Just returned Elegant Elbe Clara Schumann

[Jesterscourt]

We returned last month from an enjoyable and extremely informative trip that started in Berlin and ended up in Prague including a week aboard Viking's Clara Schumann sailing from Magdeburg, Germany to Decin, Czech Republic down the Elbe River in former East Germany (GDR). I have not gathered my thoughts yet for a detailed synopsis of each day but hope to soon and certainly before next year as future trips approach. However, if anyone has any burning questions about this itinerary, it will be fun to discuss it. Steve

[HDS]

Looking forward to your review.

[cruisingmimi]

Jesterscourt,

 

I will be anxious to read your report as the Elbe is a place that we would like to cruise. I did some genealogy and my husband's relatives lived in the form East Germany area.

 

We are leaving 12/1 for a Christmas Markets cruise to see if we will like river cruising. I know that the Elbe River cruises have limited schedules so we would have to do that river earlier.

 

Mary

[DonfromNC]

We'll be eagerly awaiting your review as well. We just scheduled this trip for March. I couldn't believe April and May are fully booked already. We were to go on this trip last August but had to cancel at the last minute due to illness.

 

March will be cool, but better than blazing hot, I guess. We can't wait.

 

Don

[Jesterscourt]

I will organize it before the New Year. Don't worry about the weather in March. We had chilly weather in October with some rain, but this should not detract from the purpose and enjoyment of the trip. This itinerary for the most part is more historical and is nothing a scarf and umbrella can't handle!

[Jesterscourt]

I am going to do my review in parts with separate posts for Berlin, Potsdam, Dessau, Wittenberg, Torgau, Meissen, Dresden, Saxon Switzerland, and the Czech Republic ports of Decin, Litomerice, and Melnik, and finally touch upon Prague. This is a 12 day port-intensive trip and you can easily get overwhelmed with the depth and breadth of WWII and Cold War history, and yet, find plenty of time to relax in each town and aboard the ship. The more you read up on the history of each place, the more you will get out of the trip (but never show up your cruise director or guides! Some of them are very sensitive!). On the other hand, there were many guests not as interested in history that also enjoyed the scenery and shopping and just being immersed in a different culture. I also found that with some planning, if you are a music lover, you will be able to go to the symphony, ballet, and opera in Berlin and Prague certainly, but even when you overnight in Dresden, you can walk to the famous Semper Opera House and see a performance if there is one that night--more to follow on that later. On the next post I would like to mention a few tidbits about Berlin where you will stay 2 nights before even embarking on the ship (or more nights at your own expense if you choose).....

[Jesterscourt]

I was extremely impressed with the amount of time we had in this city and the location of the Berlin Hilton across the street from Berlin's most elegant square, the Gendarmenmarkt. You can roll out of bed and practically end up at the steps of the metro stop (Stadtmitte) or even if you don't use the metro, you could easily walk to Unter den Linden, Brandenburger Tor, Pergamonmuseum, and Checkpoint Charlie, etc. I arrived a day early to see more of the city, but it's not absolutely necessary. Viking provides you with 2 nights and almost 2 full days in Berlin and on the third morning you go to Potsdam on your way to the ship. They provide an evening walk on the first day and the next morning a more elaborate bus tour of the city, which ends around lunchtime. So my advice to grab a quick bite at the soup place a block from the hotel and have something lined up for that afternoon such as as the Museumsinsel (the famous museum island that has the Pergamon and four other museums) or the equally spectacular Jewish Museum Berlin, etc. The other issue I wanted to mention is that if you arrive a day early, I would still recommend spending the extra money to stay at the Hilton. By the time you schlep your luggage and pay for a cab to get from one hotel to the next, it's not worth it. It was exciting to experience another neighborhood, but as a result, I rushed back from a tour to my hotel and was stressed trying to get to the Hilton wasting a lot of time, and to top it off, I came too late for the walking tour anyway. The Hilton will offer Viking's special rate which is still expensive but worth it in my opinion.

[Jesterscourt]

Have much more to say about Berlin as I'm sure many people do so will respond to questions and look forward to comments or discussion. Happy New Year, and may 2010 bring health and prosperity and especially safe traveling to all! Steve

[shoshona2]

Hi Jesterscourt,

 

We loved the location of the Berlin Hilton. I might suggest that if anyone has Hilton points, they can stay there free. We use our American Express, Marriott and Hilton points to pay for the hotels in Europe since our dollar is so bad.

 

Sheila

[Jesterscourt]

Just a few blocks from the Hilton is the famous Bebelplatz Square where the ****s burned 25,000 books. On one side of the large square is the Staatsoper Berlin (opera house) and across the street is Humboldt University where the likes of Einstein, Hegel, and Planck taught. So if you want to go to the opera in one of the world's famous opera houses, the Staatsoper is a short walk from the hotel, as is the Komische Opera for lighter more avant-gard opera. And I can't not mention Fassbender & Rausch on the corner from the hotel which is Europe's biggest chocolate store! You know you'll go upstairs to their elegant hot chocolate cafe! They also have chocolate statues of Big Ben, the Titanic almost like a Legoland made of chocolate (unfortunately, we passed the damned place everytime we came back to the hotel, making avoiding it very difficult! The Gedarmenmarkt area around the hotel has tons of restaurants of all price-ranges and tastes. Or to be more adventurous you can take a longer walk or quick cab ride to the Kreuzberg district that has tons of Turkish restaurants and stands. I will try to get the name of the that convenient soup place a block away which is very popular with Berliners as well and one or two other restaurants with good German food that our group went to in future post.

[Jesterscourt]

A favorite place to eat for many Viking passengers is Lowenbrau Restaurant 1 block from the Hilton open until 12 even on Sunday night and serving exceellent beer and great German food such as Pork knuckle (schweinhaxe) or Sauerbraten with red cabbage, etc. at reasonable prices. Make a right out of the hotel, then another right and go one block (Leipziger Strasse 65). For those who may be arriving on Thursday, remember that the museums are open until 10 PM and admission is free after 6 on Thursdays. At any rate, for all other times spring for the 12 euro combo ticket good for all the museums so you don't have to keep waiting on line for every museum. The big attraction now is the newly opened Neues Museum which has the Egyptian Museum where crowds queue up to see the magnificent bust of Queen Neferitia, "Berlin's most beautiful woman".

[Jesterscourt]

On the final morning in Berlin, we met early and boarded our pre-assigned busses with our luggage to head to Magdeburg where the ship is docked. We made a 1 and 1/2 hour stop in the actual town of Potsdam to walk around and have lunch on our own. I believe the busses parked in the parking lot of the Church of Peter and Paul and from there we could easily walk to the main ave. (Friedrich Ebert Str) and go left toward the center of town. On the corner of Charlottenstr is a great bakery/cafe for great latte, hot chocolates, pastry and sandwiches. Further down the street are bratwurst stands because that's afterall, what we came here for! Potsdam is for all intents and purposes, a suburb of Berlin, and there are many commuters who live here. You don't see many tourists on the streets of Potsdam as they are all at the Palaces and parks. When we got to Sanssouci Palace, it was mind-boggling and no less magnificent than Versailles. In addition to the Palace itself, we were able to descend the magnificent staircase and walk around the expansive terraced gardens. A short bus ride from there is the famous Cecilienhof Palace where the 1945 Potsdam Conference took place. This was one of those historical moments on the tour as our guide (who was with us the whole day) gave us good insight into how the Allies divied up the land from the defeated Germans and how Stalin overshadowed the other leaders and thus began the rumblings of the "Cold War". Well, by the end of the day, 3 busloads of tired passengers made their way through the city of Magdeburg which had been 90% destroyed by WWII bombing and rebuilt in typical "Communist-era" style with enormous apartment and industrial complexes. We embarked on the SS Clara Schumann with just about enough energy to unpack and prepare for dinner. Even though she didn't leave until midnight, I don't think anyone ventured off that first night aboard.

[Jesterscourt]

On the previous post, I made it sound as if Magdeburg is an ugly industrial town and I apologize for that. In fact, today it is a vibrant city, the capital of Sachsen-Anhalt, and has an attractive Cathedral (Dom) on the Elbe River and an Old Town. Like many of our destinations, we just drove through it or simply docked overnight while waiting to reach another destination the next morning. One of my criticisms of this trip (a minor point) is that I would have liked to hear more about these lesser-known towns or at least to have had an informal walking tour available while they were docked. Another example was Decin, Czech Republic which I will get to in a future post.

[DonfromNC]

We're following your report with interest since we're scheduled for the Elbe trip in late March (reverse route).

 

I might point out to others looking at the trip that Viking has shortened the 2010 itinerary to just one night each in Berlin and Prague instead of the two nights in each city they included in 2009.

 

Don & Kay

[jacksonnh]

Hi Don,

My wife and I took this trip in Sept 08. The water level was very low so we had to spend a third night at the Hilton in Berlin and we picked up the ship in Dessau. Berlin rates in my top ten European cities so if you've not been it is well worth spending extra time on both ends as Prague is also enjoyable. If you are looking for a great german restaurant in Berlin frequnted by locals, about 4 blocks from the hotel is Schinkel-Klause Restaurant, Unter den Linden 5 . It's located near Humbolt University and is entered through a small side door that descends into the basement.

It was similar to ones I have seen in old 1940's movies about germany. The food, mostly german, and service were outstanding. I did a review on it in trip advisor. This cruise really gives a feeling of what it was like under soviet rule. Enjoy your trip.

Dave

[pacmom]

This was one of our favorite river cruises and we went before the boat was renovated!! Christian was our CD and was very good. All the local guides were good. The food very regional and German. Such a shame that the line has shortened the time at either end--especially in Berlin.

This is a cruise I would repeat. Pat

[Jesterscourt]

If they have shortened the itinerary I assume they have lowered the price so maybe use that saved money to stay an extra day before and after. There are numerous walking and bus tours available that you can arrange ahead of time or see the concierge when you arrive (however, it is better to have something planned as there is usually a line at the concierge and it is hard to make a good decision about what to do it you are tired and in and pressed for time in my opinion). Pat, you are absolutely right. This itinerary is worth doing again like seeing a good movie twice to experience what you have missed and more detail! Steve

[DonfromNC]

If they have shortened the itinerary I assume they have lowered the price

 

Not significantly, as far as I can tell -- maybe $150. It's hard to tell with their ever-changing discounts. We already made our plans without any extra time, but probably should have stayed longer. Kay worries about leaving her three elderly cats for too long.

 

A question: Did the Schumann offer laundry service? With the small cabins and new airline charges we'd like to bring less luggage this time.

 

Don

[Jesterscourt]

There is laundry service but prohibitively expensive in my opinion.

[Jesterscourt]

There is laundry service but prohibitively expensive in my opinion.

[Jesterscourt]

We docked in Dessau in the morning and taken by bus to the incredible Worlitzer Park (Garden Kingdom of Worlitz) created by Prince Leopold III. We strolled through the gardens and then were put in large gondolas (one of the highlights of the entire trip!) to glide across the lake and through the canals and under bridges passing Gothic temples, the castle and small islands. We even passed gorgeous peacocks and swans. It would be worth it to come back in the summer to spend a few days at this park. Let me qualify that by saying that the actual town of Dessau itself is rather uninspiring and had also been bombed to smithereens during the war then rebuilt during difficult times. We returned to the boat for lunch and then there was an optional afternoon tour to the Bauhaus sites around the city. Bauhaus was a powerful influence on art and architecture in the 1920's and when Hitler shut them down, a lot of the architects emigrated to the U.S. (lucky for us). And so the question is often asked: should I go on a "boring" architectural tour or go into town? As I mentioned before, there is not much to see in town and I understand the shopping is nothing to write home about. The gift shop at the Worlitz was fabulous, artsy, and not expensive. Therefore, I would recommend going on the tour. There is always something to be learned as you listen to the guides who are scholars talk about history and everyday German life we are passing. It's nice to walk with them and have informal chats. At the end of the tour they dropped us off at at a riverside restaurant where they served coffee and cake and gave us the option to walk along the river back to the boat (10 min.) or take the bus back. Pray for good weather so you don't get rained on in the gondola!

[Jesterscourt]

And so, about halfway through the trip, we docked at Wittenberg, where Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the door of Castle Church. We also stopped at Luther's House and St. Marien's Church where he preached. Otherwise, Wittenberg is a sleepy but attractive town which was spared Allied bombing except for the nearby Arado Aircraft Factory which produced aircraft parts for Hitler's airforce, which was destroyed with tremendous collateral damage (1000 prisoner-workers perished in the bombing including some American POW's). So filled with theological and WWII knowledge, we sailed at lunchtime through a scenic portion of the river and docked that evening in Torgau, the site of the first meeting between U.S. and Soviet troops during the 1945 advance toward Berlin. The cruise director, Christian, took us on a walk after supper. It was very moving to stand at the Monument viewing the spot on the bridge across the Elbe where the American and Russian soldiers shook hands. We then walked through isolated dark streets to get to Torgau's Market Square which has the oldest pharmacy in Saxony and the oldest toy shop in Germany (closed at night). However, Christian pulled some strings (he grew up in Saxony) and they did open the gates of the imposing Hartenfels Castle which looked majestic yet eerie at night overlooking Torgau. My advice is even if you are tired and it is cold out, don't miss the opportunity to grab your flashlights and have a little adventure with your fellow passengers. Christian, who is usually very organized and serious, will actually loosen up and crack a few jokes on this walk!

[parkie]

Jesterscourt, am enjoying your report. One question. Two years ago, we took a trip on the Viking Fontane, and I swore I would never again cruise on a ship with those pullman-type bed, yet there doesn't seem to be another option on the Schumann. How comfortable did you find the cabins?

[Jesterscourt]

Parkie, there's no doubt, the Clara Schumann is quiet dated especially compared to the newer ships emerging with balconies and french doors, etc. I personally found the beds comfortable enough. I wouldn't exactly recommend the trip for a Honeymoon if you get my drift. We had many quite elderly and some disabled passengers who did quite well and there were few complaints about the ship. I would also like to mention that the staff ,mostly from Eastern Europe, were excellent.

[Jesterscourt]

The ship left Torgau around midnight and we arrived the next day at noon in Meissen. Even though Meissen is famous for the Porcelain Factory, it is also a gorgeous town. If you look at an aerial view of the town, it almost looks like a miniature Prague with it's red roofs, the Gothic spires of its Cathedral and the imposing Albrechtsburg Castle. They offer a tour of the factory where you see how Meissen porcelain is made from china clay and potter's earth. They also take you on a walking tour of the town passing the castle and ending up in the market square. Some of us opted to skip the tour since the weather was nice and we were able to hike to the top of the castle (no small feat!) to enjoy the spectacular view. We got lost coming down, but somehow or other, ended up in the town square and sat at an outdoor cafe. The shopping was also pretty good with unusual gifts and pretty good prices. We wished we could have spent more time in Meissen, but we needed to set sail before dinner in order to be in Dresden that night. At this point in the trip, as we sailed closer to the Czech Republic, you could definitely sense that we were coming to the end of the trip, and needed to savor every last moment......the scenery between Meissen and Dresden consisted of hills, vineyards, woodlands, and villages, and we were able to grab some time up on deck to enjoy it as the skies darkened, and at that point, we didn't have a clue yet about the magnificence that awaited us that night in Dresden!