2024 Danube Pilgrimage: Final Thoughts

Overall, this pilgrimage was exactly what I needed. It was almost perfect. I have just a few final thoughts:

• I found that, although awe-inspiring, Baroque Churches are just too much. They are beautiful, but I found it really difficult to concentrate on the Mass; there were too many things to look at.

  

  Basilica of the Nativity of Our Lady, Regensburg, Germany "Old Chapel" or "Alte Kapelle"

• Dachau = Christ Victorious.  I love how there are chapels there; in Buchenwald, there is nothing except the gate and the "medical building".

Carmelite Convent (Where we had Mass)

Russian Orthodox Church

Protestant Chapel

Mortal Agony of Christ Chapel (Catholic)

Jewish Memorial

• The ship (Amadeus Riva): I was pleasantly surprised at the size of the rooms. The bathroom was a good size with a GREAT shower. If I go on another river cruise, I need to remember to ask for a room closer to the front of the ship because of the engine noise. We were so pampered on the ship. The daily programs were fantastic. They would be on our beds when we returned from supper, as well as turn down our beds and spread out the bathmats.

  

  Spacious Rooms (in a ship)

• It was really cool that I happened upon a couple of Stolpersteine in Regensburg. The sad thing was that our whole group walked right by it, but I stopped when I saw it. One of the guides said Poland talked about doing something like that,t but there were so many Poles taken away that it would be next to impossible to do something. Austra has upright plaques with a doorbell beside the names.

  

  Stolpersteine in Regensburg

• The church in Weltenburg Abbey was very interesting: no crucifix on the altar, but to the side of it. Instead, St. George is on it. The ceiling appears to be domed but is actually flat, and the painter of the frescoes is looking down. The church is built as if it were a theater with 3 levels: Hell, Earth, and Heaven. Good beer!

  

  Altar of St. George

  

  The monks make great beer!

• Linz, Austria. Had Mass in our first Gothic Church with incredible stained glass. In the church is a relic of Granz Jagerstatler and St. Catherine's (of Siena) Gate. The altar was in the middle of the church. Linz was separated during the Cold War: the Russians had 1 side, and the Americans had the other. The river separated the town. We were on the "American side".

  

  St. Mary's Cathedral, Linz, Austria

• St. Florian's Abbey was stunning. Being able to see (and hear) Anton Bruckner's organ, and also his tomb (which is directly under the organ), with all of those bones behind is something to see.

  

  Bones in Bruckner's Crypt

  

  Bruckner's Organ

• Melk Abbey was a little disappointing in that no pictures were allowed inside. Having said that, it was beautiful. Was it as beautiful as St. Florian Abbey? Hmmm... I didn't have time to walk around the gardens.

  

  Our first view of Melk Abbey from the ship in the morning fog

• After Melk, we sailed down the river during the day, and we could see vineyards. So charming!

  

  Wachau Valley, Austria

• Dürnstein: Medieval village oozing with personality. We saw a water line sign as we walked into town. A wedding was just about to start, so we went into the church for a quick look. The wedding party/attendees were dressed in traditional Austrian clothes. The town is famous for apricots, but they weren't in season when we were there. 

  

  Danube watermark on the side of a building

• The most significant "pinch me, I can't believe I'm here" moment was in Vienna, in Schonbrunn, the Habsburg Summer Palace. I still can't believe that I, a girl from small town East Tennessee, was listening to music written by Austrian composers in Maria Theresa's ballroom. It was such a magical evening.

  

  The ballroom where the private performance was held

• We celebrated Mass in some incredible churches: Baroque, Gothic, Wooden, in Dachau, in a Church Hall, and on the ship. One thing that stood out in all the churches was that there were no pads on the kneelers. At Dachau, I forced myself to continue to kneel, offering the pain up to the prisoners who would have loved to have had a place to kneel. It's hard to say which church was my favorite; definitely 1 of the Gothic Churches.

  

  St. Martin's Cathedral, Bratislava, Slovakia

• If I have any complaints, it would be that there wasn't enough time for reflection. I felt like we were rushed out of the churches after Mass because we had something else on the schedule, which was tight. I was also disappointed that the shops at the Divine Mercy Basilica were closed (All Saints Day); I was planning on buying Rosaries there, but Wadowice was a great 2nd choice since that's JPII's birthplace.
• One other thing that I would have changed if I could: I would have preferred tours of the churches. As I look back and dig into some of the churches we were in, we missed a lot. As in, miracles that we weren't made aware of. There was a Eucharistic Miracle in Regensburg that we weren't made aware of. I'm not sure why that wasn't pointed out (and that church wasn't visited) since we were on pilgrimage.

  

  The Minor Basilica of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary holds several relics I wish I had known about when I was there

• One thing did put a little bit of a damper on things at the end of the cruise: there was a couple who complained about our guide. I thought she was absolutely wonderful. She was very personable, professional, and when we needed reprimanding, she did so gently. One evening, I had dinner with another couple; all she seemed to do was complain about how things were different. You're on a pilgrimage, for goodness' sake. And, it's Europe...not the USA. Things are different there. 
• I met some wonderful, amazing people on this trip. The couples were just beautiful. I felt no sadness when seeing them together; they were so nice and just beautiful together. The guides we had (even though I know they had to have been stressed out at some point) were calm, professional, and knowledgeable. I could tell that they loved their country (Poland) and that they also loved sharing it with others.

  

  The whole group in front of Melk Abbey. Photo courtesy of Crossroads Italy.

Select International is the way to go. I can definitely see myself on more pilgrimages offered through this company.