Cruising on the Rivers

"Okay, before you ask, I'm six feet tall. And sometimes I like to wear high heels for an overview!" the blonde said with a Dutch accent.  She deftly flicked a strand of hair from in front of her blue eyes. Our activities director was giving our first briefing aboard the Viking longship Kara.  The ship had left port in Amsterdam, and we were on "The Grand European Tour".  That was Viking's term, not mine.  We would see five countries in fourteen days beginning at Amsterdam and ending at Budapest.

Briefings would become a daily occurrence, as Chantal would tell us about our upcoming events. At this particular briefing we were introduced to the crew and given some information about our upcoming cruise.The crew of the ship is multinational. The captain is a Ukrainian, the hotel manager German, the maitre'd and chef de cuisine German, the concierge Slovakian, and the activities director was Dutch. She also pointed out some simple shipboard conventions.  The bow was the front on the ship and aft meant the rear of the ship. The shipboard compliment was one hundred ninety-two passengers and fifty-five crewmembers.

Upon boarding we entered our cabin on the port side of the ship on the main deck.   Our steward led us to our cabin, and our luggage was waiting at the door. He introduced himself as Ivo and showed us how to swipe the key card to gain entry to the cabin and how to use it to turn on the cabin lights.  He also noted that if we opened our sliding glass door to the outside the airconditioning would shut down. Ivo brought our bags in before departing. The queen-size bed took up most of the space. Inside the cabin door the bathroom was on the right, the wardrobe with safe on the left, and a waist-high cabinet filled the rest of the width of the cabin. Above the cabinet which housed the mini-frig was a forty inch flat screen television with a mirror of approximately the same size beside it.  On the countertop of the cabinet was the telephone, a bottle of water and

glasses. There were also two "Quietvoxes" in their charger. These electronic devices were a little larger than a large cellphone and were used as radio receivers to hear tour guides commentary on tours.  The electrical outlets were plentiful and at least half of them are standard American receptacles.  No adapters required.  I was overjoyed to see the big TV. I watch a lot of TV. But this one had some added features. There was the local weather channel, movie channel and some television news shows. One of my favorites channels was the channel showing images from the bow camera of the ship.  It was good to see where we were going while kicked back on the bed. There are four classes of passenger cabins or staterooms. Suites, of which there are two, staterooms with verandas, rooms with floor to ceiling windows, like patio doors, and cabins with very small windows.

The Viking river cruise ship, Kara, is designed specifically for river cruising. It is long and narrow. Its narrow width, or beam in nautical terms, allows it to fit through numerous locks. On the rivers Rhine, Main, and Danube there is a difference of some one thousand feet in elevation. This requires over fifty locks. Frequently during the night, and we sailed every night, you could feel the ship bump into the side of a lock.  The ship contains a dining room, lounge, reception area, library, and other spaces for passenger activities or shipboard necessities. The open air dining area on the bow was a very popular spot and houses the Aquavit restaurant. I would get a cup of coffee while Claudette slept and join Steve there to watch the approaching

landscape as we moved along the rivers. The lounge, besides being a popular watering hole, was also the venue for our daily briefings and entertainment. We had some very interesting demonstrations and lectures. A glassblower came onboard to demonstrate his craft as well as some opera singers. The Hungarian musicians were a hit as were the ship's bakers as they prepared apple strudel. We heard lectures on Dutch water management, the European Union, Germany, and other subjects. Most were only as good as their presenters.   The sundeck was designed for lounging and exercise. There was a walking track, miniature golf, and shuffleboard. It was also where the chef's herb garden was located.  When the chef announced that dishes were flavored with fresh herbs, they really were fresh. Solar panels flanked the exhaust stack for the two huge diesel engines which power electric generators.  These produce the energy for the electric motors which turn the propellers. The bridge from which the ship is controlled could be lowered when going under low bridges. The canopy over some of the sun roof chairs also collapses. I estimate the speed of the ship was about ten knots.

Chef Andreas would always describe the dinner delicacies at the afternoon briefing. I must say that his dishes always lived up to his colorful descriptions. Often the food would have a local flair. Yes, sausages were quite common on the menu. Made-to-order omelets were my favorite

breakfast. Claudette, along with most of the women on the ship, had a crush of the omelet chef, Boris. Apparently the young Serbian was a charmer. We usually shared the evening meal with Steve, Evelyn, Jean, and Jim.  Normally we would dine for about two hours. Wine and beer were available with lunch and dinner. Our sextet managed to consume some eighty-four bottles of wine.  But of course that included red and white wines!

One of the most extraordinary treats of our cruise was our entry into Budapest at night. We were prepped at our afternoon briefing to expect great things as we entered Hungary's largest city.  And we were not deceived. On or about 2200 hours or 10:00PM the announcement came over the intercom that we were entering Budapest and to come to the sundeck. We joined our friends there with a bit of trepidation. I believe everyone on the ship was there. Waiters were bustling around with flutes of champagne and platters of chocolates. Around us the city was illuminated brilliantly with most buildings appearing as glistening gold. It was a spectacular event. The kind of event that would not soon be forgotten. 

Our cruise was on the Rhine, Main, and Danube Rivers from which we visited five countries. If time and finance permit it is a great way to vacation. One final note about the ship. If there is an ugly ship contest these Viking river longships would be near winners. But, then, that's just my opinion.