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<blockquote data-quote="BillB" data-source="post: 1158275" data-attributes="member: 9985"><p>When we woke up next morning we were still cruising along. We had a leisurely breakfast and passed the time in reading in the lounge and chatting with our fellow passengers. We watched the passing scenery and went up on deck when we passed through a lock,to watch the process. The Danube is a working river and there’s a lot of traffic - barges, river cruise ships and leisure craft. The barges are often towed along four at a time tethered together while others are tethered to each side of the boat that powers the whole kit and caboodle. They can be a fearsome sight when your ship moves into a lock and you look behind to see a collection of boats heading straight for you and they appear to be only slightly narrower than the lock itself, so when they enter the lock they really are only just narrower than the lock, only a foot or two of leeway to each side. It’s boat handling of the highest order.</p><p></p><p>We were due to arrive in Vienna during lunch (which was early at 11.30) and after that we would leave for a city tour. Neither Jackie nor I had ever been to Vienna before so we were looking forward to the visit.</p><p></p><p>Halfway through lunch I noticed that it had started to rain, just gently at first but it grew harder as the meal went on. By the time we were due to join our coaches it had set in to a regular downpour. Jackie and I had brought an umbrella with us, unfortunately just the one. I put on a rainproof jacket and my Tilley hat while Jackie had the umbrella.</p><p></p><p>We were given a useful little gadget which hangs around your neck and into which you plug a pair of earbuds. This allows the tour guide to talk to all of us simultaneously in English. For other languages you simply change the channel, and you don’t get distracted by guides speaking to their tourists in another language.</p><p></p><p>The first part of the afternoon was taken up with a bus ride around the city’s most outstanding buildings, most of which were built during the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian empire. There are so many that are outstanding, even by today’s standards that it’s impossible to decide where to begin. We passed the Prater fairground where Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten had a rendezvous on the big wheel in the film The Third Man. Then in the inner city we passed so many magnificent buildings built in classical style, many of them built by the Hapsburgs, that we felt we needed more time to explore them. Eventually the bus parked and we followed our guide out into the rain and walked through the streets until we reached St Stephen’s Cathedral with its magnificently coloured roof. I always feel that sharing an umbrella serves no purpose whatsoever - both of you get wet, whereas if one of you uses it at least the bearer is dry. Our guide left us to explore the cathedral on our own. She arranged to meet us in an hour and a half’s time outside, and when we emerged Jackie and I wondered how we could fill in the remaining period. By then we were soaked, my hat was saturated and my shoes were squelching so after looking around us we headed for one of those cafes for which Vienna is famous. It was pretty full but we managed to bag one of the few remaining tables and ordered coffees. I was so cold and wet that I threw my diabetic caution out of the window and ordered a slice of hazelnut cake to go with it. So did Jackie. And they were delicious.</p><p></p><p>I had taken my hat off and hung it over the back of the chair, hoping it would drip dry a little, but when it came time to join our guide again it seemed to be as wet as ever and was cold and clammy into the bargain.</p><p></p><p>On the way back to the bus we passed through the Spanish Riding School where we were at least out of the rain for a short while.</p><p></p><p>On our return to the boat Jackie and I returned to our cabin to strip off our sodden clothes and take a shower to warm up, then it was along to the bar for an aperitif before dinner.</p><p></p><p>After dinner we joined a group of our cruising companions for a drink before falling into bed and sleeping soundly as our ship steamed along during the night heading for Esztergom in Hungary.</p><p></p><p>We took a not particularly early breakfast and sat sipping our coffee as the ship docked in Esztergom. Those who had signed up for a tour of this town and Szentendre disembarked for their buses. Once they had left the ship departed for Budapest where we arrived around 11.30.</p><p></p><p>The cruise along the Budapest riverside buildings was amazing as I had never known how beautiful this city is.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="BillB, post: 1158275, member: 9985"] When we woke up next morning we were still cruising along. We had a leisurely breakfast and passed the time in reading in the lounge and chatting with our fellow passengers. We watched the passing scenery and went up on deck when we passed through a lock,to watch the process. The Danube is a working river and there’s a lot of traffic - barges, river cruise ships and leisure craft. The barges are often towed along four at a time tethered together while others are tethered to each side of the boat that powers the whole kit and caboodle. They can be a fearsome sight when your ship moves into a lock and you look behind to see a collection of boats heading straight for you and they appear to be only slightly narrower than the lock itself, so when they enter the lock they really are only just narrower than the lock, only a foot or two of leeway to each side. It’s boat handling of the highest order. We were due to arrive in Vienna during lunch (which was early at 11.30) and after that we would leave for a city tour. Neither Jackie nor I had ever been to Vienna before so we were looking forward to the visit. Halfway through lunch I noticed that it had started to rain, just gently at first but it grew harder as the meal went on. By the time we were due to join our coaches it had set in to a regular downpour. Jackie and I had brought an umbrella with us, unfortunately just the one. I put on a rainproof jacket and my Tilley hat while Jackie had the umbrella. We were given a useful little gadget which hangs around your neck and into which you plug a pair of earbuds. This allows the tour guide to talk to all of us simultaneously in English. For other languages you simply change the channel, and you don’t get distracted by guides speaking to their tourists in another language. The first part of the afternoon was taken up with a bus ride around the city’s most outstanding buildings, most of which were built during the heyday of the Austro-Hungarian empire. There are so many that are outstanding, even by today’s standards that it’s impossible to decide where to begin. We passed the Prater fairground where Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten had a rendezvous on the big wheel in the film The Third Man. Then in the inner city we passed so many magnificent buildings built in classical style, many of them built by the Hapsburgs, that we felt we needed more time to explore them. Eventually the bus parked and we followed our guide out into the rain and walked through the streets until we reached St Stephen’s Cathedral with its magnificently coloured roof. I always feel that sharing an umbrella serves no purpose whatsoever - both of you get wet, whereas if one of you uses it at least the bearer is dry. Our guide left us to explore the cathedral on our own. She arranged to meet us in an hour and a half’s time outside, and when we emerged Jackie and I wondered how we could fill in the remaining period. By then we were soaked, my hat was saturated and my shoes were squelching so after looking around us we headed for one of those cafes for which Vienna is famous. It was pretty full but we managed to bag one of the few remaining tables and ordered coffees. I was so cold and wet that I threw my diabetic caution out of the window and ordered a slice of hazelnut cake to go with it. So did Jackie. And they were delicious. I had taken my hat off and hung it over the back of the chair, hoping it would drip dry a little, but when it came time to join our guide again it seemed to be as wet as ever and was cold and clammy into the bargain. On the way back to the bus we passed through the Spanish Riding School where we were at least out of the rain for a short while. On our return to the boat Jackie and I returned to our cabin to strip off our sodden clothes and take a shower to warm up, then it was along to the bar for an aperitif before dinner. After dinner we joined a group of our cruising companions for a drink before falling into bed and sleeping soundly as our ship steamed along during the night heading for Esztergom in Hungary. We took a not particularly early breakfast and sat sipping our coffee as the ship docked in Esztergom. Those who had signed up for a tour of this town and Szentendre disembarked for their buses. Once they had left the ship departed for Budapest where we arrived around 11.30. The cruise along the Budapest riverside buildings was amazing as I had never known how beautiful this city is. [/QUOTE]
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