Welcome back to my Travel Bucket List Series. I hope you have enjoyed the destinations I have highlighted throughout the year. Today my series continues with a river cruise down the Danube River during the holiday season. The European Christmas Markets have been high on my list, and what better way to see them than on a river cruise with AmaWaterways luxury cruise line. I was delighted to see the cruise line had partnered with Adventures by Disney for a few of these sailings. We cruised with AmaWaterways and Adventures by Disney last fall when we toured the Rhine River. It was a spectacular vacation, and I look forward to this sailing soon.
Where does the Adventure Begin?
Before the start of the cruise, we plan on spending a few days exploring Budapest, Hungary. Budapest is the capital of Hungary and the ninth-largest city in the European Union. The city is split in half by the Danube River, Buda on one side and Pest on the other. Budapest’s central area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which includes the Hungarian Parliament and the Buda Castle. We want to be close to the cruise terminal, so we plan to stay at the Sofitel Budapest Chain Bridge Hotel. It is near the river and the downtown area. The hotel has 357 rooms and suites, most with a stunning view of the river.
First, a walking tour of the Buda, the western part of the city. The must-sees are
- Buda Castle- the Royal Palace
- Matthias Church-Catholic Roman church built in 1015 A.D.
- Fisherman’s Bastion- Built in the 19the century as a look-out tower.
- Budapest Castle Hill Funicular is a railway that links the Adam Clark Square and the Széchenyi Chain Bridge at river level to Buda Castle above.
Next on the list, a Tuk Tuk tour of the eastern part of the city, Pest. I look forward to seeing
- St. Stephen’s Basilica-A Roman Catholic basilica named after Stephen, the first King of Hungary, whose mummified right hand—Hungary’s most sacred treasure—is housed in the shrine.
- Vajdahunyad Castle- considered the most romantic castle in Budapest.
- Hero’s Square- noted for its iconic statue complex featuring the Seven Chieftains of the Magyars and other important Hungarian national leaders, as well as the Memorial Stone of Heroes.
- Shoes on the Danube’s Bank-A memorial to honor the Jews massacred by Fascist Hungarian militia during World War II.
- Hungarian State Opera House
After a whirlwind couple of days in Budapest, we board our home for the next week on one of AmaWaterway’s beautiful ships and set sail to beautiful Vienna, Austria.
Vienna is home to 20 or so Christmas Markets. One of the biggest is at Marie-Theresien Platz. There are 70 booths full of handicrafts, gift ideas, and food. In addition to all the shopping, there are children’s rides, live music, and more.
Another must-do, visit a Heurige. A Heurige is a traditional wine tavern. I love authentic experiences like this.
Other points of interest in the city of Vienna:
- Panoramic tour of the city.
- Schonbrunn Palace- main summer residence of the Habsburg rulers.
- Strudel Making at the Palace
- Visit Naschmarkt – large outdoor market
- Ice Skating in Vienna
After two days in Vienna, it is time to move on to the town of Durnstein. Durnstein is famous for ruins and wine taverns.
A tour of Dürnstein includes the famous ruins of the castle Burgruine Dürnstein. There are incredible views from the castle of the river, vineyards, and villages. Then it is back on the ship to enjoy sailing through the Wachau Valley. I am sure this will be just as spectacular as sailing through the Rhine River Gorge.
After a beautiful sail along the river, the next stop is Melk, Austria. Our visit to Melk will include:
- Melk Benedictine Abbey- contains the tomb of Saint Coloman of Stockerau and the remains of several members of the House of Babenberg, Austria’s first ruling dynasty.
- Marmalade making
- Dance lessons
- Wine tasting
Salzburg
The last stop in Austria is Salzburg. Here we will explore the Salzburg Dome Cathedral, St. Peter’s Monastery, and Old Town, as well as the hidden alleys and shops that line Getreidegasse in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s hometown. Oh, how do a visit to the beautiful Mirabell Gardens and other significant sights made famous from the movie The Sound of Music sound?
The Salt Mines of Hallein is among the oldest mines in the world that are open to the public. Take a raft through the underground salt mines and zoom down a mineshaft slide—all while learning the rich history of Austria’s “white gold.”
Passau, Germany
Our cruise takes us into Germany to the city of Passau. How does a tour led by a local expert dressed in 18th-century period clothing sound?. Then, experience a marzipan-making activity that will satisfy your sweet tooth—with enough yummy delights made to take some home!
Vilshofen, Germany
Our trip wraps up in Vilshofen. Vilshofen has a unique Christmas market in that it is a floating market along the Danube. Before heading to Munich to catch our flight, I plan on spending at least one day here exploring the market. It looks too beautiful to pass up.
So, what about you? Are you ready to add the Danube River cruise to your bucket list of destinations? Or perhaps a trip to Greece or Ireland is on your list? Wherever you choose, I hope you have the adventure of a lifetime.
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Riquewihr is a beautiful town located in the Alsace region of France. A medieval village with colorful half-timber houses dating back to the 15th and 18th centuries. Riquewihr is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (the most beautiful villages of France association). Surrounded by a fortress and overlooked by a castle, it was one of the few towns not destroyed in World War II.
Located 25 mins from the town of Colmar and the 45 mins from the city of Strasbourg, it makes for a wonderful day trip. We were on a river cruise down the Rhine, and Riquewihr was our first stop. I fell in love with this quaint village.
It is known for its Riesling and other wines, which is evident by the miles of rolling vineyards surrounding the town. Also, if you are a Disney fan, this village may remind you of somewhere. Riquewihr was one of two French villages that were the inspiration for Belle’s “Little Town,” in the movie Beauty and the Beast.
So what is there to do and see in this storybook town?
1) Explore Old Town.
Stroll along the cobblestone streets and take photos of the colorfully painted houses. There are two main streets and lots of little alleys. One can find wineries, restaurants, bakeries, and plenty of little shops.
2) Grab some lunch or dinner.
We had a delicious lunch of meats and cheeses and, of course, wine at Relais de Moines. The restaurant has three dining rooms, plus an outdoor terrace. The décor was charming.
3) Musee du Dolder.
The museum houses 13th-century artifacts, such as weapons, guns, and fortification parts. It tells the story of Riquewihr. Housed in a tower, it is also a watch and a bell tower. We did not have time to go in, but I have heard it is quite impressive.
4) Visit a Winery.
During our visit to Riquewihr, we visited Dopff au Moulin.
Taken directly from their website:
The
We met with a team member and heard the story behind the winery. We learned the history of the family and the town. We learned how the grapes grow, the harvesting process and production. We tasted quite a few wines and had time to browse in the store. It was a lovely experience. One thing to keep in mine, tastings in Europe are not small. Each wine tasting was about half a glass. I was feeling good when we left and a bit tired on the bus ride back to the ship.
5) Have a sweet treat.
One simply can not go to France without experiencing these delectable macarons.
Our day in Riquewihr was terrific. I would love to go back and experience more in this region. Oh, and perhaps have a macaron or two.
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The older I get, the more I want to see the world around me. As I sat down to write my goals for 2020, I started to think about where in this world do I want to explore. A couple of hours later, my Travel Bucket List Series was born.
Throughout 2020, I will be highlighting my top 30 places on my travel bucket list to explore in the world. I have broken it down to 15 international destinations and 15 U.S. destinations. By no means is this list meant to be inclusive; it is merely the places I want to see most in the world before exploring others.
Every week or so, I will be posting about one of the places on the list. The posts will include photos, where I would like to stay, sites to see, and more. Each week I will alternate writing between an international and a U.S. destination.
Believe it or not, it was much easier to come up with 15 international destinations than
These are my top 30. Please check back each week or so as I highlight each of these magnificent places.
Today our adventure began in Genoa, Italy. Genoa is the largest and most ancient port in Italy. We docked in Genoa and started the day with a drive through Piazza Caricamento and Old Medieval Port. We saw the 1st bank of Europe and where the traveler’s check was created. We saw where Marco Polo traveled and wrote his book. Finally, we stopped at Christopher Columbus’s house and spoke to the man himself.
After meeting the famous explorer, we continued with a walking tour of Genoa and took some photos in Piazza De Ferrari.
After our walking tour, we boarded a private boat to Portofino. It was a beautiful boat ride with magnificent views.
In Portofino, we toured Castello Brown, where we watched a pesto demonstration and treated to a wonderful, one of a kind lunch in a castle. It wouldn’t be Disney, without a castle, right? The castle was on top of a hill, so we made our way up, taking in the beauty of this magnificent place. On our way up, we saw the Church of San Giorgio, breathtaking views of the sea, and so many pretty flowers. Lunch was terrific, and the focaccia bread was to die for. After lunch, we had a little time to shop and grab some gelato. Here, I began my love affair with gelato! Soon, it was time to catch a boat and head over to Santa Margherita Ligure, located in Genoa’s Tigullio Bay. Here we hopped on a bus and headed back to the ship. All had another great adventure!
In my last trip report (you can check it out here), I shared our adventures in Monaco. Later that day, we were off to the village of Eze. Eze is a hilltop town on the Cote d’Azur. Overlooking the Mediterranean, this medieval village hosts a 12th-century castle and the Jarden Exotique with its graceful statues and beautiful vistas. It was simply stunning. Throughout the village, you can find local shops and art galleries. There were lots of unique, hand-crafted gifts. I bought an adorable bear, made out of quilting material, for my nephew.
On the way back to the ship, we took a little tour along the outskirts of Nice. We stopped at the memorial to Princess Grace, and there was also a stunning view of our ship.
France was amazing, and it is a place I would like to visit again. Next stop on this tour, Genoa, Italy!
Until next time,
Heather
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One of the days we were in Amsterdam, Bill and I took a side trip to the community of Zaanse Schans. Located in the town of Zaandam, about 20 mins outside of Amsterdam, this quaint neighborhood is amidst a meadow landscape with iconic wooden windmills and other structures that have been moved and reassembled here piece by piece to bring the history of this area to life. It is a real living museum, with the 18th and 19th centuries coming to life. Zaanse Schans has farmsteads, paths, wooden houses, warehouses and windmills, ditches, and fields. Enjoy the smell of fresh cookies from the bakery museum, or take a look at where clogs are made. You should be sure not to miss the cheese factory, pewter foundry, and the various windmills.
Due to weather, we did not see as much as we would have liked, but we made the best of the situation. It was pouring rain and rather chilly. However, we were able to hit a few of the highlights.
Upon entering the parking lot, there is a photo opportunity for anyone that would like to have their picture taken. I am a sucker for a photo (I am a scrapbooker), so I made my husband stop and smile. As you can see from my fun hat, I was a bit chilly. From there, we went straight to the Bakery Museum De Gecroonde.
Stroop Waffles are amazing!
Inside we found Dutch sweets and baked goods like windmill cookies and Stoop Waffles, all of which are served warm. The smells radiating from this bakery were heavenly. Attached to the bakery is a storefront, and this is where we decorated our clogs. These made such cute souvenirs. The clog decorating area was just adorable. I had fun taking photos and playing around in the giant Dutch oven.
The next stop on our visit was to the Windmill DeKat (2). Built in 1664, this mill produces paint, chalk, pigments, and oils used by artists around the world. As we walked in, we saw a giant stone wheel grinding chalk that is powered by the sails outside. Take a look.
Inside the mill 
The pigments 
Inside the mill 
So beautiful
From the tour of the windmill, we were off to sample some cheese. The Catharina Hoeve Cheese Farm is a traditional farm setting. In the center of the store is a sampling of all types of cheeses. It ranges from Gouda, goat’s cheese and flavors such as pumpkin! Why yes, we brought some pumpkin cheese home, and it as rather tasty. Note to U.S. travelers to bring cheese back to the U.S.; it must be vacuum-packed and pasteurized.
For all you chocolate lovers out there, Zaans Gedaan/Cacao Lab was our next stop. Enter this adorable shop and smell the tantalizing aroma of chocolate. Here see how chocolate treats were made in the 18th century.
Before heading back to our bus, we took a walk around the grounds. Even on a rainy day, it was such a beautiful sight. I can imagine in the spring, with all the tulips, it is stunning!
Oh, and how could I forget, decorating a clog was not enough, we had to see how the clogs were made and buy a pair as a gift. Our final stop was to Kooijman Souvenirs and Clogs. I purchased a bright red pair for my clog, loving sister.
Though I wished we had better weather, it still was a great day. There were still many things we did not get to see. When we head back to Amsterdam, Zaanse Schans will be on the to-do list again.
Our second to last day of this European adventure takes us to Naples or Napoli, as the Italians say. A few facts about Naples. It is the 3rd largest city in Italy, after Milan and Rome. It is the birthplace of pizza. Mt. Vesuvius is located 6 miles from the city and is still an active volcano. Naples is also home to Pompeii. Pompeii was once a thriving city that was buried under the ash and pumice after the volcano erupted in 79 A.D. From what I understand, there you can visit the volcano and hike up it. However, our adventure took us elsewhere. Today, we visited Sorrento and Capri. Absolutely amazing.
In Sorrento, we arrived at Agriturismo Galatea. It is mainly an agricultural farm, established over four generations. Once at the farm, we were greeted with a snack of Italian meats, bread and olive oil, all of which are made right there. We watched a demonstration on how mozzarella was made. The kids even got to play with it. They loved it!
After the cheese demonstration, we were given aprons and hats. We were brought into another room with a brick oven. Here, made our own personalized pizzas. Let me tell you, once you have this pizza, you will never want a piece of pizza back home again. Americans put so much crap on pizza. Here is it very simple. We used a cup of cup of sauce, a handful of cheese and some pepperoni if you so chose. The pizzas were cooked in brick over and done in 5 mins! It was out of this world.
After a delicious pizza lunch, we had lemon cream puffs and Limoncello. I have never eaten so well on vacation.
After lunch, we had a little bit of time to explore the farm and see what it had to offer. There were all sorts of farm animals, lemon and lime trees, olive trees and more.
Soon it was time to leave our gracious hosts and set off to catch our ferry to Capri. Once we arrived in Capri, we had time for a gelato (of course!) and to shop. Such a gorgeous island. Capri is known for rugged landscape and high end shops. It is also home to the Blue Grotto, a sea cave, where the sunlight passes through and creates this amazing blue reflection. After gelato and shopping (Capri is known for coral as well), we jumped on a private boat and went sailing around the island. We sailed around looking at the coral in the ocean.
As you can see above, those are the Faraglioni rock formations. The one in the middle is the smallest and has an arch. Our boat took us through the arch. Legend has it, couples need to kiss while going through it. Guess what what we all did. 🙂
By far, this was one of my favorite days. It was much more relaxing than some of the others and I conquered a fear of mine, deep water. I jumped into the sea and really enjoyed floating around for a while.
Have you been to Sorrento or Capri? I would love to hear all about it.
Today I are going to talk about Day 6 of our embedded Adventures by Disney (ABD) trip. For those of you that don’t know, an embedded ABD is an Adventures by Disney trip that is done while on a Disney cruise. Instead of booking excursions through the cruise line, all the excursions are done through Adventures by Disney. I highly recommend it and looking forward to doing many more in the future.
The boat docks about an hour and half away from Rome. We were the first ones off the boat, onto the bus and off to our first stop…the Vatican. I was looking forward to visiting Rome, especially the Vatican. I am Catholic and as a Catholic, this is it. This is the where it all happens. There is so much history and power in this tiny little country. With that being said, as beautiful as it was, I was kind of sad that is has become this big tourist attraction. I had always envisioned walking up to it by way of the square. Well.. you don’t. You enter from the back (you do see the old Vatican wall, which is cool) and it is like entering any other museum. Oh and by the way, the square looks so much bigger in t.v.
First, our ABD guides and our local guide took us aside and told us what we would see in the Sistine Chapel. They had a map and pointed out all the different paintings. They did because, no is suppose to speak inside the chapel or take photos. I was disappointed about the photos, but I understood.
However, prior to touring the Sistine Chapel, we walked the museum. It is very lovely and holds so much history. It is also very crowded. You really don’t walked the museum, you do the Vatican Shuffle. There were different rooms that we walked though along the tour. There is a Gallery of the Maps, the Gallery of the Tapestries, the Gallery of the Candelabra and much more. Here are a few shots as we moved room to room.
The last room we were to see was the Sistine Chapel. I wish we could have taken photos. However, the photos probably would not have done it justice. It is simply breathtaking. Prior to going in, I mentioned our guides gave us a bit of history lesson on the chapel and Michelangelo. The chapel was created in 1508-1512. It is named for Pope Sixtus IV. Despite what people think, he did not paint the ceiling lying down. He had special scaffolding made so he could stand. There are over 300 figures painted in the chapel. There are numerous biblical scenes, such as the creations of Adam and Eve, the sacrifice of Noah and the Great Flood. Thousands of visitors tour the chapel each year. It is also where the cardinals meet to elect a new Pope. I encourage you to look online for photos. It is quite remarkable.
After visiting the chapel, it was on to St. Peter’s Basilica. This was another breathtaking work of art. I was hopeful we may run into Pope Francis. He has been known to wander about and meet people. No such luck for us. Inside the Basilica, we saw The Pieta, the statue by Michelangelo depicting Jesus in the arms of his mother after the Crucifixion. My photo does not do this justice either.
After visiting St. Peter’s we had our photos taken and then some time for shopping. From there we had another fantastic lunch. The food in Italy was amazing. Even our oldest, who will not eat pasta here at home, loved it. From there we did a walking tour and saw iconic sights, such as the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Venezia where the Vittoria Emanuele ll Monument is located, ancient Rome, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum.
The Trevi Fountain was another must on my bucket list. While it is beautiful, it was extremely crowded. One has to really push their way to the front to have their picture taken. Of course, we had to throw a coin over our shoulder. This will ensure that we will return to Rome one day.
Our last stop in this incredible city, the Colosseum. This was remarkable. From a distance, it looked fake. It reminded me of a backdrop on a movie set.
The adults and kids split up and the kids did a separate tour that involved gladiator costumes. My oldest did that, but my 13 year old stuck with the adults. In his words, he did not need it to be dumbed down for him. God help me. This kid a something else! Some interesting facts about The Colosseum. It was built in under ten years, mostly by Jewish slaves. Over a million animals and over a half million people died in The Colosseum. Also, The Colosseum had a marble facade and marble seats, however when St. Peter’s Basilica was being built, they took the marble from the Colosseum and used it there. Finally, it is the most visited site in Italy. The Vatican does receive more visitors, but that is not part of Italy. It is its own principality.
All and all, it was a fantastic day in Rome. We saw so much, yet there is still so much to be seen. I am looking forward to heading back in the next few years.
Today’s adventure takes us to the French Riviera. When we first booked this trip, the place was I most excited about was Rome. Though I loved it, the French and Italian coasts stole my heart. Simply breathtaking.
Villefranche is a charming fishing village on the Riviera. It is located in between the city of Nice and the country of Monaco. We left the ship early, took a tender, and caught a bus to our first stop, Monaco. Along the way, we saw a beautiful coastline. Though a lot of the bus rides were a bit long, Adventures by Disney goes out of their way to make us comfortable. The busses all have reclining seats and air conditioning. Each day, James and Dusty had plenty of water and snacks for us. We really could not ask for more. As we made our way to Monaco, were told a bit of the history. It is the second-smallest country in the world (Vatican City is smaller). It is notorious for tax havens. As one of our guides said, “It is where the shady go to get sunny.” It is also known for the annual Formula One Grand Prix. Upon arriving, the bus parked next to the Oceanographic Museum. Though we did not tour the museum, we took in the views and snapped some photos.
We walked through a beautiful garden that is paid for and maintained by the royal family. We continued to St. Nicholas’s church. If you remember, before Meghan Markle, Grace Kelly was America’s princess. St. Nicholas’s church is where she married her Prince, Prince Rainier, III. It is also where the royal couple is buried.
After exiting the church, we continued walking through the streets to the Palace. We toured the Palace (no ac!!!), but no pictures are allowed inside. We did get a coupled of good shots in front of the Palace and overlooking the harbor.
After leaving the palace, we had a bit of free time. We shopped and had a crepe. Later, we met up with the group and drove to Monte Carlo. It was interesting to see the streets of the Grand Prix. We were told that to dock your boat in the harbor for the Grand Prix; one must pay 50,000 Euros per day for a minimum of 3 days. Yikes! I guess we won’t be doing that any time soon. LOL! The next stop was lunch. We enjoyed a great lunch on the rooftop of the Fairmont Hotel, overlooking the water. The food and atmosphere were excellent. We had a little bit of time to explore, but we chose to hang back at the hotel and enjoy the views. We also got to know a bit more about our fellow adventurers. It was a lovely afternoon. About an hour or so later, we were off to the village of Eze. Since this post is long enough, I will continue this trip report in the next couple of days. For now, au revoir!
Our first stop on the cruise was Marseilles, France. Marseilles is the 3rd biggest city in France and the largest port. Once the boat docked, we boarded a bus and drove to Les Baux-de-Provence. Les Baux -de-Provence is a commune in France (what we call a town here in the US). It has been named one of the most beautiful villages in France. It certainly lived up to that description. It is a picturesque village, perched on a rocky hilltop. It reminded me of the village in Beauty in the Beast.
At the top of the town are the ruins of a 13th century stone fortress. Lavender fields surround it. The show, The Amazing Race, was filmed at that very spot. It has many historical buildings, such as a hospital, church, chateau, town hall, houses, etc. The views were gorgeous. The village has been restored and is just so charming. There were many craft shops selling Provencal products and goods. I bought some lavender satchels and cookies from this amazing bakery.
We left the village and headed to lunch at a local restaurant. The restaurant was closed to everyone but our group of 40. The adults were seated in one section and the kids in another section. The restaurant was warm and cozy. It was like being in someone’s home for dinner. After lunch, we went to Carrieres Des Lumieres. Carrieres Des Lumieres is an abandoned limestone quarry that featured over 2,000 digital images projected on the surfaces. The photos were of Picasso’s work. It was amazing.
Of course, the day is not complete without heading back to a wonderful dinner on the ship and a photo or two with the characters.
As you can see, day 2 was full of adventure. Stay tuned for the rest of the trip report over the next couple of weeks.
