December 2, 2012, Passau Germany

This morning we had an onboard lecture on the history of the European Union. It was very interesting and informative. After that was a 1.5 hour walking tour of the city. Being docked a block away from the major shopping area, and the Christmas Market made it an easy tour which encompassed the old town of Passau as well. Our guide Heike was excellent and overall a very enjoyable tour.

We then had lunch in town, at the Loungerie Café (it was recommend by our guide) and had a wonderful lunch there. Afterward it was back to the Christmas Market to make a couple of small purchases and then back to the ship. We were even treated to a very light snow fall this afternoon. Nothing that stuck to the ground but you could see it in the air.

The ship is very modern in style, and a far cry from their older ships. The dinning room consists mostly of 6 and 8 person tables, but there are a handful of 4 person tables as well. Some tables are more oval in shape while most are rectangular. The waitstaff is great, and the wine is poured freely. Our dinner last night was excellent, and I did not hear anyone complaining.