrian and German villages along the Danube, Main, and Rhine? In Bamberg today, I’m taking a day off from the bus + walking circuit to recap our previous few days in Melk, Passau, and Regensburg.
There is this self-destructive cycle of tourism in which we find ourselves. We want to SEE, but, when we do, we quickly tire of the same ol’ village. *yawn* another hand-painted baroque ceiling. Oh, NOT another castle! How many bloody things did these people build? (A: one in every town, of course). Last night, a fellow traveler said it was the same thing in Egypt–desperate to go, then three days in, NOT another tomb and 5000-year-old hieroglyphics!
I will try not to bite the hand that feeds me too much today, since I am a tourist, and I am here to appreciate these exquisite German villages.
The grounds of Vienna gardens, from inside the Vienna Boys’ Choir hall. Kajmeister photo.
Right after Budapest on this trip up the rivers, we arrived smash into Vienna: four days, three world capitals. I’d have to say Vienna in comparison was clean, stylish, full of music and ornate buildings, and a bit smug about its cleanliness, music, and style. But probably justified.
Before proceeding on to picture-perfect Vienna, I want to note that I’m writing these blogs on my tablet with a quaint little keyboard and lovely little tablet-mouse. The ship has free wi-fi, which is a blessing. However, WordPress software on a tablet is very glitchy. It constantly stops when I am typing, like right now. It’s very confusing, because sometimes it immediately does what it’s supposed to, and other times won’t respond for a few minutes, then hops around to random paragraphs. So I must apologize for all the typos and to KK who is tired of hearing me whine about it. Even now, it’s making a vein throb in my head , waiting for it actually s-h-o-w what I type.
Anyway, I also note that just before Vienna, we went through our first lock on the Danube, where you sail into the little garage and the water goes up. The first was riveting to watch, but even within the next two days, we’d done about 12 of these, so they got less interesting quickly. Dan, the boat’s cruise director, joked that a lady was awakened by “Earthquakes!” which was only the ship gently banging a side in the lock. Except that, Dan, they do feel like earthquakes if you’re from California where you have experienced many earthquakes.
Floating down the Danube, there is green river, lots of bends, bird sanctuaries–around every corner is yet another castle or church or picturesque town. Hence, the sighting of big buildings was a bit exciting. Ah, Vienna! (never mind the Hard Rock cafes and Happyland and clogged traffic like any other tourist area of a big city) Vienna! Former capital of the empire, full of free water and health care, and so many statues of Mozart.
Matthias Church and Buda’s Castle. Kajmeister photo.
Our second stop on our grand tour up the German rivers was Budapest, a six-hour bus ride from Prague, spanning four countries and three European capitals. No wonder there has been so much strife as these countries seem to be breathing down each other’s necks: the currencies, languages, and politics change rapidly. But all of them are of pride, different kinds of pride.
Budapest distinguished itself, for me, in the way it has absorbed the many cultures who crossed the Carpathian Plain and in the resilience of the people as each group has, in turn, put themselves in charge. Let’s start with how the horsemen got there, touch on how each new group has put on its stamp, and end thinking on how Budapest has repeatedly rebuilt itself.
