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A week would not be long enough to absorb such craftsmanship, such
magnificence, such excess – but our entire cruise would only be that long,
plus a day and a night in each of Prague and Berlin at either end. And there
would be plenty more to experience and enjoy elsewhere.
Prague – dubbed the City of 100 Spires – was as delightful as a storybook to
explore at the start of our trip. The itinerary included a very informative
tour that took in the palaces, museums and churches of the vast castle
complex; the iconic and, alas, ever-crowded Charles Bridge; the charming
and, by contrast, calming Lesser Quarter, Malá Strana; and the must-watch,
must-hear, 15th-century Astronomical Clock edging the must-see Old Town
Square.
At the other end of our cruise, we would be impressed by Berlin’s monumental
Brandenburg Gate – which we caught at its breathtaking best in the last,
fiery rays of the setting sun, against a purple sky – and the city’s stark,
enigmatic and moving Holocaust Memorial. In between, lay our placid, fluid
pathway through this unfamiliar corner of central Europe: the Elbe. We
joined it, and our ship, at Litomerice, which visitors who can’t master the
local pronounciation know as Lito.
Designed and built for this often-shallow river, Viking Fontane is
flat-bottomed and propelled by pump jets recessed into the hull, rather than
a protruding propeller. Her small size (fewer passengers means less weight)
and friendly crew quickly produce the intimacy of a convivial house-party.
This impression was enhanced by our almost-soundless propulsion – with “Are
we moving? I can’t hear a thing,” often heard.
Old cell in Tezerin, the Czech Republic, previously a Jewish ghetto
(Photo: Alamy)
Our walking tour of Lito revealed a varied array of architecture, echoing its
long history. Some of us elected to pursue a relatively recent period a
little further afield, on an optional excursion to the town of Terezín, used
as a ghetto during the Second World War. Our tour of its fortress, where
many, mainly Czech, prisoners were held, tortured or put to death by the
Gestapo, was a sobering experience. Other – thankfully less brutal –
reminders of that conflict lay ahead. But first nature, the great healer,
had a dramatic change of scenery in store…
The next day, as our boat glided towards the border, the west bank’s
sun-dappled woodlands became denser and the green fields gave way to gentle
slopes and, before long, softly rounded hills. These grew steeper; then
suddenly tall sandstone cliffs appeared. We’d reached the region known as
Saxon Switzerland. We docked at the German spa town of Bad Schandau, and
were taken by coach to the Bastei viewpoint.
With its highest peak rising just short of 2,400ft, you wouldn’t mistake this
for Switzerland, but we certainly seemed to be in a different world: its
landscape clusters of slender rock pinnacles and distant mesas; its
population walkers, hikers, mountain bikers and “free” climbers. Their
version – using ropes for safety, not for climbing – originated here.
The Bastei viewpoint, south-east of Dresden, Germany (Photo: Alamy)
Later, sailing towards Dresden, we passed the impregnable Königstein Fortress.
It was in this stronghold that the Green Vault’s priceless collection was
hidden during the Second World War. Just a few months before that war ended
in Europe, the centre of Dresden was destroyed by Allied bombers. Today its
splendid palaces, fine sculptures, grand churches and spectacular Semper
Opera House have been restored to the magnificence that earned the city the
soubriquet “the Florence of the North”. After our full day here, every one
of us vowed to come back.
Nearby Meissen was the birthplace of European white porcelain in 1710, and we
stopped there the following day to visit the famous factory and buy – albeit
as “seconds” – souvenir pieces bearing the prized blue crossed swords
symbol.
There were more fascinating ports of call – Torgau, where US and Red Army
soldiers met for the first time, in April 1945, during the Allied advance
into Germany; Wittenburg, where a monk called Martin Luther pinned his 95
theses to a church door in 1517; and Dessau, home of the Bauhaus College of
Architecture, where we toured the parks and gardens known as the Garden
Kingdom of Dessau-Wörlitz, a Unesco World Heritage Site.
Potsdam, the former royal seat of Prussia, has more splendid palaces than you
can shake a sceptre at. We had time to view two. We went into the New
Chambers – built as a stunning guest palace for visitors of King Frederick
the Great – and, from the outside, admired the Cecilienhof, completed in
1917 and designed to resemble an English Tudor country house.
The Tudor inspired Palace of Cecilienhof, where the Postdam Conference
took place (Photo: Alamy)
Now part-museum, part-hotel, it was the venue for the 1945 Potsdam Conference
of the Allied leaders, code named Terminal, at which the post-war partition
of Germany and the terms of surrender for Japan were agreed.
Viking River Cruises (0800 319 6660; vikingrivercruises.co.uk)
offers a 10-day Elegant Elbe cruise, with departures between March and
November 2015. From £1,695pp including return flight and a £1,000 per-person
discount if booked by the end of October 2014.
Read more
Elbe river cruise guide
A guide to Elbe, Vltava and Oder river cruises, including the best cruise
lines, typical itineraries and key stops, by Douglas Ward
Visit
the Telegraph cruise shows
Come along to the Telegraph Cruise Show in London (January 9-11, 2015) for
expert advice and exclusive offers. Book tickets and sign up for the
newsletter at telegraph.co.uk/cruiseshow
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