Got up early and got to the Budapest airport by 7:30. Flew to Frankfurt and are now on a long flight to Chicago. We should arrive in Springfield by 6:30 pm.

Our long-anticipated River Party has come to an end. The past days have been fun and memorable,and I think we've all decided that river cruises are a fantastic way to travel. The pace was perfect, and we loved having to unpack only once!
We spent the morning touring Budapest by bus. We went all over town and stopped at the palace and the Fisherman's Bastion. I am finally feeling better, but Bill and Jane were both not feeling well at all. Came back for lunch, and then took a walking tour down a well-known street to the covered market. We even found our old hotel, the Promenade. The market was bustling and we found no bargains. Searched for a pharmacy for Jane and then returned to pack. Dinner was great as usual, and we said our goodbyes to the crew and our new friends, Phil and Gil who have been such fun. We'll be up early to get to the airport. Goodby to Europe and to the Viking Njord!!

Budapest, Hungary at 12:42am CEST.

Departed from Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria, Austria on Oct 10, 2012 12:40am CEST. Arrived at Budapest, Hungary on Oct 13, 2012 12:42am CEST.

It's hard to believe that our wonderful River Party is drawing to a close! Today was our next to the last stop---in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. It's a mixture of old and new and Communist remnants mixed in with modern houses and industries. We toured the town and shopped in the city square as we had done before. Brought back memories of our great trip with Marc and Crissy. We're sailing toward Budapest this afternoon, and have the Captain's farewell dinner tonight. I probably should think about packing.....nah...

The beautiful city and capital of Slovakia--Bratislava !

Ooops! Looks like I repeated part of this!! Too bad--- it's late!
This afternoon Bill and I took the tube to the giant Ferris wheel of Vienna! It's a little like the London Eye but much older. It was destroyed during WWII but then rebuilt. Great view if the city! We had Wiener schnitzel tonite for dinner and it was delicious ! Then we went to a small concert--10 players , 2 opera singers and 2 ballet dancers. Very lighthearted and fun. Came back to the ship and had goulash for a snack!

This morning we had a city tour of Vienna. It was beautiful and we remembered parts from our previous trip. Had a little free time to look around and then came back to the ship for lunch. After that, Bill and I got on the tube and went to the giant Ferris wheel in the Prater amusement park. It was great!! We could see all over Vienna. Tonight is the concert---hopefully we will get there this time!

Today we toured two small but very picturesque towns in Austria. The first was Melk and is famous for its abbey. We went through it on a guided tour and it was awesome. The view from the top was stunning! We then walked down into the town and then to the ship. For lunch, we sampled food from Austria. All delicious, of course. Next we sailed to the spectacular town of Durnstein. It was tiny with a population of only 900. Lots of cute shops and a blue tower overlooking the town. So far it wins first prize with me as far as setting and beauty.

Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria, Austria at 12:40am CEST.
The castle pictured at the top is where Richard the III was held prisoner for ransom.

Departed from Passau, Bavaria, Germany on Oct 8, 2012 11:08pm CEST. Arrived at Krems an der Donau, Lower Austria, Austria on Oct 10, 2012 12:40am CEST.

This is the abbey at Melk.

Dinner tonite was a delicious halibut and mashed potatoes combo. Sadly, I am still fighting off a sinus infection or something and am NOT up to par. Hopefully tomorrow will bring a cure!

Passau, Bavaria, Germany at 11:08pm CEST.

Departed from Bischberg, Bavaria, Germany on Oct 5, 2012 5:20pm CEST. Arrived at Passau, Bavaria, Germany on Oct 8, 2012 11:08pm CEST.

It was VERY cold this morning for our city tour of Passau. It is just a lovely little town of 50,000 and our guide who was a native was really good. We walked around and then returned to St Steven's Cathedral. It was a mixture of baroque and rococo and the interior was unlike anything we'd ever seen before. The decorations were so lavish and each statue and angel was unique. Later we returned for an organ concert which was unbelievable. It is the largest organ in Europe. Bill and I returned to the ship for lunch, which was pizza and CHOCOLATE ECLAIRS! I've been waiting for them...and yes, I had to have more than one ! Went back to the city after lunch and did some sightseeing and shopping. I bought a really pretty shawl which I plan to wear to dinner tonight.

Well, I skipped the strudel lesson and took a nap. I guess my sore throat has turned into a German cold, and walking for hours in the rain didn't help! Dinner was good; I had borscht (beet soup), tortellinis, and creme caramel. After dinner we had a quartet of talented musicians performing opera and songs from The Sound Of Music.