Saturday April 13

The highlight of our visit in turkey was a visit in the home of our guide and meeting his family (mother, wife and son) and enjoying refreshments with them.

After Turkey, Cyprus was a bit of a let down with a tour of the highlights of Limassol which included a visit to Kourion and the ruins of an ancient kingdom destroyed by a 4th century (AD) earthquake. Our tour concluded with a drive through the city and a walk through the city center for the proverbial shopping opportunities of all guided tours.

On Thursday, we arrived in Haifa, Israel where we boarded our buses for one of the many all day tours available. Our tour included Nazareth, Cana, Mt of the Beautides, the sea of Galilee, St Peter's village and a stop at the River Jordan. A long and tiring day.

Friday, we did a 10 hour leisurely trip to Jerusalem passing through Tel Aviv and by the Israeli Knesset, the Shrine of the Book and the Supreme Court. The views were incredible as we made our way up to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. Our last stop of the day was at the Western (wailing) wall before the long trip back to our ship. We viewed Bethlehem in the distance but we did not get to visit. One needs at least two weeks to do Israel justice but alas, two days was a start.

Saturday is a sea day and Sunday, we visit Greece.

Saturday April 13

The highlight of our visit in turkey was a visit in the home of our guide and meeting his family (mother, wife and son) and enjoying refreshments with them.

After Turkey, Cyprus was a bit of a let down with a tour of the highlights of Limassol which included a visit to Kourion and the ruins of an ancient kingdom destroyed by a 4th century (AD) earthquake. Our tour concluded with a drive through the city and a walk through the city center for the proverbial shopping opportunities of all guided tours.

On Thursday, we arrived in Haifa, Israel where we boarded our buses for one of the many all day tours available. Our tour included Nazareth, Cana, Mt of the Beautides, the sea of Galilee, St Peter's village and a stop at the River Jordan. A long and tiring day.

Friday, we did a 10 hour leisurely trip to Jerusalem passing through Tel Aviv and by the Israeli Knesset, the Shrine of the Book and the Supreme Court. The views were incredible as we made our way up to the Mount of Olives and the Garden of Gethsemane. Our last stop of the day was at the Western (wailing) wall before the long trip back to our ship. We viewed Bethlehem in the distance but we did not get to visit. One needs at least two weeks to do Israel justice but alas, two days was a start.

Saturday is a sea day and Sunday, we visit Greece.

Alanyna Turkey Wednesday Q

Highlight of our stop was a visit to this Turkish family home where we were treated to refreshments and a peek into their lifestyle. Very special.

Alayna Turkey

Arrived at 8 Am. Ashore and private tour of the city and local interest points. Our driver spoke very little English but was very warm and outgoing. Took us to his home where we met his wife, mother and son an served refreshments of orange juice and cookies made by his mother. Awesome experience. We feel as though we received a real taste of Turkey. Awesome!

Monday on the Mediterain

We are missing our friends and comrades from the Aegir. We enjoyed meeting so many nice people, sharing their experiences and enjoyed their company.
We loved Budapest but my summary will have to wit until we get home. However, our Viking tour was wonderful, the food great and the service outstanding. We have enjoyed the scenic beauty of the old world. The old world with its charm and awesome splendor from another era captured our hearts and though it is not home, it is a nice place to visit.
My posts will be short and without pictures during this phase of our travel but I will post updates as I can.

SPRINGTIME IN VIENNA???

VIENNA and BRATISLAVA

Wednesday, April 3 we arose to a snow covered landscape that exceeded all of our prior views of dusted landscapes and fleeting snow flurries. A quick look outside suggested that we might have entered an ice age. Nevertheless, brave hearted passengers treked out to the nearby waiting buses for a bus tour of the city around Vienna's Ringstrasse, which replaced the city walls in the mid-19th century. The tour included a busman's view of Vienna's world-famous Opera House, St. Stephan's Cathedral and Hofburg Palace. Some of our brave souls braved the elements and did the usual walking tour accompanied by our esteemed program director and Concierge who have worked tirelessly to assure our enjoyment of our Aegir experience

After lunch, there was an optional tour of Schonbrunn Palace and those who did not "opt" for the tour to the Palace were free to enjoy the time on shore exploring museums, Vienna's cafes and shopping. After dinner, Ken and I joined many of our shipmates for the optional classical concert and enjoyed an evening of outstanding performances by that group of extraordinary professionals. And that was Vienna, a beautiful city that needs at least a week to fully appreciate its beauty, culture and history. Alas, life is too short!

Thursday, April 4 Bratislava. After our early morning arrival and breakfast aboard, combination bus and walking tours were offered for a scenic view of this capital of Slovakia. A warmer day was promised and indeed, the sun shined bright and the snow had all but disappeared at the port. However, as we climbed into a higher elevation for a view of the city, snow clung to the trees and surrounding grounds as a reminder that spring has not yet sprung in this area. Formerly part of Czechoslovakia and under communist rule, Slovakia became an independent state in 1993. Our tour took us by the parliament buildings, medieval castle and St. Michael's Cathedral and through the old city. As we enjoyed our luncheon aboard ship, the crew cast off from the dock and, we are en route to Budapest, our last port of call for this tour aboard the Viking Aegir.

Tuesday on the Danube

Tuesday, April 2, we arrived in Melk and enjoyed a visit to Melk Abbey in spite of the low temperatures and the accompanying wind chill factor. Melk has been an important spiritual and cultural center in Austria for over 1,ooo years. Once the residence of the Babenberg family, the Abbey became a Benedictine monastery in 1089 founded by. Leopold II. For more than 900 years monks have lived and worked in Stift Melk, following the rules laid down by St. Benedict. The abbey is still alive and well as a working monastery as well as impressive in its Baroche architecture. Melk Abbey is claimed as one of Europe's great cultural heritages sites and it's library contains many volumes of priceless books from the ages. The church at the monastery was one of the most beautiful that we have seen, and we have seen a LOT.

After lunch, our ship continued its passage down the Danube through the Wachau Valley dotted with ruined castles and medieval towns lined with vineyards. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, the Wachau is described as an "outstanding example of a riverine landscape". Our weather did not allow us a proper portrayal of what, on a clear day, must be a beautiful scenic sail.

Mid-afternoon, We arrived in Krems, another Unesco World Heritage Site , surrounded by terraced vineyards. The "art mile of Krems" extends from the historic town center to the medieval village center of Stein, highlighting museum, concert venues and restaurants along the way.

The weather has not improved as the day passed and thus, we have skipped the personal view. Nevertheless, as we look upon the beautiful town and hear the comments of those who braved the elements, we are impressed.

REGENSBURG and PASSAU

March 31 Regensburg. We arrived to falling snow, white dusted tree tops and beautiful landscaped hills covered of snow. And so our Easter Day began. After breakfast, anti egg hunt (old folks searching for hidden Easter eggs is not a pretty sight) and a ships quiz, parkas were in order for our tour of the city.

The ship offers guided walking tours, regular and leisurely, as well as private tours arranged for those who are not up to the exercise of distance walking In view of my chronic knee discomfort I have elected to do the private tours. My knee responds somewhat to pain killers but it isn't up to extended walking and the stairs aboard ship have not been to its liking. However, I am managing to see the sights, enjoy the company of many similarly afflicted comrades and I remain inspired by the awesome architecture and history of this most enjoyable excursion on the riv
After a scenic drive through the city which was in holiday mode, we stopped for a close up view of beautiful St Peter's cathedral where an afternoon service was just beginning. We were permitted a look see at the inside of the church and observed the opening ceremony's and listened to the beautiful choir sing the joyous songs of Easter although it was not in a language that I understood but I could identify the beauty of the sound.

Each city that we have visited has had it's own charm and identity conveyed through its architecture and in the ever present cobblestone streets. The 12th century stone bridge is one of the oldest of its kind.

Monday, April 1. Passau. We arrived at this beautiful city on the Danube mid-morning and had a brief tour of the city through narrow alley ways posing as by ways. We received a quick view of the acclaimed Cathedral of St Stephen and we were sorry to miss what is deemed to be an outstanding organ recital helped daily from May to November. We would cheerfully have exchanged yesterday's snow for a recital but the alternative was not offered. We passed by the stores and business' that remained open on this holiday for much of Germany. Our tour included a climb to the top of the hill for a close up view of the impressive medieval Veste Oberhause Fortress that stands majestically above the"blue Danube". It is widely believed that the person responsible for coining the phrase "blue Danube" may have been under the influence of something less than good insight inasmuch as the Danube is not and has never been blue.

Those among us who are enjoying their walking tours are finding some of the hills great for walking off the excessive calories generated by the good food aboard.

Our ship, the Aegir

Cathederal

Our ship Viking river Aegir