What better way to explore the former Austro-Hungarian Empire (I’m a history buff) than by skipping planes, trains and automobiles and letting AmaWaterways do the cruising up the Danube!
Before boarding, we explored Budapest on our own. As evident in the photos, we were enchanted with magical evenings near the Danube with the river and beautiful illuminated buildings as the backdrop. When we arrived in Budapest the Obuda Secret Food Tour introduced us to the local fare, and after we had our fill of sausage, schnitzel and goulash, we dined Greek and Italian. Dionysus served up superb Greek food in a riverfront setting. As AmaWaterways schedules a day of tours to the famous landmarks of Budapest, we focused on food and fun while on our own.
Flavorful Fare
Once aboard, we wined and dined like Hapsburg royalty, made new friends and enjoyed the luxurious amenities of the state-of-the-art AmaMagna. Dining on board the AmaMagna was an adventure in 5-star service and cuisine. The main dining room was quite inviting and provided the opportunity to share a table and make new friends, which was exactly what we did. The food, as it always is on AmaWaterways’ cruises, reflected the cuisine of the country and region. If after a few days you have had enough schnitzel and wild boar, then the ribeye, fish and even the cheeseburgers are outstanding. I also spent plenty of time in their gym working off great breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The walking tours helped as well.
Incredible Crew
A major shoutout to Captain Niels Springer, Cruise Manager Kriss Stallabrass (Canada/The Netherlands), Hotel Manager Jereno Parena and Executive Chef Ferry Purnama. The AmaMagna crew was beyond wonderful! Handing weather challenges that impacted the itinerary they turned lemons into lemonade. When we could not reach Vilshofen at the end of the cruise for a special Oktoberfest (due to rain in the Alps that caused silt problems in the Danube), the amazing crew staged our very own Oktoberfest on board—lots of oompah and raised beer steins!
Historic Destinations
The cruise took us to Bratislava, Vienna, Durnstein (home of the world’s best apricot strudel—really!), Saltzburg, Linz and the Czech Republic. The land tours were led by very well-schooled guides. We saw lots of castles and plenty of outrageous Hapsburg extravagance—buildings with hundreds of bedrooms! Who slept there? Half of European royalty maybe? As my remark reveals, if I had lived then, I probably would have been a revolutionary!
For me, the highlight of our cruise was Vienna. AmaWaterways scheduled us for a chamber orchestra Mozart and Strauss recital accompanied by wonderful dancers. We also went Italian at Fabios, where we enjoyed an incredible and quite pricey dinner that was well worth it; we will always cherish the special memory.
A final thought. Since this is our Food and Wine issue, I focused more on the food than the Hapsburg castles and other landmarks. Since the regional cuisine, boar, schnitzel, venison and goulash is not my favorite fare, we sought out other choices. In cosmopolitan cities like Vienna and Budapest, that is easy to do. Robin and I always tell our friends about Fabios and Dionysus. However, our next trip may be to Bordeaux, and I will happily dine on all of the French food I can eat. Bon Appetit!
You can find all the details about AmaWaterways’ amazing river cruises at AmaWaterways.com.