Cruise along the sites of Europe

Published Feb 12, 2004

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One of the world's foremost attractions, has always been hard work for tourists having constantly to pack, move on and unpack again. Coaches, trains, taxis or even self-drive vehicles meant baggage had to be lugged almost daily from one city to another. Little wonder the well-heeled cried: "Enough. Leave Europe to the backpackers!"

That was before river cruises were introduced a couple of decades ago. Overnight the grand tour became leisurely, a pleasant way of getting into the heart of Europe. The hassle was removed and tourists could go aboard a floating hotel and cruise on one of the major river systems in Europe. Congested roads were a thing of the past. Now all passengers had to do was relax and watch the quaint villages and historic cities, ancient castles and lush countryside glide past.

At the forefront of the industry was Peter Deilmann River Cruises, a company that offered tourists a range of cruises into Europe's heartland. They were an immediate success with trips offered on the Danube, the Seine, the Rhone, the Po, the Rhine and its tributaries, the Elbe, the Oder and, for a first time this year, the Vistula in Poland.

The company has a fleet of ten deluxe river vessels, each of which runs regular cruises along different rivers. All have romantic names such as Mozart, Heidelberg, Casanova, Katharina, Dresden, Frederic Chopin, Cezanne, Danube Princess, Princesse de Provence and Konigstein.

The cabins have large picture windows or full length French doors for spectacular views as well as air conditioning and private bathrooms, intra-vessel telephones and four-channel radios.

The Frederic Chopin is to cruise the Vistula. Built in 2002, the vessel has 41 cabins and can accommodate 79 passengers. A library, gift shop, laundry, beauty salon and hairdresser are among the facilities it offers.

The first cruise of the season starts from Warsaw on March 27 when it sails for the 1000-year-old city of Gdansk, traveling through Pomerania, a region laced with lakes and rivers, nature reserves, castles and palaces.

It s a new cruise well worth doing for Warsaw has been declared a World Heritage site. The city is full of charming little streets, art galleries, restaurants and cafes. The 15th century gothic cathedral of St John s has a tomb accommodating the tombs of popes.

Gdansk, too, is a classic example of a Hanseatic port with narrow facades and picturesque houses lining the streets. The city was damaged during World War II but has been restored and is once again a lively trading centre.

Some cruises include a stop at Kaliningrad (formerly Konigsberg) in Russia. Originally the city consisted of three separate towns and grew around the walls of a 13th century castle. It was incorporated into modern Germany in the 19th century but after World War I became part of Soviet Russia.

The vessel plying the Danube is Mozart which starts from baroque Passau in Bavaria, sailing through the beautiful wine country of Austria s Wachau region and lingering long enough for guests to visit Melk's Abbey and Durnstein s medieval castle.

The next stop is Vienna where passengers can escape into the world of the Habsburgs at Schoembrunn or Belvedere Palaces, visit St Stephen Cathedral or take a horse-drawn carriage ride through Prater. Spectacular Budapest follows, then the Hungarian Puszta with its wild horses, or the Danube Bend countryside and the Cathedral of Ezstergom.

The seven-night round trip cruise operates from March to October, with longer cruises available all the way to the Black Sea so that guests can explore the towns and villages of Serbia, Bulgaria and Romania.

That's just one cruise on the Danube. There are various options calling at other towns and cities.

Barging in France has become very popular but cruising to Burgundy and Provence is infinitely more relaxing. Someone else steers the vessel carrying passengers from Lyon to the provincial town of Tournon and on to Arles, rich in Gallo-Roman ruins. Then it is on to Avignon with its superb papal palace and the ancient temples of Vienne.

Casanova sails the river Po in Italy with guests embarking at Venice and heading upstream on a seven-night cruise to Cremona where it lingers to allow excursions to Verona, Padua, Bologna, Mantua and the islands in the Venetian lagoon, Torello and Burrano. Again, there are variations to the itinerary offering guests some difficult choices.

The Rhine cruises transport passengers into a fairytale world of castles, medieval towns, gothic cathedrals, flower filled meadows and endless vineyards. The cruise starts at Amsterdam, sails through Holland and Belgium, and calls at Strasburg, Cologne and Dusseldorf. The tributary meanders through the wine growing regions from Trier to Koblenz and cruises through Bavaria on the Main-Danube Canal which links two impressive waterways, Rhine and Danube.

Again, there are a number of options. It is possible to spend seven days cruising in just Bavaria stopping at places such as Nuremberg, an elegant city with a medieval culture, Miltenberg, site of the film, The Pub in the Spessart Forest, and nearby Amorbach, a romantic baroque town. Other cities include Rudesheim, Xanten, Speyer, Wurzburg and Regensburg.

Two vessels, the Katharina and the Dresden, sail the River Elbe through Saxony. The seven night cruises start either at Berlin or Breslau, or Hamburg and Dresden.

Dresden, incidentally, has been described as the Elbe Florence with its famous museums of old masters, jewels and objects d art of the Saxon kings. Highlight of the cruise, however, is undoubtedly a visit to Bohemia s capital, Prague.

The Oder River flows through eastern Europe, an area unchanged for centuries. The countryside is unspoilt and is home to buzzard eagles, hawks and many other birds.

The Baltic island of Rugen and Usedom are known for their beaches and artists colonies. The architecture, too, is classical. Towns visited include Wroclaw (Breslau), Poland s most western city, and the Hanseatic towns of Stralsund and Szezecin. All promise to be dream holidays.

For more information call Peter Deilmann's South African representative, Development Promotions, at 011 339-4865 or your travel agent.

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