Blue Danube

After coming back from my trip along the River Danube with Great Rail Journeys, I can safely say that the Danube is not Blue it is in fact green! But where has this phrase ‘Blue Danube’ come from? Well one of Austria’s most famous Waltzes was Johan Strauss’ Blue Danube which is the description which has stuck to this very day.

The Danube is the second longest river in Europe, after the Volga and flows through 10 countries which is more than any other river in the world. My journey started in Vienna, Austria. After a short and very comfortable flight from London Heathrow with Austrian Airlines then a short transfer to the city, we arrived in time for a short tour around the city. Vienna was much busier than I had imagined and I was surprised how close together the main sights were making it very easy to explore on foot. The weather wasn’t on our side though which was a shame as we found ourselves dodging heavy downpours in-between all the sights! We then left the city to get our first glimpse of the Amadeus Queen, our home for the next 4 nights.

The ship itself was stunning. Very modern and extremely clean. We checked in and made our way to the cabin. We had a lead in cabin type with small window but certainly not small in size, bigger than most ocean cruise cabin’s I have stayed in! It was also a nice touch to have tea and coffee making facilities in the cabin. I certainly need my caffeine fix when I wake up in the morning! Another thing we discovered that evening was Yorkshire Tea Bags! As a tea and coffee snob this was certainly a winning addition as I always struggle to get a decent cup of tea when outside of the UK!

The first evening we were all ready for our dinner and after having a quick glance at the menu before we were seated, the food certainly didn’t disappoint. It was some of the best food I have ever sampled. So much so that we would count down the minutes until the next meal, as were most of the passengers judging by the queues outside the restaurant for the rest of the journey!

After dinner we were in for a real treat. A private recital from the Vienna Philharmonic Choir and what an amazing experience this was. Below is the program of their performance.

After this performance the resident musical duo performed some songs for the passengers that had decided to stay up that little bit later. One thing I would say is don’t expect late night entertainment as this is much more low key, as most passengers have retired back to their cabins to recharge their batteries for the day ahead.

After an overnight sailing we arrived into the Wachau Valley and the beautiful village of Durnstein where had time at leisure to explore. It soon became apparent that the area was renowned for it’s apricot production judging by the amount of apricot flavoured products that were on sale! After exploring the small pebble streets of the village we then hopped back on the ship and up to the sun deck for the Bavarian lunch. I say lunch but this was in fact a snack before lunch was actually served back in the restaurant. Suckling pig, bratwursts and pretzels were on offer. It would have been rude to say no, but I managed to limit myself saving room for another fantastic meal.

After filling my belly yet again it was time to burn some calories. We then once again departed the ship and boarded coaches to take us the short journey to Melk Abbey. This is an 11th Century Benedictine Abbey which stands on a rocky outcrop overlooking the Danube. The Abbey houses one of the most beautiful Baroque churches north of the alps. It also contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria’s first ruling dynasty.

The next part of our journey takes me to the city of Salzburg the birth place of the famed composer Mozart.

I’m afraid you’ll have to wait for my next blog to see what I thought of Salzburg and to hear about the rest of my wonderful Great Rail Journey’s trip on the Danube aboard the Amadeus Queen. If you have any questions or would like to share your experiences along this magical river, please just let me know.

Till next time.

James