3 July
A new country today – Slovakia. Set on the crossroads of ancient trade routes in the heart of Europe, Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, embodies various cultures – primarily Celtic, Roman and Slavic.
08:45 – Disembarkation briefing.
09:45 – 10:15 – The ship docks near the city centre, so no bus was needed. We took a walking tour of Bratislava in five groups, including the enchanting Old City with its Town Hall, Mirbach Palace and the Gothic cathedral of St Martin.
10:15 – 12:15 – Free time to look around. We chose to walk about 15 minutes to the Eurovea shopping centre, which is along the river bank. It is a modern, multi-storey structure.
14:15 – 17:30 – Today’s highlight was a home-hosted afternoon tea with a local Slovakian family. We were divided into groups of about 12-14; each group went to a different family. We went to the town of Šenkvice, northeast of Bratislava. It was a warm meeting with several family members, and we were treated to samples of all the wines they produce in their little vineyard behind the house.
18:30 Port Talk.
18:45 – In the evening, the ship’s Captain hosted a Captain’s Farewell Cocktail (not a Captain’s Dinner). Strawberries were well featured in the dinner tonight.
Some people staying in the “Owner Suites” were invited to the Captain’s table, although they had the same meal as us.
Day by day
- Days -11 to -15 – Singapore
- Days -4 to -10 – UK
- Days -1 to -3 – Paris Extension
- Day 1 & 2 – Amsterdam
- Day 3 – Cologne
- Day 4 – Rhine Gorge – Rudesheim
- Day 5 – Miltenberg – Wertheim
- Day 6 – Wurzburg – Rothenburg
- Day 7 – Bamberg
- Day 8 – Nuremberg
- Day 9 – Kelheim – Regensburg
- Day 10 – Passau – Salzburg – Linz
- Day 11 – Melk – Durnstein
- Day 12 – Vienna
- Day 13 – Bratislava
- Day 14 – Budapest
- Day 15 – Homeward Bound