Saturday morning dawned bright and we were on the road for our bus trip through the city. As I said in the last post, the crowds prevented a careful examination of the city but being there for the biggest holiday of the year had definite benefits. After lunch on the ship, Heinz, Helga, and I found an excellent vantage point for the afternoon boat parade. Ship after decorated ship sailed past us and back again. This was followed by a motor boat race. We had a GREAT view and with my camera I got some great photos!
The excitement of the boat race, during which at least two drivers flipped out into the water and had to be rescued, was followed by an equally exciting air show. Vintage biplanes performed aerobatics overhead...literally. Sometimes as they spiraled down I thought they might land right on us! Old transport planes, early commercial planes, helicopters, and modern jets whizzed past. So much activity was going on that when it ended we were relieved to enjoy the sight of ordinary people enjoying Saturday afternoon on the river. The crowd began to thin out as they sought refreshments during the lull. From the Parliament buildings down the street we could still enjoy the concert in progress.
The Captain's farewell party commenced and we celebrated a wonderful trip with champagne and hors d'oeuvres. The program managers read a lovely poem about hugs and everyone complied by hugging goodbye their fellow travelers. This was all followed by an elegant dinner. Dinner usually took about two hours each night. Very European. This night there was a grand farewell from the chefs and waiters, more toasts, and more good byes.
We finished a little early though so we could reclaim our beautiful deck chairs for the evening's fireworks extravaganza! Four sets of barges were spaced between the bridges. Each barge had four tons of fireworks which were exploded in synchronization with each other and the music! Fireworks Display Since our ship was so strategically anchored we had the sky ablaze on either side of us. Actually, I thought it might have been even more fun to see it from one end or the other to see all four sites at the same time. After almost forty-five minutes of pyrotechnic excellence we were too excited to just end our journey. Music and dancing continued on our sun deck to the wee hours.
But all good things must come to an end. We needed to be up and out by 8:30 the next morning and so we said good night to a Grand European Tour!
No comments:
Post a Comment