Boatride on the Danube

Unfortunately Vienna does not have any direct access to the open waters. Our maior waterway is the "Danube" ("Donau" in German) which has been made famous worldwide by the Vienna Waltz "An der schönen blauen Donau" by Johann Strauss, a piece of music that usually concludes the "Austrian New Year´s Concert" which is broadcast all over the planet.

Most Austrians live far or even farer away from the Danube, and then we watch series like "Soko Donau", which plays more on less on the water, and we think, "What the...?" and "Where the...?" But yes, this also is a part of Vienna, even if we sometimes cannot believe it ourselves.

 

Friends had come up with the perfect idea to go on a boatride up and down the Danube on this beautiful Midsummer evening, and so we could kill two birds with one stone: Enjoy the Summer solstice from the water and celebrate the wedding anniversary of our friends. (Happy Anniversary again, Michi and Martin, and thanks for this wonderful idea!)

 

 

The DDSG (the former "k.u.k. Donaudampfschifffahrtsgesellschaft" - eat this, translation programs *gg*) organises boatrides with different mottos - ours came as the "Ratpacktour" which meant that the musicians were performing songs by the "Ratpack" Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis jr. But they also do themes like "Dancing", "Popular Music", "Autumn".... even "Halloween", where they obviously want you to show up in Halloween costume.

 

Dinner was served when we were sailing (I am told that "sailing" is a nautical term in this connection meaning "to begin a journey by water", our boat was in fact engine-driven), and it was excellent. Okay, I was so hungry, I would have eaten paper probably, but it was excellent nevertheless. Here a sneak-peak of the starters, but we also had loads of main courses and sweets.

 

 

How beautiful to munch on your dinner while gliding out of the harbour, enjoying a marvellous scenery....

 

 

I have to confess after dinner I was not very sociable - when on a boat I always need to be on the upper deck watching the scenery without any glass windows, I want to feel the wind and smell the smells of the water. Actually I prefer the sea - the High Sea, if possible - but the Danube is a pretty good substituate when no ocean is available.

 

 

Due to recent flooding the Danube was not "blue" at all, but it was amazing to see all the traffic that made its way down the river giving the impression of some serious waterway that connects many European countries and would even allow you to go as far as the Black Sea.

 

 

The song "I am from Austria" came to my mind. We just could not get the darn flag flying!

 

These gentlemen entertained the audience with other songs like "Take me to the moon" and "New York, New York", and I would say they did a pretty good job. It is difficult to set Austrians in motion, they usually sit there doing nothing during a piece of music, and at the end they clap obediently. Nothing like I have experienced in US bars where the audience happily sings and claps along. But these gentlemen really did the trick! It took the audience a while, but they sure warmed up.

 

 

We returned to Vienna much too soon, but the views we got were wonderful. Here are a few for you to see yourself.

 

 

 It was a lovely evening, something we had not done in a long time, and the fact that it also was Midsummer added some additional spice to it. And we were reminded again that Vienna actually is a place by the water with lots of opportunities for boating and water sports - and a waterway that can take you right across the continent if you allow it.