Miscellaneous Cruise Information

We have left the River Rhine and are now traveling on the River Main. With their European accents here, they pronounce it "Mine". We actually have been on the River Main since before Miltenberg. When we were on the Middle Rhine, we passed many castles and also went by Lorelei, the legendary rock formation where many ships sunk. From the River Main, we will go through the Main-Danube Canal, which connects the Rivers Main and Danube. This canal allows continuous water passage all the way from the North Sea to the Black Sea. The Main-Danube Canal is considered to be an engineering marvel. It was actually begun in 793 by Charlemagne. It wasn't completed until 1992. It has 16 locks along the way, which raises the water level, we are told, to 1,332 feet. All together, we will pass through more than 66 locks. This slows us down, as the ship has to go very slowly through the locks. You can always tell when we're going through a lock, because since the passageway is so narrow, the ship always hits the concrete walls alongside and then rocks a little from side to side. We love the location of our stateroom on the ship. We are very close to the reception area, about 3 or 4 doors down, so we don't have to walk down the long hallway to get to and from our room. It takes us about 10 seconds to get from our room to a table in the dining room - considering how much we've been eating, that may or may not be a good thing. The lounge is also close, just up a flight of stairs, as it is located just above the dining room. Since this cruise is much smaller than ocean cruises, there is only one dining time. It is open seating, so we typically sit with different people each meal, although sometimes we repeat and sit with people we've previously sat with. It is a great way to meet people; in fact, most of the people we've met has been during meal times. We have a favorite waiter, Krasimir, and so we usually try to sit in the area where he serves. He has gotten to know us and our preferences, so as soon as we show up, he's already going to get our drinks. The staff here is great and they are all very friendly. Whenever we return to the ship from an excursion, it is not uncommon for them to greet us at the door with a treat. One time it was cranberry juice with lime (very refreshing), another time it was hot chocolate. A very nice touch. There is a television in the staterooms, but the viewing options are limited. There is a news channel (CNN), TNT, one US sports station, and all the Downton Abbey you could want (makes sense considering Viking is a Downton Abbey sponsor). But the most interesting viewing options have to do with our travels. There are a limited number of movies, but they all relate to our trip - "The Diary of Anne Frank", "Monument Men", "Amadeus", "The Sound of Music", and a few others. There are also some relevant documentaries. Also, you can see a view from the bow of the ship, see a map of our journey and where we happen to be at any particular time, or check the weather in any of the next week's locations. All good stuff. There are lots of guided tours on our excursions. They all have local guides. They divide us up into 4, or sometimes even 5 or 6 groups. We are provided with audio devices and ear phones, so the guides can be clearly heard by everyone in the group. It is a very good system. The currency in most of the countries we are traveling through is the euro (except for Hungary). The way the amount is shown is €2,24 for example, which would be like $2.24. Interesting that they use a comma instead of a period in the price. The German countryside is beautiful, and it is so serene and peaceful sailing along. The foliage is in full Fall colors, gold and yellow and red, much like Western Pennsylvania. There are people from parts of the U.S. who obviously don't live in places where you get these beautiful colors, and they are raving about how beautiful it all is. We just say "Yeah, we get this in our backyard." The German language tends to be guttural, and almost sounds like people arguing rather than conversational. Mark Twain once said that "German is not a language, it's an atrocity". (Sarah, there's something you can share with the students in your German class.)