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CruiseIreland

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  1. Last evening, we were relaxing in our room when the thunderstorms started. Wow, such a racket and heavy rain! I was smugly congratulating myself on booking the Next Door restaurant which is connected to the hotel when my wife asked me what time we were booked for. I checked the email and realised it was not for last night but for tonight! Oops! A quick phonecall via reception and they got us a table for 9pm. Phew! Now, I know that this is not a food blog and, usually, we eat in quite modest establishments, but I cannot praise Next Door enough. The service was very attentive but the food was magnificent. We had a starter and main each, 2 glasses of wine and a cognac each and the total bill, including 10% service added by the till, came to 3,022kc. This seems expensive but it equates to €125 which we wouldn't pay often but we both agreed that it was probably the best meal we've ever eaten. The pics do not do justice to the food justice: In order of appearance below. Sorry, I can't separate the pics. 1. Stuffed Quail with sweet pointed cabbage salad and marinated vegetables 2. Leg of duck with caramelised white cabbage and potato gnocchi 3. Tenderloin of wild boar with glazed carrots and white goose liver sauce 4. Parfait of goat's cheese with pecan nuts and tomato-citrus fruit sauce
  2. Indeed, I think the lovely lady on reception was trying to explain that to me but I had my dum dum ears on! 🙄
  3. We turned left at the Church of St. Francis and walked a few hundred metres to the Jewish Town. We were interested in the cemetery and perhaps a synagogue. However, when we went into the ticket office/shop, the shop was so warm and it seemed expensive, so we left it and walked the most expensive looking street yet, shops with one watch in a display, you know it's gonna be very expensive!! Sauntered back via ice cream shop and Billa supermarket. Pic of meeting hall at the Jewish Cemetery.
  4. At this point, we realised that we were just around the corner from Charles Bridge so we walked over from the 'other' side. Not as busy today. At the end of the bridge is the Church of St. Francis of Assisi and we popped in for a look. Very pretty church. Pics...
  5. Edit: The soup was Tom Yum Gai, not Tom Tum!🙄 Thunderstorm crashing around us now heavy rain! The TV has completely surrendered! Anyway, after we explored the gardens, we followed the main road and loads of other people, up towards the castle. Beware, if you have any mobility or disability issues, the steps are plentiful and quite steep. There is a road up which I'm sure the tour buses use. In the heat today, it was tough but we were rewarded at the top by a fabulous selection of palaces, museums, cafes, exhibition areas and houses, joined together and surrounding the Cathedral of St.Vitus. Huge crowds at the castle and we queued to enter the cathedral. It's massive and beautiful. Free entry gets you about a quarter of the way up the nave. Tickets can be purchased at the information office opposite the main door. Some pics of the castle and surrounds: We left the castle grounds and walked down different steps and found ourselves in Malostranka Square. Stopped for beer and some cheese and bread. 350kc Inc. tip. More later. Ken
  6. Day 3: We decided to skip the included tour this morning as we had covered most of it ourselves and, crucially, it was setting off at 8.30am. Last night, we ate locally at Siam Orchid Thai restaurant just a few minutes walk from our hotel. Excellent Tom Tum Gai, a spicy soup that we were warned about by the waiter, and it was, indeed, very spicy but delicious. Followed by a shared green curry. Beautiful food. Total bill, including wine and tip, 900kc. This morning, we walked the short distance to the Unicredit bank ATM on Republic Sq to get cash so as to have coins for the WCs at the castle. So far, we had managed with card only. I thought that it might be a free ATM but, alas, it charged 155kc for the withdrawal of 1,000kc. Walked back to tram stop and bought 2 24hr passes for all public transport, 120kc each. The lady asked when we wished the 24hrs to commence so you can pre purchase and select when the 24hr period starts. 24hr passes do not have to be validated on the bus/tram. After some confusion over which side of the street to wait, a helpful local lady pointed me in the right direction (literally, as neither of us spoke the other's language). Tram dropped us at Malostranska Metro station. It was clear we would have to climb up to the castle 🏰 but not clear which street to take. There were a number of tour groups standing around and we followed one into the Senate Gardens, as mentioned by ldtr above. What a beautiful place, ornamental lake, huge carp, sculptures and wonderful decorations on the ceilings of the outdoor concert venue. WC there was 20kc. Some pics:
  7. Day 2: Another hot day in Prague, up to 33°C. After an excellent breakfast, we retraced our steps to Powder Tower and onwards to Old Town Square and it is beautiful, so much to see and photograph. As we were a bit late for the 11am Astronomical Clock performance, we walked up and down a few side streets until a few minutes to midday when we packed ourselves into the area in front of the clock with about a thousand other people. The clock performed, a few minutes late by my watch, but to the delight of the assembled masses. Afterwards, we wandered again and found ourselves in Wenceslas where we stopped for beer(s) and pizza, fries and extra garlic mayonnaise, 894kc. Our next mission was to find, photo and cross Charles Bridge. I used the tourist map provided by the hotel for general directions but resorted to Google maps for details. One thing that's not clear on G maps is that, in Prague, there are a lot of passages which shorten walks and often contain interesting gems. Finally, the stream of humanity moving towards us on a tiny street told me we were close. My goodness, we were amazed at how many people we had to wade through and with to see the bridge. Very impressive and worth the walk. Returned by the Old Town Square again and the Tyn Church which opened at 15.00. Beautiful church with a lot of gilding. No photos allowed, unfortunately. At this point, the heat won out, so we walked back stopping at a Billa supermarket for water, great shop, fraction of the prices charged in the mini markets around the town. One note, a lot of police presence today. No obvious reason. The very large group of German football fans in Old Town Square were singing loudly but happily eating their lunches, and the police didn't seem particularly interested. Tonight, we met our Gate1 rep, who is only overseeing the Prague part of the trip. More tomorrow!
  8. Interesting, I've seen Operation Daybreak and Anthropoid, so I would be interested in that. Thanks.
  9. Didn't realise the Monarch Queen was previously with Vantage! We scored a French Balcony which I'm very excited about.
  10. Hi all. At last, embarkation date fast approaches. I booked this, our first ever river cruise after 11 ocean cruises, as a surprise birthday prezzie for my DW, who has a significant birthday coming up. We flew into Prague a day early and we left Dublin airport at stupid o'clock this morning. Flight was short and uneventful. We were met at Arrivals by the hotel's transfer driver and 25 minutes later arrived at Cosmopolitan Hotel. This is the hotel that Gate 1 is using for 3 nights so we booked in for an extra night. Lovely hotel, well located at the edge of the Old Town. Very hot in Prague today so we had a wander and went out for Mexican food(yes, I know but we will sample Czech food too!). Calling it an early night. Will walk about tomorrow before meeting Cruise Director tomorrow evening. I hope that I can upload some photos along the way.
  11. Here's a video of a cabin on a Nicko cruise. Only discovered this line as a result of this YouTuber.
  12. It's an area of Queensland, named after the Tropic of Capricorn. Often used for local or regional organisations. Odd to see it on that map.
  13. Ha! We're completely covered by the first blue cloud on the left! Good to hear that the river level is heading in the right direction. 3 weeks til we embark at Regensburg. 👍
  14. I appreciate you taking the time to post this. Very interesting. 👍
  15. Many thanks. So, Pfelling is the only gauge that we look at as the rest of the river is more or less regulated via locks? As you say Pfelling is at 265, are there some ships getting through but others not, at this level? Thank you for taking the time to explain this to a newbie! Ken
  16. I was not looking for speculation, just pointers on what the gauge reading at Pfelling means and how to understand any other indicators.
  17. Just wanted to bump this. Anyone care to speculate? I want to be prepared, if possible.
  18. Hi all. I've been checking this thread daily as we sail from Regensburg on 18th August, towards Budapest. I'm a bit befuddlled between the Pfelling gauge and other posts above. What is the likelihood that we will be able to complete the cruise without being bussed? I understand that no one can predict rainfall but I am just looking for pointers. Thanks in advance. Ken
  19. This review from Thankful Journey's is very good...
  20. Maybe he doesn't understand or can't be bothered! 🤷‍♂️
  21. Hi Eurodolphin, I booked from Ireland using a US travel agent. Didn't add HIA at booking as it's a long way out but did so last week. I emailed the US TA and it appeared on the HAL website after 2 days. So, it can be added via the TA. Ken
  22. Continental breakfast is free for Fantastica staterooms including delivery. Hot food items are charged for. The order card will list the pastries or croissants available. Ken
  23. We crossed the street outside the port gates, crossed the square to the metro and took the train to the train/bus station. Bought a ticket for the coach to Aix-en-Provence en Provence. Lovely town. Worth the trip. Marseille is nice too but we had done it previously. Ken
  24. This guy, Gary Bembridge recently travelled to Egypt with Ama. Here's a link to his YT channel https://youtube.com/@tipsfortravellers?feature=share9
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