We (Nana and Papa) did
Viking's Grand European Tour for our 50th Anniversary. It was fabulous, of course, and below is something of a summary to go with the photos (all of which start
here).
We stayed at the Denver Airport's Westin Hotel the night before the flight out (which was kinda early). We flew to Amsterdam, Netherlands where we had a weekend stay at the
Pulitzer Hotel (very nice!) We mostly strolled around in the vicinity of the hotel in the canal district and took a canal ride one evening. The Anne Frank Museum was a highlight (photos not allowed). The ostrich beer was quite good. Our first excursion from the boat was to visit some windmills and a Dutch Cheese making farm.
Then Cologne, Germany. Here we did a walking tour of Cologne and a side excursion to Bruhl (a UNESCO site). The photos for this segment start
here.
Next stop, Koblenz, Germany. Here we toured the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. Photos start
here.
Then Freudenburg, Germany where we did a Miltenburg walking tour. Photos start
here.
Then Karlstadt and Wurzburg, Germany where we toured the Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Photos start
here.
Then Bamberg, Germany where we did a walking tour around the city that began in 902. Photos start
here.
Then Nuremburg, Germany where we did a fascinating tour of the underground tunnels that saved important pieces of artwork during World War 2. Photos start
here.
Then Regensburg, Austria where we toured the Jewish district and later visited a hops farm outside of town. Photos start
here.
Then Passau, Austria where we took an all-day trip out to visit Salzburg highlights, many of which included filming locations for The Sound of Music movie. Photos start
here.
Then Melk, Austria with a trip to explore the Melk Abby including some cruising along the river with castles on various hillsides. Photos start
here.
The final Austrian stop was Vienna where we did a walking tour. Photos start
here.
The next day we took a bus from Vienna to explore Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia followed by some more scenic cruising. Photos start
here.
More scenic sailing took us to Budapest, Hungary where we did a walking tour in the morning and made a trip out into the countryside to see a Hungarian Horses facility and show. We did a little more exploring in Budapest. Photos start here.
Then off to Prague in the Czeck Republic for our final few days staying at the
Augistine Marriot in the old town where more castles, palaces, and churches provided plenty of oohs and aahs just like the previous parts of the trip provided. Photos start here.
