Penang Panoramas
We’ve been to mainland Malaysia before but this was the first time in Penang, Having a full day to wander around Georgetown, I devised a personal walking tour. With another couple from our cruise...
Category: Cruises
Vasco Da Gama’s Maiden Voyage
I thought I’d found a bargain cruise! A ship that had started life as the HAL Statendam, then became the P&O Pacific Eden, had now been refurbished and rebadged as the Vasco Da Gama,...
Budapest – a Tale of Two Cities
Two for the price of one, really. This Hungarian capital straddles both sides of the Danube River. On one side is Buda, with its hilltop former palace and Gothic church. On the other is...
Bratislava – Capital of Slovakia
Bratislava’s unique position between the borders of two countries – Austria and Hungary – meant, historically, that its location was of strategic importance to the competing powers. Consequently it was known by several other...
Vienna – on the Blue Danube
Capital of modern Austria, Vienna was also the focal point of the Hapsburg Empire which ruled for over six centuries. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2001 and in the top two of the...
Dürnstein – Pearl of the Wachau
Situated on the section of the Danube River known as the Wachau Valley, between Melk and Krems, Dürnstein is considered by many to be the “Pearl” of the Wachau. Legend has it that Richard...
Melk and its stunning Abbey
Magnificently situated high on a bluff overlooking the Danube, the Baroque Melk Abbey is one of the most impressive sights of Lower Austria. Here, the river Melk and the river Pielach join the Danube,...
Český Krumlov – a Bohemian Gem
At this stage of our river journey through Europe we were given an option to take a side trip to either Český Krumlov in Czechia (the Czech Republic), or Salzburg, Austria. Since we would...
The Old Town of Regensburg
The Altstadt of Regensburg and the settlement of Stadtamhof, on an island north of the town, became Germany’s 32nd World Heritage site in 2006. Once the important Roman city of Castra Regina, it developed...
Nuremberg, a city with a checkered past.
As a child growing up in Australia, post WWII, I was already familiar with the name of this city. It was linked inexorably with the evils of Nazism. This was the city of Hitler’s...
