A Few “Lesser Known and Obscure” Facts I Learned While "River Cruising" Budapest to Amsterdam (+England)

Bottom line: Though the best laid plans often go astray, the travel remains a worthwhile learning adventure.

Panoramic view from the Fisherman's

Bastion in Buda looking towards

Pest at nightfall. (Note the well-lite

Hungarian Parliament building across

the Danube.)

Janet, my wife, and I still enjoyed our recent trip to Europe, including England, primarily through central Europe despite Danube flood levels. Janet and I spent time in Budapest before we boarded our river cruise ship. The itinerary called for a river cruise up the Danube from Budapest on the Viking Bragi, transition to and sail along the Main (pronounced Mine), then the Rhine to Amsterdam. However, heavy rain in the upper Danube region prevented cruising upstream beyond Bratislava, where our ship moored alongside eight other river cruise ships in safe anchorage. From that stationary point, we were bused to cities on the itinerary upstream along the Danube, spent two nights in Bad Griesbach at the Hotel Maximilian, then transitioned to a sister ship, Viking Skadi, for the downstream leg along the Main and Rhine rivers. Despite the Danube's condition, we visited every city on the itinerary! After spending two additional days in Amsterdam, we flew to England, where we drove to Highley to visit a friend.

1) Budapest (Hungary) is two cities. Buda meaning water (for the hot springs) and Pest, pronounced Pesht, meaning flat.

2) Learning Hungarian for an English speaker proves quite difficult, we were told. The language has forty-four letters with 14 vowels. Just pronouncing Hungarian names provided ample challenge for me.

3) As usual I enjoyed viewing the fine art in the museums, pinching myself at times, though growing overwhelmed by the sheer volume of art work. Talk about the immensity and complexity of history!

"The Great London Fire" (1666)

by Lieve Pietersz Verschuier in

Budapest's Museum of Fine Arts!

3) My memory of Bratislava (Slovakia) is over-shadowed by our mooring situation, crossing and re-crossing eight river cruise ships, and the bus drives in and out of the cargo facility past shipping containers.

Disembarking the Bragi for a bus ride.

(Thankfully, the water level here never

got higher and had disappeared when

we returned later that day.)

4) We attended a classic music concert in Vienna (Austria). What could be more apropos? Johann Strauss I (the Elder), a native Viennese had three sons. He and his sons wrote music and conducted! One grandson, Johann Strauss III, also became a famous musician. Together, they wrote over one-thousand pieces. (No photos allowed of the performance.)

5) In Melk (Austria), we toured the abbey. Originally a royal palace, it was presented to Benedictine monks in the 11th century. Ninety pounds of gold has been used on the church statuary, etc. We didn't get inside the church, however.

Melk Abbey church entrance.

5) We discovered Passau (Germany) flooding has been frequent, at least on a historical scale.

Passau flood levels marks. (And this

building stands some feet, maybe ten,

above the current Danube River level!)

6) We witnessed the art work of St. Stephen's Cathedral in Passau. Everywhere I looked, I saw exquisite craftsmanship as evidenced by extravagant artwork.

St. Stephen's Cathedral ceiling.

7) Regensburg (Switzerland) hosts the oldest sausage kitchen (likely in the world), it's building erected in 1135 CE.

Regensburg's Historische Wurstkuche.

8) Nuremberg (Germany), aka Nurnberg, known for the post WWII Nazis war crime trials, sports Kaiserburg Castle, dating to the Middle Ages.

Kaiser Castle visitor's ramp, which I

suspect didn't exist in the Middle Ages.

9) Here's the Kaiser Castle entrance during the Middle Ages. Imagine storming that door with you're back exposed to arrows!

Kaiserburg entrance during the Middle Ages.

10) Bamberg (Germany) is the home of rauchbier (smoked beer), made by drying malt over an open flame in a smoke kiln, which imparts a smoky character to the malt. (A more distinctive flavor than that of Guinness in comparison.)

Author savors a rauchbier with pretzel. (Yum!)

11) One of the more extravagant structures I've visited is the Wurzburg (Germany) Bishop's Residence, a baroque palace, built around 1730 CE. Opulent would be an understatement. Built for ONE person, the bishop at that time, to impress people of his power.

Ceiling of the "Grand Staircase

Entrance." (Impressed? I was.

Note the corner plaster statuary

which blends into the fresco.)

The Mirror Cabinet ceiling.

A panorama of "The Mirror Cabinet" at

floor level. (Cabinet? Somebody's definition

has changed!)

12) Occasionally, a builder/owner cheats a little to gain floor space, though I suppose it was legal to do! Such was this case in Wertheim (Germany).

A house in Wertheim, Germany.

13) We sailed past twenty-one castles along the middle Rhine, according to a map I'd received.

Mouse Tower, built on an island as a

shipping signal station. (Legend says

it's name derives from mice eating a

bishop imprisoned there.)

14) We toured the Marksburg Castle in Kolblenz (Germany). The dining room door opens to a privy and locks from the dining room side only. Left open during privy use, the door was closed and locked at night to prevent intruders entering through the hole.

The castle's dining room with attached privy.

15) Cologne (Germany), Koln in German, was all but destroyed by bombing during WWII. The cathedral remained mostly untouched, however.

Cologne Cathedral. (Note the dark

coloration, which can't be cleaned

as limestone is too soft.)

16) About ninety-five per cent of the windmills in Kinderdijk (Netherlands) pump water, don't grind grain. Netherlands has an extensive water management/control system.

Kinderdijk Windmills. (Note:

they're idle at the moment.)

17) Families live in the windmills in order to run and maintain them, much like lighthouse operators.

Windmill multi-purpose living room.

18) Everyone slept in a sitting position to prevent Satan mistaking them to be dead and take them.

Windmill bedchamber. (Note: there's

little opportunity for an adult to

stretch out prone to sleep.)

19) An early form of industrial footwear, wooden clogs were used to prevent injury to the feet while operating the windmill. Wood was easy to carve, offered good protection from crushing injuries, and, if the clogs wore out, they could be burned as fuel for heat!

20) Amsterdam (Netherlands) is twenty-one feet below sea level! Or so we were told. Canals crisscross the city, much like Venice (Italy). A local told us, "If you like rain, don't visit Amsterdam."

One Amsterdam canal on a rainy day.

21) While in Amsterdam, Janet and I toured the Anne Frank House, Van Gogh Museum and Rijksmuseum. Once more, I felt overwhelmed at the volume of artwork, the history and talent, far too much to absorb and appreciate in a short time. (Note: no photos allowed in the Anne Frank House.)

Vermeer's "The Milkmaid."

Van Gogh's "Blue Lillies."

22) To take fuller advantage of our time in Europe, we flew to London (England), then drove to Highley to visit a friend, David. The three of us visited The Engine House Museum and Education Center in Highley. (Eat your heart out, Sheldon Cooper!)

Janet and David pose next to one

of many locomotives in residence.

23) Janet and I couldn't pass up a London museum visit, of course.

Monet's "The Thames below

Westminster"at the National Gallery.

Thus, endth our trip!

Walk in beauty, fellow earthling.

A Few "Lesser Known and Obscure" Facts I Learned While In Southern & Mediterranean Europe

Bottom line: Travel provides opportunity to open one's eyes to new and different ways of life.

When I travel, I always learn new things, some surprising. That's why I relish it, even when confronted with travel delays, exposure to disease, and theft of property. But I won't dwell on the negatives my wife and I encountered during our travel to parts of southern Europe recently.

Instead, I'll share a few things I didn't know before our trip, just to wet your wanderlust whistle, if nothing else.

1) Porto, Portugal - Located near the confluence of the Douro River and the Atlantic Ocean, Porto occupies the northern bank of the river, while Vila Nova de Gaia, or Porto Gaia, occupies the southern bank. And, as the Douro River Valley has been a major wine producing area for some centuries, Porto Gaia has been the hub for Portuguguese wine production and distribution.

After the British signed the Treaty of Windsor with Portugal in 1386, they imported Portuguese wine with enthusiasm, particularly as their wine source from the France had been stymied by hostilities. In addition, per the advantageous treaty terms, the British invested heavily in Portugal's vinification industry, such as the vineyards and processing facilities in Porto Gaia.

In the late 1600s CE, port wine was invented by adding a "grape brandy" to the wine, which helped preserve the product during shipping. Guess where it's name came from.

FYI, port wine isn't a favorite of mine.

No, that’s not a silhouette of Zorro! I'm posing next to the Sandeman wine logo.

2) Portugal - The combination of the two names Porto and Gaia provided Portugal it's name (Porto + Gaia). Pronounce those quickly and you may see how that happened, particularly when foreigners got involved.

A panoramic view at sunset of Porto (center), flanked by portions Porto Gaia on each side.

3) Lisbon, Portugal - The Portuguese language is difficult to learn, particularly for school children. In Portuguese, Lisbon is spelled Lisboa, and the "i" is pronounced more like a long "e," while the "s" is pronounced as "sh." Try pronouncing Cascais using those two rules!

The Portuguese love small custard tarts or cream pastries, which they call pasteis de nata. Delicious, their cream pastries are consumed in huge quantities by the population. First made about three hundred years ago in a monastery west of Lisbon, egg yolks are a prime ingredient. Be advised, sugar, in a copious amount, is another.

Portuguese pasteis de nata.

Photo Credit: pexels-Magda Ehlers

But, what to do with all that leftover albumen? Egg whites have been used as a binding agent in a variety of ways, including in artists' paints and as a starch to stiffen collars and cuffs.

The Portuguese refer to the conquest of the Americas as "the Age of Discovery." I'll say no more about that.

A Lisbon monument to the explorers during the Age of Discovery.

5) Barcelona, Spain - Antoni Gaudi, an architect, designed numerous buildings in Barcelona in the late 19th century and early 20th. His artist architectural designs demonstrate considerable innovation, even by today standards. However, his name did not generate the term "gaudy," though is commonly associated with the term as a result of his creations.

In 1884 Gaudi worked on redesigning the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona's giant basilica, which is still under construction!

Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain. Note the signs of construction.

6) Madrid, Spain - Restaurant Botin, founded 1725 CE, holds the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest established restaurant in the world. The restaurant's forte is suckling pig.

Janet anticipates eating suckling pig.

Janet and I pose in front of Restaurant Botin.

Not the original building, I suspect!

Janet and I preferred the impressionist works at the Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum to the historic religious-oriented works in the Prado Museum.

Claude Monet, The Thaw at Vetbeuil, 1880.

7) Marseilles, France - The oldest city in France has retained relative independence since founded over twenty-five hundred years ago, including during Roman and Nazi German occupations.

Basilique Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, atop the hill, overlooks Marseille.

8) Monaco - This principality constitutes the second smallest country in Europe, and covers 499 acres or .75 square miles.

Citizens of Monaco, Monegasques, are forbidden to gamble in the casinos, though can enter one, if they work there.

Casino de Monte Carlo in Monaco, made more

famous by the James Bond movie, Casino Royale.

9) Pisa, Italy - The Campanile, aka bell tower or Leaning Tower of Pisa, has companion buildings. One, known as the Baptistery, also leans. There appears no danger of either toppling anytime soon, however.

The Baptistery (foreground) and Campanile (background).

10) Pompeii, Italy - The inhabitants, who hadn't already left when the heavy blanket of ash fell during the Vesuvius eruption of 79 CE, were suffocated and burned by a pyroclastic flow, a cloud of hot, noxious gas. Once the pyroclastic flow approached from Vesuvius, those remaining in Pompeii had insufficient time to outrun it, even if they’d seen it coming. What we see today of the victims--parts of Pompeii remain unexcavated for future archeologists--are the shapes of plaster casts of the hollows created by their bodies in the ash layer that covered them.

This victim has been identified as a pregnant female of about twenty years old.

11) Rome, Italy - Ancient Romans consumed parrots and flamingos, among other things, and ate while reclining. Perhaps, that's why they purged so much?

It's virtually impossible to look around the city of Rome without seeing a religious structure, such as a Roman temple or Catholic basilica.

Look closely, you’re bound to see a church or temple somewhere.

Vatican City, confined within the city of Rome, comprises the smallest country in Europe at 109 acres or .19 square miles.

Long lines dissuaded us from entering the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basillica.

12) The Straight of Messina, Italy – A swimmer could easily cross this gap if not for the strong currents, as it is only 1.9 miles wide. Would you guess that by examining a map?

Italian mainland (left) and Sardinia (right) separated by the Strait of Messina.

13) Corfu, Greece - The Byzantine Paleokastritsa Monastery, established in the 1220's CE and dedicated to the Virgin Mary, sits aside cliffs along a rugged coastline and overlooking clear, azure waters.

A view of the Mediterranean Sea, only steps away from the Paleokastritsa Monastery.

14) Korcula, Croatia - Some believe Marco Polo was born here, though others believe he was born in Venice. Note that Venice ruled Korcula at that time, and Marco Polo lived in Venice for a while, and so those two facts likely have confounded the issue.

Korcula, Croatia, a small, yet beautiful Adriatic Sea town.

The Adriatic Sea for all practical purposes is an extension of the Mediterranean Sea, but who’s quibbling?

15) Dubrovnik, Croatia - The city's history dates back about fourteen hundred years. The relatively unspoiled and rugged Dalmatian coastline near Dubrovnik meets pristine waters of the Adriatic Sea.

Dubrovnik, Croatia, with its old walled city (left) dating back to the Middle Ages.

16) Venice, Italy - The waters surrounding Venice are quite murky, partly due, I suspect, to the Venetian toilets that flush directly into it! So, I don't recommend swimming there.

The iconic view of St. Mark's Square, Venice, from the water.

Tourists swarmed the streets and popular sites of Venice like ants at a picnic. Venice is implementing a tourist surcharge starting January, 2023, as a result of the increased number of visitors.

Tourists on an adjacent bridge as seen from the Bridge of Sighs near St. Mark's Square.

A last view of Venice from the air.

My wife and I had a worthwhile adventure, to say the least.

The world awaits. Go forth on your own adventures and walk in beauty.

A Few “Lesser Known and Obscure Facts” (I learned) about the Mississippi River, and its Inhabitants.

Bottom line: In spite of COVID risks, we took measures to protect ourselves and enjoyed our trip.

During our “Christmas on the Miss” cruise, Janet and I traveled on the American Duchess down the Mississippi River from Memphis, TN to New Orleans, LA, known by locals as NOLA.

1) The Duchess is a stern-wheeler, with two wheels side by side located at the stern, as opposed to one paddle wheel on each side of the boat, aka a side-wheeler.

Janet poses with the American Duchess docked in Greenville, MS.

2) Headwaters of the Mississippi River flow from a spring that feeds Lake Itasca, Minnesota, elevation 1,475 feet. With a length of 2,341 miles, the Mississippi drops 7.560871422 inches per mile until it merges with the Gulf of Mexico beyond New Orleans.

3) The “Duck March” at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis is quite popular among people . . . as well as the ducks.

Peabody Hotel Duck March in Memphis,TN.

4) The Blues City Cafe in Memphis doesn’t believe in customers going away hungry. When I inquired about possible menu misprints, the waitress said, “We don’t have (ounce) steaks.” I thought better of ordering their largest sirloin. Then, the waitress mentioned something about a family meal. Indeed!

Really? Never mind the shrimp, fish, and chicken.

Beale and Main Streets near the Blues City Cafe in Memphis.

5) Janet and I "toured" the World's First Billy Bass Adoption Center at the Flying Fish Restaurant in Memphis.

The main Billy Bass display wall in the Flying Fish Restaurant.

Wouldn't cha' know? Another Elvis Impersonator!

6) Janet had to visit Elvis' Graceland. She just had to, no ifs, ands, or buts.

Elvis' Graceland home is much like many pre-Civil War

plantation homes across the deep south, after a fashion.

7) Elvis' taste in home decorating, 1970s era, was nothing to envy.

Elvis' 1970s Media Room (pre-internet social media).

8) Elvis owned and traveled via two planes.

The Lisa Marie, largest of Elvis' two jets.

9) Elvis owned horses, and purchased numerous cars and motorcycles during his short career. I can't comment about the color of his horses, as I saw none, but his choice of Cadillac color suggests he believed if you got it, flaunt it.

Elvis' Pink Cadillac.

10) The Delta, aka Yazoo-Mississippi Delta, of some 70,000 sq miles of alluvial floodplain in Arkansas, Louisiana, and primarily Mississippi, should not be confused with the Mississippi River Delta, which terminates some miles beyond New Orleans.

11) The Delta suffered major flooding in 1927, the most destructive in US history, when the levee first failed near Mounds Landing, some 17 miles from Greenville, Mississippi. Some areas were covered by as much as thirty feet of water and at least two months elapsed before the floodwater completely subsided.

The Mississippi Delta, not to be confused with

the Mississippi River Delta southeast of NOLA.

12) Greenville, Mississippi, boasts of “more published writers per capita” than any other town in the US, such notables include Shelby Foote.

Their published author's list as displayed at the

Greenville Writers Exhibit at the Percy Library.

13) Many consider The Delta as the birthplace of Blues music, and highly influential in the development of Rock and Roll, if not its birthplace as well.

14) The Mississippi River temporarily ran backwards after a series of New Madrid fault earthquakes between December 16, 1811 and February 7, 1812. Additionally, those tremors created 18-mile-long Reelfoot Lake in TN.

Reelfoot Lake near Tiptonville, TN. Note: Photo taken during a separate trip.

15) The NMSZ, New Madrid Seismic Zone, is not benign nor dormant. Ruptures have occurred numerous times and have been felt and recorded in personal journals as far away as Louisville, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.

16) Though many consider cotton the primary crop of the pre-Civil War South, corn and sugarcane figured prominently. Corn fed farm animals and sugarcane helped fuel the opulent plantation culture built upon slave labor. Touring a few notable houses on our trip, I was reminded of European royal palaces.

Nottoway Plantation Mansion. Note: Gentlemen, please

ascend on the right as to not glimpse bare feminine ankle.

17) Gators love marshmallows. Wait . . . why are they called “marsh” mallows?

Several swamp gators compete for a marshmallow. Note: the brown &

green is vegetation reflecting off the water, not muck in the water.

18) Cafe Du Monde’s beignets, French doughnuts, aka fritters, are popular in the French Quarter of NOLA. Janet and I opted to stand in the take-away line for almost an hour to purchase an order, as the sit-down line appeared longer. I’m sure both lines had formed hours before our arrival, with customers placing and consuming their orders all the while. And when Janet and I left, the lines had grown longer still.

Queue for Cafe Du Monde beignets when Janet and I arrived on the scene.

19) Janet and I found the World War Two Museum in NOLA interesting, as we spent nearly a whole day there. I liked the museum's display of US WWII planes.

Surely, that Avenger wasn't dropping a live bomb.

Probably not. Well, maybe not. I hoped not, anyway.

20) I'd expect to be hanged and quartered, if I didn’t mention Southern and Cajun cuisine, other than that above. Both Janet and I enjoy Cajun food, though only lightly spiced. However, Janet shies away from deep-fried breaded items, particularly catfish. Her catfish aversion has something to do with owning a pet catfish years ago, but that didn't deter me, at least on one occasion.

Prepared to chow down on fried alligator, crab cake and raw oysters, Connard photo

bombs Janet's foodie picture at the Coterie Restaurant & Oyster Bar, NOLA.

Note: Gator tastes like a cross between chicken and ground beef to me.