With two culturally rich days behind us, it was time to sail on to Hungary's Capital Budapest. Granted the first stretch downriver is rather boring, consisting of a straight stretch of Danube canal but once we reached the Hungarian border it became natural and scenic again. Just after lunch the scenery jumped into overdtive as… Continue reading Vienna to Budapest – Danube cruise

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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