Our approach to Cologne, with the famous Cologne Cathedral in the background. This classic gothic cathedral is right next to the Cologne railway station, one of the persistent allied targets for bombing in WW2. Miraculosly, the cathedral received only minor damage during the war.
Us on the ship with the Cologne cathedral in the background.
This is the only "high rise" building allowed in the sight line of the cathedral. It was built to only half height when the UNESCO listing for the cathedral was threatened by the height of the building. The bridge is a railway bridge and is one of the busiest that I have encountered.
The "Rubbish Bag", so called by Cologonians because of the colour of the soft cover, resembling the colour and texture of the local rubbish bags.
That bank building again, from the other side of the bridge. Yep, it's an ovoid shape, not terribly attractive.
A romanesque church not far from the cathedral in Cologne. The four towers around the spire are about the fourth attempt to keep them up there. The first three fell down due to design and engineering problems.
A small public space on the way to the cathedral. It is entirely of stone and appears to get a lot of public use.
The museam of modern art on the way to the cathedral.
The rebuilt Cologne railway station. The roof is almost entirely of glass. It is still one of the busiest railway stations in Europe.
The flying buttresses of the gothic Cologne Cathedral. The classic arches and fine stone ornaments can be seen here. The stone is suffering from the effects of air pollution, mostly from motor vehicles.
This is a view of the cathedral workshop yard. There are 70 people employed here, keeping the cathedral maintained and refurbished.
A view of the square in front of the cathedral.
This is a shot of a mosiac tiled floor, built on this site by a wealthy Roman, in the 4th or 5th century, during the Roman occupation of Europe. It has been used as a dining room for VIPs, the mosiac glassed over. Our PM dined here, as did Bill Clinton.
More Roman ruins that have been excavated in Cologne. The quality of these shots is off because they are taken through a plate glass window and because I don't have flesh camera like Kylie's.
The interior of the Cologne Cathedral, looking up in the main knave, pipe organ on the upper left.
Stained glass windows over the main altar. They were stored during the war and survived intact. Any not removed were blown in by the bombing of the railway station. Again, I apologise for the quality, but my camera is not as good as Kylie's, so is challenged by the lighting conditions.
The sarcophagus said to contain the relics of the Magi, the 3 wise men from the east, who venerated Jesus in his crib in the stable at Bethlehem.
It's hard to get a full frontal shot of the cathedral without a wide angle lens. Kylie probably could with her nice camera.
M and I had the honour to be chosen to attend the Captain's Table on the second night of the cruise. The Captain is seated on my left, the Hotel Manager is Jan (front right) and Doris, the cruise director (left, half hidden). It was a fun time, but we were the butt of many "elitest" comments for a few days - all in jest of course.
A castle on the Rhine River in Germany from the ship.
Castle.
The Rhine - and all of the route of the cruise - is a working commercial waterway. They have some very interesting barges on the rivers and canals.
This building was a tax collection point on the Rhine. If you didn't pay to pass on the river, you could be thrown in the dungeons, which were below the water level. So, pay or drown. Simple, really.
At Rudesheim, we went on a cable car ride to the Niederwald Monument, celebrating the unification of Germany in 1877. These two people are very nice Canadians
A view of Rudesheim from the monument. Very picturesque, don't you think. It would probably be better if I had a wide-angle lens...........................
A view downstream of the Rhine.
Our ship is the one on the outside of the white one at Rudesheim. We had to walk through the other ship to go ashore and come aboard.
The Rhine from the monument. The area is covered with vinyards, with most of the wine being consumed locally.
The Neiderwald Monument celebrating the unification of Germany in 1877.
The harbour, over the vineyards, at Rudesheim.
Nice view.
Another nice view, but it would be much better with a long lens, which I don't have.
This is a shot of the Heidelberg Castle powder magazine after being hit by lightening in the year dot. Blew it to bits, as you can see. Note the thickness of the walls, evident in the standing tower. I bet their ears were ringing after that one!
The castle was detroyed three times and fully rebuilt only once. A damaged section of the walls.
The entrance to the castle, through a classic "Keep".
Some of the ruined battlements and walls.
See, they didn't rebuild it.
Through the keep. Note the spikes of the portcullis in the roof above. If they came down - ouch!
These could give you a headache
Entering the castle courtyard. The well is on the corner on the right, living quaters on the left.
Little fountain in the courtyard.
Very ornate facade of one of the buildings in the castle.
Before they had clocks, they had sundials, like this one. When it's cloudy - or at night - it's timeless (he, he).
A view of the river from the Heidelberg Castle. Note the locks on the right.
This is a view of the very pretty brigge over the river at Heidelberg. It was blown up by the Nazis in WW2, rebuilt and is now being restored.
A view along the wall and battlements of the Heidelberg Castle.
Aeriel view of the city of Heidelberg. The largest income in the economy is the University of Heidelberg, which was established in the 11th century, I think.
New Heidelberg from the castle.
A big oak wine barrel in the cellar of the castle.
A bigger wine barrel in the cellar of the castle. This one holds about 40,000 litres.
The cute bridge.
The locks.
Walking in Heidelberg. Lovely clean town.
A chinese restruant in Heidelberg, an apparent rarity in Germany.
The 'main street' of Heildelberg. Had a beer, bratwurst sausage and chips, but no sauerkraut.
The Nazis blew up the Jewish synagogue in WW2. This is all that is left. This memorial is erected on the site to commemorate the synagogue, which was rebuilt on a different site.
The modern library at Bamberg, wich contrasts with the medieval centre of the town. There is also a large university in Bamberg, which explains the quality of the public facilities.
The 14th century buildings are mostly half timbered like this one. I don't know if this is built this way or rebuilt. The bases of the houses are of stone, brick or concrete or a mixture of all.
Nice main street of Bamberg.
Town Hall (Rathaus) of Bamberg.
Town square of Bamberg.
The church at Bamberg is a classic baroque style church. Very ornate and well preserved.
The light inside the church was challenging my camera - a lot - but this is the best I could do. The altar is made entirely of stone. That's not a cloth draped over it, that's the stone, carved to resemble a cloth covering.
This shot is also marginal, but gives a better view of the altar area and the ornate finishes of this church.
The cupola of the church (note the technical terms being used).
The town square fountain featured Neptune (God of the sea of Greek mythology), but I don't know why he is here, a long way from the sea.
Lots of people in Bamberg.
This is looking downstream from the bridge over the Regnitz River, near it's confluence with the Main River, upon which we are travelling. This area is known as Little Venice (we even saw a Gondola on the river) as the town was the regional centre of the Holy Roman Empire at one time. It was a trading centre and grew rich on the trading and wharehousing which was a benefit of having to unload ships because of the rock barrier (rapids) on the river at this point.
A view of the old port, including two old cranes used for loading/unloading ships/barges in earlier days.
The river really divides this town.
A wall of the Rathaus (Town Hall).
Another view of the Rathaus.
The river flows very swiftly through the town - and it's summer here. Note the freeboard to the lower windows.
You could get a horse and carriage ride through the town. We were going in the opposite direction.
More river.
Little Venice.
More of the horses.
This statue of the “Good Queen” of the area is in the middle of the bridge.
This pattern on the building reminds me of the “Willow Pattern” on english china.
Yep, water.
A street view in Bamberg. Kylie doesn't like these shots - apparently - so I will have to increase them in the pictures, just to annoy her (he, he).
Typical 17th century houses.
Another streetscape. I just love them!
Everywhere (and I mean everywhere) you go in Germany, there are beergardens, just like this one.
The cathedral on top of the hill at Bamberg. They don't like tour groups on a Saturday or Sunday, so we didn't visit.
The front of the cathedral and the Bishop's residence.
Part of the Bishops residence, now a library and archive.
Ditto
Cathedral. We coined a phrase during the trip - ABC - which stands for “Another Bloody Church or Cathedral or Castle”. I will simply say ABC when appropriate.
The reason for this shot is to note the changing styles as you progress up the steeple. Notice that the lower windows are round-topped, Romanesque style, while the upper windows are pointed arch Gothic style arches. This happened quite a lot in the 14th to 17th century as different styles were being developed and used by church designers and builders, most of whom came from Italy.
The ex Bishops residence, with the entrance to the rose garden in the centre.
Inside the courtyard of the residence, enroute o the rose garden.
At last! The rose garden.
The other side of the rose garden.
Simple fountain in the rose garden.
View over the town from the rose garden.
The Abbey from the rose garden.
Another view of the Abbey.
From the rose garden.
This is the courtyard of the palace. The rooms are in use, so we couldn't tour but it's just ABC. I thought that the flower boxes are nice.
Entry to the innards of the palace/castle.
Another view of the courtyard.
A view down into the town from outside the courtyard, past the cathedral.
Coming back into town from the hill. The archway ahead is a bridge over the river and under the Rathaus.
Ditto.
The Rathaus splits the river.
This is a big flow through the town.
M was impressed!
Another tributary. Kinda junky and unkempt, at contrast with the rest of the town.
The poles hanging down from cables under the bridge on the right are depth markers. No heights marked, however.
I don't do German, but this must be the Loyal Order of the Buffloes or something.
A close-up of one of the old cranes at the old wharf in the old town.
I don't know if you can make it out, but this wall bulges outwards - considerably. It's hard to get the angle and the light right without a flash camera.....................
Now, I know what this is. It's a bike. Well, it's a trike really. Lots of these in Holland. Mums put kids, kids junk, groceries, whatever in the front bit and stay fit cycling everywhere, while Dad probably drives the car.
You could put a lot of stuff in here. Oliver would fit nicely - with his stuff - and no need for a car seat, just a cushion and Kylie's leg power!
This is the business end of the trike. Notice that it has gears in the hub to make Mum's work easier.
I thought that this building was cute.
This building caught my eye with its strange roof shape. It would be difficult to tarp (oops).
Other side.
Town square of Miltenberg.
Another Rathaus! (Town Hall) doesn't mean that it's where the rats live, but...............................................
The Franciscan church in Miltenberg. No Franciscans here, but church is now part-time.
Street scene.
Main street of Miltenberg. Nice quiet town - until we showed up.
Now, you may wonder why I took a shot of an empty shop. Well, an empty shop is a rarity in these small tourist villages, the symbol on the peak of the gable tells us that it was originally a house built by a baker (see the symbol? No, not a spectacle maker, that's a symbol for a pretzel - they are big here) he was a Catholic (see the statues) and it a timbered house of the 14th century, later converted to half-timbered by building a base of stonework. Don't you feel better now?
I thought that this palce was nice. If you don't like it - tough - it's my photo.
Noice flowers!
We were wearing our raincoats on this day.
Looking towards the old inn.
This used to be the well for the village. Very unsanitory and yuk, but they used it back before water was sanitised.
Flags on the Rathaus. Can you pick what they are?
A fully timbered house in the old style, probably from the 14th century.
ABC on the hill above the village. It's in ruins, so we didn't go up.
Fountain in the village.
Steps up to the castle ruins. See why we didn't go up?
Just me taking pictures of interesting buildings, walls and streetscapes. Some people think that I should stop - I won't.
Again.
This is a lovely village, but relies heavily on tourism for its existence.
This inn dates back to the 11th or 12th century (I think). The double doors at the front used to where they stabled the horses, so that their body heat would rise in the inn and heat the upper floors - true! Never mind what it smelt like, think of the heat.
This tower is all that remains of the old fortifications of the town.
Church from village square.
Fountain in square.
Wertheim is also a lovely place.
The glass blowers place is on the right and his second shop. where we sent e-mails from, is further up on the right. This is a very lovely little town.
This is the assembly hall at Nuremburg. I must admit to some negative feelings about our visit to this city, renowned for the trials held after WW2. It was also Hitler's stronghold, the site of many of his stirring speeches in front of the Nazi faithful. I was not perpared for the size of the facilities that he built here. This hall was built to hold 55,000 people - in 1940! It is styled on the Colesium in Rome (Hitler liked theatrics, remember) with a solid roof with an enormous skylight that was designed to bathe Hitler in sunlight as he addressed the faithful. It's huge - and almost destroyed. There was another level above what is visible, but they removed it because it became unstable.
A closer shot of the walls of the hall.
The assembly viewed across the mirror lake which was designed to make it appear twice its already impressive size. See the resemblence to the Coliseum?
Me and John Armstrong (another Brisbanite, retired from Brisbane Transport) holding a BW picture of a massed gathering at Nuremburg of the Nazis with Hitler holding centre stage. He held gatherings of over 100,000 people here, they came from all over Germany. That's our guide on the right.
A closer shot of the photo (M is driving the camera - good shot, don't you think?) showing the massed audience.
This is where the outdoor gathering in the picture was held. They removed the large eagles, swastikas and higher walls after the war to reduce the impact of the place. It is still awe inspiring. It's a park now, and a race track for cars.
Nuremburg was flattened during the war, so most of the houses and other buildings are post WW2 or restored, mostly built new.
Post WW2 apartments.
This is the railway station.
ABC
Interesting houses.
This one is restored.
The castle at Nuremburg. The roof with the windows is a youth hostel now, but in the 12th century was the granary for the castle. The windows were vents to keep the grain from exploding from the dust and heat build-up.
We reckon the witch is trying to fly backwards. It's a pub and beer garden just outside the castle walls. It dates to about the 11th century.
A door, one of many, that invaders had to get through to storm the castle. None ever did until the americans towards the end of WW2. The Nazis surrended the castle as the last place in town to be liberated about 2 weeks prior to the end of the war in Europe.
A view inside the battlements of the castle.
This section of the castle was damaged during the war. The wall at the end was rebuilt. Otherwise the castle survived pretty well.
A view of Nuremburg from the top of the castle walls.
A wall which is part of the original (10-11th century) fortifications.
Another view of Nuremburg rooftops.
This is not a lighthouse, but for Deb, it's the best I can do this far from the sea. Enjoy, Deb, but its an observation tower in the Nuremburg castle.
Some buildings inside the inner walls. The ones on the left are public loos.
From the walls, looking at one end of the castle complex - and AB tower.
Notice how the bedrock forms part of the castle structure?
Walking down from the castle towards the town centre, Rathaus on the left with the minarets.
John Armstrong striding it out!
The postie was here........................................
AB palace. This is a beautiful marble staircase and roccoco ornamentation.
Passau is on the Main (say mine) River. This is an impressive baroque (I think) building of Catholic persuasion (see the statue above the door).
The locals call him the “rain tester” because he is holding out his hand, palm down, as if testing if it is raining. He was the insane first Bishop/king (Duke) of this area and not much liked, or so we are told.
One of the towers of the church.
This is not ABC!! This is one of the most spectacular churches that we saw. The organ is in the Guinness Book - largest organ (number of pipes) in a cathedral. I think that it has 77,000 pipes. We attended an organ recital in the church in the arvo. I didn't hink that piped organs could be so loud!
The church is decorated in Roccoco style, very ornate, but beautiful. All of this work was done in-situ.
The roof. Italian artists.
Again
The altar of the church. All the coloured columns were fake marble, done by those Italians.
Fabulous work and ornamentation.
Ceiling, sorry about the quality. Kylie's camera would do a better job, though.
Imagine making all of this artwork in situ.
Better shot of the ceiling.
The pulpit.
A small part of the organ pipes.
Notice part of the organ pipes on the left.
Those Italians! Notice that the laughing cherub on the right is pointing to the one on the left who is crying because his leg has fallen off?
The church is being restored - arn't they all?
This is a limestone, rather than sandstone, church and they are continually replacing the limestone with new bits because of pollution, which just eats limestone.
Fountain in the village square. They still have water for these things. They are not afraid of droughts caused by global warming, there's just plenty of water.
This is the Council Chamber in the Rathaus - in other words, it's where the rats sit (I shouldn't have said that).
ABC over the river from the town. The river, and our ship, is just beyond those flags and to the right.
Narrow, cobblestoned streets are the norm.
Told you I was taking doors instead of walls.
A new bridge on old foundations.
Me, preparing the deadly treadly for a ride. A bunch of us went for a 16 Km ride in the countryside - just for fun. It was good to get off the ship, out of town and breathe some fresh air. The bloke in black is the owner of the bikes and is probably wondering if he will get it back in one peice!
The confluence of the Danube, Inn and Ilz Rivers. The Inn River is coming in from the right. Notice the different colour, due to the river being fed from the Alps (they are always light green in colour).
Our first stop on th bikeride. The bloke in the centre in grey is a retired truckie from California.
The little town near our first stop.
A Crusifix shrine near the river at our first stop.
Town upriver that we pass through.
ABC on the way.
The large tent was blocking the road. They were loading kegs in for a festival. Boy, we sure had thirst at this stage.
Second stop.
Crossing the Inn River to make our way back
Me, on the bridge with ABC in the background.
The rest of the crew on the bridge.
This was the lunch stop. No beer, just a shandy!!!
Third stop on the way back, now. Due to traffic and other holdups, I managed to be the first one back to the ship. It wasn't a race - much.
The River Princess berthed at a pontoon in the Main River. Note the 'Captains speedboat' at the bow. The crew were preparing to continue to wash down the hull.
After cruising on the ship for over a week, I thought that it is time I shared some views of our temporary home with you. The ship is in great shape, but is going in for a complete refit at the end of this season. Everything comes out and everything in is new. This is the “Sun Lounge” on the River Princess. It is at the 'pointy end, underneath the “Sun Deck”, which is open to the weather.
Still in the lounge, we can see the table and the end of the bar, looking to the starboard (right) side of the ship.
Still in the lounge, the bar is on the left, with more tables and chairs and lounges. M is in the doorway, left of centre.
This is a small, quiet lounge behind the bar. This is where the 'extended breakfast' for late risers is served, but at other times it is a quiet corner to read or relax.
This is the reception area, viewed from the lounge entry. The reception desk is in the centre - with the Captain leaning on it - with the gift shop on the left. The stairs in the centre of the shot lead to the dining room, which was shut, and to our stateroom, which is literally, right next to the dining room.
Another view of the reception area, showing the entry doors. There are a set of doors on each side, as the ship berths on either side, especially if the port is busy.
This side is wet. The other side is usually fitted with a gangplank which fits into the fittings in the deck.
The 'sharp end' of the ship. The steel mooring cables remove paint when they are passed around the bollards. Every day, the bollards are repainted back to pristine again. This is a very, very well maintained ship.
This is the front 'Sun Deck' on the ship. It was not too sunny on this day, as you can see. This was taken on the Main (say mine) River in Germany. There is not a lot of room to pass in spots.
This is the 'Captains speedboat' on the foredeck. They use the boat for maintenance on the ship while in port.
Another foredeck shot.
The wheelhouse retracts into the deck to pass under low bridges. You can see the well that it retracts into. The Captain or coxswain has a hatch to allow standing until under the bridge. It's an ingenious system.
This is the area behind the wheelhouse. It is lower than the rest of the deck, so it can remain in place for low bridges. Don't stand up though, or the headache will be huge. The metal frames behind the tables are erected on the deck to the rear of this area to provide shelter from the elements when the weather is not so good.
On this deck, the hand rails and shelters, sun umbrellas and deck chairs are erected when the low bridges are no longer a problem for the ship.
This is a spare set of props for one propulsion unit on the ship. The ship uses two units, which can rotate through 360 degrees, powered by 1,000 HP diesels. The props are for one side only so the props are contra-rotating, like the props on a Griffon powered Spitfire or Shackelton. Otherwise, this is a table on the deck.
The radar antennas fold flat with hydraulics to allow low bridge clearance. Note that there are two radar antennas, one low and one high.
Entering a lock on the Main River.
It looks like it won't fit, but it does - just.
Yep, w'ere in.
The Second Captain is steering today, from one of two side bridges. Control is made much easier with the swivelling main power units and a very large bow thruster, all controlled by the fingertips.
This area of the ship is downstairs from the lounge and is known as 'The Terrace'. This is where you get 24x7 tea, coffee, fruit etc. It is next to the gym and a larger gift shop.
This is the gym. Of course, I sweated here every day - not.
A cosy corner of the terrace.
M contemplating going to the gym - not.
The crew took every opportunity to maintain the ship in port. Here, they are washing the windows of our stateroom. M looked out and spotted the Captain wielding a washing broom with the rest of the crew. He didn't have to, he just does.
Washing, washing.
The River Princes berthed at the wharf at Regensburg. Regensburg is a very old city, established in the 10th century before the Romans came in the 12th century. It was once the capital of Bavaria and Germany's parliament sat here from 1663 to 1806 in the Town Hall. The church of St Peter is built on old Roman camp ruins. The stone bridge was one of the few access points over the Main River, and so became quite wealthy from charging tolls for people wanting to use the bridge. The bridge payed for itself in only a few years.
This is our Captain, Anton, looking much less formal than usual, going for a walk in town.
This old steamer paddle wheeler was moored next to our ship. It is now a museam, but was a very powerful tug in its day. Note the permanent mooring points from the bank to the ship at the stern and bow. The boilers are massive.
Big paddle wheels too.
Massive boilers.
The stone bridge that crosses the river and gave Regensburg it's wealth for many years.
St Peters is being restored (arn't they all? I don't think we saw a church without scaffolding on it in the two weeks we were travelling). It is a beautiful sandstone church in French gothic style.
The black bits on the bottom give you some idea of what the sandstone looks like before it is cleaned. Yuk!
More scaffolding. I wouldn't mind the scaffoldng contract on some of these places. I could retire. Hang on............................that's right, I have!
A wall fresco depicting David and Goliath in the middle of town.
This arch and tower were part of the fortifications of the town. This was on the Regensburg side, to keep the rabble from the other side out and defend the bridge against all comers. It did.
On the bridge. The bloke on the right is Greg, a vet from WA and his wife Vicki.
The view downstream from the bridge.
On the upstream side, this was a photo op of flower boxes and benches by the river bank.
This is a statue of the builder of the bridge. He is said to have made a wager with the builder of the cathedral that he would finish before the church bloke. He is depicted looking towards the cathedral. Never mind that the two constructions were nearly two centuries apart! It's called legend. You can call it what you like, because Aussie vernacular is much more colourful and descriptive.
Another view of the river, back towards town. Our ship is in the Main-Danube Canal, a few hundred metres from here.
Riverscape. It beats walls and doors.
In the town square. That's Greg and Vicki again and M on the right.
Little cobblestoned street in town.
More streetscape. I liked the window boxes and ornate doorway. The yellow building is the tourist info centre.
I told you I liked them.
The little balcony on the tourist information centre is nice, as are the flower boxes. Well, I think so, even if others don't.
Another town square.
I'd have trouble getting my Landcruiser and caravan down this street!
Town square the other way.
Squeeeeze!
This was the place where we had a beer and some bratwurst snags with saurkraut. Very nice.
This is the magnificent Wurzburg Palace. It was once the home of the so-called King/Bishop of Bavaria. They got the flick in 1918, so now it belongs to the State. There is no scaffolding on this building, but they are ripping up the forecourt cobblestones to repair the fountain.
Left side front.
Statue in the fountain in the forecourt.
Entrance to the Palace. It was designed to take a carriage and six horses - and to allow them to turn around inside the palace in the entry.
This is the chapel of the palace. The King was also the Bishop, so the chapel was important.
Sorry about the quality, but MY camera is not really flash, like some.
The detail is fabulous. The woman in pink is Elaine, a good mate of M's on the trip.
The ceiling.
There's a garden, and a fountain.
And trees.
A view of the palace from the garden.
We went down into the cellars for a tasting of the local wines, whites, which were very nice.
Wine barrels in the cellar.
JB aking if they could ship this to Oz for a few Euros.
Another couple that we spent a lot of time with is Reg and Lynn from Geelong. Nice couple, pity about the footy team (he, he).
A view of the church at Rothenburg
Nice detail of the church in baroque style.
More details.
Downtown.
Outside ABC
Approaching Budapest on the River Princess, The communist era public housing is evident. It does not look very flash, but it beats living on the street, I suppose.
A mix of old and new with huge communications towers on the hills in the background.
There's that Parliament again. It is one of the architectural features of Budapest. It actually sits in Pest (the flat part of Budapest). The hilly bit on the other side of the river is Buda.
Full frontal.
Lots of minarets in this part of the world.
Churches, churches, and more churches - and scaffolding.
The colourful tiled roofs on some of the churches are magnificent, very different from the slate and stone roofs of medieval Germany and France.
Pallace of pre communist times is now a museum.
Chain Bridge is a major bridge in Budapest. Steel spans with stone supports.
The newer Elizabeth Bridge is much newer than any other bridge in Budapest and carries a lot of traffic.
This monument was erected to celebrate the arrival of the Hungarians from northern europe in this area.
This monument celebrates the liberation of Hungary from the Nazis at the end of WW2 by the Russians. Liberation was short-lived?
This church is built on the surface and goes into the cliffs for some distance, so yoy only see a small part of the church on the outside.
Bridge over the Danube.
The boat with the word “Club” on it was our free shuttle to the city on this side. The River Princess can bee seen on the other side (the blue ship) berthed under the museum.
Pest has a lovely pedestrian street which leads down to the indoor markets.
This is the indoor markets, just as you step into the main part. It's busy, but the prices on the pedestrian way down here are better.
The front of the market.
This massive monument was erected to celebrate the original Kings of Hungary.
Ditto. Statuary is great, with a nice green patina.
Uh huh!
The stone building in this picture was four storeys high before WW2. The remaining facade is severely pock marked with bullet and shrapnel holes, as the last battles for Budapest between the Nazis and the Russians involved heavy street fighting, mortars, shelling and machine-gunning battles. Budapest was also bombed during the war. This battle-scarred building will be rebuilt in due course.
One of the cruise patrons wanted to get his photo taken with the young wine lady. He was born in Hungary, but has not been back in more than 50 years. He started to get 'flashes' of the Hungarian language as he walked around Budapest, he thought that he had lost it forever.
ABC with scaffolding.
There's that raven. It was supposed to bring good luck to the congregation.
And again. I tried to fin some blue, but had to give up.
Yep, it's Pest.
This is the back of the church with the scaffolding. I took this to show the new ceramic tiled roof. They removed the old tiles and stored them to save them for reinstallation, but decided to make new ones instead. The original tiles are being sold to pay for the new ones. Good idea.
Or two.................................................
or three.........................................
or four.................................................
or five.......................................................
or six, with M having a decco..................................................
Margaret Island in the Danube.
This is the day we had to disembark the ship. Lunch was provided. Moi is reading on the left. I think I'm reading, I could be having a snooze..................................
When we got to our hotel, the jetty looks terrific, except that the ferry does not run at this end of the season, so no boats call here. Catcha bus if you want to go into town.
View downstream, towards Budapest.
Our hotel from the entry gate on the street. It is built to resemble the shape of a ship.
See, it does look like a ship! Just squint a little and imagine the tennis courts gone, it could be................................................
Lighthouses were few and far between and Deb needs her lighthouse fix every now and then, so here's one for Deb.
And another for Deb. They were sitting in the window at reception so.............................................................
M contemplating some shopping in Viennas shopping district.
Beautiful streets and buildings
Now, which end does the horse hook up to??
On a carriage ride....... through Viena!
Markets in town.
The Vienna Riding School.
The facade of the Schonnbronne (?) Palace
Again. You enter here to go to the Vienna Riding School.
The courtyard of the Palace.
The facade again.
This is a fantastic archway over the main drag - from the carriage.
The parliament.
I think this is the local government centre.
The carriages can travel in the malls!! Watch your step, they wear “horse nappies”.
Relaxing after a tiring drive.
Our driver and her horses.
A model of the rebuilding of the cathedral after it burnt down, at the entrance to the ferris wheel.
Another model at the ferris wheel, this depicting an invasion of early Vienna (the walled town to the right of the picture).
Another model of early Vienna.
On the ferris wheel, a view of the roller coaster.
Going up! (on the ferris wheel).
And up...........
More roller coaster.
The wheel.
Higher.......
They are very large chimneys. Power station?
Now that's better than a power station, but you would need a few more ..............................................
Rooftops of Vienna.
A view of the fairgrounds that the ferris wheel is part of.
This is coming down.
And down.
The central square (or circle) on the way down.
Lower...............................
Back at base. M is smiling and that's the backs of some visiting firies from Germany going out the door.
This is a view of the ferris wheel. The gondolas are very old London Underground carriages - from the steam era!
Big wheel keeps on turning.........................................
You have to visit Vienna a least once in your life. It's a beautiful city. And, when you do visit, you have to hear the great composers music played live as it was meant to be, by a chamber orchestra in a chamber specifically designed for the musical performance. One like this.
Light's a bit rough, but here's M, all gussied up, waiting for the music to commence.
The orchestra finally got here. The First Violin, standing at left of stage, bore an uncanny resemblence to Steve Hallam od DES in Qld. Dab hand at the violin as well.
Half time and the statues watch you have a drink.
The crowd is oblivious to the statue's stare.
The cathedral is a restoration in progress. Lovely Gothic church.
The “faded” part is actually a printed version of the church underneath the scaffolding.
Inside the cathedral. Camera is light challenged.
The ornate pulpit.
Cathedral interior.
Organ pipes.
Vehicle exhausts play havoc with sandstone. The white portion has been cleaned, the black stuff is exhaust effects.
Beautiful work.
and more
In the middle of the mall.........................................
A horse in the Vienna Riding School. Its a lousy photo, but the others were worse.
