A Magical Trip Down Bucket List Lane – Big News!.

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Vienna, Austria 2011

As you read this, we will be embarking on one of our most exciting projects yet – we’ll be cruising down the Danube from Vienna, Austria to Regensburg, Germany!

Rewind 5 years ago: When I decided I was going to travel around the world I made several lists. Mainly they were all bucket lists, but I separated them into several different categories (Adventure, Photos, Wonders Of The World, etc). At the end I took the best of all the lists and turned them into one huge “Things I Want To Do Around The World” list.

I used this list to tempt Randy to come along on the “Big Trip” because initially he wasn’t sure he wanted to ditch his life plan for a life out of a backpack.

In each list there was some version of taking a river cruise – there was a river cruise on the Danube, one through China and one through the Mekong Delta. I got his attention with the Mekong Delta cruise and then even more so when I told him that we could take a cruise through Austria. I knew from previous conversations that Randy had taken a class about Vienna in college and had held a fascination for the city ever since. Thinking about those river cruises through Vienna & Vietnam planted the seed in Randy’s brain that yes, maybe, just maybe, he would give everything up and travel around the world with me. Fast forward 5 years and he’s happier than ever!

I had always wanted to do a European river cruise. My reason has always been pretty simple – the Danube has played a massive force in the shaping of Europe. The history of life on the river has always lured me into random trip planning daydreams. It’s hard to express it and I guess the best way is that I view life on the river as a type of art.

When I visit museums and look at art (any kind of art) I always wonder how the artist felt when he/she was done. Were they satisfied? Did they visit the local pub as a sort of ‘Job Well Done’ ritual? Did they dislike it? What did their peers think? I talked about this a lot in the Bernini’s Babies post a couple years ago. Basically I always wonder about what was going on during the lives and times of the artist when these works of art were created. Well it’s the same with the river.

Regensburg, Germany by joiseyshowaa via Flickr.

So many people have made their way through this region by water, first seeing Europe from the shores of the Danube. Goods were transported, communities built, lives lived. Thinking about traveling through this region in the same manner and getting to see Europe first from the shores of the Danube has me REALLY excited. I can’t wait! I’ll admit that I’m still kind of on cloud nine because Gate 1 has asked us to join them on the Sound Of Music river boat cruise and is allowing me not only to live out a dream of mine but also to experience a travel dream that was a catalyst in the creation of Beers & Beans.

I’m expecting I’ll be somewhat nostalgic (which makes no sense since I have never been on a river boat cruise before) and I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. I have a feeling it’s going to be a pretty magical trip down bucket list lane – who knows what will happen or what we’ll experience – the people we’ll meet, the food we’ll eat, the photos I’ll take, the stories Randy will write or just the dreams we’ll have while cruising over the river each night… That’s what makes it such a great adventure because we won’t have any clue until we climb on board and the golden thread of life starts to unravel.

In any case, it’s going to be a pretty fantastic time and I am over the moon that we not only get to have such a great adventure but that we get to share it with all of you in real time!

Melk, Austria by Nigel’s Europe via Flickr.

That’s right! We’ve got a Trip Butler and a backup sim card just to make sure we can provide you with great photos, fun facts and interesting stories from our time on the Danube!

Be sure to watch our Instagram feed, Facebook page and Twitter handle because that’s where the ‘in-the-moment’ updates will be.

The hashtag we’ll be using is:

#CruiseGate1

Feel free to search for it in Instagram or Twitter to pull up all the updates at once (FB does not offer that service yet). In any case, be sure to follow along because we would love for you to wander with us in real time as we show you what a Gate 1 river cruise on the Danube is really like!

I know I can’t be the only one with this bucket list dream!

Linz, Austria by kthread via Flickr.

Also, this river journey isn’t just a cruise – we’ll also be visiting several different destinations in Austria in Germany so there are going to be plenty of updates from all over this beautiful Bavarian region!

We’ll be stopping in:

• Vienna

• Linz

• Melk

• Passau

• Regensburg

At each stop we’ll be going on tours and learning about the cities in addition to just wandering around enjoying the beautiful sites!

This trip is also very exciting for us because besides Vienna all of these regions are completely new to us. There is always something so intoxicating about going to a new place! I’m sure we’ll be firing on all cylinders as we get to explore life on the Danube. Hopefully we’ll be eating plenty of pretzels and drinking lots of great beer as well!

Have you ever been on a river cruise before or have you traveled to this region? We would love to hear your tips and advice!

Likewise, if there’s something or somewhere on this trip you would really like us to highlight on Beers & Beans or on our FB page please let us know and we will do our best to get a photo for you!

Passau, Germany by Ralph Grizzle via Flickr.

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*Please remember all photos on this website, unless otherwise noted, are copyrighted and property of Beers and Beans Travel Website & Bethany Salvon. Please do not use them without my permission. If you do want to use one of them please contact me first. Thanks!