As the days turn cooler and the summer crowds fade, explore the cultural landscapes along three legendary European rivers—the Danube, Main, and Rhine. Enjoy a choice of daily excursions and tour World Heritage sites from Austria’s Wachau Valley to the Bavarian old town of Regensburg.
Budapest, one of Europe's most beautiful cities, situated along the Danube River
Fisherman's Bastion, overlooking the Danube, Budapest
Interior of Dohany Street Synagogue, Budapest
Great Market Hall, Budapest
Bratislava, Slovakia
View of Bratislava Castle, main square, and St. Martin's Cathedral
Hofburg Palace. Credit: Austrian National Tourist Office/Andreas Tischler
View of the Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna
The Wachau Valley of the Danube, a World Heritage site, Austria
The village of Durnstein, along the Wachau Valley, Austria
Historic Melk Abbey, Austria
Interior of Melk Abbey, the renowned Benedictine monastery overlooking the Danube
The beautiful rococo design of St. Stephan's Cathedral in Passau
The idyllic Rhine River, near Kaub
The picturesque town of Bamberg
Town of Wurzburg and the Wurzburg Residenz (foreground), Germany
Wurzburg, Germany
Miltenberg, Germany
Main square of Miltenberg
Hilltop medieval castle overlooking the Rhine River near Oberwesel
View of Cologne along the Rhine River
The medieval town of Rüdesheim, located along the Rhine
Typical canal scene in Amsterdam
Bikes along the canal, Amsterdam
The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam
Rembrandt's The Night Watch at the Rijksmuseum. Credit: Netherlands Tourism Bureau
Amsterdam at night
Europe’s Great Rivers
Featuring the Danube, Main, & Rhine Rivers
16 days
from $6,890
As the days turn cooler and the summer crowds fade, explore the cultural landscapes along three legendary European rivers—the Danube, Main, and Rhine. Enjoy a choice of daily excursions and tour World Heritage sites from Austria’s Wachau Valley to the Bavarian old town of Regensburg.
To view a section, please click on an option below.
Activity Level
Expectations: River cruise that docks at a pier or a riverside embankment for boarding and/or disembarkation. Gangway can have a steep incline depending on docking site and water levels. Morning, afternoon, or full-day excursions at a moderate pace. Standing and walking for long periods of time during city tours, museum visits, and/or outdoor activities. Walking over sometimes difficult terrain (e.g. cobblestones, city hills, stairs without handrails, the absence of elevators); some longer walks to get to city centers where coaches are prohibited. Choice of excursions with varying activity expectations offered on some days.
Appropriate for: Travelers who are physically fit and comfortable with long days of touring (both walking tours and coach time).
Pre-Cruise Extension
Budapest Option Pre-Cruise Extension – 4 Days, 2 Nights
Day 1 – Depart Home for Budapest, Hungary
Depart the U.S. on your overnight transatlantic flight to Budapest.
Day 2 – Budapest
Arrive Budapest and transfer to the Hotel InterContinental Budapest The remainder of the day is at leisure. Your Smithsonian Journeys Travel Director will be available for sightseeing suggestions, museum and restaurant information. Enjoy a welcome reception with your fellow pre-cruise extension travelers this evening. (R)
Breakfast is served each morning in the hotel. Start exploring on the drive up the Danube river to the small baroque city of Szentendre. Approximate drive time is 30 minutes. Szentendre is a city built on medieval ruins, located at the gate of the Danube Bend. The town is often considered to be an Artist's Village or the Painters' Town. Due to the Mediterranean ambience and proximity to Budapest it is a popular place among locals and visitors as well. Upon arrival, walk through the historical center and enjoy the cobblestoned streets, baroque houses and churches. Then visit the famous Margit Kovács Ceramic Museum and the Confectionery Museum with its marzipan sculptures. There’s free time to explore the town at your own pace. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant and return to Budapest by bus. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Your Travel Director will be available at the hospitality desk for suggestions on sightseeing, shopping, and meal reservations. (B, L)
Breakfast will be served in the hotel. Enjoy a leisurely morning before transferring to the ship in Budapest to begin your Voyage Through Europe. (B)
Optional Extension Accommodation
InterContinental Hotel Budapest is located in one of the most prestigious areas of Hungary’s capital beside the landmark Chain Bridge and along the charming Danube Promenade. With dazzling views over the Royal Palace and the magnificent Budapest river-scape, the hotel boasts one of the city’s most sought-after locations. Discover the fine art of hospitality in stylish, modern guest rooms featuring state-of-the-art technology and a full array of convenient amenities including complimentary Wi-Fi. Travelers will enjoy sweeping views of Budapest from elegantly appointed rooms.
This morning, disembark the ship in Amsterdam and walk along the Old Harbor and visit the National Maritime Museum, that serves to showcase the national history and tradition of Amsterdam with many interactive exhibits including the replica of the three masted ship “Amsterdam”, a large vessel which sits high above the waters of Ij Bay. Afterward, transfer to the Amsterdam Marriott centrally located on the city’s bustling Leidseplein. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Your Smithsonian Journeys Travel Director will be available at the hospitality desk for suggestions on sightseeing, shopping, and meal reservations. (B)
After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy the day at leisure in Amsterdam. Your Travel Director will be available at the hospitality desk for suggestions on sightseeing, shopping, and meal reservations. Bid farewell to your fellow post-extension travelers at a reception this evening. (B, R)
Breakfast will be served in the hotel prior to transfer to Amsterdam’s Schiphol International Airportfor the return flight to your U.S. gateway city.
Optional Extension Accommodation:
Amsterdam Marriott Hotel: In the heart of Amsterdam, you’ll find the upscale Amsterdam Marriott. The hotel has a great location in central Amsterdam within easy reach of all the city’s top cultural attractions and historic landmarks. At the end of a day of touring, return to the comfort of your well-appointed guest room and perhaps enjoy a drink at Sorel’s Bar and dinner at the Midtown Grill. Wi Fi is available throughout the hotel.
Special Air Rates/Services
FlexAir is designed to provide you with the flexibility and choice you need to personalize your air travel experience. Explore a wide range of flight options in consultation with our experienced travel professionals to select the flights, routing, class of service, and dates of travel that most fit your needs. Our partner tour operator has negotiated contracts with a wide variety of carriers that allow them to hold flight reservations and then issue your ticket close to departure without additional fees. This protects you from the need to purchase published-fare tickets, which must be ticketed within 24 hours of purchase. FlexAir reservations provide the flexibility to adjust reservations without penalty and to accommodate extensions and upgrades right up until ticketing time, usually around 60 days before departure. We look forward to providing you with more choice and the best possible itinerary for your air travel plans.
Program Includes:
Guaranteed transfers between the airport and your overseas accommodations upon arrival and departure (in most cases). We will provide you with all of the details you need to guarantee your transfer.
Air schedule change and delay assistance. Book FlexAir to ensure assistance should schedule changes or delays impact your air travel plans.
Flight insurance worth up to $250,000, subject to policy terms, is automatically included.
Confirmed airline seat assignments at the time of booking (in most cases).
River Cruising
Guidance on water levels and itinerary modifications
Your ship is designed with state-of-the-art flexibility in navigating rivers. On rare occasions, river cruising is subject to challenges due to unannounced river lock maintenance and/or weather-related increases or decreases in river depth. Extreme conditions may render a portion of a river itinerary unnavigable.
Should your river cruise be affected:
You will receive a revised schedule outlining any changes prior to your departure either by regular mail or email.
Any additional transportation, hotel accommodations, meals or special events, as a result, changes to the published itinerary will not increase the price of your trip.
All ports of call and trip highlights contained in your original itinerary will be included in your revised schedule. Under these extreme circumstances, additional motor coach travel, ship changes and/or hotel nights may be required to ensure participants experience the trip safely and as advertised.
Ship
Amadeus Silver III
One of the bright stars in the Amadeus fleet of luxury river ships the Amadeus Silver III features a total of 72 staterooms and 12 luxurious suites. Suites feature walk-out balconies, corner sofas and walk-in closets. A majority of the other staterooms feature automatically lowerable panorama windows, offering a spectacular view of the passing river landscapes. All guest rooms feature modern and spacious bathrooms, in-room safes, spacious wardrobe areas, flat screen televisions, telephone, safe, minibar and air conditioning which can be individually regulated. The River Terrace invites you to relax outdoors, while offering a breathtaking view of your surroundings. Dine on European seasonal specialties accompanied by regional wines at lunch and dinner. Relax in the Panorama Lounge or the more intimate Amadeus Club and take in the passing landscape while enjoying a light refreshment. There is a spacious sundeck, fitness center and a spa offering massage services. Wi-Fi service is provided and is complimentary.
Amadeus Nova
Like her name, this new vessel Amadeus Nova, making her debut in 2024, and will define the future of responsible luxury cruising. Impeccably designed down to the last detail, this vessel, with a passenger capacity of 158, introduces the latest green technologies, reflecting our commitment to respect the nature of the remarkable destinations we visit. The technology you don’t see—hybrid engines, solar panels, and cutting-edge energy conservation—is as important as what you do see. Around each corner, discover elegant spaces to roam, multiple dining venues, a heated swimming pool, and unparalleled views from suite accommodations.
Our signature palette of warm colors complements the sleek modern design that brings a bright open ambiance. The ship offers not only generous public areas but also 67 spacious cabins and 12 suites that feature walk-out balconies and reading corners. All cabins include spacious bathrooms, spacious wardrobe areas, choice of bed configuration (double or twin bed), flat-screen television, individual climate control, en-suite bathroom with shower, hair dryer, direct dial telephone and an in-room safe. Gather for delicious meals with buffet breakfasts and lunches and four course dinners in the restaurant, then join new friends for refreshments in the spacious lounge. There is a wellness area with massage options and a hairdressing salon (fee based) and a fitness room. Join us on board and step into the future as you glide past the captivating landscapes along the Danube river. Wi-Fi is available complimentary in public areas but can be intermittent while the ship is in motion or in a region/area with limited signal.
Amadeus Silver III
One of the bright stars in the Amadeus fleet of luxury river ships the Amadeus Silver III features a total of 72 staterooms and 12 luxurious suites. Suites feature walk-out balconies, corner sofas and walk-in closets. A majority of the other staterooms feature automatically lowerable panorama windows, offering a spectacular view of the passing river landscapes. All guest rooms feature modern and spacious bathrooms, in-room safes, spacious wardrobe areas, flat screen televisions, telephone, safe, minibar and air conditioning which can be individually regulated. The River Terrace invites you to relax outdoors, while offering a breathtaking view of your surroundings. Dine on European seasonal specialties accompanied by regional wines at lunch and dinner. Relax in the Panorama Lounge or the more intimate Amadeus Club and take in the passing landscape while enjoying a light refreshment. There is a spacious sundeck, fitness center and a spa offering massage services. Wi-Fi service is provided and is complimentary.
Amadeus Nova
Like her name, this new vessel Amadeus Nova, making her debut in 2024, and will define the future of responsible luxury cruising. Impeccably designed down to the last detail, this vessel, with a passenger capacity of 158, introduces the latest green technologies, reflecting our commitment to respect the nature of the remarkable destinations we visit. The technology you don’t see—hybrid engines, solar panels, and cutting-edge energy conservation—is as important as what you do see. Around each corner, discover elegant spaces to roam, multiple dining venues, a heated swimming pool, and unparalleled views from suite accommodations.
Our signature palette of warm colors complements the sleek modern design that brings a bright open ambiance. The ship offers not only generous public areas but also 67 spacious cabins and 12 suites that feature walk-out balconies and reading corners. All cabins include spacious bathrooms, spacious wardrobe areas, choice of bed configuration (double or twin bed), flat-screen television, individual climate control, en-suite bathroom with shower, hair dryer, direct dial telephone and an in-room safe. Gather for delicious meals with buffet breakfasts and lunches and four course dinners in the restaurant, then join new friends for refreshments in the spacious lounge. There is a wellness area with massage options and a hairdressing salon (fee based) and a fitness room. Join us on board and step into the future as you glide past the captivating landscapes along the Danube river. Wi-Fi is available complimentary in public areas but can be intermittent while the ship is in motion or in a region/area with limited signal.
Reading List
Highly Recommended
Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe
By: Simon Winder
LONGLISTED FOR THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE, A CHARMINGLY PERSONAL HISTORY OF HABSBURG EUROPE BY THE AUTHOR OF GERMANIAFrom the end of the Middle Ages to the First World War, Europe was dominated by one family: the Habsburgs. Their unprecedented rule is the focus of Simon Winder's vivid third book, Danubia.Winder's approach is friendly, witty, personal; this is a narrative that, while erudite and well researched, prefers to be discursive and anecdotal. In his survey of the centuries of often incompetent Habsburg rule which have continued to shape the fate of Central Europe, Winder does not shy away from the horrors, railing against the effects of nationalism, recounting the violence that was often part of life. But this is a history dominated above all by Winder's energy and curiosity. Eminently readable and thrillingly informative, Danubia is a treat that readers will be eager to dip into.
A Time of Gifts: On Foot to Constantinople: From the Hook of Holland to the Middle Danube (New York Review Books Classics)
By: Patrick Leigh Fermor, Jan Morris
At the age of eighteen, Patrick Leigh Fermor set off from the heart of London on an epic journey—to walk to Constantinople. A Time of Gifts is the rich account of his adventures as far as Hungary, after which Between the Woods and the Water continues the story to the Iron Gates that divide the Carpathian and Balkan mountains. Acclaimed for its sweep and intelligence, Leigh Fermor’s book explores a remarkable moment in time. Hitler has just come to power but war is still ahead, as he walks through a Europe soon to be forever changed—through the Lowlands to Mitteleuropa, to Teutonic and Slav heartlands, through the baroque remains of the Holy Roman Empire; up the Rhine, and down to the Danube. At once a memoir of coming-of-age, an account of a journey, and a dazzling exposition of the English language, A Time of Gifts is also a portrait of a continent already showing ominous signs of the holocaust to come.
Danube: A Sentimental Journey from the Source to the Black Sea (FSG Classics)
By: Claudio Magris
In this acclaimed international bestseller, Claudio Magris tracks the Danube River, setting his finger on the pulse of Central Europe, the crucible of a culture that draws on influences of East and West, Christianity and Islam. In each town he raises the ghosts that inhabit the houses and monuments, from Ovid and Marcus Aurelius to Kafka and Canetti, in "a fascinating blend of anecdote and history" (San Francisco Examiner).
True to its name, this travel guide covers all of Budapest's major sights and attractions in easy-to-use top 10 lists that help you plan the vacation that's right for you.This newly updated pocket travel guide for Budapest will lead you straight to the best attractions these cities have to offer, from St. Stephen's Basilica to a walk across Chain Bridge.Expert travel writers have fully revised this edition of DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Budapest. • Brand-new itineraries help you plan your trip to Budapest. • Expanded and far more comprehensive, the new laminated pull-out map now includes color-coded design, public transportation maps, and street indexes to make it even easier to use. • Maps of walking routes show you the best ways to maximize your time. • New Top 10 lists feature off-the-beaten-track ideas, along with standbys like the top attractions, shopping, dining options, and more. • Additional maps marked with sights from the guidebook are shown on inside cover flaps, with selected street index and metro map. • New typography and fresh layout throughout. You'll still find DK's famous full-color photography and museum floor plans, along with just the right amount of coverage of history and culture. A free pull-out map is marked with sights from the guidebook and includes a street index and a metro map.The perfect pocket-size travel companion: DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Top 10 Budapest.Recommended: For an in-depth guidebook to Budapest, check out DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Budapest, which offers a complete overview of this country; thousands of photographs, illustrations, and maps; and more.Series Overview: DK Eyewitness Travel Guide Top 10 are handy travel guides that take the work out of planning a trip. Packed with amazing ideas, informative maps, insider tips, and useful advice, DK's Top 10 guides lead you to the very best your destination has to offer. The pocket size make these the perfect guide to take on vacation. Discover the history, art, architecture, and culture of your destination through Top 10 lists, from the best museums, bars, and sights to the places to avoid. Visit TravelDK.com to learn more.
All Along the Rhine: Recipes, Wines and Lore from Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein and Holland
By: Kay Nelson
Each chapter of this brilliant collection of over 130 recipes covers the culinary history and winemaking tradition of a different Rhine country. The literary excerpts, legends, and lore throughout the book accompany the reader-chef on a culinary cruise down one of the world's most famous rivers. Complete with b/w illustrations. "Cradle of European art, culture, history, and folklore for thousands of years, the Rhine River has an appeal for everyone along its verdant shores...In this representative collection of traditional and contemporary Rhine recipes may be found a wealth of culinary treasures, carefully evolved over the centuries by creative cooks. Because the cookery is derived from a jigsaw puzzle of peoples, customs and foods, there are some exotic and exciting contrasts. Indeed, the kitchens of these countries have produced some of the world's most cherished delicacies, as well as flavorful, down-to-earth hearty dishes that have enduring appeal."
On January 30, 1889, at the champagne-splashed hight of the Viennese Carnival, the handsome and charming Crown Prince Rudolf fired a revolver at his teenaged mistress and then himself. The two shots that rang out at Mayerling in the Vienna Woods echo still.Frederic Morton, author of the bestselling Rothschilds, deftly tells the haunting story of the Prince and his city, where, in the span of only ten months, "the Western dream started to go wrong." In Rudolf's Vienna moved other young men with striking intellectual and artistic talents—and all as frustrated as the Prince. Among them were: young Sigmund Freud, Gustav Mahler, Theodor Herzl, Gustav Klimt, and the playwright Arthur Schnitzler, whose La Ronde was the great erotic drama of the fin de siecle. Morton studies these and other gifted young men, interweaving their fates with that of the doomed Prince and the entire city through to the eve of Easter, just after Rudolf's body is lowered into its permanent sarcophagus and a son named Adolf Hitler is born to Frau Klara Hitler.
The Danube: A Journey Upriver from the Black Sea to the Black Forest
By: Nick Thorpe
The author takes us on an unexpected journey up the Danube, where we encounter a remarkable and unfamiliar world The magnificent Danube both cuts across and connects central Europe, flowing through and alongside ten countries: Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, and Germany. Travelling its full length from east to west, against the river’s flow, Nick Thorpe embarks on an inspiring year-long journey that leads to a new perspective on Europe today. Thorpe’s account is personal, conversational, funny, immediate, and uniquely observant—everything a reader expects in the best travel writing. Immersing himself in the Danube’s waters during daily morning swims, Thorpe likewise becomes immersed in the histories of the lands linked by the river. He observes the river’s ecological conditions, some discouraging and others hopeful, and encounters archaeological remains that whisper of human communities sustained by the river over eight millennia. Most fascinating of all are the ordinary and extraordinary people along the way—the ferrymen and fishermen, workers in the fields, shopkeepers, beekeepers, waitresses, smugglers and border policemen, legal and illegal immigrants, and many more. For readers who anticipate their own journeys on the Danube, as well as those who only dream of seeing the great river, this book will be a unique and treasured guide.
Budapest 1900: A Historical Portrait of a City and Its Culture
By: John Lukacs
"Lukacs's book is a lyrical, sometimes dazzling, never merely nostalgic evocation of a glorious period in the city's history. . . . {His} true sympathy lies . . . not with the famous expatriates, but with the writers and intellectuals who lived and died at home: the poets Endre Ady and Mihaly Babits; the novelists Ferenc Herczeg, Sandor Hunyady, Frigyes Karinthy, Dezso Kosztolanyi, Gyula Krudy, Kalman Mikszath, and Zsigmond Moricz; the political essayist DezsoSzabo; the playwright Erno Szep; the literary historian Antal Szerb; and others. . . . {John Lukacs} sets out to explain Hungarian literature to English-speaking readers. Though I have no idea whether or not he will succeed, few interpreters of Hungarian literature have made a more touching and eloquent attempt." -- The New York Review of Books
"A vivid reconstruction of the actions of the wartime allies and the Nazi elite at Nuremberg. Persico eaily carries us into a deeper understanding of the trials."—New York Newsday.
The Habsburgs have been described at one extreme as demons – responsible for a ‘long history of atrocities’; and, at the other, as dodos – living fossils unable to adapt to the modern world. In reality, the flamboyant royal family appear, in many ways, to have behaved much like most other monarchies. Their story, however, is none the less enthralling for that. It is populated by such unforgettable figures as mad Queen Juana, progressing through Spain with her husband’s decaying body; the ‘heroically fertile’ Maria Theresa, and the quixotic Maximilian, ‘Emperor’ of Mexico.
The Holy Roman Empire 1495-1806 (Studies in European History)
By: Peter H. Wilson
The Holy Roman Empire covered much of Europe and lasted for over a millennium, but has long been regarded as ineffective and largely irrelevant to broader historical issues.Drawing on a wealth of research, Peter Wilson offers an alternative interpretation of the Empire's last three centuries. The Holy Roman Empire 1495-1806, second edition: * Explains key stages in the Empire's development within the context of wider European history* Provides a comprehensive guide to its institutions and the central debates* Incorporates the latest scholarship and has been fully revised and updated throughout, offering more in depth treatment of major issues* Features a new chapter on whether the Empire can be considered the first German nation state. Clear and concise, this established book is an ideal introduction for anyone who is studying the structure and significance of the Holy Roman Empire and its impact on early modern Europe.
The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World
By: Andrew Jotischky, Caroline Hull
The Penguin Historical Atlas of the Medieval World traces the development of peoples, cultures, and faiths between the coming of the barbarian invasions in the fourth century and the first voyages to the New World in the sixteenth. This colorful atlas illustrates the sweeping changes from the fall of the Roman Empire to the birth of Islam, the rise of Christianity, and the role of Judaism across Europe. Packed with vivid maps and photographs, this atlas is a perfect guide to Europe and its neighbors in the Middle Ages.
The Rhine: An Eco-biography, 1815-2000 (Weyerhaeuser Environmental Books)
By: Mark Cioc
The Rhine River is Europe’s most important commercial waterway, channeling the flow of trade among Switzerland, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. In this innovative study, Mark Cioc focuses on the river from the moment when the Congress of Vienna established a multinational commission charged with making the river more efficient for purposes of trade and commerce in 1815. He examines the engineering and administrative decisions of the next century and a half that resulted in rapid industrial growth as well as profound environmental degradation, and highlights the partially successful restoration efforts undertaken from the 1970s to the present.The Rhine is a classic example of a “multipurpose” river -- used simultaneously for transportation, for industry and agriculture, for urban drinking and sanitation needs, for hydroelectric production, and for recreation. It thus invites comparison with similarly over-burdened rivers such as the Mississippi, Hudson, Colorado, and Columbia. The Rhine’s environmental problems are, however, even greater than those of other rivers because it is so densely populated (50 million people live along its borders), so highly industrialized (10% of global chemical production), and so short (775 miles in length).Two centuries of nonstop hydraulic tinkering have resulted in a Rhine with a sleek and slender profile. In their quest for a perfect canal-like river, engineers have modified it more than any other large river in the world. As a consequence, between 1815 and 1975, the river lost most of its natural floodplain, riverside vegetation, migratory fish, and biodiversity. Recent efforts to restore that biodiversity, though heartening, can have only limited success because so many of the structural changes to the river are irreversible.The Rhine: An Eco-Biography, 1815-2000 makes clear just how central the river has been to all aspects of European political, economic, and environmental life for the past two hundred years.
When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do, 2nd Edition
By: Hyde Flippo
Transform yourself from a typical tourist into a connoisseur of German culture!Do you want to travel to Deutschland without feeling like a Dummkopf! To blend in when visiting Berlin? To feel like you belong in Bavaria? When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do makes it simple to navigate the narrow streets of an Alpine village unnoticed or to go to a movie in Munich without turning heads. With this crash course in German customs and heritage, you’ll avoid embarrassing blunders and enrich your travel experience.Packed with 120 articles, this handy collection of cultural dos and don’ts covers a broad range of topics, including food, art, pop culture, politics, business, entertainment, home life, history, and education. In these pages you’ll find authoritative answers to questions such as:●At a restaurant, should I find my own table or wait to be seated?●What is a suitable topic for small talk with a stranger?●What is the fastest train service in Germany?●How many varieties of sausage are there?●What is the unofficial division between north and south Germany called?●How do Germans usually pay for online purchases?●What is the main emergency number to call in Germany?With light-hearted quizzes, links to cool websites, this new edition of When in Germany, Do as the Germans Do has been fully updated to provide insights into all aspects of contemporary German culture, and will delight everyone from students and tourists to armchair travelers and trivia buffs.
The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral
By: Robert A. Scott
The great Gothic cathedrals of Europe are among the most astonishing achievements of Western culture. Evoking feelings of awe and humility, they make us want to understand what inspired the people who had the audacity to build them. This engrossing book surveys an era that has fired the historical imagination for centuries. In it Robert A. Scott explores why medieval people built Gothic cathedrals, how they built them, what conception of the divine lay behind their creation, and how religious and secular leaders used cathedrals for social and political purposes. As a traveler’s companion or a rich source of knowledge for the armchair enthusiast, The Gothic Enterprise helps us understand how ordinary people managed such tremendous feats of physical and creative energy at a time when technology was rudimentary, famine and disease were rampant, the climate was often harsh, and communal life was unstable and incessantly violent.While most books about Gothic cathedrals focus on a particular building or on the cathedrals of a specific region, The Gothic Enterprise considers the idea of the cathedral as a humanly created space. Scott discusses why an impoverished people would commit so many social and personal resources to building something so physically stupendous and what this says about their ideas of the sacred, especially the vital role they ascribed to the divine as a protector against the dangers of everyday life.Scott’s narrative offers a wealth of fascinating details concerning daily life during medieval times. The author describes the difficulties master-builders faced in scheduling construction that wouldn’t be completed during their own lifetimes, how they managed without adequate numeric systems or paper on which to make detailed drawings, and how climate, natural disasters, wars, variations in the hours of daylight throughout the year, and the celebration of holy days affected the pace and timing of work. Scott also explains such things as the role of relics, the quarrying and transporting of stone, and the incessant conflict cathedral-building projects caused within their communities. Finally, by drawing comparisons between Gothic cathedrals and other monumental building projects, such as Stonehenge, Scott expands our understanding of the human impulses that shape our landscape.
Between the Woods and the Water: On Foot to Constantinople: From The Middle Danube to the Iron Gates (New York Review Books Classics)
By: Patrick Leigh Fermor
Continuing the epic foot journey across Europe begun in A Time of Gifts The journey that Patrick Leigh Fermor set out on in 1933—to cross Europe on foot with an emergency allowance of one pound a day—proved so rich in experiences that when much later he sat down to describe them, they overflowed into more than one volume. Undertaken as the storms of war gathered, and providing a background for the events that were beginning to unfold in Central Europe, Leigh Fermor’s still-unfinished account of his journey has established itself as a modern classic. Between the Woods and the Water, the second volume of a projected three, has garnered as many prizes as its celebrated predecessor, A Time of Gifts. The opening of the book finds Leigh Fermor crossing the Danube—at the very moment where his first volume left off. A detour to the luminous splendors of Prague is followed by a trip downriver to Budapest, passage on horseback across the Great Hungarian Plain, and a crossing of the Romanian border into Transylvania. Remote castles, mountain villages, monasteries and towering ranges that are the haunt of bears, wolves, eagles, gypsies, and a variety of sects are all savored in the approach to the Iron Gates, the division between the Carpathian mountains and the Balkans, where, for now, the story ends.
A biography of the greatest musical mind in Western history Mozart's unshakable hold on the public's consciousness can only be strengthened by historian and biographer Peter Gay's concise and deft look at the genius's life. Mozart traces the development of the man whose life was a whirlwind of achievement, and the composer who pushed every instrument to its limit and every genre of classical music into new realms.
The Improbable Voyage is the astonishing account of TRistan Jones' 2,307 mile voyage across Europe in Outward Leg. Continuing his round-the-world journey, Tristan traveled from the North Sea to the Black Sea via the rivers Rhine and Danube. Tristan welcomed each difficulty as a challenge to be met and overcome. Battling ice and cold, life-threatening rapids and narrow defiles, German bureaucrats and Romanian frontier police, Tristan made his way through eight countries and emerged triumphant, if battered, bruised and penniless, at the Black Sea. Tristan gives us a vivid glimpse of the quality of life along Europe's oldest water routes and behind the Iron Curtain.
“An astonishing book . . . Fitzgerald’s greatest triumph.” —New York Times Book ReviewThe Blue Flower is set in the age of Goethe, in the small towns and great universities of late eighteenth-century Germany. It tells the true story of Friedrich von Hardenberg, a passionate, impetuous student of philosophy who will later gain fame as the Romantic poet Novalis. Fritz seeks his father’s permission to wed his “heart's heart,” his “spirit's guide”—a plain, simple child named Sophie von Kühn. It is an attachment that shocks his family and friends. Their brilliant young Fritz, betrothed to a twelve-year-old dullard? How can this be?The irrationality of love, the transfiguration of the commonplace, the clarity of purpose that comes with knowing one’s own fate—these are the themes of this beguiling novel, themes treated with a mix of wit, grace, and mischievous humor unique to the art of Penelope Fitzgerald.“An extraordinary imagining . . . an original masterpiece.” —Hermione Lee, Financial Times
The Tin Drum, one of the great novels of the twentieth century, was published in Ralph Manheim's outstanding translation in 1959. It became a runaway bestseller and catapulted its young author to the forefront of world literature. To mark the fiftieth anniversary of the original publication, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, along with Grass’s publishers all over the world, is bringing out a new translation of this classic novel. Breon Mitchell, acclaimed translator and scholar, has drawn from many sources: from a wealth of detailed scholarship; from a wide range of newly-available reference works; and from the author himself. The result is a translation that is more faithful to Grass’s style and rhythm, restores omissions, and reflects more fully the complexity of the original work. After fifty years, THE TIN DRUM has, if anything, gained in power and relevance. All of Grass’s amazing evocations are still there, and still amazing: Oskar Matzerath, the indomitable drummer; his grandmother, Anna Koljaiczek; his mother, Agnes; Alfred Matzerath and Jan Bronski, his presumptive fathers; Oskar’s midget friends—Bebra, the great circus master and Roswitha Raguna, the famous somnambulist; Sister Scholastica and Sister Agatha, the Right Reverend Father Wiehnke; the Greffs, the Schefflers, Herr Fajngold, all Kashubians, Poles, Germans, and Jews—waiting to be discovered and re-discovered.
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Travel Insurance
For the convenience of our travelers, Smithsonian Journeys includes a basic medical expense and evacuation plan through Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand, at no additional charge. This plan provides post-departure Medical and Dental coverage of $250,000 per person and Emergency Assistance and Transportation coverage of $1,000,000 per person (U.S. Residents Only). Note: For full details regarding these coverages please review the following Plan Documents here.
In addition, we recommend that travelers purchase a travel protection plan to help protect their travel investment from unforeseen events such as cancellation due to illness, flight delays due to adverse weather, baggage loss, and more. For your convenience, Smithsonian Journeys offers an optional Travel Protection Plan administered by Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand. For those interested, optional "Cancel for Any Reason" coverage is available for an additional charge. Note: Certain eligibility requirements apply and Cancel for Any Reason coverage is not available to New York residents. For full details regarding this coverage please review the following Plan Documents here.
To learn more about the Travel Protection Plan, you may visit https://www.generalipartner.com/smithsonianjourneys or call the administrator, Trip Mate, a Generali Global Assistance & Insurance Services brand at (866) 501-3252.
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