OMG! Amidst volcano eruptions and BA planes being grounded due to staff strikes and Jen "misplacing' her credit cards on the eve of our departure, our lovey Travel Agent said "A trip without dramas is unheard of"
So I told you we got Melk Abbey - after looking around and having what can only be described as a school lunch in a school lunch room - (3 long tables for 160+ people in a hot airless room - oh the joys of travelling in a big group!!!) we hopped back on the coach for our 4 hour journey to our new boat in Regensberg - or so we thought..... We didn't anticipate the huge traffic jam on the motorway complete with police and ambulances nor did we consider the Lock Master not allowing the ship to moor in Regensberg because of the high water.... instead we were to travel a "little further" up the river to get past the worst of the flooding. We had word that the boat had moved but neither the river nor the tour guide had any idea where we were going which prompted a barrage comments and suggestions from the passengers as to which way the driver should go which must have been terribly helpful to the German speaking driver! the guide laughed nervously as she tried to appease people but her laughter turned into a sort of manic hysteria when the bus turned into a tiny narrow lane that got smaller and smaller...... Finally, the roar from the bus load of over tired people could have been heard from miles around as The Emerald came into sight - moored in a little back water canal in Bad Abbach. Foreheads were wiped, breath was exhaled. Our 4 hour journey was over - in 6!
We were due to go to Saltzberg the next day, but because we had moved so far up river the day trip would have been a 4 hour trip - one way!!! We opted for the much closer day trip to Passau - apparently (Jen just read) that there is a handmade hat shop there and you never know when you'll need one of those.
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