Cruising to Vienna

Today is the official start of the cruise and I can tell you the beginning of a holiday has never been so relaxed! Having pre-cruise days means that the packing, travelling and orienting was done days ago. After a leisurely breakfast we returned to the room to place our bags out for pick-up and transport to the ship, checked out of the hotel room and found a pub for lunch with its only requirement being free Wi-Fi! There was internet available at the hotel but I refused to pay their outrageous daily rate – mostly on principle!! By last night David was getting fidgety not having been connected in days, but in this day and age to charge outrageous rates for internet is ridiculous. We found our pub and while my poor parents graciously endured us ignoring them through lunch, we checked up on home (Andrew the only child who responded to our initial message is now the favourite child!), emailed my friend Liz (who is the best friend I have for keeping in touch and I knew she would be desperate for word), caught up on what was happening in the world since we left (not a lot apparently!), and posted three days worth of blogs lying in wait!

By mid-afternoon we were on our way to the boat. A coach brought us to the dock, which was rather amusing since walking along the dock to the gangway took far more time, and we were quickly settled and sailing happily up the Danube.

It was immediately obvious how different river cruising is from the large ships that we have been accustomed to. Within a few minutes I had scoped out everything there was to see and quickly realized I can go from below deck fore to sky deck aft in less than a minute! Our stateroom has a French balcony and while we have been warned that the sliding door should not be open at night when the lights are on in the room I quickly decided that I don’t need lights! Poor David stumbled around in the dark to humour me when I just could bear to close the door on the summer breeze and hypnotic rhythm of the water against the riverboat! Much of the scenery is forest being broken occasionally by a quaint little Slovakian village always centred on a steeple. River cruising also appears to be more intimate with only 120 people on board. Folks seem eager to meet and mingle and we have met people from all over the US, Australia, South Africa, England and of course the first couple we met work for the Region of Peel! What are the chances?

Dinner is open seating and on entering the dining room we found four chairs open at a table with a lovely couple, June and Graham, from South Africa. Dinner passed pleasantly in conversation, trading tales of travel adventures. Following dinner I provided a tour of the boat with another stop at the magic machine at the back of the boat that provides cappuccino 24/7 J

Dancing under the almost full moon completed the day!