August 2023 (European River Cruise, back to Melbourne and a mini trip to Sydney)

 

Euro Adventure Chapter 5 – Viking River Cruise:

The Viking River Cruise was 18 July to 1 August so I really should have discussed it in July but, honestly, I didn’t have enough time to write!! The trip was called “The Grand European” and it was two weeks from Budapest to Amsterdam via the Danube, Main and Rhine Rivers. It was our treat to ourselves for our 30th wedding anniversary but we delayed it a year as the Covid restrictions last year were too tough.

We were very much looking forward to unpacking properly and once after being on the go for 5 weeks. We were also looking forward to some luxury. We were rewarded with all of this but we did have to pack and unpack once mid journey as we swapped from the Viking Gefjon to the Viking Ve. This was because the water level in the Main Danube canal was too low. Who knew that this happened??? We didn’t but it was actually the third trip in a row for the Gefjon where this had happened. It was a small inconvenience and the logistics were handled expertly by Viking.

The cruise stopped in the grand cities of Budapest, Vienna, Cologne and Amsterdam but our highlight were the story book towns in between. Every town has a different story including whether it was bombed to smithereens in WWII (and reconstructed or not) or saved from bomb damage. We travelled through 68 locks (!!) and saw stunning scenery and loads of castles.

One of the benefits of a River Cruise is an included guided walking tour (1-2 hours) at each destination. All the guides are local. Most have lived in the towns all their lives. We learnt so much more than we would have via Google.

We started off with searing heat and finished with cool temperatures and rain. 

We have done 8 ocean cruises (between 2016 and 2019) on our own, with our kids and with extended family groups. We had never done a river cruise before. We realised once we were on the cruise that we had not given the cruise itself much thought. To all the naysayers who had said smirking, “You’re a bit young for that”, we had replied smugly, “Who cares?” Turns out we did.

I won’t labour the pros and cons of the River Cruise but there were pros and cons. Some things we preferred over an ocean cruise and vice versa.

Some highlights (in no particular order):

• Daily, included locally-guided walking tours of 1-2 hours at each destination. We learnt so much more than if we had just relied on Google.

• Included local wine and beer with lunch and dinner. There was champagne with breakfast too although I never sampled it. Wine at lunch and dinner was more than enough for me.

• Meeting other passengers (mostly American) and hearing their life and travel stories.

• The onboard service – nothing was too much. The staff ratio to passengers seemed very high.

• Food on board – buffet and a la carte options for breakfast, a la carte for lunch and dinner. Also, self-serve cookies or muffins all day together with two coffee machines, tea-making, still and sparkling water.

• Rooms were really well-designed and soundproof. The shower in particular was far superior (ie bigger) than any we have had on an ocean cruise.

Some lowlights (in no particular order):

• The median age of the passengers (we thought) was 75. We are 55 so it was like holidaying with our parents.

• The slow pace of the trip as it was clearly geared to the older demographic and, indeed, to the “Leisure” group. For “Leisure”, read people with declining mobility.

• Not enough “free time” at destinations. Again, this is no doubt due to the demographic but we would have preferred a few hours to explore a town once the guided tour finished. Often, we had an hour only and then the ship sailed on.

• The food was good to very good but it was on the bland side. We assume this was to cater for the older demographic’s more sensitive tummies.

• The room, although well-designed, was very small.

Would we river cruise again?

Yes, 100%. The positives outweighed the negatives. It was “freeing” (as we have always felt with cruising), it was educational and it was inspiring. Inspiring insofar as what we learnt from our daily locally-guided tours, in what we learnt from the other passengers we met and in seeing people well into their 80s travelling - #goals

Once the cruise finished, we had a day in Amsterdam to ourselves. Not nearly enough even though we have been there before and the last visit was only in January 2020. We had been away a long time though and felt we needed to get home.

It rained on and off all day but we still had a lovely day doing a bit of shopping and a lot of walking. Our pre-booked attraction (luckily as the tickets were sold out) was to the Van Gogh Museum. It is the third time we have been to this Museum and it never fails to move us. We hired an excellent Audioguide and marvelled at Van Gogh’s genius and felt saddened at his battle with mental illness and his premature death by suicide at 37. Unbelievably, Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings were done in the space of 10 years. At one stage, he was producing a painting a day!

This seven week European Adventure and part Bucket List has really been a case of planes, trains, automobiles and boats (cruising and a ferry)! Scrolling through the photos, I can hardly believe what we have seen and experienced.

It was lovely to share four weeks of it with G and E and two weeks with L. It was especially lovely to clink glasses for over seven weeks with my best friend and Husband. It was a genuine period of gratitude and joy.

I started this “retirement phase” full of doom and gloom about what my life held going forward. Nearly 12 months in, it has been punctuated by regular travel – local and international. Slowing down has been good for me. I am healthier, much less tired, much less stressed and more present. My anxiety has reduced back to a lower level than it has been for years (contrasting to last year when it peaked and teetered on the brink of being out of control).

I don’t believe that anyone is 100% happy all of the time. I am lucky as I have never been (prolonged) unhappy. The last few months, though, I have been really happy and relaxed. I feel like I smile all the time whereas, running the business, I was definitely spending too many hours furrowed, worrying and agitated.

I think I have also found the perfect job. It is a remote, casual role where I will be doing some assessments and coaching for Law students. I start training after I get home and I am excited to see what this new chapter brings. I think it will fill my gap of wanting a mental challenge and wanting to contribute/give back. I will also still have plenty of time to do anything I want to do and to continue to travel. 

Plus I am having some success with my writing which fills me with joy. I had the thrill of a piece being published by Mamamia - https://www.mamamia.com.au/what-to-expect-on-a-river-cruise/ I also have some fictional short stories being published later in the year.

Life is good 😊

Last comments for the month…Not all travel is glamorous! I started to feel unwell at Amsterdam airport coming home. By the time I arrived in Melbourne, I knew I had a cold or the dreaded Covid. It was Covid. Andrew caught it a couple of days later but none of the kids did. It made for an enforced stay at home for a few days. The upside was that neither of us were too unwell at all and we unpacked, washed and ironed in record time!

Unconnected to me, my Dad caught Covid and ended up being hospitalised. He is now home and recovering. Both our Mothers have been hospitalised with Covid and now my Dad. This is despite them all having several vaccines and anti-viral medication. Yet Andrew and I were barely affected either time we had it. Covid is still a real threat to the vulnerable.

I am writing this from Sydney airport where we had a flying visit to see “Miss Saigon” at the Opera House (bucket list for us!) and “Elvis – The Revolution” and had lunch in Manly with my sister. Always love trips to Sydney!