A Float to Vienna
After leaving the lights of Budapest the boat motored its way through the night as we slept peacefully. The morning adventure was going through one of the 60+ locks on the river. The boat hugged one side of the locks cement walls as water raised it to the next level of the river.
Kevin was thrilled to enter the wheel house for an overview of the pilots instruments.
There was no wheel in the wheel house. We also learned that the vessel has eight propellers powered by electric motors. The motors get their power from 4 generators with a fifth one on standby for emergencies. The vessel is controlled by joy sticks. The captain spends a great deal navigating via instruments and the chart plotter rather than looking out the windows. In Europe the vessels navigate with green on the right vs red. In the USA most navigation follows the rule of "Red Right Return from a larger body of water".
There was also a mandatory emergency safety drill where every one was required to don their life vests and proceed to the upper deck muser zones to be checked in. Viking really takes safety seriously!
After lunch (still on the way to Vienna) Kevin felt a bit under the weather, so he napped while Theresa participated in an Apple Strudel making demonstration! Yum!
Kevin revived a bit for our docking and dinner in Vienna, Austria. Then he headed back to bed to hopefully kick what ever bug he picked up (probably from the Spas). There was little fear of COVID because every day all passengers and crew were required to do a saliva COVID test. Also everyone on board was required to be fully vaccinated! We also had our flue shots, and Covid boosters before we left!
In the AM we boarded Buses for a City tour of Vienna in combination with a walking tour. The guide pointed out many of the significant buildings and architecture styles. Theresa made the mistake of looking at the guide verses out the window and became extremely motion sick and was anxious to get off the bus for the walking part of the tour!
Once off the bus Theresa felt better but she was not prepared with enough layers for the 40F temp and a long but informative tour.
There was a break at the St Stephens cathedral (yes another one, he was a popular saint). The church provided some shelter from the wind and cold and a place to sit for a while. Theresa even lit a candle in memory of her mom and Kassel. (They were watching). See our Vienna pictures here.
There was a small Christmas market outside the church where local merchants displayed and sold their wares. Yes Christmas shopping was started!
It was a short and brisk walk back to the bus for a thankfully short bus ride back to the boat. Kevin was still not feeling well and Theresa was not ready to brave the cold so the afternoon was spent on the boat relaxing and writing the blog posts and watching the swans.
We opted for the rack of Lamb which was melt in your mouth tasty and tender.
All were in bed when boat left the dock at Vienna around midnight for another overnights travel to Milk, Austria.
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