Budapest

One of many surprises on the trip was the beauty of Budapest in the morning. Wish we’d had time to see the interior of the Gellert Spa. Finally time for a coffee and treats at Anna Café. More photos of beautiful Budapest here.

Bratislava

The capital of Slovakia was not supposed to be on our tour, but due to some loch work, we took a welcome detour to this interesting city. The rest of the images from Bratislava can be seen here.

Vienna

Vienna, with its 1.7 million inhabitants, is the largest city we visited. The city has a modern (and very expensive!) feel. Dozens of quaint cafés serve some of the best coffee and sweets we’ve ever tasted. We only wish we could’ve had a bite of this edible pony. St. Stephen’s Cathedral and another impressive organ….

Dürnstein

After a pleasant three hour cruise, the sun appeared just in time to see this picturesque village from the Danube. Later in the afternoon, we tasted the exquisite “biodynamic” wines at the Nickolai Winery. The rest of the pictures from this day are here.

Melk

The spectacular Melk Abbey provided plenty of eye-popping splendor on today’s tour. We found a delightful mix of the ultra-modern design and treasures from the past. The library was really stunning, but unfortunately, no photos were allowed. To give you some idea what it looked like, have a look at this amazing 3D shot of…

Salzburg

Scenery along the Danube is starting to become really lovely – especially when the sun (almost) makes an appearance. The Salzburg Cathedral. I’m not sure of the significance of the big gold ball or of the dude standing on top of it! View more pictures of our visit to Salzburg here.

Passau

Now on board the River Beatrice, our first stop is Passau. The site of the worst flooding in 5 centuries, Passau is small and charming. Our guide explains that the city was built at the confluence of three rivers – the Danube, the Inn and the Ilz. More Passau pics here.

Prague

I knew before we traveled to Prague that I would search out the awesome staircase in the photo below. I had spotted it on the web somewhere, and knew that it was located in the House of the Black Madonna, which, as luck would have it, was just a few blocks from our hotel. Our…