Post Script

Thank you to all the people who have viewed my blog and provided me with such positive feedback.

Whilst we were on our river cruise, we were filmed for a new travel show "Tour the World" which will be premiering on our television screens in February 2013.  As soon as I have a copy of the youtube link, featuring our trip in their first episode, I will post it to my blog.

In the meantime, I have included a link to their pilot show (top right), filmed in Cambodia, to give you a taste of things to come.

Have a look and enjoy!

Julie

Prague

Whilst Bratislava, Budapest and Prague are beautiful, historic, romantic cities, you don't need to travel too far to observe remnants of the communist era.

The grey, communist flats have been brightly painted since the iron curtain fell less than twenty years ago as the Hungarians, Slovaks and Czechs attempt to erase all reminders of this period of their history.

An ugly little car such as this, if you were brave enough to buy it during those shadowy decades, would need to be paid in full upon signing the purchase papers.  If you were lucky, you would receive your car five years later - if not, it could take up to eight years for delivery.

Prague is a magical city of bridges, cathedrals, gold-tipped towers and church domes dating back to the 9th century.

The clocks on this church tower date back to the time when two clocks were required to show the time - the one above for hours and below for the minutes.

By the time the Astronomical Clock was built in 1410, knowledge of time had advanced to the point where, not only were the hours and minutes on the same dial, the earth, sky, sun and moon were all incorporated into the one device, which is still in operation today, 600 years later.

But Prague, for me, is a city of contrasts, where beautifully preserved gothic and baroque buildings exist grandly beside the peeling paint of neglect.

Where street vendors' delicious aromas of roasting beef, potatoes, corn are sharply overtaken by that of the sewerage below, struggling to cope.

Where filthy cigarette butts fill gaps in the carefully patterned street stones, polished clean by centuries of wear.

Where it is easy to lose yourself in the crowded maze of narrow streets yet miraculously find yourself at recognisable landmarks.

Oh - and the shops full of amber and crystals and garnets have taken me under their sparkling spell!

I am so happy and grateful to have had the opportunity to lose myself in this magical city.

The final curtain

And now, the end of our European holiday is here

And we’ve had our final dinner (with an exclusive invitation to dine with the captain!)

My mum, it's clear

Is loved by so many new friends – she’s a winner

Her cruising life was full

She travelled each and ev’ry byway

And more, much more than that, she did it her way

Regrets, there were none

(Well, that’s my mum…)

She did what she wanted to do

Even being interviewed by a television crew

 She saw the Mona Lisa in the Louvre

  And was inspired to sing the Sound of Music, in Saltzburg

She was reunited with old friends from Cootamundra

And was fascinated with the culture, but not in a shy way

She did more, much more than this
And she did it her way...

Au Revoir

Julie

Beautiful Bratislava

The capital city of Slovakia is yet another  European city with a castle, churches, cobblestoned streets, statues and beautiful buildings dating back hundreds of years.

This area was part of the powerful Austro-Hungarian empire ruled by the Habsburgs until the end of World War 1 when Czechoslovakia was formed, uniting the Czech and Slovak people.

It is difficult for an Australian like me to comprehend the turbulent changes that this city’s people have seen in their lifetime.  For example, our guide today, Eva, was born in 1938.  Over the past 74 years her home has come under the rule of Hungary, Czechoslovakia (both free and behind the Iron Curtain) and now Slovakia. She has survived World War II, communism and democracy, all the while retaining her dignity and sense of humour.

Bratislava's statues of Maria Theresa may have been destroyed long ago but its citizens' quirkiness shines through in these modern examples of signs and statues.

I'm not really sure what these are supposed to represent but they make an interesting visual against the backdrop of elegant 17th Century buildings.

And they have certainly embraced capitalism.  The shopping centre was fantastic.  If only I'd discovered it before I'd spent all my euros.  

I might just have to come back here!

Austria

Austria is a small country, well known for its music, art, food and of course the Alps.  During the 650 year reign of the Habsburg family, Austria was a powerful country of 50 million people.  Nowadays, since the fall of the monarchy in 1918, Austria is a democratic country of 8 million.  Everywhere you go, you are reminded of the former glory days of the Habsburgs; in particular Maria Theresa, who ruled for 40 years in the 1700’s and gave birth to 16 children in 19 years.  She increased her power throughout Europe, not by going to war, but by marrying off many of her children to her neighbours, most famously her daughter Marie Antoinette.

Yesterday we visited the beautiful city of Saltzburg, the birthplace of Mozart and the setting for “The Sound of Music”.

Following the footsteps of Julie Andrews and the von Trapp children, we pranced through the grandiose Mirabell Gardens, 

past Saltzburg castle towering over the city and through streets where merchants have been selling their wares for over a thousand years.

In the Middle Ages, when the majority of the population could not read, shop signs were pictures indicating what specialities were inside.

Modern merchants in this cute street have kept with the centuries old trend.

 

The Benedictine Monastery at Melk is not only a sight to behold, it is a place of beautiful baroque architecture, wisdom, knowledge and serenity.  For over one thousand years the monks have resided, studied and taught here, believing that wisdom is gained by listening, studying and embracing change.  Many of the elaborate monastery rooms were Maria Theresa's quarters, which she used only four or five times throughout her 40 year reign.  Today over 900 students, aged between 10 and 17 years, are proud to attend school here.

Entering the church, the feelings of beauty and spirituality are overwhelming. 

The Danube’s Wachau Valley, like the Rhine Gorge, is littered with medieval castles on hilltops surrounded by grape vines and picturesque villages.  Unlike the Rhine Gorge however, most of these castles today are in ruins, never being rebuilt after the Ottoman Turks destroyed them.

My adventurous spirit took over when I spied this ruined castle on the hilltop in the charming village of Durnstein and compelled me to climb the treacherous path to the top. 

My reward, apart from the sense of achievement, was the most magnificent view of the Wachau Valley and the magical Danube River.

In Vienna, we discovered these brightly coloured houses utilising recycled materials decorated by the Austrian artist, Hundertwasser

and hundreds of shops selling prints by another Austrian artist, Gustav Klimt.

We're just about to head off now to a Mozart and Strauss concert at the Golden Hall in Vienna which, after all those years practicing their compositions on the piano, I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy!