Diary - Rhine Trip Amsterdam to Budapest 2012

Neither of us had been on a cruise before & as Jan gets seasick, we opted to try a river cruise to ease us into the experience.

I had heard that the Amsterdam to Budapest trip was worth doing, so decided to try that & the following is a brief account of our experience.

First of all, we decided to repeat our use of Premium Economy air travel which we had first experienced on our trip to Africa last year & found excellent as far as seat comfort, service & meal quality was concerned.  However, we had used Qantas before & on this trip were advised that British Airways was the best option & provided similar quality - RUBBISH.  BA was disgusting & Jan arrived in Heathrow sick as a dog & requiring a wheelchair to get to our departure point for Amsterdam.  Read my earlier blog about the experience, which ensures we will not use BA again if avoidable.

27 Sep

Canal cruise in Amsterdam followed by own walk around in the day, passing on the tour of Gassan Diamonds & Hermitage Museum optional excursion. Jan improved a lot. Didn't manage to find the flower markets unfortunately, due to time constraints before boat departure.

We were asked to complete our preferences for which of the 13 optional excursions we wanted to take & were provided with a summary of what they covered. We chose 6 which added Euro 582 to the trip cost, but they were worth it.

Viewed passing through the first of the 68 locks on the trip, a huge affair capable of taking 4 boats of our size. Other locks were not as large but the 2 deepest had an 81 foot fall!

The boat is 443 feet long & 34 wide with 47 crew, very clean & comfortable with 4 decks including the upper sky deck, a large restaurant, a large saloon & bar forward & a small rear coffee/library/TV room at the rear of the boat. We were told the boat could float in only 10cm of water because of a ballasting system. All rooms were quite spacious with TVs & free internet access. However, the latter could be affected by where we were docked & by going through locks, but was otherwise good.

In the evening, we had a talk about the difference between Holland & Netherlands, which was instructive, then off to the usual excellent 8 course dinner after which we could enjoy casual music in the forward saloon, or special performances put on at particular locations.

The only problem with the cruise was that we were fed so well we didn't feel like sampling any of the local food in any of the places visited! However, the chef generally included one local choice with the meals served, as well as having a standard reserve of 3 entrees & 3 mains available in case anyone didn't like anything on the main menu.

28 Sep

Cologne walking tour - interested to see the development since last here in mid '80s. Took the pilgrim tour of the cathedral, which was otherwise closed to tourists. Stained glass had been cleaned & the Dom impressive. Bought some Farina cologne, the first cologne produced here.

Our walking tour went past the Hohenzollern rail bridge, which we were told handles 1200 trains a day!

We went into the museum covering Roman occupation – very interesting with a stunning Dionysius Mosaic from the 2^nd century & could have spent more time there.

Concert by La Strade trio of 2 violinists & 1 guitarist in the evening - very pleasant.

29 Sep Up early to see the vinyards on steep slopes & first of the castles in the Rhine Gorge – very spectacular. Misty on the hills & cold on deck, but cleared up to a fine day so we caught a glimpse of the Lorelei statue by the river.

In to Rudesheim pm - lovely little village with a Xmas shop similar to Rothenburg's but much smaller. Gave the mechanical musical instrument museum a miss & had a Rhine wine at a small estaminet before going on to sample a Rudesheimer coffee (brandy & sugar set on fire, doused with coffee & covered in cream & choc flakes). Then ambled down the Drosselgasse, very narrow street filled with cafes & tourist shops back to the river & on board again.

Unfortunately, at Rudesheim we didn't have a chance to get up to the Niederwald monument of the statue of Germania cast from 32 tonnes of bronze to celebrate unification of Germany in 1871, perched on a hillside just north of the village, or visit Hildegard of Bingen's abbey nearby, or we would have had to forgo the walking tour of the town & we wanted to visit the Xmas shop there as well. Definitely an area worth a longer visit via road.

30 Sep on to Miltenberg. Pleasant walk down the picturesque main street & up to the Schloss, which we didn't enter, but admired the view from.

Marvellous Zither concert that afternoon by Tomy Temerson, one of only a handful of professional players world wide - very complicated instrument! Then attended a hilarious show put on by the crew at night.

1 Oct on to Wurtzburg. Bishop's palace interesting, but the guide waffled on too long - we could have done it in half the time, giving us more to spend exploring, not that there was too much else to see there, as the gardens were past their best. However, we didn't have time to wander over the old bridge to the Marienberg Fortress, which would have been interesting. The palace tour brought home the arrogance of the bishops in those days & the profligacy of the Catholic church.

A tour of the boat's galley that afternoon was interesting, as was question time with Captain Remus who fielded questions on a variety of subjects.

2 Oct on to Bamberg. Pleasant town with plenty of antique shops & good for walking. It is reputed the beer capital of Germany & famous (notorious?) for its Rauchbier, as smokey flavoured black beer, which I didn't try after watching reactions from some who did! Bought some fruit at the green markets where we found prices were on a par with Oz.

That night we were treated to the Chef's special dinner, 9 courses instead of 8! Also that night Gunzheimer Swingband entertained on board, but too late for us.

3 Oct on to Nuremberg. Very interesting town with not enough time to explore as much as we would have liked. Castle superb, but again, not enough time to do the 1.5 hour palace tour.

That afternoon we had a talk on the Main-Danube Canal, which was very interesting. We had been climbing through the locks, were now on a plateau & that night were going to be going downhill through the locks!

4 Oct on to Weltenburg Abbey via a boat trip through the Danube Gorge. Lovely trip with interesting scenery. The Abbey was ordinary until we got into the chapel, which was very ornate. The Abbey is the oldest abbey brewery in the world & the beer was excellent.

Then on to Regensberg which was worth a longer look. I discovered a golf museum by accident & it was superb. I told the tour director that he needs to announce it as a 'must see' for golfers in future.

A beer tasting later on the boat was quite interesting too, describing the various main types, but the entertainment later was a bit ordinary - Oom pa pa with a guy with the biggest moustache in Germany who was very talented, but I didn't go for the audience participation!

5 Oct we passed on Passau, as we had booked the optional Cesky Krumlov tour to see into the Czech Republic. We enjoyed a drive of over an hour to get to it & found the area we visited very interesting. Whilst most of it had been restored after the Communist era, there were still parts that showed how it was then – dirty, drab & run down - although these were slated for redevelopment & will soon disappear.

We rejoined the boat at Linz, but unfortunately didn't have time to see much of it, or visit Mauthausen, the former Nazi concentration camp. (The Austrians don't want to talk about the fact that Hitler was Austrian, preferring to refer to Kepler, composers & tortes!)

6 Oct after leaving Linz we sailed through night getting to Melk early the next morning to visit the famous baroque Abbey. Later that morning we passed through the stunning Wachau Valley which afforded some superb views of vinyards & castles on the way to Durnstein, a winegrowing village with a ruined castle above where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned on his way back from the crusades. It was quite a climb, but worth it for the views!

7 Oct on to Vienna where we experienced the first rain of the trip. We had opted for the optional tour of Schonbrunn Palace following a coach tour of the city. It was impressive, but we were pushed through it quite quickly with other tour groups before & after us. We went to an apple strudel making demonstration in the grounds which included a massive helping of the same with coffee in what looked like an old wine cellar, which was welcome as it had turned cold & wet outside.

We gave the optional classical concert that night a miss as it consisted of standard works like the Blue Danube & Radetski March & we had had enough of the cold & wet.

8 Oct saw us coaching to Bratislava in Slovakia which was quite interesting, with many antique stores. That afternoon we took an optional tour to Schlosshof Palace. It had been extensively damaged by Russian troops after the war but had largely been renovated. The grounds were beautiful but again we didn't have much time to explore fully.

That night we had our farewell dinner followed by a concert by the Aphrodites, which was very pleasant.

9 Oct arrived in Budapest & did a city tour before taking an optional tour to Szentendre In Pest County, which took us to Skansen, a reconstructed rural village of thatched houses & animal pens, which was quite interesting, then on to a diamond & jewellery centre which was disappointing, as it was supposed to house the Sissi collection, but they were just some reproductions.

We returned to the boat by speedboat, which was a pleasant ride once the cabin was closed in, as it was getting cold by then.

10 Oct as we had elected to spend an extra couple of days in Budapest, we were able to book another optional tour to Puszta Farm, an animal farm with horse riding & coach displays followed by a typical Hungarian goulash lunch.

This was excellent value, although the performers all lined up for tips & as we had only Euros instead of Hungarian Forints, were largely disappointed! (We had opted to pay our tips up front as part of the tour, but it was recommended we tip the guides on the optional excursions about 1-2 Euro if we were happy with them.) This was one of the best optional tours of the trip, as we were past castles, cathedrals & abbeys by then.

Final impressions – a great trip, well organised by Avalon in very comfortable cabins (even though we were on the lowest deck), excellent food & service throughout & good company. We would recommend it to anyone without hesitation (but diet first!).

11/12 Oct
We elected to spend a couple of extra days in Budapest after the cruise to have a more extensive look around & were glad we did so, as there is a lot to see.  For example, I went to the Torture Museum, which showcases life under Communism & the persecutions carried out by the Hungarian secret police.  It was very sobering & gave an indelible impression of the horrors perpetrated in that era.

There were other interesting walks & monuments & we only scratched the surface.

British Airways Sucks!

We booked a river cruise Amsterdam to Budapest commencing 26 Sep 12.

We had travelled to Africa on Qantas Premium Economy last year & it was brilliant, so decided to do the same to Amsterdam to connect with the cruise.  The best flight link-ups were with BA & we were advised by our Flight Centre agent that BA's World Traveller equivalent to Premium Economy was as good as Qantas' - RUBBISH!!

On arrival at Cairns on 25 Sep to book in, I found that, despite being ticketed as a couple, we were seated separately.  Although I got this sorted out for the first leg of our trip to Singapore & although the seats were fairly similar to Qantas', we were very disappointed with the service & food in BA's World Traveller section.  It was abysmal & we would have been better saving a lot of money going Economy.

At our stopover in Singapore, I was told nothing could be done about seating us together & my best option was to see if another passenger would swap seats with one of us after take off.  Fortunately I was able to do this.

The fun really started in London.  Jan had been taken ill during the last hour of the flight after eating the awful breakfast & I had to arrange a wheelchair for her, then pass through the increased security operating that day.  On presenting for our connection to Amsterdam we were told we were double booked & had been taken off the flight.  It was obvious that BA has a policy of double booking connections from overseas flights, no doubt reasoning that they will often be late.

We were told the duty manager would attend & arrange another flight & eventually a sandy haired, ineffectual twit turned up, offered us some compensation & booked us on a flight.  He said we could bypass having to go through security again by using a tunnel instead of the train connecting gates B with gates A, but didn't bother to tell us that I couldn't get the wheelchair down to it.  Jan barely managed the walk & when we arrived at gate A10 all the way from B33, the pratts there told us in a couldn't care less attitude that it had closed a couple of minutes before, upon which I blew my top.  Heathrow is a dump of a rabbit warren & best avoided.  If you have to go to UK, use Gatwick.

We eventually managed to get another flight 2.5 hours later.

Fortunately the connection to our tour went well & put us on board without having to go to a holding  hotel first, so Jan was able to go straight to bed.  The tour with Avalon was excellent & exceeded our expectations - more on that in a later blog.

We then had the unenviable return flight with BA until we connected with Qantas in Hong Kong.  Their Premium Economy is FAR superior to BA's World Traveller, both in terms of seating, food & service.  (I will also note here that I hadn't been in HK since they opened the new airport & we found it smaller, more relaxing & easier to get around than Singapore.  We will transit there in future if possible.)

So, if you plan on long trips, do NOT use British Airways World Traveller.  It simply is not worth the extra over Economy & the food & service is certainly well behind Qantas.

History Repeats!

I haven't posted for some time but came across some quotes I couldn't resist passing on.

I've posted before on Abe Lincoln's fiscal policy, which modern America has long forgotten, but I had not been aware of Thomas Jefferson's comments.

He seems to have been wiser even than Lincoln, but again, his wisdom has been forgotten or buried by corrupt politicians & businessmen in all countries, especially bankers.  Hence this current global financial crisis.

Here's a selection:

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe.
Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.
Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world.
Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.
Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.
Thomas Jefferson

 
To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.
Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson said in 1802:
'I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property - until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.'

Yet, only a few years later in 1838 the banker A B Rothschild said:

"GIVE ME CONTROL OF A NATION'S MONEY SUPPLY, AND I CARE NOT WHO MAKES ITS LAWS".

Travel & Thailand Notes

I travelled to Thailand recently & here are some comments on my experiences for the benefit of fellow travellers.

In Singapore airport I had a bit of a wait & as usual wandered around the airport looking at the various changes, as Changi always seems to be remodelling.  Feeling in need of a snack as opposed to a big meal, I happened to chance upon a BT Wang stall & was impressed at the snacks available, service & great coffee.  Have a look at http://www.wangcafe.com/.

As I was only in Phuket for a few days, I booked into a budget hotel in Patong www.sabaideepatong.com/.  It was quite adequate for my needs as I don't require luxury, the service was friendly, the rooms clean & it was well positioned not far from Jung Ceylon.  


Another thing that I loved was that it was run by Turks, so there was good coffee, kebabs available at night & breakfast choices included Sucuk.  I normally only eat Thai, but on occasion a change is pleasant & this place fitted the bill.


The only disappointment was Jetstar!  The flight was delayed for 1.5 hours in Singapore & a further 5 hours in Brisbane with no notification although they had my email & phone no.  This is not the first time I've been stuffed about by this airline & I'll be avoiding it where possible in future.  

Letter to Gillard

I haven't posted for some time, but couldn't pass this one up!  Some brilliant spark thought up this letter to our PM:

Dear Ms. Gillard,

Please find below our suggestion for fixing Australia 's economy.

Instead of giving billions of dollars to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, use the following plan.

You can call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:

 There are about 10 million people over 50 in the work force.

 Pay them $1 million each severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:

1) They MUST retire.
     Ten million job openings - unemployment fixed

 2) They MUST buy a new Australian car.
     Ten million cars ordered - Car Industry fixed

 3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage -
     Housing Crisis fixed

 4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university -
     Crime rate fixed

5) They MUST buy $100 WORTH of alcohol/tobacco a week .......
     and there's your money back in duty/tax etc

6) Instead of stuffing around with the carbon emissions trading scheme that makes us pay for the major polluters tell the greedy bastards to reduce their pollution emissions by 75% within 5 years or we shut them down.

 It can't get any easier than that!

 P.S. If more money is needed, have all members of parliament pay back their falsely claimed expenses and second home allowances

And if you were wondering why we can't have certain notices in public places, here's more food for thought!

 THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

     The real reason that we can't have the Ten Commandments posted in a
courthouse or Parliament, has nothing to do with offending other faiths.  It is this -
     You cannot post 'Thou Shalt Not Steal', 'Thou Shalt Not Commit
Adultery' and 'Thou Shall Not Lie' in a building full of lawyers, judges and
politicians...... It creates a hostile work environment!

South African Trip 2011

In April we finally made the trip to South Africa. Jan had wanted to go on safari & I wanted to catch up with the SA relatives that I had never met, but had corresponded with. The last time one of the Ceylon Siedle's had visited SA was my Grandfather around 1904 on his way back to Ceylon from UK, so it was high time to renew the acquaintance. We duly caught up with a number of cousins in Durban and also in Howick past Pietermaritzberg. We visited the statue of Perla Siedle Gibson, The Lady in White, who use to sing for troop ships arriving in Durban during the war. The sculptor of the statue was one of my cousins, Barbara, who is an accomplished artist too.

Next, we went to stay in the tented camp at Thula Thula game lodge for a few days during which we went on several game drives. The lodge was set up by the Elephant Whisperer, Lawrence Anthony, who also authored a book of that name, which is well worth a read. We saw plenty of the elephants as well as a variety of other game, like rhino, giraffe etc, thoroughly enjoyed it & had a couple of interesting conversations at dinner with Lawrence as well.

After that, we went up to St Lucia to meet another cousin, Janine & her children, & go on a lake cruise during which we sighted more animals including hippo, mongooses & duiker. That was followed the next day by another game drive at Umfolozi, which was more open than Thula but we were lucky enough to get a close sighting of a leopard, unusual during the day.

Before leaving Thula, we paid a visit to the Sangoma, or witch doctor, who told us what he thought we wanted to hear, although the effect was somewhat lessened when he paused to answer his mobile!

We then departed for Cape Town where we did some sight seeing, but the city left us generally underwhelmed. However we did manage to get up to Table Mountain on one fine day which was superb, as were the Botanic Gardens at Kirstenbosch. 

 A day trip out to Cape Point was worth it, as was one to Stellenbosch & Franschoek, through the vinyards & when we go back we'll spend a bit more time there. We visited a Cheetah rehab centre on the way out there too, which we thoroughly enjoyed, especially as there were a variety of other animals there too, like Serval, Caracal, Meercats & Bat-eared Foxes.

Impressions of S Africa – I had no preconceived ideas of the country, but was somewhat apprehensive about driving whilst in Durban after our experiences in Thailand & India. I need not have worried as generally driving was easy & quite well signposted with good roads by & large. The only things to watch for were the taxi minibuses whose drivers were pretty awful.

Durban had a climate similar to Brisbane & Cape Town probably like Melbourne in its changeability. One thing we noticed was the security required in residential areas & we heard some scary home invasion/burglary stories from Barbara & others. However, we did not feel insecure wandering about either city during the day & did not try it at night, sticking close to where we were staying at Holiday Inn Express in Cape Town for meals. Both cities were quite clean, water could be drunk from the tap & food was good & cheaper than at home.

Natives were polite & not pushy about us buying in markets & shops. We did not get accosted too often by beggars when we went out & the few that did were not persistent. The quality of souvenirs was not bad, although lots of the same sort of stuff was being sold wherever we went & not much appealed.

The country was preparing for elections a couple of days after we left & stories we heard indicated that politicians were similar to ours, corrupt, stupid or incompetent, but all looking after themselves first & the electorate later! It seems that the black/white divide still exists although lessening in feeling & that it will take some time for voters to change from the devils they know.

The country is quite varied & vast, so we only scratched the surface on this trip & from what we heard talking to other people another trip taking in the west of the country & up to Victoria Falls would be interesting, so another trip is planned at some stage.