Rain, rain go away, a cold wind may blow today

Monday 4/6, an early breakfast this morning before we board a coach for the trip to Cesky Krumlov. On the way we stopped in “No man’s land” between the Austrian and Czech borders. Wine $3 a bottle, Baileys $16 a litre, Cigarettes (bleh!) $3-4 a packet; no wonder so many people smoke here. We had a nice walk around Cesky then lunch and more free walking time. A pity it rained, but we were luckier than those who chose Salzburg because it rain even more there. Some retail therapy dulled the pain of the rain. A further trip by coach to Passau to meet with the ship that had cruised to there, then a walk around the town of Passau. Dinner tonight (for us and 18 others) was in Portobello’s Restaurant, an exclusive dining experience on board the ship. Just a slightly later evening after consuming 7 courses, to finish the day with.

Luckily, today 5/6 was a later start. While we were having breakfast we passed the Greek Temple of “Walhalla” built on the bank of the Danube in the middle of the Bavarian Forest, just because! The inside of the temple is empty, and the guy who commissioned it to be built never visited the temple after he ordered its construction. What else do you do with too much money? Mid morning we arriving in the city of Regensburg and walked around at a leisurely pace. Unfortunately, the temperature was around 15 degrees C with a brisk breeze, so it was a bit uncomfortable, but nice all the same. Retail therapy also helps when it is cold. Time for a rest on board this afternoon before we set sail for Nuremberg this evening around 6PM (2AM for those of you in Oz).