Passau, Germany

After leaving Linz, we sailed up the Danube to Passau.  Passau is a city on a point of land where the Inn River from the Swiss Alps and the Ilz River from the north meet the Danube.  The highlight of the visit was St Stephan's Church.  The church has a 17,000 pipe organ, and we were treated to a concert played by one of the three organ masters. 

There had been lots of rain and so the Danube was to high for us to go all the way to Regensburg, our next stop.  In addition the Inn River was flooding just before we arrived and was just below flood stage when we were in town.

Flowers Outside Passau City Hall

Passau City Hall

Flower Boxes Outside Apartments in Passau

St. Stephan's Cathedral 17,000 Pipe Organ

Ceiling Murals in St. Stephan's Cathedral

Inn River Just Below Flood Stage

Salzburg, Austria

After leaving the Wachau Valley we sailed up river to Linz.  From there we took a two hour bus ride to Salzburg at the foot hills of the Austrian Alps.  The city was also the location for the filming of "The Sound of Music" and the birth place of Mozart.  Below are pictures of Salzburg in and out of showers, as we had rain most of the day.

 

 The Alps as Seen from Outside Salzburg

 

 

 Georgia & Hugh with the Alps in the Background

Mirabell Gardens

 

Fortress Hohensalzburg

Salzburg Street Scene

Mozart's Birthplace

 

Salzburg Market

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Durnstein and the Wachau Valley

Leaving Vienna, we sailed up the river to Durstein, a small village along the river.  This is the heart of the Wachau Valley wine region.  After touring the small town, we sampled several of the fine wines of the region before sailing up through the valley to visit Salzburg.

Old City Wall as Seen form the Danube

Durnstein Street Scene

 

 

 Street Scene with the Old Castle in the Background

Wachau Valley Vineyard

 

 Small Ferry for Carrying People Across the Danube

The Imperial City of Vienna

After leaving Bratislava, we went up the Danube to spend two days in Vienna.  Most of our time was spend visiting the Schonbrunn Palace, the palace stables, and the various palace rooms.  On the second day we visited the museums in the area and watched the Lipizzaner horses going through their practice.

Vienna Museum of Natural History

 

Schonbrunn Palace

 

 Georgia at Palace Entry

 

 Royal Dining Room

 

 Gold Christine Bowl from the Palace Treasury

 

Palace Horse Stables

Bratislava, Slovakia

After leaving Budapest, we sailed on the MS Swiss Sapphire up the Danube river to Slovakia and its capital Bratislava.  It is a beautiful small city in a country that has only been is existence for about 20 years.  Below are some of the pictures of the city.

Georgia with a new Cable Stayed Bridge in Bratislava

 

Statue to the WW2 Partisans Who Fought the Germans

 

 Hviezslavovo Park

 

 Statue of Hans Christian Anderson

 

 Street Statue, Touching His Head Brings Good Luck

Budapest, Hungary

We arrived in Budapest late in the afternoon of Thursday September 11th.  Our hotel was right on the Danube River with a view of the Buda side of the city and the Buda Castle.  At night the castle was beautifully lighted with river and bridge lights in the foreground.  On Friday we explored the Pest side of the city including the State Opera House, Hero's Square, the Covered Market, and did some walking along the auto less streets.  The Pictures below are some of the city scenes:

Buda Castle at Night from our Hotel

 

Georgia with the Castle Behind Her

 

Budapest as Seen from the Buda side with the Danube River in the Middle of the City

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 State Opera House in Pest

Hero's Square in Pest

Georgia & Hugh at Hero's Square

Georgia Celebrates entering a New Decade

The weekend of August 23th, Georgia celebrated her birthday, as she entered a new decade.  The celebrations began on August 23rd.   Our daughter, Melissa, and oldest grandson, Kellen, flew in from Southern California and we hosted a dinner for them, Georgia's sister, Yvonne, her husband, John, and a close friend Jake.  

On Saturday we hosted a garden luncheon for 30 people in our back yard.  This was followed up with Sunday Brunch at Sam's Café in Tiburon, and the weekend finished with a surprise birthday party at Yvonne and John's house Sunday night.  Three days of festivities in all, and it couldn't have been better.

Below are some pictures of the weekend

 

 Garden Party Attendees

 

Georgia & Hugh

 

Georgia & Grandson, Kellen

 

Georgia at Sam's Café for Sunday Brunch

 

Sunday Night Surprise Birthday Party Guests

 

Georgia and her Birthday Cake