April 28, 2014 - Vienna

Today we went on a city tour and took in in the major sites, We left the tour af the end and strolled around the city.   We went to the market. We found interesting things and had lunch at a nice bistro. After coming back to the ship we had dinner with friends from Canada.   Had a great time.  Look forward to the next several days in Budapest.

April 30, 2014 - Budapest day 2

We left the boat this morning and took the  Metro to our hotel. We dropped off our bags and walked to the old synagogue.  It is really beautiful and very different.  Looks more like a church than a synagogue.   Afterward, we took a waking tour of the old Jewish ghetto. 
Lots of walking. I'll need a vacation when I get home.

April 29, 2014 - Budapest

This morning we docked in Budapest. What a beautiful old European look city. We took a morning tour and got the highlights of the major sites.  Later we took a tour of Hungary under the Communists. Different name from Nazi but same results.  We had our last dinner on the boat with the two Canadian couples we spent time with during the week.  Then we strolled accross the Chain Bridge and took lots of pictures of the city at night.  Just beautiful!

April 27, 2014 - Melk & Vienna

We were docked in Melk, Austria this morning.  We were given a tour of a monastery high on a hill.  Exquisite views of the countryside.  We walked back to the boat through the town and by the woods.  Since it was Sunday all the shops were closed.  The boat sailed through a beautiful valley with lots of vineyards,  small villages and castles high on the cliffs.
It is Sue's birthday today and we are on our way to Vienna.   After dinner we will stroll around town.

April 26, 2014 - Passau and Linz

We went on a tour this morning of Passau, Germany.  It is a small town situated at the confluence of the Danube, Ilz and Inn rivers.  Last June the flooding here devastating.   The water overflowed into the town by 25 feet. 
In the afternoon we spent a very relaxing day cruising down the river.  Late in the afternoon we docked in Linz, Austria.   Strolled around and came back to the boat for dinner and a show put on by the crew.   Lot of fun.

April 25, 2014 - Regensberg & Danube Gorge

We arrived here this morning and after breakfast we took a bus to a small boat that took us down the Danube Gorge.  It was pleasant and pretty but not spectacular.   The boat tour terminated at an an Abby that was very ordinary on the outside but really spectacular on the inside.
We came back to our ship and strolled the town.  Very enjoyable day.  Later this afternoon they are having a beer tasting. Having fun!

Still working on the picture problem.

April 24, 2014 Nuremberg Documentation Center & Cruise

For some reason the blog is not able to publish the pictures.   Seems to be a blogspot problem.  I will continue to resolve the issue.
The cruise is great and we are really enjoying the boat, food, people and scenery.   We toured the Documentation Center in Nuremberg this morning.  It is a museum where the Nazis held their huge rallies in a colosseum like setting.  We are now cruising in the Danube canal and going through a series of locks.

April 23, 2014 Nuremberg Courtroom/Riverboat

Today we spent several hours at the courthouse. This was a totally fascinating experience. The exhibit showed the courtroom then and now.  It also had an entire floor of exhibits showing events leading up to the trial along with all the detail of the trial itself. Late in the afternoon we boarded the ship.  We are enjoying everything about the ship including the endless wine with dinner.  We have also met some really nice people from Canada.

April 22, 2014 Nuremberg

We got up early to catch a 6:39 am train to Nuremberg.  The entire transportation system is easy to use, very inexpensive,  clean and extremely efficient. But what else would you expect of the Germans! We love the ambiance of the European walled cities and this is no exception. It was almost entirely destroyed during WW II but it was rebuilt to what it once was. Yes it is touisty and yes it is filled with expensive shops but it still holds its old world charm. Tomorrow we will tour the building where the war trials were held.  

April 21, 2014. Berlin

April 21, 2014

We took a walking tour of the city today and learned many facts about Germany and Berlin. 

The country has done a lot to acknowledge its dark past.  There are many monuments and memorials honoring Jews and all others that were victimized by the Nazi's.  Most fitting on this tour was a stop to see Hitler's bunker where he committed suicide.   There is no plaque or anything indicating what happened here.  It is a very run down parking lot which is overrun by rabbits that poop all over the grassey areas. A very fitting site for this horrific man.  On top of that, just two minutes walking distance away is the Memorial for the Jews murdered in Europe.  This a very abstract memorial that allows you to interpret your own thoughts and feelings.  Everyone we met was very friendly and mindful of Germany's past intolerance.  

It seems to me that we still have not learned to be tolerant and will be doomed to repeat the past.

Tomorrow on to Nuremberg. 

April 20, 2014 Concentration camps

Yesterday we arrived around 8:30 am, took the bus and subway to our hotel.  We got settled in and then went on an on/off bus tour of Berlin.  It is unbelievably easy to get around on public transportation.

Today we went to Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp just a short distance from Berlin.

As if visiting this concentration camp wasn't emotionally challenging enough,  it turns out that April 20th is Aldolf Hitler's birthday and is also 2 days before the anniversary of the liberation of the camp.

This was a very somber day trying to comprehend all of the attrocities that happened here.  How is it possible that human beings can do this to each other?  

There were 5 levels of prisoners.   Going from the lowest being the Jews to the highest being criminals and thieves.  The highest level got the best jobs and the lowest got the worst.  The Nazi's created an upside down society.