Day 19: Notes

Here are some general notes from our trip

1. We would definitely tour with Uniworld again. They are the sister company of Insight and we have been very happy with their tour offerings and the care they give.    They take care of details and we have a great time.
(to see a video of our crew - go to youtube, river empress, happy)

2. When ever possible, fly direct home!  Whenever possible, do not fly home at all. Flying here and abroad has become a miserable experience. The carriers do not care, and many of their employees reflect that. There are exceptions, and you truly value those occasions.

4. Walk a lot. We ate and drank like royalty and did not gain any weight. We walked an average of over 10,000 steps a day.   (even if you don't walk on your tours, find ways to get those steps in!)

5. Eat and Drink like the locals. 

6. Pack meds you don't take every day. (ie, Tylenol, dayquil)  Lots of people got a nasty cough on the ship, we were prepared and were able to help others out.  It is easier if you don't have to find an apothecary!  I even had a Z-Pak with me, and was able to start it right away when I got a sinus infection on day 5.

5. Make friends! We try to make a point of sitting with at least one new couple per day. We have made friends from all over the world that we are still communicating with years later.

Day 18: Travel Home

We got up at 0530 in Budapest to leave for the airport at 0700 for a 0930 fight.  We were flying to Frankfurt, then to San Francisco, then to San Diego.  Our first flight was on Lufthansa, and even though they had been on strike, our flight had not been cancelled. 

Landed in Frankfurt and found our United flight to SF had been cancelled, so we stood at the Lufthansa counter along with about 100 other people for about an hour getting a new flight.

Luckily we got a flight to Chicago, and were booked onto San Diego.  Both flights were pretty uneventful, and our scheduled arrival was only an hour later than we would have.

We arrived home at 9:30pm after being awake for 24 hours  (only a couple of very short catnaps in the plane)

No pictures to post today!

Day 17: Budapest

Today we opted to take the "Do as the locals do" tour.

We walked to the subway and transferred once to get to a local market. They have a really good subway system. Their markets are in big buildings with different stalls for vendors. Bread, meat, vegetables, chocolate. Etc. and multiples stalls of each!  We tasted sausage and pickles and we bought paprika.  The locals would come up  to our tour leader to get samples too!

We had a cappuccino and cake at a nice shop then took the tram back closer to the ship. 

In the afternoon we visited the Lazar Lippizaner ranch. They are champions for 16 years. We took a carriage ride then watched a show.  

Tonight our captain is going to cruise around the harbor so we can see all the buildings with lights on. 

We hope to get the pictures on the blog tonight, but if we don't, check back. 

Tomorrow we fly home!

 Standing on part of the original city walls

 Indoor market

Day 16: Vienna

Vienna Started for us last night.  We were bussed to a concert, while our ship was coming down the Danube (it is faster to drive than cruise)

The concert was really great.  A tribute to music from Vienna.  Composers like Johann Strauss, both Dad and Son, were featured along with some Operettas composed in Vienna.  

The orchestra, the three soloists and the dancers were spectacular.  

And Yes, they did the Blue Danube!

The crew is having a little fun with us!  we mentioned that since all the tour guides talk about gingerbread, we were wondering why they didn't serve it at dinner.  so a few days ago this dish of chocolate covered gingerbread appeared in our room.  (remember, they feed us all the time, you don't really need or want a snack at night!)  Anyway,  I ate one and threw a couple to the ducks and that night they were replaced.  The dish started with 4 of them, now we have 6. they keep adding every day!  I didn't eat any today!  We will see what happens tonight. 

This is the view out our door!

Today we had a walking tour on Vienna,  to see the highlights in the old town and to tour the house that Mozart lived in.  Then we had some free time, so we took a carriage ride.

Roman ruins found when they were starting to build a new structure in the old city

We thought this was funny!  Claire's next to a rolex shop!  

In the afternoon, while I was packing,  Doug walked over to the ferris wheel.  

It was built after the one in Chicago in 1895ish

Day 15: Weissenkirchen

We had such a fun day in Weissenkirchen.  (my favorite town so far)  We started with a short tour around the town.  This town is known for wine and Marille (Apricots).  Then we had an Apricot tasting.  Apricot Schnapps, Apricot Brandy, Apricot Jam, Apricot BBQ Sauce and Apricot Chocolates.  So good.  We rarely have apricots that are that tasty in SD.

The steps up to the church

This is a school that opened in 1385.  Still being used today as a school house

We took a walk up into the vineyard for a wine tasting.  The great view was a bonus

That is our ship by the bend

After all that wine and apricots, I decided to get some steps in walking around the ship.