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Clockwise from above: Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna, best enjoyed with a private guide. There’s plenty of time to relax beyond the boat.
Perks include the use of outdoor gear like mountain bikes – perfect for exploring at your own pace, as Jean Luc discovered.
28 // MAKE MEMORIES FOR LIFE
had made the right choice.
Our suite was fit for royalty, complete
with a welcome tour from our butlers,
Sándor and Tibor. (Yes, butlers!) Each
corner of the room held its own hidden
treasures: freshly baked macarons, an
espresso machine and fully-stocked mini
bar, cosy robes and slippers with Hermès
“
Not only would
this allow us to visit
multiple countries,
we would also get to
see some of Europe’s
most spectacular
landscapes away
from the typical
tourist traps
“
would also get to see some of Europe’s
most spectacular landscapes away from
the typical tourist traps.
The more we read, the more we
thought an all-inclusive cruise with
Uniworld River Cruises would make
the best match: we would have ample
opportunity to get to know our fellow
passengers (a win for my extroverted
husband), along with the flexibility
to choose which activities, on-board
entertainment and shore excursions to
take part in (a win for me, as I had already
visited many of the destinations but had
not tried many of the exclusive experiences
Uniworld arranged on our behalf).
With our eight-day Enchanting Danube
trip finally booked, we packed our bags,
boarded our flights to Frankfurt and giddily
rode by train down to our embarkation
port in Passau, Germany, to board the S.S.
Maria Theresa. When we were greeted
by name and handed a generous glass of
champagne, I knew with certainty that we
toiletries and a bottle of South African red
wine to help us feel at home.
I could have spent all week locked in
our room and still had the time of my life.
But we were here for adventure, after all,
so the urge to hibernate with my glass of
bubbly and a good book would have to
wait. The daily programme of events left
on our king-sized bed informed us we had
much to do and little time – no moment
could be wasted.
Passau’s Bavarian charm made us
want to stay longer as soon as we
arrived, tempting us with the smell
of meat-stuffed döners and the
bizarre-but-cute Dachshund Museum
(dedicated to all things weiner dog).
We hopped on bicycles and meandered
tree-lined country trails, following the Inn
River’s German banks to our destination –
a pub with ice-cold radlers (a shandy made
with beer and lemonade) on the Austrian
side. Bolstered by the beers, we pedalled
tipsily back through town, stopping only