My Journey: Danube
Jessica Pook joins a Riviera cruise on the Blue Danube and takes in some of Europe’s cultural jewels
You have to treat Big Tommy with the same respect you would a woman,” says our captain as we stare at the various controls lighting up the bridge. It’s clear he has developed a great fondness for MS
Thomas Hardy in the year it’s been on the water, but the chance for me to sit in the captain’s chair is too tempting – he will have to relinquish the helm.
We are onboard for a four-night Danube river cruise with Riviera, from Austria to Hungary, with stops along the way in Linz, Melk, Vienna and Budapest.
I am 27 and so not the average river cruise customer – passengers are typically 50-plus – but after a few games of gin rummy on the top deck I’m soon accepted.
As we wind our way past castles, rolling hills and quaint villages I surprise myself at how quickly I settle into the leisurely rhythm of river cruising and find immense pleasure in watching the world pass by from the comfort of my own private balcony. Is there a better way to see a country?
Healing waters
It’s easy to relax in Budapest, a laid-back and unassuming city. And nowhere is more relaxing than the Szechenyi Baths, with its 18 indoor and outdoor thermal pools. The baths are humming with laughter and chit- chat from locals and tourists alike who are basking on the sun loungers or wallowing unashamedly in the waters, embracing this age-old tradition with no inhibitions.
But besides the baths themselves, it’s actually the building that attracts my attention. Over 100 years old, the mustard-coloured turrets, grand arches and colourful tiled ceilings make it one of Budapest’s top attractions.
Thermal water is present under 80% of Hungary. The country is located over an active geo-thermic area and boasts more than 1,400 springs and 200 thermal
baths. In fact, water is such an large part of the country’s foundation that it literally splits the capital apart. Buda and Pest are separated by the Danube, with Buda housing hilltop castles and green pastures, oozing prosperity, whereas its flat neighbour, Pest, is buzzing with a thriving gastronomy scene, and backstreet bars where a younger generation congregate.
It’s here that I’m challenged with learning my first Hungarian word…’egészségedre’ (cheers) – and that’s about all I manage before we set off for a new country.
Culture and coffee
Home to emperors and Austrian royalty, baroque-style fortresses and the dancing white Lipizzan stallions of the Spanish Riding School, Vienna is a fairytale come to life. But the real world isn’t so bad either – Vienna has been named the most liveable city in the world.
Walk the city streets and its architectural splendor rises, almost shining from the sparkling clean streets.
Scan Vienna’s rooftops and you’ll notice grand architecture built by the Habsburg monarchy, while at street level you are transported back to the present by chattering locals enjoying the coffee house culture whilst indulging in a traditional chocolate Sachertorte. This alone is enough to consider living here!
It’s on a walking tour of the city that I discover more about the historical influences of Vienna. Its most famous son, Wolfgang Mozart, lived and composed here until his death in 1791.
Then there’s Johann Strauss, composer of the Viennese Waltz, but I’m particularly drawn to a historical figure whose name I was unfamiliar with until now, Empress Sisi.
Described as a free spirit, she gave birth to 16 children and travelled the world, defying Habsburg protocol despite being married to Emperor Franz Joseph.
She was, it seems, the ultimate independent woman.
But Vienna’s not all about past glories and there are plenty of up-andcoming neighbourhoods to explore.
These include the hip and coffee-mad Freihausviertel and, beyond the city centre, the colourful Naschmarket, where lunchers gather for something sweet or a refreshing beer in the afternoon sunshine.
Danube jewels
Midway between Salzberg and Vienna lies the pretty Linz. The characterful riverside city is adorned with multicoloured buildings, but delving a bit deeper I learn that each colour represents a different trade. There’s red for the butcher, blue for the baker and yellow for breweries – which makes me aware of how dominated these streets are by yellow buildings. Our guide attempts to explain that, back in the days, beer was safer to drink than water, but I’m not sure if I’m convinced.
It was here that Hitler announced the country’s annexation to Germany during the Second World War, at the balcony of the Altes Rathaus, the city hall. Linz was
“Pest is buzzing with a thriving gastronomy scene and backstreet bars where a younger generation congregate”
famously his favourite city and where he attended school as a young boy. The Niblungen bridge, one of two bridges crossing the Danube here, was built under his command.
Our next stop, Melk Abbey, in the small town of Melk, seems to appear from nowhere! This working monastery dominates the town, sitting proudly on a hilltop overlooking the Danube. It is one of the biggest European Baroque structures with an impressive golden exterior. It has been housing Benedictine monks since 1089 and most of the nuns that reside in the monastery today don’t ever go outside its walls!
Touring through some of its 497 rooms I’m struck by the intricate details and ceiling murals. But then we enter the library. Oh the library! With over 12 rooms devoted to over 100,000 scriptures I half expect someone to come sliding along on a ladder to pluck one off the top shelf and dust it off for me. Alas, there are no ladders, but the guide reveals something even better – secret corridors hidden within the shelves. There’s a saying that the Danube appears blue for drunks and those in love but unfortunately on my trip it remained pretty grey. But the characterful cities and colourful sunsets I encountered along the way more than made up for it…or perhaps I just needed more time at the bar!
“Melk Abbey is one of the biggest European Baroque structures. Monks have been living here since 1089”