Spectacular European River Cruise - June 2024 - Shani Vander Young - Hostess Round Up

What an exceptional and once in a lifetime opportunity it was to enjoy not only a luxury cruise along the Rhine and Danube Rivers, but also four days in Paris beforehand and a Prague extension to end a wonderful 24 days. This year’s group of ladies came together from Tasmania, NSW and Victoria to relax into and enjoy this adventure together. The range of ages, life stories and their warm approach to each other was the perfect formula for a rewarding and memorable tour.

Our 4 days in Paris featured several special outings. For example, our visit to the Fragonard Parfum Museum provided a fascinating insight into the history of perfume and best of all an opportunity to buy a perfume that can only be purchased there. As part of the Emerald extension, we were also treated to a tour of Montmartre area which included a wine tasting in a small, historical winery hidden amongst the Montmartre homes and businesses. Guylaine, our Emerald Director also walked with us to the Le Marais district not far from our hotel. Galleries, boutiques, excellent ice creameries, boulangeries blended with historical architecture and rich Jewish history meant the time strolling here was a true pleasure. We were fortunate that this charming area was so close to our hotel.

There was also time for individual adventures so that everyone could visit the special Parisian location they had dreamed about: Versailles, Monet’s Garden, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.

To begin our river cruise in Amsterdam, we were taken by bus via Antwerp where we stopped for lunch. What a pleasant surprise that was! A fabulous city and a perfect spot for our lunch stop. On arrival at the ship, the Emerald Destiny, in the late afternoon, excitement grew as all passengers were officially welcomed and a luxurious 15 days began. Initially, there never seemed to be enough time in each place because each location held its own charm and beckoned to be explored further. However, the Emerald Destiny also provided us with many delights, including a pool, a sunny deck from which we could gaze at the scenic river views plus a constant supply of high-quality food! The crew and especially the restaurant staff were amazing, and the passengers would discover they would not want for anything! The excellent weather (at times a little too warm!) was a bonus. Each city and town we visited held its own appeal, each leaving imprintable moments in our minds. We all had different favourites from the smaller Bavarian villages that lined the river to the larger cities like Cologne, Vienna and Bratislava. Budapest, however, probably aroused the most excitement when viewed from the boat. On our very last night, once the sun had set, the captain cruised down the river between Buda and Pest so that we could take in the amazing night light show. Incredible! As well as included walking tours, optional tours allowed even more choice so that many of our sisters travelled to Salzburg and Cesky Krumlov for the day and thoroughly enjoyed these trips. An evening of music in Vienna proved a real highlight for many.

Although sad that this amazing cruise had come to an end, we still had 3 nights in Prague to enjoy. Martin our Emerald Director, looked after us very well, providing an interesting tour of Prague Castle and a walk down across the famous Charles Bridge and the Old Town Square. A highlight of this morning’s outing was a stop for apple strudel and coffee on a café balcony in the Lubkowicz Palace overlooking all of Prague. What a view and a delicious morning tea!

A great feature of this European experience was the balance of organised activities and free time to explore.

On a personal note, it was a great pleasure to meet and get to know this lovely group of women and to share this experience with them.

Shani