Elbe River Cruise, Berlin to Prague

Mala Strana, the most picturesque part of the city, was founded as a separate town, across the river from Prague, in 1257. You must enter Mala Strana by walking across Charles Bridge, and continuing along Mostecka to St Nicholas Church (note– this is not the St Nicholas church on Old Town Square), with Prague’s most spectacular Baroque interior. On the left, near the alter is a staircase marked "Museum". Go up, for access to the view from the high balconies along one side of the naive. There is also a modestly interesting museum of religious trinkets.

Across the street from McDonald’s on Mostecka is a little record shop with some outstanding prices on Supraphon and Hungaroton CDs, especially opera. Eventually we proceeded south off Mostecka on Karmelitska to another Baroque gem, the Church of Our Lady Victorious. Next, leaving the church, we proceeded as straight ahead as
possible– it is not possible; you one must twist and turn to proceed straight to the park on the banks of the Vlatva on Kampa Island with its fine views of Charles Bridge and Stare Mesto across the river. The restroom in the park is basic, but when was the last time you saw a public restroom? Answer: in McDonald’s, but it costs twice as much.

Heading back toward Charles Bridge, we took the first left, off Kampa Island, but you can continue ahead and pass under Charles Bridge to return to the ‘mainland’. I recommend the later, which we had already done from the other direction. Malostraneske Namesti (Mala Strana town square) lies behind and north of St Nicholas church, with Mala Strana’s town hall on the far corner. Nerudova, one the most attractive streets in the city, runs uphill from the square to Prague Castle. Walking down hill rather than up is highly recommended.

From the square, we wandered around to St Thomas Church and then to the gardens of Wallenstein Palace. A well rewarded successful Czech general, Wallenstein set out to build himself a place that out shown Prague Castle. Unfortunately, most of the place is closed to the public, but the gardens (free) alone suggest he succeeded. Wallenstein is a famous Czech hero, perhaps more for his death - assassinated on the orders of the Austrian Emperor - than for his life. The gardens are a must see. You will know it when you see it– the grotesquery.

The Malostraneske Metro station is at the far end of Wallenstein’s Palace. Facing across the little park, the Palace’s Riding School building, is now used as a museum for special exhibitions.

Metro does not go up Castle Hill. Malostraneske Metro station is the closest stop. Take the uphill bound #22 or #23 tram.

On our first night in Prague, we didn’t feel like either paying the high prices at the Hilton or going too far for diner, so we set out to find some place to eat in the neighborhood. I don’t know the name of the place we ate. I don’t even know if it had a name besides the grubby sign that said “Restaurant” over a door. I say “a door” rather than ‘the door’ because when we went through the door, no restaurant. Nothing, except a long dark hall with closed doors on both sides.

We walked to the end of the hall, turned the corner and there, at the top of flight of stairs disappearing into the gloom below, was another sign, “Restaurant”, so we descended, and found ourselves in small, one could even say, cramped, two-room eatery with tables for 12 in the large room, and stools at the serving counter for 6. We took a table for two.

Before going any farther, here’s the bottom line: we had a decent, filling, two-course meal for two, including three beers, for $12 (plus tip). Now, that’s hard to beat.

We ordered one garlic soup, a Czech specialty, one goulash soup, another Czech specialty, a chicken dish, and a beef dish. The big bowls of soup were hot, well flavored, and hearty. This was real home made soup, not Campbell’s. The chicken was good. The beef was as good as can be expected from European beef.

Nothing against European beef, but it comes from different breeds of cows who are raised differently and butchered into different cuts than American beef, making European beef generally tougher and more strongly flavored than American beef. If you go in expecting Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse New York strip, you are in for a big surprise.

The young staff, despite their grubby clothes, were efficient, helpful, and seemed genuinely glad—delighted, even—to see us. I don’t think they draw too many customers from the Hilton, the only hotel within blocks.

The decor was minimal, but clean. By watching local customers come and go, picking up pizza at the counter in the other room, we deduced the clientele and the house specialty, but only after ordering a satisfying Czech meal.

Would we go back? Not if we felt up to the trip to U Bile Kravy, but otherwise, in a flash. It’s close, it’s good, it’s fun, it’s interesting, it’s clean, it’s incredibly cheap, and nobody got sick. That’s almost all you can ask.

How to find it: It’s on Krizikova, one of the three streets with exits from the Florenc metro station. Exiting metro, cross Krizikova, turn right, and it should be the first restaurant you come to. To see if you are in the right place: go in the door. If you don’t see a restaurant, that’s it.

From the Hilton, left out the front door toward the metro. Don’t cross the street to the station. Turn left, then as above.

This is a huge Czech barbeque/smokehouse restaurant featuring beef, pork, and chicken. We tried the mixed grill sampler for two, a pork kabob, a chicken kabob, and two slabs of pork tenderloin. Each was differently flavored (for instance, one kabob was peppery), but all were good (my view) or at least interesting (her view). I would have returned for a second night, but she didn’t like it that much.

The building is modern, a large Quonset hut-type structure with a wood ceiling and a big grill pit in the middle of the single, large dining room. There are also some outside tables directly in the setting evening sun. The restaurant is on a hill overlooking the city. The tables along the widows directly opposite the entrance and on the terrace have a panoramic view of Prague, but it is long way out from the center of the old town.

Cost: dinner for two, three beers, and tip: $30

The beer menu includes Pilsner Urquell, the father of all modern beers, and still, after 600 years, among the best. In the 1300s, the Urquell brewery in Plzen (German: Pilsen, adding ‘er’ for the possessive, Pilsner Urquell, or Pilzen’s Urquell brew) discovered a new and improved method of brewing beer, which is why you sometimes hear beers described as pilsners. But, as fine as Urquell is, we opted for Krosovitze, a stunning dark beer not available in the USA, at least not in Utah, but Urquell is

Getting there: It is a good way from the center of town. Take the red metro to the Roztyly station. At the top of the escalator, outside one side of the building are bus stops. Go the other way. Walk toward the street uphill from the door, looking uphill until you see the restaurant’s name in the building’s roof through and above the trees on the hillside. Now that you have it located, walk up the paved sidewalk toward the street, with the restaurant on your right, to the ascend dirt path (about halfway to the road) leading up hill into the trees. Follow that path uphill to the side of the restaurant.

On the way, stop at the Vysehrad station (surface station) for the view just outside the station.

Although stuffy on a hot summer evening, U Bile Kravy is a good French bistro, with an English menu featuring beef. The food merited returning for our last evening in Prague. I tried steak on our first visit, which was typical European beef– more strongly favored than US beef and noticeably tougher. That’s the way it’s been everywhere in Europe where we’ve tried beef, so this was no fault of the restaurant. Americans may or may not like European beef, but this is a good place to try it since prices are low.

I also ordered a side of green beans, because European green beans are superb. These were grilled and nicely flavored.

The first night, she had chicken rolls stuffed with broccoli, ham, and cheese, accompanied by a crab or crayfish cake and an excellent cream sauce. I liked my taste of this dish well enough to order it the second night. Her chicken breast with cream sauce on our second visit was also fine. Portions are large, as an entrée, accompanied by a mélange of vegetables and greens, was plenty.

Befitting a fine restaurant, meals are prepared from scratch, and that takes awhile. Be prepared to wait 30 to 45 minutes.

A big treat of the evening is paying the bill. For a big steak with a side order of green beans, the chicken and crab dish, three beers, and tip, the tab was not much, and although a 15% tip might have been too much, for the next night, our waiter from the night before recognized us and pounced before the other waiter could.

Both French and Moravian wines are offered, but we opted for Czech beer, being in world’s number-one beer-drinking country. The beer menu includes Pilsner Urquell, the father of all modern beers and still, after 600 years, among the best. In the 1300s, the Urquell brewery in Plzen (German: Pilsen, adding ‘er’ for the possessive – Pilsner Urquell, or Pilzen’s Urquell brewery) discovered a new and improved method of brewing beer, which is why you sometimes hear beers described as pilsners, meaning they use Pilsen’s Urquell’s brewing method. But, as fine as Urquell is, we opted for a stunning dark beer not available in the USA, at least not in Utah, but Urquell is.

Cost: Diner for two, three beers, and tip: Meal 1 was $27, and meal 2 was $19.

A quirk of Czech restaurants that often irritates Americans is that the basket of bread the waiter puts on the table is an extra charge ($0.50 to $2). If you don’t want it, tell him to remove it when he brings it to the table. U Bile Kravy is one place where you should get the bread, slices of a typical French baguette, for the incredibly good crab roe butter that comes with it. This stuff is terrific and not to missed.

The ambience is delightful, sort of rustic French farmhouse, with three small dining rooms, two with six tables and one with three tables for two.

New in 2004, we found staying at this modern hotel a fully satisfactory experience, and there are but a very few hotels I can say that about. The stunning atrium lobby features a 10-story-high aquarium with a ramp up the middle of the large circular tank for close-up fish viewing (extra charge for entrance around the corner from the hotel entrance). There are nice views of the aquarium from glass hotel elevators.

Our room was large as European hotel rooms go, with a nice bed, two comfortable chairs, a plasma TV, and some entertaining but puzzling light switches. The large windows had room-darkening curtains that did a good job. The air-conditioning noise was fairly unobtrusive, and no exterior noises of any kind entered the room. A dark, quiet, and comfortable room made for a great night’s sleep, even when battling jet lag.

The Radisson-SAS has a good location on the eastern extension of Unter den Linden, about halfway between Alexander Platz and the Brandenburg Gate. The Nikolalvertel, the best preserved part of Old Berlin, is 2 blocks away, and Museum Island is directly across the river from the hotel.

Included in the room price was the best breakfast we have had anywhere, an expansive buffet spread that included pretty much anything you might fancy for breakfast, including superb baked ham, farm fresh eggs, a variety of breads, fresh fruits, etc. Breakfast was served in an attractive restaurant overlooking the cathedral and river. By filling up here for breakfast, we didn’t need lunch.

We found the Prague Hilton to be a very comfortable, but expensive, hotel. No problem with our email request for a no-smoking room, confirmed by email by the hotel and provided. The room was large, with a table, two comfortable chairs, plasma TV, a fascinating array of lights and switches, and, except for a somewhat noisy minibar, quiet. There was no on-off switch on the minibar, but a call to the front desk and some baffling conversations in three languages got it promptly disconnected by the maintenance staff. The staff was very pleasant and efficient. Good room-darkening curtains. Our room on the 20th or 22nd floor overlooked an expressway, the Vlatava, and the green hills across the river. Nice view, and the traffic noise was well-blocked.

The minibar had a good dark Czech beer for $9. We bought the same at a grocery store a block down the street for $1. Lesser beers were as little as 40 cents, and quite good. (Note: Like most European beers, Czech beers are best not refrigerated.) Even if you aren’t after beer, a visit to the grocery is an interesting glimpse into Czech culture. The grocery is beside the metro station entrance. Further down the same side of the street as the grocery store is a little ice cream and chlebicky shop. Chleb-ee-check–ee (phonetic) are little open-faced sandwiches eaten as snacks. They are a treat and one of the do-not-miss foods of the Czech Republic.

An expansive buffet breakfast, included with the room, and few snacks during the day, carried us until dinner time. No complaints about the food quality, except to note that it was not quite as good as the remarkable breakfasts we had at the Berlin Radisson-SAS Hotel.

Located near the old town, the Hilton is about 10 blocks from the old town square. Although it was on our list of things to do when walking, we never got around to it, riding the metro, 2 blocks from the hotel, instead. With a little study and some interference from a drunk panhandling at the metro entrance, we were able to figure out how to get the fare card machine to issue an all-day metro-tram-bus pass, a good way to get around town.

There are no provisions for nighttime navigation on the Elbe, so the Clara Schumann was always docked overnight. On our first morning cruising, we woke up thinking we were still docked, for there was no sense of motion or increased engine noise. We pulled back the curtain on our window and looked out, and just for a moment, thought the shore was moving, not us, so quiet and smooth was our progress.

We have taken six river cruises, and smooth sailing seems to the norm. However, the Clara Schumann was a bit more quiet than the other boats we have been on, perhaps since it used water jet propulsion(big pumps that suck water in from the bow and then blast it out stern because the river was too shallow for a propeller driven ship) rather than propellers.

Cabins are small, only 120 sq. ft. However, the size of the cabin is somewhat misleading because of the way this small space is put together. A night, there are two single beds, one on each side of the cabin, During the day, one bed folds up against the wall and the other converts into a couch, leaving a more spacious day time standard cabin than any we have seen on other boats, despite the other boats having cabins with a lot more square feet of space.

During the day, the bed converted to a couch was the most comfortable place to sit inside the ship. The only negative was that there is a small table affixed to the wall under the window between the two beds which wade it impossible to sit right next to the window which would have maximized the ability to watch the sights pass by from the couch/bed. Nevertheless, I’m inclined to prefer this arraignment to larger standard cabins with double/queen beds which don’t leave much daytime room in the room.

The Clara Schumann had a bit less storage space in the room than did the ships were one with larger cabins, but it was adequate.

Bottom line, our cabin, on the upper deck, was very quiet, adequate in size, comfortable, and had good light blocking window curtains, about all you could ask for as a hotel room goes. Being over six feet tall, I would have appreciated a longer bed, but it was OK.

The Clara Schumann carries 124 passengers in air conditioned 62 cabins with shower, toilet, T.V. and radio. TV reception was erratic, but we spent little time watching TV so it was no problem. One TV channel shows the view of the river from the Bridge. At night, it is black picture. There was alos a sauna and a small libirary.

The Clara Schumann has two decks of cabins. The lower deck has smaller windows and, when the boat took on ballast water to pass under low bridges, the lower half of the windows on the lower deck were underwater, an odd sight.

There was a lounge/bar large enough to hold the entire passenger population, where Uwe, our cruise director, held forth every evening just before dinner telling us about the next day’s itinerary. In retrospect, after going on several other cruises, Uwe was mercifully brief with his briefings.

For the rest of the ship, we spent very little time in the lounge, partly because the lounge chairs were not very comfortable, a common fault on both sea and river cruise ships, but mostly because the fine weather had us on the sun deck during the day.

The sun deck had decent deck chairs, and plenty of them to host all the passengers that wanted to be on the sun deck. Not being able to cruise at night, the Clara Schumann was more than a moving hotel connecting the sights. Roughly, we cruised half the day and took a land tour for the other half of the daylight hours. Although the scenery along the Elbe does not compare to the Mosel or Rhine Gorge, it was a nice way to spend the day. Compared to this schedule, other cruises we have been on that travel mainly at night can run you ragged with their all day sightseeing trips.

One nice touch was the almost daily provision of USA Today, the International Herald Tribune, and the Financial Times in the ship's library. Some of the places we stopped for overnight were too small to be on the circulation list of the newspapers, but most were.

The Clara Schumann, like all river cruises, has what travel agents call full board– all meals included. As with the other river cruises we have taken, food quality was good and the sit down, waiter served, dinner took about two hours to get through. The length of time it takes for dinner is the thing most bugs me about river cruising. Be prepared to spend a lot of time in meaningless chit-chat with a bunch of strangers unless you take some friends or relatives along.

Breakfast and lunch were buffets. Again, this is common on river boats. What was different from other cruises and nice touch on the Clara Schumann was that dinner ended with a cheese board buffet where we could serve ourselves from a good selection of cheeses.

Our cruise on Clara Schumann occurred during the asparagus season, which seems to be a big deal in Germany. Every day or two, the Clara Schumann took on provisions which almost always include a fresh batch of white asparagus (white asparagus is grown by piling dirt up against the growing spear to keep it from getting direct sunlight, which turns asparagus green). We had asparagus fixed every possible way, but it was one of the highlights of meal time. It is also expensive, indicative of the food quality Viking aims for.

By the way, the Clara Schumann is named after the wife of the German composer Robert Schumann. She was noted pianist and no mean composer herself.

Meissen, founded in the 10th Century, is best known for its world famous porcelain, but there is much more to this old German city than dishes. Indeed, although the tour of the porcelain factory was interesting, that was the least best part of our visit. The castle quarter and the old city, between the cliffs and the Elbe River, is the star of the show.

A German alchemist solved the secret of how the Chinese made porcelain in 1708. The key was using a special type of clay, kaolin(also the source of kitty litter and kaopectate). There was an easy to mine kaolin deposit near Meissen, where the Elector of Saxony established Europe's first porcelain factory in the town castle. The de rigueur porcelain factory visit in Meissen was more interesting than the brochures make it sound. Instead of visiting the factory itself, there
is a detailed demonstration in small theater of how the expensive, famed, hand painted knickknacks and dishes
are made. A left turn out the exit of the demonstration theater brought us to the factory store which offered plenty of ways to spend money. Prices are lower on seconds, pieces with flaws so small that they are hard to spot. Seconds are in the smaller show room to right on entering the store. There is a also sort of museum of porcelain in the lobby of the building.

After the factory visit, we bussed up hill to the Albrechtsburg castle. Built in 1471, the castle is one of the outstanding examples of late Gothic civic architecture, especially noted for the exterior staircase in the courtyard. From 1710-1865 the castle was the home of the porcelain factory. Today, the castle is an art museum. We can only take a certain number of old castle interiors on any one trip, and we had our fill by the time we reached Meissen, so we skipped going inside. The view from the courtyard of the surrounding buildings were impressive. The cathedral, an old Gothic pile, was near the castle. Like castle interiors, we had had our fill of old Gothic churches by then, so we skipped visiting the cathedral as well. There are several fine old 15th -18th houses near the cathedral.

There are several good view points around the castle hill over looking the old town below and the Elbe River.

Following a visit to the castle, one can of course return to the old town far below by the way you got there, the paved road on the backside of the cliff, either by car, bus or taxi, but walking down to the old town is the way to go. Facing the castle gate, the street to the old town is to the right. Just look for the sidewalk that starts down. The walk soon turns into a street that is actually several blocks of stairs, so steep is the route. Nevertheless, the stair street is lined on both sides with ancient houses.

After the castle visit, we walked back to the ship through the heart of the old city. She stayed with the tour guide for the usual informative lecture on notable places and history. I took off on my own, and found my way into an incredibly quaint restaurant in a half timbered house with a vine covered garden in back where a wine tasting was underway. Skipping a long story, by happenstance, I met the host of the wine tasting a few days earlier. He recognized me, invited me to join the group, and I got to sample several nice local wines. As for how I met the host, a word of advice: if you are curious about something in Europe, ask the guy who seems to be in charge, or just ask any nearby native. Such encounters sometimes pay off, and never offend.

In the heart of the old town, the 15th Century Frauenkirche, noted for its vaulting, has a pleasant interior and porcelain bells, from 1929, using leather clappers. Nearby are the interesting gables of the 16th-century Renaissance Brewery (Brauhaus), but Meissen's highlight is the well preserved old town, especially around the Markt, with a fine late Gothic town hall, circa 1470. There are no grand sights, just an attractive small town dating back centuries in time.

Take the time to explore all the streets of the charming old town. None disappoint.

If you arrived by boat-- in add-on to the river cruises, there is ferry between Dresden and Meissen-- you had great views of the castle towering high above the old town as you arrived. If you didn't arrive by boat, walk at least half way across the bridge over the Elbe River or cross the river for the view.

Dresden was all but wiped off the face of the Earth by Allied bombing in WWII and was mostly rebuilt in Stalin Modern rather than restored by Communist East Germany. That, along with Meissen's inherent attractiveness, made Meissen the best stop outside of Prague on our trip.

It was a grand view approaching Dresden on the river. The city’s major buildings stand along both sides of the river, and the cityscape is punctuated by the spires of churches. Rolling hills rise in the background. No doubt about it, being on the sun deck, with its 360-degree view, for the arrival in Dresden was the place to be.

We arrived in the early morning and disembarked to another first-rate bus tour of the city, including a visit to the Zwinger’s famed Old Master’s Art Gallery. Having pretty much had our fill of lectures about the life and times of Augustus the Strong, we confirmed the time for the return bus trip with the guide and took off on our own to move through the galleries at our pace, which was much faster than the guided group traveled. Consequently, we had time to use the other part of the entrance ticket to visit the nearby armory, a fine collection of armor and ancient weaponry; watch the porcelain bell ring in the noon hour; and visit the Nymphenbad, an impressive fountain near one of the entrances to the Zwinger’s courtyard.

Here’s a hint: when your package tour takes you into something with ticketed admission, always read your ticket, for you might have paid for more than the tour covers, so use your free time to see everything or make some free time like we did.

After lunch on the ship, we walked 3 blocks along the river, from the dock back to the old city to explore. Thoroughly destroyed in WWII, not much of old Dresden remains, so it only took a couple hours to explore every street and alley. The castle was closed for renovation work, but it was interesting to walk around the exterior, where we saw the famed block-long mural of the procession of knights, a segment of a building left as it was after the bombing, and local artists selling paintings of the city sights, one of which now hangs on our bedroom wall.