Overnight, the rain blew away and summer temperatures with blue sky returned. It was welcomed news as my program included a paddle boat experience in the wild Danube National Park.Due to the fact that we were on paddle boats, I safely stored my cellphone and other valuables on the bus which unfortunately means no pictures… Continue reading Vienna part two
Author: schneebergerr
As a World traveler and trains, planes, & automobile geek, I have embraced every opportunity to explore this amazing planet. As I write this, I realized vividly how far I have come from growing up in a dysfunctional family in a small Swiss town to living in the San Francisco Bay Area with my husband Greg and our pets Stella and Oscar. I am very fortunate to live the American Dream, having made a career our of my passion for travel and tourism.
Vienna is calling
After a beautiful scenic, albeit rainy day, we were given the opportunity to hear a fabulous concert at the Wiener Musikverein from where the annual New Years concert is broadcast around the world. These historic walls create the perfect backdrop and acoustics for the philharmonic orchestra. Unfortunately no video was allowed.This experience brought the saying… Continue reading Vienna is calling
Scenic Danube cruising
Rounding out the day was a scenic cruise up the Danube river through the UNESCO world heritage protected Wachau Valley to Melk. Along the river we spotted sch amazing sights as the blue baroque church in Duernstein, the quaint town of Weisskirch, and a local artist interpretation of the most important tool for winemakers -… Continue reading Scenic Danube cruising
Wachau Valley – wine, wine & more wine
A stunningly blue sky morning awaited us in Krems with summer like temperatures in the 80s. After breakfast, i joined a group of Viking Modi guests on the "Austria's famed white wines from vine to bottle" tour which included amazing cold cuts, a spread of veggies and other pork products - all rounded out by… Continue reading Wachau Valley – wine, wine & more wine
European Rail day – part 2
Endless amazing scenery escorted me along my 8 hour journey from Zurich to Vienna with stops in Innsbruck, Salzburg and Linz. A special moment of the journey was the passing of the abbey at Stams where Greg and I spent a memorable night with my mom shortly before her sudden passing. Well rested I arrived… Continue reading European Rail day – part 2
European Rail day from Berne to Vienna – part 1
A wake up call at 440am got me going to the Berne train station for a 5:29 am on the dot departure to Zurich. A quick change required got me on the RailJet train 161 in direction of Vienna. Comfy seats, WiFi and power outlets at every seat make this journey fly by. Of course,… Continue reading European Rail day from Berne to Vienna – part 1
Berne for a day – reflections on my home town
Spring continues in Berne today and it afforded me the chance to fine tune my hotel selection for the September 2019 Oktoberfest and Swiss Highlights tour I am hosting. In addition, I took a long leisurely walk with my dad's dog Richie through this majestic city built over 900 years on the banks of the… Continue reading Berne for a day – reflections on my home town
Dream day in the Bernese Oberland
After 24 hours of traveling from San Francisco to Amsterdam on KLM ( worst legroom yet on an airline), then on to Geneva on Easy Jet, followed by trains and I arrived in Berne. From here on out, the stunning early summer weather provided us with the chance to explore lake Brienz on a leisurely… Continue reading Dream day in the Bernese Oberland
Springtime jaunt on the Danube
My travel plans accelerated a bit over the past week with the departure to Europe for a Viking river cruise moving up by 3 days. This change allows me to make a quick visit with my dad ahead of surgery to remove cancer. Join me on my journey via Amsterdam to Geneva and Berne before… Continue reading Springtime jaunt on the Danube
River Cruising on my mind – Christmas Markets in Germany
Not sure if it was the rainy week or my lengthy discussion with travel colleagues last night that got me in the mood for the magic of Christmas Markets in Germany. I reminisced back on my 2015 trip along the Danube which was just wonderful. This experience should be on everyone's bucket list at least… Continue reading River Cruising on my mind – Christmas Markets in Germany
Hawaii – Final reflections
Awesome scenery, great friends, and lots of delicious meals made this week fly bye quickly. Overall the trip exceeded expectations with the weather being the only thing that could be improved. Well rested after a good night sleep at the DoubleTree hotel overlooking Hilo bay, we returned our Chrysler 300 to Hertz and went through… Continue reading Hawaii – Final reflections
Big Island drive
You can tell from my blogs that this was not a sit by the beach trip. Today was no exception as we packed our stuff, said good bye to the Royal Kona Hotel and headed north around the island. The first sight seeing stop was at Waipi'o valley lookout. Of course, we had a bite… Continue reading Big Island drive
The story of a pig…
Attending a Luau may seem like a touristy thing to do but there is lots of local Hawaiian culture embedded in this ceremony. It all starts hours before the feast with a fire in a pit filled with lava rocks. Here at the Royal Kona Hotel on the Big Island, access to the Imu is… Continue reading The story of a pig…
Kona here we come
It was time to say good bye to Oahu and make our way south to the Big Island via Hawaiian Airlines flight 358 on a Boeing 717 (nĂ©e McDonald Douglas MD-80).We enjoyed our time on Oahu but we are ready for new adventures. One piece of advice, if renting a car or considering buying one,… Continue reading Kona here we come
North Shore drive and more
Another early morning awaited us with blue skies and almost no wind. The perfect setting to climb diamond head. It has been 22 years since I did that last and the entire experience has changed. There is now a visitor center with a huge parking lot in the crater. Concrete paths take you up the… Continue reading North Shore drive and more
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