Halling Holidays: Degendorf to Durnstein

We sailed overnight to Degendorf where we were met by a glorious, albeit frosty, day.

This start was complemented by a trip up into the Bavarian mountains so we could be guaranteed snow. Our first visit was to Theresienthal glass works. (We were advised this was world famous but as Helen had not heard of them I question this claim.) The snow made for a picturesque setting.

Although we thought it cold it was warm enough for some thawing.

The glassworks has won many awards but is largely kept afloat by benefactors and those with a love of the trade. This display looks like porcelain but is in fact glass with some bone mixed in.

We were given a demonstration which was a wonderfully skilled although quite repetitive process. Here one of three “legs” is being shaped.

The finished article didn't last for long. As this was a quick demonstration there was not enough time for annealing and after a few minutes the glass work began to crack up which started with a piece falling off.

Our second stop was in a small village where we were given some bread, smoked ham and Stollen all washed down with eldeberry tea. This was fortification prior to us hopping up onto a horse and cart for a wonderful trip through the snow. There were three carts – the one I was on was towed by Rominic and Stellar who were remarkably playful for such big animals.

Our arrival the next day in Passau was even frostier.

We had met a young couple (Ian and Shanni) who had worked on cruise boats for some 10 years and now run their own travel agent business. Ian used to manage the photography section of the cruises and his talents for composition are clear. This is a great shot notwithstanding the dubious subject.

Passau is a lovely little town with a cathedral at the top of a small hill.

It houses an organ built in 1928 which, with 208 stops makes it the largest in the world. It comprises some 5 separate organs each with their own sound. We were fortunate to be walking by just as a recital was about to start. The music was carefully selected to show off the range of each organ. The setting was particularly colourful.

The cruise days were nicely planned so that there was a morning and evening activity which allowed for an afternoon siesta enabling the batteries to be re-charged. Our evening meal was at “Rupert’s farm” which had a great atmosphere (helped by the compulsory Gluhvine on arrival).

Here are some of the starving hoard enjoying some unique Bavarian entertainment (banging nails into a log using a pickaxe, a table bowls game using a nail filled stein and some of the group giving a modelling display flaunting locally made Lederhausen.)

The evening moorings amongst the town lights helped to offset the downside of short days.

After Passau we stopped at Linz where the day’s activity was a trip to Salzburg. Our en-route comfort stop was considerably upmarket from those found in UK or Australia. Here we had mouth watering food set in a beautiful restaurant with magnificent views.

Our brief tour of Salzburg gave an insight to its history while the numerous stalls enabled an insight into the occupants diet. I have never seen such a range of pretzels.

There is also quite a mix of old and new – not surprising given the war's impact. However, some contrasts were a bit too much. This gold ball with its graffiti on the reachable underside did nothing to enhance the square and view of the castle.

By contrast the nearby pharmacy was like stepping back in time. Numerous little draws and cupboards made for a neat shop with everything in its place – now where are the Strepsils… (A sign on the door forbade photography but once a purchase had been made this rule was waived.)

The following day saw us in Durnstein on a beautiful clear and sunny morning. The (relatively) freshly painted church was a great contrast to the dilapidated fort at the top of the hill.

The area is famous for white wine, apricots and more recently the re-introduction of saffron farming. In some cases these were combined such as “Drunken apricots” and “Saffron liqueur”. Helen could not pass up the idea of the former with some ice cream as a summer desert, hence a jar is in the suitcase.

Although the vines were all bare there were some flowers. This heather had an amazing array of colours

Inside the local church we were once more treated to an organ recital. The decoration once more flaunted the churches wealth. What was unusual was these balconies which enabled light from the high level windows to beam onto the floor level alcoves. A bit more suave than your average Muppet balcony.

The final visit of the day (and a major highlight for someone) was a visit to nobility to meet Princess Anita von Hohenberg. The castle with its snow white gardens and blue onion towers gave the feel of entering a fairy-tale.

However, once we had met the Princess that feeling quickly changed as she was well grounded, highly entertaining and quite definitely of nobility. After a fascinating outline of her family and the castle’s history she fielded a diverse range of questions from our mob. Only Ian floored her by wanting to know how many windows were in the castle.