Munich

Tha last stop on our trip, and it was a good one. Our ultra-hip room at the Louis Hotel was perfectly situated right above the long-standing Viktualienmarkt, and just a short walk to a bustling Christmas market.

Nuremberg

The rain and cold made it a bit difficult to appreciate this city, parts of which have been rebuilt to pre-war conditions from the ruins of devastating carpet bombing that had destroyed 95% of the city by January, 1945. We visited the old castle in the rain and warmed our bones over an excellent lunch,…

Regensberg

(Everything you see in today’s featured image is made of chocolate.) Our busiest day was followed by a much-needed slow day. Kelly spent the morning trying to compensate for lost sleep pretty much every jetlagged day so far. In the afternoon, we visited one of the most charming Christmas markets so far at the Thurn…

Passau

We crossed the border between Austria and Germany and docked at one of our favorite towns along the Danube, picturesque Passau, which sits at the confluence of three rivers, the Inn, the Ilz and the Danube. This location is plagued by frequent major floods, the largest ever occurring in 2013, where flood levels reached over…

Linz

The cruise to Linz took place in the afternoon of our Dürstein day. Cruising days are fun and relaxing. Sightseeing through the Wachau Valley – even in winter – is one of my favorite ways to spend a day. While cruising, we decided to go to the top deck, but we didn’t last long in…

Dürnstein

This was our second visit to the postcard-perfect Dürnstein. On our last trip, there was no time to climb up the hill to the castle ruins, but this time we decided to give it a try. It was steep and a bit treacherous on the snowy steps, but at each corner, the ever-improving view demanded…

Vienna

Day one – a suite surprise Our 2018 trip to Christmas Markets of Austria and Germany began with a very long, but relatively comfortable flight on Turkish Airlines, where we enjoyed multiple courses of pretty darn good airline food and lay-flat seats. (More on this later.) But the story of our trip really begins with a…