8 October - Dubai International Airport

Another busy day in Dubai yesterday. Visited the old Soukh (Market) and in the evening we had a Desert Sunset experience. We left Dubai at 5pm and drove into the Arabian desert where we encountered a huge restaurant and activities complex. You could actually sit in an open air restaurant and have a meal but our ticket did not include the meal so we were able to look around and take photo as the sun went down. Rosa and Sandra had a short camel ride.

After an hour or so it was time to go back to Dubai. We had time for a final drink together, then to complete our packing ready for a 6 am breakfast in the morning. Right now we are at the airport, baggage is all. checked in and we expect a boarding call in about 1 hour

5 October, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

After a fairly early breakfast this morning it was back to the Big Bus for our trip to New Dubai. Nearly 20 years ago I drove from Dubai to Abu Dhabi, which at that time was a trip across the Arabian dessert. Within 15 minutes of leaving the airport I had departed Dubai and had started crossing the dessert. Today 25km of that stretch of dessert has been turned into hundreds of skyscrapers - one block alone has 30 skyscrapers with a population of 60,000 housed in luxury apartments - marinas, shopping malls and an artificial waterway which has turned desert into a maritime wonderland.

This photo shows a very small part of an area which only 10 years ago was desert. We started today with a cruise along this waterway, from the residential area all the way out to where it meets the Arabian Gulf.

It goes without saying the the sky was blue and it was hot. As we approached the sea we could see another artificial island being built, and the erection of the Dubai Eye, a ferris wheel which, when completed will be the largest in the world.

It is spectacular, as everything is here in Dubai. Once we completed the cruise we then returned to the Big Bus and continued on to the famous Palm complex. This complex consists of reclaimed land created in the shape of a palm tree surrounded by a crescent moon, all made from sand dredged from the sea.

This incredible complex houses luxury homes, with private beaches, hotels, parks, a water Theme Park and shopping centres. Our bus took us right down the trunk of the tree, and then entered an underwater tunnel to reach the crescent, on which is located the Atlantis Hotel.

The hotel itself features shopping malls, restaurants and two giant aquariums. Our bus tickets included access to both and we spent a few hours looking at the most incredible collection of marine life all set in a space made to resemble the mythical lost continent of Atlantis.

Quite a wonderful environment and an endless array of fish, jelly fish, crayfish, and coral.

We spent a few hours wandering around and admiring this display and trying to capture the feel of the place with the camera.

I've lost count of how many photos and videos I took and it's going to be quite a task sorting them all out when we get home.

We have one more full day here tomorrow. Out tickets include a "Sunset in the Dessert" experience so we'll definitely try to fit that in. We also want to visit one of the traditional soukhs (markets) here in old Dubai. Then very early on Sunday morning it's time to make our way to the airport for the flight home.

4 October, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Woke to an alarm this morning after a very comfortable night here at the Novotel in Dubai. We wanted to get an early start to work out a program for the next three days here. So many things to see and do, and so many types of transport but in the end after speaking with our very helpful concierge we decided to all buy a three day ticket on the "Big Bus" which provides a 'hop on, hop off" service to all parts of the city, and includes tickets and entry into a lot of the things we want to see.

Our hotel is located next to the second biggest mall in Dubai, the Mall of the Emirates. It is hard to describe how big this place is, it is probably the same size as all Melbourne Malls (including Chadstone) combined. It was also our embarkation point for the Big Bus, and so we spent the rest of the afternoon touring around to a range of interesting locations around the city. At 38ºC it is too hot to walk anywhere and so the bus is is the best option to get an overview. In 1999 I spent a week in Abu Dhabi, and as a result became a bit familiar with Dubai. It is amazing to see how much has changed in only 19 years. Building and development of new areas and projects is occurring everywhere. Our bus trip today gave us a good overview, and a better idea about activities for the next two nights. On our return, we called in to the Dubai Mall, now the largest shopping centre in the world for a drink and a snack. The food court alone is bigger than the whole of the Traralgon Plaza and Mid Valley combined, and features every food outlet we've ever heard off and quite a few we hadn't. I couldn't resist visiting the Ice Cream Factory. When you order a selection, the ingredients are placed into a machine which then blends everything. Then, right at the end the machine receives a short injection of liquid nitrogen, which turns everything into the most delicious ice-cream I have ever tasted.

This shopping centre also features a huge saltwater aquarium which extends to all three levels of the centre. While you are walking along the ground level you can watch sharks, rays and many other fish and watch SCUBA divers feeding the fish.

Ater a while it was time to take the final bus back to our hotel. The route took us along the beach and past the famous Burj al Arab hotel which is shaped like a giant sail. When we passed it the sun was already low.

Returning to our room it was soon time for drinks and a bite to eat, and now it is time to get to bed and prepare for another day. In a couple of days we'll be packing for the final time for the trip back home.

4 October - Duba, UAE

Arrived in Dubai last night at around 11:30pm local time. Temperature here was around 35ºC. Our hotel is the Novotel, Mall of the Emirates. Having breakfast shortly to plan our three days here. I was last in Dubai (other than the airport) in 1999. The changes are absolutely amazing. Will post again when we've been out and about.

2 October, Budapest, Hungary

Today is our third and final day here in Budapest. We are located in a beautiful 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment located close to everything and surrounded by cosy restaurants. Today John and Sandra headed off into the countryside quite early, to visit family who have a holiday house here in Hungary. Rosa and I took the opportunity to walk from our apartment to Heroe's Square which is one of the focal points of Budapest. It is a large square surrounded by museums, parks and a large lake and features a number of memorials to great figures in Hungary's history. It also has a tomb of the "unknown soldier".

When we started our walk it was quite chilly and there were signs of recent rain. Nevertheless armed with our cold weather gear we persevered and undertook the 2 km walk through some of the most beautiful parts of Budapest. You can really feel that winter is approaching quite rapidly here.

After our visit to to the square we then had a quick look at the lake which not surprisingly, given the weather was abandoned.

As we turned around for the walk back the sky had brightened somewhat so we decided to return via the shopping district and a coffee at Starbucks. That's it for shopping now - until Dubai of course!

We're going to spend the afternoon doing some serious packing as we are boarding our flight to Dubai tomorrow afternoon. Looked at the forecast for Dubai today and it is in the mid 30's - quite a change.

30 September - Budapest

Last night was our last night on the Monarch Baroness. Lots of festivities and farewells and speeches and a Captain's cocktail party. After a two week stint sailing and touring with a group of people it is a bit nostalgic to be finally saying goodbye and all going our own way. We were treated to a local operetta company performing some great operetta pieces for us and then it was time to retire for our final night on board. I briefly went on deck to admire a night time view of this incredible city and to snap this photo.

I must say the shipping line had arranged things beautifully. We had to vacate our cabins at 8:30 and leave our bags outside the cabin doors with our name and our intended departure time. The ship's receptionist handled all the taxis and transfers. After breakfast we killed some time in the lounge, and right on our nominated departure time of 10:30 we are called and our taxi driver was in the foyer waiting to take us to our mini van. A couple of burly seamen to help with the luggage and we were soon on our way. Shortly after a bit of confusion (Hungarian is quite difficult to read) we arrived at our destination, a beautiful apartment with two bedrooms and bathrooms to share. Our accommodation is 5 star. Went for a walk this afternoon through the popular shopping areas before sitting down for coffees/beers just outside our accommodation. A couple of hours ( and a couple of gin and tonics) later we were ready to find somewhere to eat dinner and found a very cosy looking Hungarian restaurant right on our front door. A signature dish here is beef goulash, a wonderfully rich beef stew and it went down well with a bottle of the excellent local red wine. A great meal and a wonderful memory. Altogether another fruitful and tiring day and tonight we are having an early night to prepare for another big day tomorrow.

29 September - Budapest, Hungary

After travelling all night we had an early breakfast so that we could watch our ship arrive in the beautiful city of Budapest, the capital of Hungary, and our final destination on the Danube. It was a fairly grey and overcast day as we anxiously peered around each bend in the river to catch a glimpse of Budapest, and suddenly there it was. The first major building to greet us was the magnificent Hungarian house of parliament which looks like a palace from a fairy tale.

Then, as we glided slowly down the Danube we were treated to one beautiful building after another.

It was totally silent on the Monarch Baroness as we sailed very slowly into the heart of town, the silence only broken now and then by the commentary of our Cruise Director Jean Pierre who explained what it was we were looking at.

Shortly after, the ship spun on its own axis and we retraced our approach to dock next to many other cruise ships close to the centre of town. A few minutes later we were on our way to the buses for our guided tour of Budapest.

Our tour took us for a panoramic overview of the city before proceeding up to a hill where the church of St Matthias and the former royal palaces are located. The view over Budapest from here was absolutely spectacular and we spent just over an hour looking around and taking photographs. It was very busy - there are lots of tourists around even this late in the season.

We returned to the Baroness just before 1 pm and just in time for lunch. We spend our final evening on the ship here in Budapest and then vacate our cabins in the morning ready for the next cruise from here to Amsterdam. We are booked into a hotel here for three nights, before then flying to Dubai and then home.

28 September - Vienna, Austria

After our first night aboard the Monarch Baroness we woke this morning at our berth just outside Vienna the capital of Austria. This city must be one of the most culturally endowed places in the world. Architecture, sculpture, music, painting have all reached incredible levels as artists from all over the world have made Vienna their home. Museums and concert halls are everywhere, and it seems that it would take months to explore what this city has to offer. We were bussed from our ship this morning and had to negotiate the new modern, and traffic bound Vienna to finally reach the old centre which is resplendent with royal dwellings, museums and grand houses with a mixture of architectural styles reflecting the city's history.

 

When in modern times, excavations began for the city's metro railway system Roman ruins were discovered this display, right in the middle of Vienna shows the remains of walls and drainage systems which are over 2000 years old.

Vienna was for many hundreds of years the capital city of the Austro Hungarian empire, ruled over by the Habsburg dynasty and so the city has a fantastic collection of magnificent palaces which these days are used to house museums.

After coming to power, Hitler quickly annexed Austria and declared it to be part of Germany and there are many historical photographs and films which show him addressing the Austrian people in the square shown above while he was standing on the balcony of the building on the left.

Our tour this morning started with an overview bus tour, which gave us a quick idea of some of the main features of the city, followed by an extensive walking tour, once again with a terrific local guide.

She was very well informed about the history and the architecture of the city.

Following our tours we were then free to wander around and explore the city centre by ourselves. We quickly found a great outdoor cafe to enjoy some of the famous Vienna coffee, apple strudel, zachertort and in my case some Viennese sausage. Later, while walking down some of the very opulent shopping boulevards, we discovered a Maltese church, first established by the Knights of Malta. From the outside the only hint it was Maltese, and a church was a Maltese Cross above the door and a small sign which announced "Maltese Kirche".

On opening the doors which looked very much like the entry to an office or an expensive shop, we found a wonderful and very tranquil little church (John the Baptist) decorated with red and white flags. On reflection Vienna is probably the most beautiful city I have ever visited, and it would be wonderful to come back with sufficient time to explore it and all it has to offer at a more leisurely pace.

27 September - Melk, Austria

Today was the dreaded day when the Monarch Queen reached a section of the Danube which was too shallow to navigate. On the other side of the section of the river was the Monarch Baroness, our sister ship. So began a complex operation where the entire group of passengers in each ship was exchanged with the other. We had to have our bags packed and tagged and outside our rooms at 9:00 and at 9:15 we boarded the buses for the three hour drive to Melk in Austria. All our luggage was collected and moved for us, and presumably the same happened at the other end. Three hours later, including a much needed toilet stop about halfway, we arrived in Melk to find the Monarch Baroness waiting for us.

After a quick soup and sandwich lunch we then embarked on a bus tour to a fantastic historic monastery located here in Melk. This incredible complex which dates back 1000 years is a Benedictine Abbey which at one time housed up to 100 monks. Today that number is down to 28, and most of the Abbey is now given over to a prestigious private school (100 Euro/mth, Austria is a country which values education)and a fantastic museum.

It is a veritable treasure house of priceless artefacts and at one time the abby owned the Gutenberg Bible which was the first book ever printed on the Gutenberg press - today a priceless arifact. Hundreds of years ago the monks sold it to pay for the repair to the roof of the monastery and church.

Located in the middle of the monastery is a wonderful church, once again laden with priceless frescoes, paintings and artefacts.

Every room in this building is a priceless monument to the Baroque period and the art of fresco.

One of the most interesting aspects of the abbey is its library which also dates back almost 900 years. It occupies floor after floor of some 70,000 leather-bound volumes and is still an active library today. A stunningly beautiful room.

After this all too brief visit to the Melk Abbey it was time to return to the ship for a brief rest, and then our first dinner aboard the Monarch Baroness. When we returned to the ship all our bags had been transported from the Monarch Queen and placed in our cabin - an incredible operation.

26 September - Passau, Germany

We arrived in Passau this morning and woke to a crisp but fine day here on the Danube. We were docked right in the middle of town and at 09:00 were met by our local guides for a walking town of this beautiful city.

The tour focused of course on the old medieval part of the city, and the highlight for us was the Cathedral (St Stephens) which is very beautiful, and also has the largest organ of any church in the world. Each day there is a 30 minute concert performed on this magnificent instrument and we were able to attend - simply amazing. After lunch I went back into town to do some more exploring by myself. Being a medieval town, there are little alleys and stairway everywhere, and often little street pass right under some of the old buildings.

Passau, like most cities in this region is a photographer's paradise. Every few steps presents you with an interesting point of view.

Finally, at dinner time we were off and sailed into the most amazing sunset. 

We learned last night that despite earlier optimism, we will not be able to sail beyond Melk, due to low water levels in the Danube. That means that tomorrow we will travel by bus to the Monarch Baron, a sister ship to continue our travel towards Budapest. Will spend the evening packing.

25 September - Regensburg on the Danube

Our trek across Europe continues and today we reached Regensburg. We received some good news yesterday, there is enough water beyond Regensburg to continue without changing ships. Europe has experience a hot and dry summer and there has not been enough water in some places for navigation, but now it look like we stay with the Monarch Queen all the way.

Regensberg is yet another UNESCO World Heritage listed city here in Bavaria. It escaped bombing in WWII so it retains buildings and structures which date all the way back to the Roman period, nearly 2000 years. Once again our local guide took us around the city and explained the history of the most important buildings including the magnificent cathedral. The weather is getting steadily colder but once again we've escaped in rain, in fact blue skies prevailed today.

24 September - Nuremberg, Germany

When we woke this morning we had arrived in Nuremberg, the second largest city in Bavaria. This is a large modern industrial city but at its heart lies an old medieval city which is either intact from the middle ages or has been restored since WWII. Once again we were transported by buses to town and undertook a 90 minute walking tour led again by an excellent English speaking tour guide. There were several highlight on this tour. One of these was a walk up the hill to view the Nuremberg castle which was interesting in itself but also provided a great overview of the city. To its credit, Nuremberg has not allowed the construction of any building taller than the existing ones, so no skyscrapers. My main interest in Nuremberg though arises from the city's association with the early history of the Nazi party, and the war crimes trials which were held here after WWII ended. From the beginning of the Nazi party initially and the regime after 1933, huge rallies were organised to spread the Nazi message which led to Hitler coming to power in 1933. These rallies were held here in Nuremberg in a large field called the Zeppelin Field. Huge structures were erected to stage the extravaganzas we have all probably seen in historical documentaries.

Our tour included a visit to Zeppelin Field and to my surprise, the central portion of the great stage structure from which Hitler made his speeches, is still there.

The colonnades on either side have long been removed, but the central stand has been maintained. It was quite an sombre experience to stand on this spot which I had expected would have been demolished long ago. In 1945, months after the end of WWII, the leading surviving members of the Nazi regime were tried for war crimes by a tribunal organised by the USA, USSR and Great Britain. This process which has been well documented and recounted in a Hollywood movie starring Alec Baldwin (I think) was carried out in the Palace of Justice. This huge complex is a major court centre still in use today. The room where the Nuremberg trials were held is located in this building.

After visiting these sites and a walk around town we had an hour or so to stroll through a little market happening in the middle of town. We were in Bavaria so a bockwurst and sauerkraut was the way to end our visit to Nuremberg.

23 September - Bamberg, Bavaria, Germany

Once again, we sailed through the nights and occasionally felt a bump as we navigated more locks.
The river we are on at the moment, through the use of locks rises more than 400m to reach a point in the European divide which is the highest point reached by any ship through locks. Late in the morning the Monarch Queen berthed in Bamburg, another major city here in Bavaria.

 

Unlike many other cities in this part of the world, Bamberg was not bombed during WWII, and hence the whole inner city which dates to more than 1000 years ago is UNESCO world heritage listed. We were transported from the ship to the city by buses to met once again by very good English speaking local guides who took us around the main sights and sites on a walking tour.

Once again we were overwhelmed with the beauty of this city and its architecture which spans the whole range from medieval to baroque and to rococo. Although the forecast was for rain today, and we were equipped with our yellow umbrellas, the rain stayed away. As it was Sunday though, there was little opportunity for shopping and we had to be satisfied with a bratwurst from a street vendor and a coffee at the local bakery.

By late afternoon, it was back to the buses and to the Monarch Queen. Tomorrow is another day and our destination is Nuremberg.