It's a description of a cruise that you can take on the Danube--the only river to flow West to East. The cruise begins in Vienna, Austria, and the ship carries just 150 passengers. So, it's not a huge ship and you never have to pack and unpack--you stay on the ship each night after visiting the different cities. The ship cruises all night till the next city is reached. Beginning at Thanksgiving, cities all over Europe begin their Christmas markets, luring over a million visitors. And it's not mass-produced items for sale--it's largely hand made goods and tons of food and.....plenty of German beer and wine and sausage.
The pictures I've seen are gorgeous. Plenty of decorations and lights, wood carved signs inviting you in for wiener schnitzel and cider. Oh man I would be in heaven.
There's live music--both choirs and those "oompa oompa" bands. There's baked apples and gingerbread.
This cruise stops near Salzburg, which was the birthplace of Mozart. It was also featured in The Sound of Music.
After eight days of cruising, eating, and shopping, the ship docks in Nuremberg where the Christkindlsmrkt is held. This open air market is on cobble stone streets and has all kinds of wonderful things to consume. The article says this particular market has been around since the 16th century.
I don't want to look up the price, because that'll burst my bubble. I'll just continue to look forward to the day I get to cruise the Danube during the holidays.
