MS Amadeus Riva: Day 10! After nine fun-filled and beautiful sailing days, we reached the end of our Danube Journey. My last sleep aboard the ship was full of lots of bumps in the night (I learned later that we'd had to clear several locks during heavy rain and wind. I was awake at 0530 and spent more than an hour packing, reading and doing Duolingo exercises (this was also the time when I paid for my room mandatory gratuities). At 0700, I went to breakfast (my last meal on the ship). While I was eating, I we passed through more locks. Back in my room, I cleaned up for the last time and left bags in the passageway. Though I felt like resting until it was time to depart, I decided to spend time walking on Sun Deck. There was some very pretty fog - due to the cooler weather. At around this time, I also talked to many of the crewmembers and gave tips to exceptional staff (Suci & Kadek & my room cleaner). While talking with other passengers, learned it was Father Pat’s birthday yesterday and I was able to wish him many happy returns. Overall, I believe this morning was the best, weather wise, we've had during the whole trip but most of the other passengers thought it was "too cold" (60s F). We crossed into Germany (my first time there since before I retired from the military) before 0930 and were docked in Passau by 0945. About 15 minutes later, we boarded busses parked on the pier and left for a tour of the town. Our departure from "Amadeus Riva" for the last time was bittersweet. To get to the area where we'd have our walking excursion for the morning, we had to travel through a long tunnel under the mountain. Apparently, the only means to reach the city center in the past was to travel there by boat. The little German town, located at the junction of three rivers (Inn, Ilz, Danau) reminded me a little of Pittsburgh but also had the distinction of being at the crossroads of several countries who relied on the river traffic in ancient times. Our local guide, Daniel, took us through the pretty, cobblestoned streets and told us a lot about Passat’s history and unique place in the trade between empires. He was a teacher (off for summer break) and was a very guide, sharing stories about life in his hometown and the education of young people in Germany. We had to climb and descend a lot of stairs because Passau has always been prone to flooding. This was such a pretty place - and far eastern part of Bavaria, a fact I’d not considered prior to this trip. It was also a Catholic Bishopric which made it unique in the make up of the population (i.e., only Catholics lived there all the way up to 1945). The tour lasted from about 1015 to 1145 and we then were given some free time. I wanted to see more of the riverfront do walked down the hill on the Danube and walked along rows and rows of cruise ships and “party cruise boats.” Ultimately, I walked all the way to the end of the peninsula, where the Danube and Inn Rivers mixed. Very pretty. I then made my way back towards the restaurant (I believe it was called something like “Peschl-Terrasse”) where our group was supposed to meet at 1230. The walk ended up being longer than I’d planned so I was about 10 minutes late. It didn’t matter, through, because they still fed me well: local beer (house lager), salad, Wiener Schnitzel, boiled potatoes and apple strudel! It started raining while we were eating so I skipped the next “free time” we received and just relaxed on the comfortable (and covered) terrace. We had to meet our buses at 1345 so I used my umbrella during the walk (glad I brought it). We departed Passau and the Danube at 1400 - this was another bittersweet moment... We drove north on Route 12 toward Prague, which was located about 165 KM away. Andrea, our local guide lady, spent a lot of the drive talking about the history of the area and prepping us for our arrival in Prague. She was interesting and upbeat and, before long, I realized we had crossed into the Czech Republic without noticing it (I never saw the sign). Meanwhile, the weather improved. We took CR-4 to the north through the old region of Sudetenland, an “Iron Curtain” no-mans-land that was very mountainous, forested and had lots of road construction zones. At 1605, we stopped for a bathroom break at a gas station in Strakonice. While there, I got some gummy bears (good sugar rush). After getting everyone to deign to rejoin us on the bus, we got on our way again. CR-4 eventually transformed into a more modern highway but I noticed that some of it wasn’t finished. Andrea continued providing information about history, agriculture, architecture and culture. In the background, she had music playing - this was "Ma Vlast", by Smetana, a piece that my mom had introduced me to in the 1980s with a cassette tape. As has happened with several other key moments during the entire trip, I thought about her at that moment. We made it to the outskirts of Prague by 1745 but it took another 30 minutes to reach our hotel, the Art Deco Imperial. By then (1820), I was quite tired and was happy to get my room key rather quickly. Unfortunately, I then had to wait for more than an hour for my bag to be brought to the room. Meanwhile, the ND folks had made a reservation for dinner and asked me to join them - of course, I accepted! Soon after I’d made a call to the front desk (a rare “complaint” for this trip), my bag arrived at the door. Feelin relieved, I changed clothes and went downstairs to join Steve and Donna, Jim and Sue (1945) at the Impreal Cafe (hotel restaurant). Hoping to get into the local cuisine and "brew culture", I tried a local dark beer (Sumavsky Special, almost like stout), turkey club sandwich and lots of good conversation. We finished eating our delicious meal just after 2100. Afterwards, I went walking with Jim and Sue. It was a pleasant evening! They dropped off near the Powder Tower but I continued walking until I reached Old Town Square (Stare Mesto) - less than 10 minutes after I'd departed my hotel. Along the way, caught glimpses of St. Nicholas Cathedral, Old Town Hall, Jan Huss Monument, Marian Column and Church of Our Lady Before Tyn. Encountered a lot of Bright Young Things walking in the square and enjoying a wonderful evening with friends. Despite the maze of streets, I made it back to the hotel at 2200 without too many issues. Before heading to bed, I did some blogging and reading - I fell asleep at 2315. With just a little time this evening, I can feel a great vibe in this fascinating city!
