Cruise on MS Amadagio Along the Danube River For An Exciting European Tour

Story and Photos By Rachel Rome

Cruising the Danube River on a riverboat is an increasingly popular way for touring Central Europe. Glide past castles, capitals, and scenic countryside from Budapest to Regensburg. My weeklong cruise on the MS Amadagio, a sleek, modern luxury riverboat, featured first-class hotel amenities. In ports from Budapest to Nuremberg, we enjoyed walking tours, easily exploring Gothic cathedrals, shops, museums, cathedrals, synagogues, and shopping districts. Our ship docked in city and town centers so we started tours at the dock while cruising during mealtimes allowed us to enjoy passing scenery from the lounge, dining room or sun deck. With a maximum of 150 passengers, disembarking and embarking took minutes as we strolled off ramps from the ship to land.

The MS Amadagio, launched in April 2006, offers deluxe cruising on European rivers and waterways – is like a first-class hotel on water. The spacious main lounge and Panorama Restaurant are lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. On board we enjoyed gourmet cuisine, great regional wines and nightly entertainment including a hilarious crew show. This riverboat holds 150 passengers, boasts an English-speaking crew, supervised by Captain Gerald Faas, Hotel Manager, Cordula Deeken (very cordial!), and Cruise Director, Gunther Bayer. For more information, or to book a cruise, call Central Holidays at 1-800-935-5000 or go to www.centralholidays.com.

Gunther arranged half-day city walking tours with local guides, sightseeing excursions and nightly entertainment on board. From Budapest, Hungary, we cruised through beautiful countryside, the unspoiled Wachau Valley, locks, saw the Alps in the distance, and dozens of hilltop fortified castles – including Durnstein’s fortress castle where King Richard the Lionhearted was imprisoned in the 12th century. In Vienna I toured the Jewish Museum, the Mozart House Museum, watched the famed “dancing” Lippanzer stallions practice in the Hapsburg Palace; the opulent Hofburg (Hapsburg) Kaiserappartements, the Sisi Museum (Empress), and the Silver and Porcelain Collection; dancing along the same Salzburg streets where Maria von Trapp strummed her guitar – these are a few of my favorite things.

My riverboat trip began in Budapest. Along with new friends I‘d met on the airport van, we headed into the city for lunch. Strolling up the main shopping street on the Pest side, we explored Baroque cathedrals and local shops, and then ate Hungarian goulash in the Papaya Restaurant. After the end of our self-guided tour, we headed back to the MS Amadagio, unpacked then attended the welcome dinner -- delicious cuisine, and regional wine. Later, Gunther gave one of his nightly orientation and port talks.

That night, we sailed past Budapest’s illuminated castles and cathedrals. Next morning, we docked at Bratislava, Slovakia. The former Hungarian capital for 250 years is where many Austro Hungarian monarchs were crowned. It boasts many Renaissance, baroque and rococo buildings, the Old Quarter, Hrad castle, and the 14th century St. Martin’s Cathedral (Dom) is a gothic masterpiece. That evening, on board, the modern chamber music group “Aphrodites in Bratislava” entertained. Then, we cruised to Vienna, Austria.

By morning we arrived in Vienna. Once the center of the Hapsburg Empire, a walking tour included Hofburg Palace, the Vienna Opera House, Ringstrasse and awe-inspiring St. Stephen's Cathedral. We shopped in the Karntnerstrasse and savored sachertorte (chocolate covered pastry) or apfelstrudel in a neighborhood cafe. I watched the Lippanzer Stallions practice, then to the Jewish Museum. That night, heard the Vienna Boys Choir. Fantastic!

Next day, after cruising through the scenic Wachau Valley, we arrived at charming wine-growing Durnstein, known for its baroque Stifskirche with its blue façade, golden cathedral and the ruins of the castle where Richard the Lionheart, King of England, was imprisoned in 1192.

Back on board we cruised to Melk for a guided tour of the magnificent Benedictine Abbey, one of Europe’s largest baroque monasteries, with a rare books library, a museum featuring art spanning a thousand years and a famed cathedral. The view from the hilltop Abbey is sensational, with a broad panoramic view of the Danube River and countryside.

Sailing upriver on the Danube River, I relaxed on a deck chair on the Sun deck, watched passing scenery, gabbed with friends as fitness fans walked laps on the track and some hardy Australians soaked in the Jacuzzi. Another morning, we watched gorgeous Wachau Valley countryside. One sunny morning, our ship crossed Europe's Continental Divide, a testament to the engineering feat of the Main-Danube Canal. This canal, coupled with an extensive lock system, links the Danube River to northern rivers, allowing river navigation from the Black Sea to the North Sea, a 2170-mile length.

On to Linz and Passau, Germany. After breakfast some boarded a bus to Salzburg. Our guide took us to The Sound of Music sites and through the cobble-stoned streets lined with boutiques, coffee houses and Mozart museums. Other passengers stayed on the ship to cruise through Upper Austria to Passau, Germany, a well-preserved town with medieval towers and cathedral, situated strategically on the Danube River, where Inn and Ilz Rivers join.


After cruising through the Danube Gorge’s scenery and the final stretch of the Main-Danube Canal, we docked In Regensburg, one of Germany's best-preserved medieval cities and hometown of Joseph Raztinger, the current Pope Benedict the XVI. Our walking tour included architectural highlights, the Old Town Hall and the stone Porta Pretoria-gates to an ancient Roman fort built in 179 AD. We stopped at new memorial to the Jewish Community on in the main square. One Hebrew word is carved in it -- it means “East.”

Our final port stop was Nuremberg. A tour included ornate Gothic churches and elegant patrician houses. We also visited World War II sites outside the center. Nuremberg's medieval and modern traditions include spice cookies Lebkuchen, toy making and metalworking. This stop was our last night, and we attended the Captain's Gala Dinner.

Next morning I left for home while others went on to Prague.

For More Information

The MS Amadagio offers fine cuisine, hotel-quality service and spacious cabins on a small ship. The price for the mid-November 2006 cruises on MS Amadagio - Cruise & Land was $2,399. In addition to the Danube River cruise, Central Holidays offers many other “Enchanting River Cruises” itineraries throughout Europe. For more information, or to book a cruise, call Central Holidays at 1-800-935-5000 or go to www.centralholidays.com.

Boston Lyric Opera's Madama Butterfly a Triumph

BY RACHEL ROME
Boston Lyric Opera’s 30th Anniversary Season begins with Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece Madama Butterfly, starring the incredibly talented Kelly Kaduce in the starring role, and conducted by Keith Lockhart. This beloved opera is a timeless story love of betrayal and devotion, centering on the heart-wrenching young Japanese girl who kills herself rather than live without honor. One of the most beloved operas of all time, Madama Butterfly has been enchanting audiences for more than 100 years.
Kelly Kaduce, a Boston-trained soprano, returns to BLO to sing the role of Cio-Cio-San following her debut in Thaïs in April of 2006. Tenor Gerard Powers debuts with the Company as B. F. Pinkerton, her selfish American husband. His powerful voice, handsome demeanor and stage presence perfectly complement our heroine, Butterfly, yet he is, until the last Act, a selfish, rotten scoundrel. Yet Butterfly loves him, and therein lays her downfall. The opera is set in Japan in 1904, a time when foreigners were first admitted to the country after 200 years of isolation. Western men invented a custom of temporary marriages, which would be annulled if the “husband” were gone for more than 30 days. Cio-Cio-San married Lt. Pinkerton, but she had fallen in love with him, renounced her religion and country; he, on the other hand, just wanted a “convenient” lover, and was callous and thoughtless to her. Her family, finding out she’s abandoned her religion, denounced her. After a while,Pinkerton left her, but she refused to give up hoping for his return. When he did, nearly three years later, a tragedy ended her love and life.
Melina Pineda, as Cio-Cio-San’s loyal servant, Suzuki, is a soothing presence with a lovely voice. Baritone Carlos Archuleta makes his BLO mainstage debut as Sharpless, the sympathetic American Consul. Goro, a marriage broker, performed by Matthew DiBattista, tenor, adds a human touch when he tries to arrange another marriage for the abandoned Butterfly.
Madama Butterfly is Puccini’s grandest operas, a heart wrenching love story of a naïve young Japanese girl who takes her own life rather than live without honor, and gives her child to her husband and his hapless wife, Kate. Librettists were Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica after David Belasco’s play Madama Butterly, which is based on John Luther Long’s short story. One of the most beloved operas of all time, Madama Butterfly has been enchanting audiences for over a century. This is the opera Miss Saigon is based on. I prefer Puccini’s, especially as performed by the exceptional cast here.
Archuleta, a graduate of New England Conservatory, makes his BLO mainstage debut as Sharpless, the sympathetic American Consul. He's wonderful.
Keith Lockhardt, the Boston Pops’ conductor, masterfully conducts Madama Butterfly following his debut in 2004 with Tosca. When he hopped on stage at the end of the opera, he received a rousing ovation, along with the entire cast. His musicianship flawlessly matched the soaring to somber tones of Puccini’s beloved opera. The artistic crew created a magnificent performance, another coup for this first-rate opera company. This stunning production is directed by BLO favorite, Colin Graham OBE. Mr. Graham’s previous productions with the Company include Flight, La rondine, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Beatrice and Benedict. Newcomer to BLO, Neil Patel, designs scenery. Costumes are by another newcomer, David C. Woolard. Lighting designer Mark McCullough returns to BLO after previously designing Flight, Tosca, Così fan tutte, Die Fledermaus, Don Pasquale and Le nozze di Figaro. . Performances are sung in Italian with projected English translations

The outstanding singers deserved the standing ovation and “bravos” received at the end of the performance I attended and are: Cio-Cio-San (Madama Butterfly), Kelly Kaduce, soprano. B. F. Pinkerton, Gerard Powers, tenor, Suzuki Melina Pineda, mezzo-soprano; Sharpless Carlos Archuleta, baritone, Goro, a marriage broker; Matthew DiBattista, tenor. Prince Yamadori Joseph Valone, baritone, The Bonze, Cio-Cio-San’s disavowing uncle scared me! was Michael Callas, bass-baritone; The Imperial Commissioner, Paul Soper, baritone; The Official Registrar, John Whittlesey, baritone; Kate Pinkerton, the wife, had a small part but she played it well, .Paula Murrihy, mezzo-soprano
Madama Butterfly , at The Shubert Theatre, 265 Tremont Street, Boston. November 3, 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 2006. Sung in Italian with projected English translations in the front of the theater.
The opera will be performed on Friday, November 10, at 7:30 pm, Sunday, November 5, at 3 pm, and Sunday, November 12, at 3 pm., and Tuesday, November 14, at 7:30 pm. Tickets for this and future operas are on sale at telecharge.com or (800) 447-7400 or the Shubert box office.
For updated information about Boston Lyric Opera and the 2006-2007 30th Anniversary Season which features Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly November 3-14, 2006, Giuseppe Verdi’s Un ballo in maschera (A Masked Ball) March 30-April 10, 2007, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro) April 27-May 8, 2007, go to www.blo.org. *Jeffrey Dunn, photos, Madama Butterfly
Opera Buffs Can Enjoy Divas in the Dark: Magic Flute Sunday, November 19, 11 am , at Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline, in case they miss Madama.. For more information, go to www.coolidge.org