It’s fair to say that I have a love-hate relationship with the cities along the Danube. My Jewish family was granted equal rights here by Emperor Franz Josef I—and then forced to flee by the Nazis. When I hear German, I hear the sweet voice of my grandfathers speaking in the Yiddish dialect. But I give thanks that by 1920 they both had emigrated to New York.

Budapest, with its wonderfully varied architecture, is getting a revamped look of an important part of its history and culture. Buda Castle has been a staple of the landscape of Budapest for 750 years. But, starting in 2019 and continuing into well into this year, Buda Castle and the surrounding district of Budapest is getting a well-deserved upgrade. Dubbed The National Hauszmann Program, this restoration and improvement project has had a substantial impact on what the traveler will witness in an already vibrant destination. Read the rest of this entry »

Seems that every time I host a cruise, I end up committing to hosting more. In 2022, I am now hosting a total of five trips. Three of those are sold-out barge trips that got pushed forward from 2019. Two, however, are brand new, and I am excited about both of these trips because they sail a couple of my favorite itineraries. Read the rest of this entry »