Danube Cruise Spring 2026

  Our last day of the tour. It's going to be even hotter today, up to 34C!. Luckily we had signed up for the optional tour to Terezin. I've been interested in this Nazi Concentration camp since reading the Winds of War and War & Remembrance many years ago. And last year I actually met someone who was in this camp as a baby. The story of Terezin during WW2 is quite bizarre. The Nazis promoted it as a "Paradise Ghetto" and charged Jews large sums of money to be transferred there instead of one of the camps like Auschwitz. There were no gas chambers at Terezin, but still many Jews and other political prisoners died there of disease and starvation. And almost all were eventually shipped off to their death in one of the other camps. But the really bizarre thing is the fact that Hitler ordered a "beautification" for a Red Cross visit to show that the Nazi Camps were treating people well. There was even a film made. Terezin is about 1 hour out of Prague through...

This afternoon we did a beer tasting at a brewery restaurant not far from our hotel. After hearing so much about Czech beer, we weren't all that impressed by the beer at the tasting. We have enjoyed the Czech beer we've bought at the supermarket!  We  had a little down time before the Folklore Dinner at 7pm. It took a while to get there (I think the driver got lost) but we arrived at the family restaurant before 8pm. There were musicians with traditional instruments like the dulcimer and violin, a local type of bagpipe, also a long shepherd's pipe. And 2 dancers doing a variety of dances. I'm never too sure about these tourist dinners, but this one was a lot of fun. And apparently the family has been doing this since the 1990s.The dinner was very good. A starter of potatoes/cabbage/pork, the a skewer of pork and chicken with scalloped potatoes and green beans and croquettes. Apricot pancakes for dessert. And the wine kept coming and coming, in very long decanters. The e...

  It's going to be another hot day, up to 34C this afternoon. Luckily our tours are in the morning, Temperatures in the high 20s, and as long as you're in the shade it's fine. Only 5 of us opted to do the "Castle Hike" tour. The rest of the group are taking the bus up to the castle, then walking down. We are walking both ways. We started out from the hotel going from the new town to the old town at the Powder Tower. Then through streets of the old town to the Old Town square with the Astronomical clock. Tourists gather every hour to watch it. Right now some of the statues are being repaired. It's interesting to see, but not to try and take a video of. (that doesn't stop most people!) We made our way through the streets towards the Charles Bridge. There are so many beautiful buildings that I took far too many pictures! We then joined the throngs to cross the Charles bridge. It really is a lovely setting, and because it's pedestrian only, nice to walk ac...