There’s nothing like sipping coffee in a royal palace to put you in the right frame of mind for a cruise past the castles of the Elbe — and to start you dreaming about what it might be like to live in a majestic castle complex yourself.
When I finished drinking in the views over my ‘special recipe latte’ in the Lobkowicz Palace in Prague Castle, at least I could console myself that I had nine nights in luxury on an Elegant Elbe Viking river cruise ahead, travelling from from Prague to Berlin.
Before we set foot on board, our adventure had included two nights staying in Prague at the Corinthia hotel and a tour of some of the city’s main sites, from the Old Town to the ever popular astronomical clock, Prague Castle and the Charles Bridge.
There was also the option of a guided tour of the Jewish Quarter and discovering more about the Jewish community that’s been here for over a millennium — made all the more poignant in the knowledge that Hitler had planned to preserve the area as a Museum of an Extinct Race.
Taking in the Maisel, Pinkas, Klaus, and the Old New Synagogues, the tour also visits the historic Old Jewish Cemetery, one of the largest and oldest Jewish burial grounds in the world.
Leaving Prague, it was time to transfer to the Viking Beyla, our luxury floating hotel for the next five nights. With only 95 guests, there was an almost family atmosphere on board, helped by the very entertaining and professional Programme Director.
The informality and ease of getting to know your fellow passengers is one of the things I enjoy most about river cruising. Viking has no black tie formal evenings, instead all meals are served together with open seating so you can sit wherever and with whomever you want.
Our cabin on the top passenger deck was spacious, with a huge comfortable bed, luxury toiletries in the bathroom, a safe big enough to fit a laptop, plus a fridge and private verandah, where we could relax and watch the countryside slide by as we headed for Dresden.
A dramatic landscape indeed at times, as we sailed past the impressive Bastai. This towering rock formation soars above the Elbe like jagged teeth, on a ten mile section of the river known as Saxon Switzerland.
Following the sweeping views of the Bastai Bridge begins a white knuckle walk across a sequence of high, narrow footbridges, with their own impressive views onto the nearby ruins of the medieval castle fortress.
In Dresden, a city that saw huge destruction during the war, it’s the architecture and history which captures the attention.
Walking past the New Synagogue, we headed to the grounds of the Zwinger Palace, its enormous courtyard filled with fountains and dozens of baroque sculptures, while Meissen porcelain bells can be heard ringing out every 15 minutes.
A perfect introduction to the thousand-year-old city of Meissen itself, home to the world famous and highly collectable porcelain of the same name. Its own story began in the Albrechtsburg Castle that towers above the city and the Elbe.
This was Germany’s oldest truly residential castle and it was here that Europe’s first white hard-paste porcelain was created. After a tour of the factory, I realised just how much our free time in the gift shop could cost, spying a tea set with a higher pricetag than the cruise. I resisted the temptation and bought a fridge magnet instead.
Then yet another castle to end the day after an afternoon’s scenic cruising, with a short evening walking tour of the tiny town of Torgau. Here was where US and Russian troops met and shook hands in April 1945, and Hartenfels Castle, with its magnificent swirling spiral staircase, had been opened up especially for us.
More history awaited in Wittenberg too, the heart of the Protestant Reformation, where Martin Luther wrote his 95 Theses in 1517, against indulgences of the papacy. And after five nights aboard Viking Beyla, it was time to swap our own indulgent berth for two final nights in Berlin, at the Sheraton Grand Esplanade.
Not to miss an opportunity for a palace or two, on our way we stopped at Potsdam for a tour of Cecilienhof. Designed in Tudor style by Kaiser Wilhelm II, Queen Victoria’s eldest grandchild, this particular palace saw the Potsdam conference in 1945 between Stalin, Truman and Churchill to decide how to administer Germany after its surrender.
With 21 other palaces in the Potsdam area alone, it’s hard to top for castle fans, but we couldn’t move on without at least seeing the Sanssouci Palace nearby, the summer residence of Frederick the Great.
As we looked around inside, it was hard to believe this beautiful Rococo creation was built in just two years.
More modern history took the spotlight as we ended our trip in Berlin, a city that provokes very mixed emotions for many visitors.
Passing the Brandenburg Gate and Unter den Linden, our panoramic coach tour – also included in the holiday — brought us to Checkpoint Charlie, and the East Side gallery, the large section of the Berlin Wall with commissioned graffiti art.
But one moving site we couldn’t miss, and which we explored on our own, is the Memorial To The Murdered Jews of Europe.
With 2,711 concrete slabs of different heights spread across the 19,000 square metre site, its openness, abstractness and slightly disorienting feel is intended to allow you space to confront the tragedy in your own personal way.
Below the memorial site is also a small but also moving free museum and information centre about the Holocaust.
From the glorious architecture to the dramatic landscape, even interwoven with some of the darker chapters of Europe’s history, this journey cruising through the past is one to remember.
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