This morning we cruised through the most beautiful stretch of the Danube with fall foliage galore. We then stopped at Melk, Austria to tour an abbey....although did not meet any of the monks. Melk is a quaint village and apparently grows apricots because we found many products made from them. All morning, we saw vineyards! The weather has been nice, cool and refreshing

The Danube cruising this morning was AMAZING! We stayed on the roof deck to ooh and ahhh and take photos. After we docked in Melk, we toured the Melk Abbey...a UNESCO World Heritage Site....900 year old baroque structure perched on sheer cliffs high above the Danube. After the Abbey tour, we spent a little time in the quaint village before returning to the ship for more scenic cruising.

We toured Vienna Austria by bus first, then walking with a guide, then spent the afternoon on our own. I was disappointed that the Lipizzaner Stallion show was sold out, but we took a nice carriage ride and visited the famous Sacher Hotel for lunch! The Sacher Torte was chocolatey goodness!

After the long flight from DFW to Frankfurt, then short flight to Budapest, it was great to be on board the Viking Rinda! Just enough time for a nap and a fabulous meal. Our first morning tour started at 8 a.m. We spent a few hours seeing the highlights of Budapest via bus, then about an hour of free time walking. The Danube River splits the town into 2 parts: Buda & Pest (pronounced BudapeSH). The Buda side is fancier

Our last port-of-call for the cruise was Victoria Canada. I've had this on my list for a while, because many fellow travelers (especially my mom) had told me how absolutely beautiful the Butchart Gardens are. Well, I was NOT disappointed! WOW! The weather was perfect and the flowers were stunning. We had exactly enough time to wander through to whole place and then choose some great prizes for the grandkids Who wouldn't love a grizzly bear or moose in a can!? (c...