2007 - Danube Cruise & Boothbay Maine

Danube Cruise - 2007

These are a few of the 1200 pics from our trip !
This is the ship we traveled on the first week... MS River Adigo with the administrative building in Budapest in the background.
The town of Buda accross the river from the town of Pest. Captain on the left, First Officer on the right with 2 of our tour guides.

Our room on the ship.
Eileen "assisting" the chef preparing struedel.
Lifeboat drill !!!
The abbey on the highest point in Budapest.
Eileen in her favorite place.....a gift shop.

The Three Sisters at dusk in Budapest. The abbey in Budapest at night.
Our ship docked in the town of Estergom, Hungary with the church on the hill above.
The front of the church.
A monument next to the church.

The team on a bridge going from Hungary to Slovakia.
Melk Abbey in Hungary.
Courtyard in Melk Abbey.
The church at the Abbey.
A previous bishop of the abbey.

A huge library in the Abbey.
A view of the town of Melk.
A wine tasting in the Abbey.
The Abbey in the backgroud as we pass through one of the many locks on the Danube.

Bratislava in Slovakia.

An interesting side trip was lunch at a home in a small town in Slovakia.
The Three Sisters at night in Bratislava.
One of the many bridges over the Danube.

One of the many palaces in Vienna.
The gardens in the back of the palace.
It was a beautiful day of 100 degrees in Vienna.
"Old Vienna".
Like I said...it was really HOT!

A small street in Vienna outside Mozart's home..
Ah..Mozart !
What they call a "beach" in Vienna.
The team at a concert in Vienna.
Two of the opera performers at the concert.

Sailing in the Wachau Valley....one of many small towns.
A vineyard in the valley.
An old castle on the hill.
Another castle....

A statue of King Richard off to the crusades.

Salzburg...home of Mozart and where they filmed "Sound of Music". A view of Salzburg from the castle.
Town square in Salzburg.
First home of Mozart.
The town of Linz in Austria.

I guess we go "that way"...
Linz at night....another beautiful city.
The Three Sisters in Linz.
A museum along the river in Linz.
The town of Czeky Krumlov in the Czech Republic.

Lunch in Czeky Krumlov.
Ah...the local brew on a hot day !
The highlight of the tour...meeting Antonin Dvorak III (grandson of the famous composer.

He gave us a private tour of the family home (not open to the public). This is the room and the piano where Dvorak composed some of his works.
The outside of the home. Not occupied.
Sitting in the same seat as Dvorak... nothing sunk in though.
One of the great churches in Prague.
The Municipal building in Prague.Had a wonderful tour inside.

Decisions, decisions, what to eat ?
With the Charles Bridge in the backgroud we had our first meal in Prague.
One side of the Charles Bridge.
A view from the bridge.
Rubbing this spot is suppose to be lucky.

Two of the many musicians on the bridge. These guys were so good I actually bought their CD.
An original "hurdy-gurdy" man. The subway in Prague. Clean, fast and not expensive...
Along the river in Prague at night.
Changing of the guard at the president's palace in Prague.

World famous clock in the main square of Prague.
Many Euorpean cities still have a good streetcar system.
Inside the church of the "Infant of Prague".
The John Lennon "Memorial Wall".
The Three Sisters dining at a country establishment outside Prague.

Roy "kicking up his heels"...
Eileen instructing another cook on the proper way to prepare a cheese dish.
Don Giovanni done by puppets.

A ship in Prague with a Jazz dinner cruise.

The last night in Prague and so many shops left....

The Charles Bridge at night from the water.
Dining on the jazz cruise.
The entertainment.... the last night...a fond farewell.

Boothbay Maine (August 2007)

Our first day in Boothbay began with a mad rush to the water !
Sittin' on the rock by the bay...
One of the few times the kids stopped moving.

The Sisters by the bay.
The lighthouse on an island in the bay.
Grandma & Grandpa....
Looking for the buried treasure...
A leisurely stroll accross the rocks.

The best seat in (or is it out of) the house.
The view enjoyed by all.
Down the path to the river there was a quiet place.
Along the path you see two intrepid woodsmen.

The view from the upper deck.

Here I am with one of the local natives (he's the one with the vest).
Boothbay Harbor in the evening.
Auntie "I"....
The whole gang together the first night.
All right kiddies, hold up them lobsters... poor Mike only a steak for him.

Rachel and her first whole lobster.
Ditto for Nicole.
All aboard for some whale watching.
This is the New Hampshire species... notice the baleen has been removed so that it can consume larger quantities.
The southern end of a northbound hunchback whale.

The topside of a whale.
A hunchback's footprint. Once it dives it leaves a completely smooth surface on the water.
The premier LL Bean store in Maine.
A day at the Maine Botannical Garden.
Eileen and Judy....

Accross one of the beautiful ponds in the gardens.
Three generations of Kifers.
The family Kifer.
Here we are enjoying the gardens.
Splish-splash time for Joey's bath.

The wolf stand no chance against this feline.
Ah... the life of leisure. Anybody got some spf 30 ?
Yes, life is good !
The family Kifer at sea !
One of the local lobster fishermen.

A seal came by just to say hello (or was it arf).
A beautiful sailboat went by also.
Captain Mike giving Jacob his turn at the helm.
The Lobsterman's Wharf (dinner place the first night).
On to Waterbury Vermont. Just 300 miles out of the way for a little ice cream.

I want my ice cream cone.... right now !
This is the entrance to the 45 acre Shelburne Museum. Many historical displays and art buildings. A "must see" if you're in the area.
On the bridge of the Ticonderoga.
Out on the deck....
Some of the beautiful flowers....

This is an adult cradle. Used for the infirmed elderly. Just my size.
Or they can just lock you up !
This is the original steamship "Ticonderoga" that used to travel Lake Champlain.
There was also a circus museum there (a much smaller version of the Ringling Bros. in Sarasota FL).