If you thought River Cruising was only for the over 70s, maybe it’s time to think again.
In April 2017, I ticked off another of my bucket list wishes on board the Scenic Jewel on a 14-day Scenic Jewels of Europe cruise from Budapest to Amsterdam. Whilst the weather was a little cooler, it is a great time to travel if you want less crowds. Think luxury, think all inclusive, all excursions, unpack once, fine dining, and special invitation to Table La Rive for a 6 course degustation if you’re on the top deck, own butler service. With one of the many highlights being a private concert in Palais Liechtenstein Vienna. With Scenic’s tailormade GPS guides in every cabin, you have the choice to take a self- guided walk or cycling tour.
The cabins are well appointed and approximately 36 square feet with an electric sliding glass window on the balcony which can be opened and closed with the push of a button. There is a fridge in each cabin that is fully stocked each day free of charge. The cabins are equipped with an Apple Mac mini computer linked to its flat screen TVs. There is also free WiFi onboard the ship There is no special dress code onboard and no requirement for formal jackets or ties, however smart casual is requested, although a lot of people on our cruise, made the effort on several nights to “doll up”.
One of my favourite places was Budapest…. I suggest that you add a night prior or after the cruise depending on which way you travel. This way you can spend a day sightseeing followed by time at the Spa. As the cruise provides a choice of tours, you can only select one and with so much to do in this fabulous city it would be a shame not to take advantage unless you plan to go back again.
I also loved visiting Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna. A visit to the Melk Abbey with a guided tour was eye opening and enjoyable. If you haven’t been to Salzburg then a trip is well worth the long journey. This is where you have the “Sound of Music” experience. I stayed on board as I had been before and it was great to relax while sailing onto Passau. Regensburg, was another pretty historical town to visit, where we had a guided tour and then free time to explore on our own. Another highlight was the Romantic Road to Rothenburg tour.
I remembered this medieval town from when I was there in the late 70s, my first European tour. It started light snowing as we arrived and added to the enjoyment of visiting as much this time around. Home of the Christmas shops, a must visit (Xmas decorations purchased and shipped home). You can buy from several stores and they will ship back to Australia for you. Rudesheim saw us visit the Mechanical Musical Instrument Museum (most fascinating) and take the cable car ride taking in the beautiful vistas.
Marksburg Cologne saw us visit the Marksburg Castle for a great experience and being entertained and dined like we were in the middle ages. Finally we arrived at Amsterdam where you could walk the streets (and back alleys – very eye opening compared to Australia), take a glass top boat canal tour or hit the many and varied shops.