TRAVEL
|
50 PLUS MAGAZINE
50 Plus Travel
sponsored by
might like a glass of champagne.” We hadn’t ordered any. She had read our minds.
JOHN SUCHET TAKES A DANUBE RIVER CRUISE WITH UNIWORLD I was a great fan of river cruises before I ever took one. There must be something to see every day. Was I right? There was only one way to find out, and the opportunity presented itself last October - a Danube River Cruise with Uniworld, on which I would give talks about Vienna, City of Music, also describe how the waltz came to Vienna, and introduce a concert in an ornate Viennese palace.
It got better. We went up on to the sundeck and sat round a table admiring the beautiful city of Budapest from the river. I spotted a waitress climbing the steps, one hand on the handrail, the other balancing a tray with six glasses of champagne. I wonder if she’d bring some for us, I thought. Smiling, she put the tray down and said: “I thought you
I decided to combine pleasure with business. For the last decade or so, every October I have had a reunion with my oldest friends in the world, fellow students I graduated with over half a century ago. We were at university in Dundee, so in past years bottles have been opened and consumed in Scotland’s great cities. This time, why not make it extra special, and toast our friendship aboard S.S. Maria Theresa, gliding gently along the Danube, surrounded by exquisite scenery you might almost be able to reach out and touch? It took a masterpiece of planning. Let me tell you how it began. My wife Nula and I had barely unpacked in our state room (cabins are so passé), when I received a text message: ‘We’re in the Habsburg salon.’ 8
Boat Exterior in Budapest
That was a hallmark of the trip. Impeccable service on a truly beautiful ship. The captain addressed us all on the first evening, and it was evident how proud he was of her. The S.S. Maria Theresa is done out in the style of the Empress she is named after. Luxurious, splendid, glass doors and walls, gilded mirrors and chandeliers. He acknowledged, in his welcome speech, that the state rooms were not large. How could they be on a river cruise ship which needed to negotiate some narrow passages of river and many locks? “But have you noticed the space underneath the bed?” There was a collective intake of breath. Bed coverings are so luxurious they reach the floor. It had not occurred to us to lift them up, to reveal a vast space underneath specially designed to take your suitcases. Clever.
