23 July: Passau - Vienna
What a delight it was to wake at 6.30 and sit in our window watching the traffic on the Danube in the cool of the morning. So many very long barges gliding past effortlessly and silently. Very special.
During the night I was aware of thunderstorms and sure enough this morning we had to breakfast in the restaurant rather than on the picturesque patio where we had dined last evening. Everything was very wet. How miraculous!
Our minibus arrived at 10 am as promised and away we sped on the 2 1/2 hour journey on the autobahn to Vienna. 😊
Unfortunately we could not see a lot because of the huge screens on the boundaries. We arrived in the city right on the quoted time frame but then spent 3/4 hour while the driver tried to find the Hilton. His GPS gave continuous instructions but up hill and down dale and into streets blocked by reconstruction. In the end he found the Hilton and then some time later found the driveway entrance. We arrived just as they were clearing lunch but managed to acquire some beautiful food. We could not check in because Avalon had not included us in their booking. 😥
HOWEVER
There was a man from Avalon!!!!! Our first.
After some considerable time he managed to find us a huge room 10 floors up and our luggage all arrived safely.
But wait, there's more.
We were taken to another man who had been flown in from Switzerland to listen to our story.  He was a Globus consultant whose job it was to interview each passenger and record their story. Peter and I were of particular interest because of our hospitalization and this guy was sitting waiting for us. The others had come in yesterday of course

It turns out that most of the cruises in Europe have been cancelled because of the lack of water. Alternative bus tours have been arranged. The point of difference with ours was the fire and subsequent chaos. We have just received a full letter of apology from Avalon and a promise of a full refund of all costs of the tour. So apparently this particular cloud does have a silver lining. We not only get this cash reimbursement but also the remaining 5 days free. So if you want a free holiday in Vienna, I can tell you how to get one. 😂