1. European River Cruise - Interrupted...

Late May 2013

With our friends, Edward and Peta, we had been planning this trip for some time. All the bookings were made with Avalon Waterways for the cruise.

We would fly independently to Budapest in Hungary.

Robyn and I chose to fly Malaysian Airlines from Perth via Bangkok to Frankfurt in Germany. Then we took a train overland to Budapest via Munich.

Edward and Peta chose Emirates and flew via Dubai and Munich to Budapest.

Through a very fortunate series of events it was our pleasure to have Madeleine and Val going on the cruise with us. They flew with Edward and Peta.

For the leg Dubai to Munich, Edward and Peta enjoyed Business Class on an A380.

 

 Val and Madeleine joined them for drinkees.

 

 

25 May 2013:

Robyn and I landed in Frankfurt at 7am. It was 3 degrees !!

 

We stayed one night in the Manhattan Hotel which was pretty good, and right over the road from the railway station. We did a recce of the railway station so we would know what to do tomorrow. It was full of yummy food stalls so our resolutions for this trip went right out the door on the first day. Pretzels, mmmmmm, yummo. 

 

This was the same time that a European Soccer final was on in the UK between two German teams so Frankfurt had quite a few soccer fans enjoying themselves.

 

26 May 2013:

So essentially Robyn and I began our trip  in the Frankfurt Railway Station.

 

We left Frankfurt at 8:20 am and passed through suburban and industrial areas enroute to Munich.

We had a train change and an hour or so in Munich during which we had to locate the public toilets. We were told: downstairs and they are pay toilets. Well, I was expecting to wade through stale urine but what a pleasant surprise. Pristine, spotlessly clean. Attendants maintaining the cleanliness. A hand washing station with all sorts of soaps. All for 1 Euro.

 

 

We jumped on the train to Budapest and pretty soon we were passing through some very picturesque countryside. This was an 8 hour train ride and we were sitting at a table opposite a young couple who, I think, were Hungarian. We never got to find out because in that entire 8 hours they had their heads in their phones and earphones in their ears and an opportunity to have a conversation never arose.

 

We arrived in Budapest at about 9pm and caught a taxi up to the Hilton Hotel where we would spend 3 nights.