Donau Walzer: Passau 1

The bus dropped us off at the Viking Legend tour boat around 1:00 PM, our home for the next week. We were told that we were the first voyage for the boat this season, so our staterooms were ready for us and we could board immediately. The concierge, David offered to take my rucksack, and I told him to take my mom's. He kindly said that he would take both of our bags. Mom and I were curious to see how big our room was and were pleasantly surprised at its roominess and the full length sliding glass doors on our A level cabin. She was ready to go out and explore the town, but I had to nap first. What a bummer! It was very difficult, but I let her go out on her own and I laid down to try and rest. When I awoke later, I searched the boat for her, but she was nowhere to be found. No surprise, she was probably still out in Passau exploring. So, I grabbed my camera and a map and went out to see the sights of Passau.

The first thing I spied was a lovely iron door sconce in the coat of arms of Passau. How cool is this mermaid door handle? A Ferrari roared by and I caught it with my camera. A German couple at a café. Childrens' lederhosen and dirndels for sale at a souvenier shop. A view across the Danube with another tour boat and the Veste Oberhaus . A view up an alley offers a glimpse of St. Stephen's Cathedral. Spring flowers in a windowbox. Passau town hall or Rathaus. Flood markings on the tower of the Rathaus. A shot of the Veste Oberhaus where the date of 1499 can be clearly seen. A closeup of the figures on the side of the Rathaus. A view up an alley; note the religious bas-relief on the building. Two photos of the small bridge over the Danube in lower Passau. The view back up the Danube. A man stands and paddles his yellow kayak on the Danube river. An irresistable spitz puppy dog. Over the water is Austria. Another small church with much painted decoration. More of the Veste Oberhaus. A woman holds her minipinscher; isn't it the cutest??? The view across the Inn River of the Mariahilf Pilgrimage Church. A young family makes their way up the walk along the Inn. More of the Mariahilf Church. The Shaiblingsturm, a midieval tower, guards the Inn River. It was not at all uncommon for buildings to have paintings of religious or important people on them; this inset is of a king. This chihuahua/minpin mix was so tiny, I thought it was a rat! But isn't it the sweetest?

I looked at my watch and it had gotten very late! I rushed back the the boat and reconnected with my mom. She had walked all the way up to St. Stephen's and went inside! But we will do that tomorrow on the guided tour!

Donau Walzer: Munich to Passau

Mom and I were so excited to land in Munich and for our Viking ‘Danube Waltz’ Cruise to begin. But first, we had to take a bus from Munich to Passau to meet our boat, the Viking Legend. We got our bags and wandered past customs without being stopped; heard folks calling out to us “Ladies!”. They were the Viking people in red jackets. After waiting a few moments we were on the Viking bus and heading out for a half hour drive to Passau. I sanpped a photo of a Luftansa jet past our seatmates across from us.

Rather quickly, we passed over a canal we did not know the name of; but how stunning is this landscape? Plus, it is already spring here! Look at the leaves! Wow! A motorcyclist! Look how green the hills are! The forsythia are in bloom!

We could see this tower of white smoke from miles away and wondered what it was. Also, note the solar farms. When we got closer, we could see that it was a steam cooler from a nuclear plant.

We also notices Orthodox Catholic churches with onion domes dotted the landscape. Someone rides a large white horse. Old contrasts with new as an onion dome church looms up behind a solar farm. Down the road, we could see the foothills of the Alps. Another onion dome church. Another onion dome church. A twin tower gothic church. Another onion dome church. An onion dome and a Gothic spire church. Cyclists were everywhere! There was industry along the Danube as well. An onion dome on the river.

A larger onion dome church in Passau. A tour boat named after Sissi, Empress Elizabeth of Austria cruises in Passau. Colorful houses line the Danube in Passau. We have arrived!

I have returned from my voyage!

I am completely exhausted but we had a wonderful trip! The weather was Spring-like, Viking was amazing and the sights were stunning. I will post my hundreds of photos over the near future. Sit back and enjoy!

This was my dessert at the Le Meridien Hotel in Budapest; a chestnut marcaron. The hotel was the height of luxury as the marble bathroom floors were heated.

Dark Fruitcake from Better Homes & Garden’s New Cook Book

I have had great success with this recipe; my family all insist that I make fruitcakes every Holiday Season. This is the only one I have ever used; from the Better Homes & Garden New Cook Book. I think my Mother gave me this Cook Book as a gift, some time ago. When I got married, my husband had one too, though it was an older edition. We merged our copies into one. The first copyright is listed as 1953, the second in 1962.
Here are all of the ingredients before I prepare the fruitcakes:




In the first part, one combines the dry ingredients via a sifter. I have to use a huge pot, since I don’t have a bowl large enough:

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 treaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Then the candied fruits and nuts are added and stirred until coated.

2 1/2 cups mixed candies fruits & peels

3 cups raisins

1 1/2 cups candied cherries

1 1/2 cups pitted dates

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup candied pineapple

Here is what that looks like:
 
Next, in a separate bowl, I beat the 4 eggs until they were foamy. Then I added the 1 3/4 cups of brown sugar a little bit at a time until it was all combined. I then added 1 cup of orange juice and mixed that. Then I added in the 3/4 cup previously melted butter and again mixed it. Finally, I added in the 1/4 cup of molasses. Here is what that looked like:



The little bumps are the pulp from the orange juice.
Next, I poured this liquid into the dry ingredients, making sure to completely coat them. This is where I could have used a strong assistant!!!  When finished, the batter looked like this:
 

Since so many people in my family want fruitcakes, I have taken to using the smaller pans [7.5' x 3.5' x 2.5']. I also really like using Baker’s Joy baking spray with flour. What an effort saver that is!




I put the batter in the pans, filling them about 3/4 of the way up.




Then it is into to the 300ºF oven for 1 hour, after which I covered them with tin foil, to prevent the bottoms from burning. I checked them again in half an hour with a toothpick, but they needed a bit more time. Ten minutes later they were done!


Ta da! Next it is time to prepare the fruitcakes for the best part! Soaking them in the booze! I use Apricot Brandy.


Not just any Apricot Brandy, mind you. I have learned the hard way. Don’t use Mr. Boston! I got bad reviews the year I used it – it will ruin the flavor of your fruitcakes! Get another Apricot Brandy. I am going with Hiram Walker this year.
Since it is not easy to get one’s hands on any cheesecloth hereabouts, I use handiwipes that I have laundered beforehand to wrap my fruitcakes with. Then, I overlay that with plastic wrap, as I have had problems with tin foil getting microscopic holes in it over the long times that I keep it in my fridge. Here is a photo of fruitcakes awaiting the booze:


Sorry that one is out of focus.
But my hands were steadier once I poured the booze on them!


By the way, I added the booze liberally. These cakes can be thirsty! I used about half of that 1.75 liter bottle on these 5 cakes. I will check on them in a couple of weeks and water them some more. So, here they are in my vegetable crisper in my fridge:


Ah! I love that drunk who died smell in my fridge! That is what gets me into the H0liday spirit!
Tra la la la, and whatever follows next!

Happy 2014!

We went to a party at our nephew's mansion and I was totally over-dressed. But the party was wonderful!

Happy 2014 to all my readers!