River Cruise on the Danube

Departing Vienna, our ship started north, upstream, on the Danube.  Our first stop was in the Wachau Valley, a famous wine producing area of Austria.  Known for its' white wines, this beautiful mountainous area reminds me of Napa and Sonoma as regarding the topography.

Stopping at the small town of Krems, we rode our bikes to Melk, a few miles upstream, touring the wine country along the way.  There were numerous beautiful old churches and castles along the way, in addition to thousands of tourists from the other River cruise boats.

Riding our bikes along beautiful wine trails, we arrived in Melk, a quaint small Austrian town.  Home of the Melk Abbey and Schallaburg Castle, we toured both.

Melk Abbey 

If you look closely at the top of the picture, you will see an unusual frescoe.  This is at the Schallaburg Castle.  Our guide explained this as the response from the craftsman, having worked on this castle for 20 years, and then being told at the end of his engagement that the royal family had gone bankrupt building this massive sturucture, and they could not pay his final bill.  So he finished his work with a fluorish. 

Vineyards of the Wachau Valley

2017 River Cruise

Vickie and I love to travel and usually we plan our own travels, not being a fan of planned tours and such.  However, we have taken a few cruises, Alaska being the most recent in 2015.  Several of our friends have talked about European River cruises, so we decided to try it.

After a lot of research, we decided on cruising the Danube.  It is the longest river in the EU, beginning in the Black Forest of Germany, and emptying into the Black Sea.  Traveling through ten countries, more than any other River in the world, it is over 1700 miles in length.

We picked Crystal Cruise lines, a well known ocean cruise company, and they are new to River cruising.  The Crystal Mozart did not disappoint.  Ours was a round trip cruise, starting and ending in Vienna, Austria.  Ten days of being pampered, meeting new friends, and enjoying the history and culture of Vienna, Bratislava, and Budapest, along with some other smaller cities was wonderful.

Business class on American is the way to go.  We flew from DFW to London Heathrow, then connected to Vienna on British Airways.  With your own little cubicle, lots of movies and sufficient food and drink the hours flew by.

Arriving at Hotel Bristol, across the street from the Vienna Opera House, our room wasn't ready.  So, we took a few hours exploring the city center, got lost, and finally had lunch at a nice little Italian restaurant.  Vienna has a large number of Italian family restaurants and all of the gelato shops are owned by Italians who arrived in Vienna after WWII.  When we got back to the hotel, we had been upgraded and met with this nice little welcome.

The Albertina Museum in the background, with Vienna's visiting beauty in the foreground

Some of the sights in Vienna before our departure.  We took a bike ride along the Danube and around Danube Island.  E-bikes are great, being electrical assisted hills are no problem. 

Tomorrow we start our journey north into Germany.

2016 Summer Adventure, Final Chapter

At the beginning of this series of posts, I started with the trailering of my bike to Reno/Lake Tahoe.  With all of the subsequent travels, the bike was still in Reno, undergoing service and new tires.  

So, in September 2016, I flew back to Reno, picked up the bike and started back to Texas.  I'll tell the story with the pictures below.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_50_in_Nevada

America's loneliest road makes for a long ride of solitude with zero cell reception and few cars to interrupt the view.

One of America's least visited National Parks, it provided a great night of camping with some light rain, a rainbow and beautiful foliage.

A quiet campsite with a view stretching for miles

September at the higher altitudes of Great Basin NP in Nevada

Stopped in here to escape the rain, and discovered the owner's wife was from Arlington.  As the only guest, they invited me to dinner and breakfast the next morning.  Great conversation and a dry night's sleep.

Having driven by this place dozens of times between Clayton and Raton, NM, I took a back road from Trinidad, CO to visit.  Wonderful views from the top of this extinct volcano, and a beautiful detour from the usual highway.  

Last stop before returning to Texas, and planning for next year.

2016 Summer Adventure, continued

After various departures by family members, Brad and his family, Brooke, and Vickie and I spent the Fourth of July in Marina Del Ray watching fireworks and sitting around the pool and on the beach.  With the departure of everyone else back to work and home, Vickie and I rented a car and started east with Grand Canyon's north rim as our destination.  Being persistent, we scored a night in the vintage log cabins, and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.

Then it was on to Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.  Finishing up in Vegas, we took in the Beatles Cirque De Soleil show, and flew home with many memories and plans for more travel.

Like no other place on the planet

Grand Canyon Lodge. Built in 1928

2016 Summer Adventure

After a week in Tijuana, we crossed back to San Diego, and the remainder of the Otts clan joined us for our annual summer family time.  We rented a large house in San Diego and enjoyed all of the tourist attractions.

There is a BIG wall in San Diego.  These young ones look longingly at the Land of Opportunity.

Any trip to San Diego must include a visit to the world famous Zoo

And, the beach at the Hotel Del. 

And, the best seafood.

2016 Summer Adventure

The next portion on Summer 2016 consisted of planes, trains, and automobiles.  

After spending the weekend with Brooke in Venice and celebrating her birthday, I boarded the Amtrak Coaster from LA to San Diego.  Why more people don't take this option is a mystery to me.  There is beautiful scenery, no traffic like on the 5, wifi and no stress.

With historic Amtrak stations at both beginning and end, it's an enjoyable trip.

Upon arrival in San Diego, I joined Vickie, and Chris' family along with Antioch Wheaton church for a week long mission trip in Tijuana.  This being our second trip with many of these folks, it was another enjoyable time with them.

Birthday date with Brooke in Venice.

Amtrak Station Los Angeles

Amtrak Station San Diego

Plaza Centrale Tijuana, MX