Apologies that this entry is a day late, mostly because Judy walked into a very heavy glass door to the lounge which had been closed to keep an influx of tiny insects out. A small cut and bruised nose generated a lot of sympathy from passengers, but this did little to restore her lost dignity!
Each day there is a range of onshore activities from which to choose (optional so one can stay on the ship if preferred). For example, the ship sailed yesterday from Aschach in Austria to Passau in Germany. Passengers could stay on board and then take a guided tour around Passau, or choose a bus and walking tour to Salzburg (our selection), a visit to the salt mines, or an excursion to Cesky Krumlov. Buses returned all passengers to the ship in Passau in time for dinner.
The ship sailed overnight through a section of the river which was very shallow (only 20cm draught), so the captain certainly earned his stripes negotiating this and two locks overnight.
Yesterday we stopped at a beautiful lake shaped like a half-moon which is privately owned by a wealthy woman (only the water, not the land!). An elaborate cafe there had pastries and cakes to die for.
On to Salzburg, which is renowned for Mozart's birthplace and filming of The Sound of Music.
Passau is where 3 rivers join - Danube receives the Inn from the south, and Ilz from the north. Adolf Hitler and his family lived here for a while, and the town housed three sub camps of one of the infamous concentration camps during WWIi.
It is normal for only 2 months of the year to be hot like it is now, and 3 months of the year for it to snow. It is quite unusual for the populace to have a white Christmas. Yesterday it was 36 degrees on the plains yet there was still some snow on the high peaks overlooking our bus journey.
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