December on the Danube
Castles, cathedrals and Christmas markets highlight cruise through central Europe
It was like the view from a $1,000a-night hotel room. Our Viking river cruise ship was docked in the centre of Budapest, Hungary, on the Pest side of the Danube River, directly across from Castle Hill and the historic Royal Palace, glowing brightly in their flood lights like a scene from a medieval fairy tale.
As we enjoyed our first dinner on a seven-night cruise from Budapest to Nuremberg, Germany, the swift flowing Danube, sparkling with reflected light from the castle and passing boats, raced toward the Black Sea, just centimetres below the large dining room windows of the Viking Hlin, one of the newest Longships in the line’s impressive fleet. Overall, Viking has more than 50 ships cruising Europe’s rivers, 40 of them the new generation Longships.
After dinner, the captain, a Budapest native, took the ship on an unscheduled circular route along both sides of the Danube for an up-close look at some highlights of this ancient capital city. The massive Parliament Building, in particular, was dazzling in its golden splendour. It was easy to see why Budapest is often called “The Pearl of the Danube.”
The next morning the Viking Hlin began its excursion upriver to Germany. Guests who had never experienced a Viking Longship marvelled at the bright and spacious public areas including the second-deck lounge and the maindeck dining room.
Our balcony suite was tastefully arranged with a very comfortable queen bed, plenty of closet and drawer space and lighting that was the best we’ve experienced on any river or ocean cruise ship. The huge, 40-inch Sony TV had many channel choices, plus movies and extensive audio options. Sound insulation between rooms must have been excellent because we never heard a peep from our neighbours on either side.
Veteran cruiser Chris Dikmen, editor and publisher of CruiseReport.com, told us the new Viking ships have a much more elegant and comfortable feeling with food, service and tours that seem to get better every year. We certainly appreciated the excellent local dishes served in the dining room and, in several ports, local entertainment brought on board.
The Danube is Europe’s second longest river, flowing through 10 countries and four capital cities. In Roman times, it separated the Roman Empire from barbarian tribes that lived beyond the left bank. But now, many bridges that cross the murky, brown waters of the Danube (the “Blue Danube” was only in Strauss’ imagination) bring people and commerce together in harmony.
The first stop and the city most guests told us they enjoyed the most was Vienna, Austria. With a glorious mix of gothic architecture, magnificent museums and glittering palaces, this former centre of the Holy Roman Empire also cultivated composers like Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven, Shubert and Haydn.
An optional tour and one of our highlights was a private evening concert at Auersperg Palace, featuring Mozart and Strauss favourites with a superb small orchestra (piano, strings and flute) along with classical singers and dancers. The violin soloist played on a magnificent Stradivarius in the pink and white baroque ballroom where Mozart once performed.
All along our route (including many ruined castles, hillside vineyards and medieval towns like Melk and its Benedictine Abbey, a baroque masterpiece), the famous central European Christmas markets were opening.
These colourful stalls, sparkling with lights, are usually set up in the town square and sell everything from handcrafted Christmas ornaments, to gingerbread, rich stollen cakes and half- metre long sausages in a fresh bun (very tasty!). The weather in November and December is nippy but these markets attract thousands of visitors and make river cruising especially attractive.
Our first German stop was in Passau. This “City of Three Rivers” lies at the confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz rivers, each with its own distinctive colour. The Italian baroque St. Stephen’s Church contains the largest cathedral organ in the world — almost 18,000 organ pipes and 23 3 registers.
Before the cruise ended in Nuremberg, we also visited Regensburg, one of Germany’s most beautiful and best-preserved cities.
Its old stone bridge was completed in 1146 and was the only solid crossing of the Danube for several hundred years. Next to the bridge, the Alte Wurstkuche (old sausage kitchen), Germany’s oldest restaurant, has been grilling sausages on beech wood and serving them with sauerkraut and grainy mustard since the 12th century.
Unlike Regensburg, Nuremberg was almost flattened by Allied bombs but the city and its architectural treasures have been rebuilt, often using the original stones. It was here that the Nazis held their fanatical party rallies so our city tour included buildings and rallying grounds where the Nazi propaganda machine planned and unleashed its fervour.
The Viking Hlin tied up near Nuremberg for a final night so we could enjoy a special five-course Captain’s dinner and thank the crew who served us so well.