After departing from Passau, Germany in the late afternoon, we cruised away in direction of our second country on the itinerary: Austria.

It was a smooth and pleasant journey and we were definitely looking forward to crossing over to a land I have previously visited and loved.

Along the way we were able to admire the abundant and lush forests

as well as colorful and charming small villages dotting the river banks of the Danube.

In order to celebrate the local culture and customs, a great and unexpected surprised was waiting for us at dinner time!

It so happens that the staff of Viking Atla had prepared a special feast for all of the 190 guests on board.  They offered us an Austrian Themed Dinner (and party)!

We were stunned but very happy to see them dressed up in traditional clothing such as Lederhosen, fluffy white shirts, black leather boots for the gentlemen  and Dirndl plus laces in braids for the ladies!

Our fab Maître D’ Ivelin dressed to impress and handing out shots of Schnapps. Ein für mich bitte 🙂

As per usual, there was no need to RSVP or reservation for a table in the dining room on any of Viking Cruises Longships. It is free seating all the time which allows you to sit at a different table either for breakfast, lunch or dinner time.

We settled at a table next to the floor to ceiling window and join our fellow passengers from New Zealand and a couple from the USA and shared the food and fun 🙂

The round tables were beautifully decorated with pretzels hanging from the utensils

wooden boards with cold cuts

and a variety of cheeses

and of course, when in Austria you drink beer…and LOTS of it!

Endless Zwettler Beer anyone?

Perhaps some Schnapps?

Or better yet Pinot Noir?

A buffet was offered, so we could make our own selections and the dessert table was to drool for.

I invite you to please follow me as I take you to see what goodies were on display and say PROST!

Mashed potatoes

Salad bar and more cold cuts

Diced tomatoes, pasta salad and cheese cubes along with salad dressing.

For the main meal I opted for the traditional

Schnitzel, knödel (potato dumpling), potato purée, sausage and a side order of cranberry sauce to top things off.

To get everyone singing while dining, two musicians were invited on board to play some popular Austrian songs!

As you know I always leave some room for dessert and I NEVER ever say no to it.

So I decided to go back to the buffet to satisfy my sweet tooth and here were my options:

Sweet baked pastries, fresh fruit

and of course, the one and only Sacher torte.

Just in case you don’t know it, well it is a decadent and rich chocolate cake with apricot jam layers and dark chocolate icing originally created by young Franz Sacher in 1832 for crown Prince Wenzel von Metternich in Vienna. It was an instant hit and has been replicated but not duplicated!

It is usually served with a dollop of whipped cream and coffee naturally.

Needless to say that we had a jolly good time and how thoughtful of Viking Cruises’ wonderful staff to organize and put together such a great and fun evening and make us feel even more welcome and almost like family!

Now we were definitely ready to learn more about Österreich and we did the following day.

Don’t miss next installment as we arrive in the historic and UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site of Melk!

I’m turning it over to you.

Tell us…

 

Have you ever tried Austrian food or drinks?

If so what did you have and did you like it?

What did you see here that you liked best?

 

We would love to read all about it (or see).

Bis nächsten mal, until next time.

Viele Grüsse, Greetings!

Alles Gute, All the best.

Deine, yours

K 😉