By the Avid Cruiser

Scotland has not been an independent nation for 300 years, but the country continues to sustain its own capital: Edinburgh. And all the attributes that one would expect from a capital city can be found here. One of the most visible is the Edinburgh Castle, visible from almost any part of this second-largest city in Scotland (Glasgow is larger).

Rendering the city a profile that could be described as dramatic, the castle towers high on a cliff. Resolute stone statues of the legendary Scottish Kings Robert the Bruce and William Wallace guard the walls that have witnessed centuries of Scottish history. Edinburgh Castle is one of the main tourist attractions in Britain.

The crown jewels are kept in the castle, as is the Stone of Scone. Used in connection with coronations of the monarchs of Scotland and, later, the monarchs of England, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, the Stone of Scone was returned to Scotland in 1996 after being kept for 700 years in London’s Westminster Abbey.

The Scottish Parliament is also based in Edinburgh, situated in the Holorood area. While it is unclear if the seven hills that surround the city have anything to do with the capital status, it is a fact that both Rome and Lisbon, the capital cities in Italy and Portugal, respectively, are also famous for being built on seven hills.

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Content provided by the Avid Cruiser

By the Avid Cruiser

Immortalized by Johann Strauss in the Blue Danube Waltz, the Danube winds from Germany’s Black Forest through Austria into the Balkans before dumping into the Black Sea.

The romantic river flows through six countries and meanders for nearly 1,800 miles. Some of Europe’s most fabled cities, including Regensburg, Passau, Linz, Vienna, Bratislava and Budapest, are situated on the banks of the Danube, making the Danube a good choice for first-time river cruisers.

On our eight-day cruise on Uniworld’s River Empress, there were both first-timers and repeaters. Our cruise began in Budapest and ended in Passau, with an overnight on board in each city at the beginning and end of the cruise.

Ashore, Uniworld includes at least one free tour in each destination, so that passengers get an overview and introduction to the places they visit. Following is a brief overview of the destinations we visited along the Danube.

Budapest was once referred to as the Queen of the Danube, because of the city’s cultural significance at a time when Hungary was three times the size it is today.

On one side of the Danube, hilly Buda retains much of its Middle Age charm; its cobbled streets and Gothic buildings have been well preserved. On the other side of the river, Pest is the thriving city center.

River Empress was docked on the Buda side. A free ferry shuttled us between Buda and Pest.

Bratislava. Slovakia’s capital city was a capital in exile for Hungary’s kings and archbishops during Turkey’s occupation of Hungary and most of the middle Danube basin from 1526 to 1784.

Bratislava is dominated by an enormous castle that stands sentinel over the Danube. Though the castle dates back to the 9th century, it was razed in 1811 and rebuilt.

Vienna was the next stop for River Empress. After the included city tour, many passengers visited Schonbrunn Palace, the imperial summer palace of the Habsburgs, one of Europe’s principal sovereign dynasties from the 15th to the 20th centuries.

Vienna is characterized by beautiful parks, legendary Viennese coffee houses and Baroque palaces. One of the city’s most famous landmarks, Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s Cathedral) is also one of Europe’s most impressive Gothic structures.

The musically inclined will appreciate that Mozart, Beethoven and Strauss composed their greatest operas and symphonies in Austria’s capital city. The composer Schubert was born here.

An optional excursion offered by Uniworld features an evening concert, and this one is a “don’t miss” for lovers of music and culture.

River Empress called on Durnstein one morning, and Melk that afternoon, with scenic river cruising and an outdoor Bavarian buffet on the upper deck.

Using the bicycles on board, a group of us bicycled through the vineyard-rich Wacchau Valley in Durnstein.

In Melk, the included tour took us to the 900-plus-year-old Melk Abby, situated high atop granite cliffs overlooking the Danube and the village of Melk.

From Linz, on the following day, most passengers opted for the included tour to Salzburg (about two hours each way), birthplace of Mozart and the setting for the acclaimed musical, “The Sound of Music.”

Situated at the confluence of three rivers, Passau marked the end of our cruise. We overnighted on board.

The included tour featured a walking tour and an organ concert, performed on Europe’s largest pipe organ at St. Stephan’s Cathedral.

Disembarking passengers either transferred to Munich’s international airport, a 90-minute drive away, or for a post-cruise stay in Prague, about three hours by motorcoach.

Content provided by the Avid Cruiser

Content provided by the Avid Cruiser

The Scottish city of Aberdeen is known under many nicknames. Here are a couple of them: “Granite City,” “Oil Capital of Europe,” and “Energy Capital of Europe.”

One represents the past, one aptly describes today’s Aberdeen, and one tells us in which direction this city is currently heading.

“Granite city” is a remnant from past times, when Aberdeen became known for the granite quarried here. It has been estimated that six million tons of granite were excavated from the Rubislaw Quarry in the period from the late 18th century until 1971.

Throughout the centuries, granite from what is now one of the biggest man-made holes in Europe was used when constructing the terraces at Westminster Palace and the Waterloo Bridge in London. Aberdeen itself, of course, also features a number of impressive houses built in granite, such as the Aberdeen City Town House.

To view Northern Europe cruises, including cruises to Scotland, click here.

Content provided by the Avid Cruiser