Author Archives: Jan European Barging & River Cruises

Pre or Post Danube Cruise Visit in Passau

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Pre or Post Danube Cruise Visit in Passau

Danube riverSpring, Tx., July 16, 2013 — Europeanbarging announces its 2014 schedule of Danube River Cruises. Like many other Danube cruises, our cruises board and disembark in Passau. Unlike them, we encourage passengers to arrive early (or linger after the cruise) to participate in some of the excursion options to visit the remarkable Old Town section of Passau’s remarkable Old Town. Among the excursions on offer is the Tourist Board’s walking tour of the historic “Three-Rivers-City,” including the fascinating confluence of the Danube, Inn, and Ilz Rivers; a natural spectacle.

Passau’s Old Town was rebuilt during the 17th century, following a devastating fire, by Italian baroque masters and is outstandingly beautiful. The Cathedral of St. Stephen with its three characteristic, onion-domed, green towers rises from the heart of Passau. St. Stephen’s church is the largest Baroque church north of the Alps. Its cathedral organ is the world’s largest, comprised of 17,774 organ pipes and 233 register stops. It offers a special acoustic delight, as all five sections can be played, individually or together, from the main keyboard. Passau’s Old Town has many sites of interest to tourists: The New Bishop’s Residence, many churches, museums, and the magnificent gothic Town Hall. Whether you are looking for romantic lanes, picturesque markets, or enchanting riverfront promenades, you will find the right place to rest and enjoy the unique scenery. Even the Danube’s majestic fortress “Veste Oberhaus” and the Inn’s Pilgrimage Church “Mariahilf” seem designed to frame the city’s beauty, as they sit high above the rivers.

For information about our sailing schedules, and specific services, please contact:

Jim Baumgartner
Europeanbarging
25132 Oakhurst Dr. Suite 130
Spring, TX 77386
713-240-6753

Website: http://www.europeanbarging.com

Tags: Danube River Cruises | The Old Town of Passau | Passau Tours

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View The Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

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museum viennaCulinary Treats from the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna

Kunsthistorisches Museum is one of the most eminent museums in the world. It is also known as the “Museum of Fine Arts.” The rich holdings of the museum include artworks from seven millennia – from Ancient Egypt to the late 18th century. Among all its treasures, the collections from the Renaissance and Baroque art periods are of particular significance. You can’t find a better place to view and understand Vienna art.

The museum was built by Emperor Franz Joseph to house the stupendous Habsburg collections. Around 120 years ago, Emperor Franz Joseph changed Vienna’s cultural landscape forever with the opening of the Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna.

View European Art History At Kunsthistorisches Museum

Kunsthistorisches Museum displays numerous major art works from European art history, such as Raphael’s “Madonna in the Meadow”, Vermeer’s “The Allegory of Painting”, the Infanta paintings by Velazquez, masterworks by Rubens, Rembrandt, Dürer, Titian and Tintoretto, which are housed in the paintings gallery. The Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection include captivating treasures from mysterious cultures of a bygone era. While going through this particular collection, you will stand in the shadows of ancient statues and reliefs, mummy-shaped coffins, and massive papyrus-stalk columns. On Ringstrasse, from the home of the museum, you can travel in time and space, from the Bronze Age to the Dark Ages, from Cyprus to Greece, Italy and finally back to Austria.

Kunsthistorisches Museum remains a crowning achievement of 19th century architects Gottfried Semper and Karl Hasenauer. It stands as a great symbol of Austria art and culture.

Enjoy The Museum Amenities

There is a lot to see and do at the museum, as well. It’s devoted to indulging your senses. After an elaborate tour of the fabulous collection, you can take a break at the café in the museum’s amazing Cupola Hall. As you relax in its awe-inspiring architectural setting, the café presents a menu of traditional savory specialties, as well as different varieties of tea and coffee, and popular Viennese pastries.

Thursday evenings are particularly special as visitors can enjoy a gourmet dinner in the elegant setting of the restaurant in Cupola Hall and then take an after-hours tour of the Picture Gallery. Sundays at the museum are equally exciting, when visitors can start with a leisurely brunch and then enjoy a stroll through the incomparable collections.

The Kunstkammer Museum Vienna has the most important collection of art of its kind in the world. After being closed for over 20 tears, this unique collection is now again open to the public since March 1, 2013.

Our Danube River cruise is the right choice for visiting Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna. Call us for more information! Europeanbarging.com 888-869-7907

Caves of Carrieres Awaits You

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Cave 1 ebVisit the Caves of Carrieres de Lumieres on a AMA Waterways River Cruise

Carrieres de Lumieres is located in the ancient village of Les Baux, which sits atop a rocky plateau overlooking the Alpilles in Provence, France. Though the village is no longer active, it still remains an attraction for tourists who want to see the ruins of the castle and the beautiful vistas. Carrieres de Lumieres is the most unusual site to experience here.

It’s actually a quarry, where the locals used to extract limestone for the construction of a nearby chateau and Les Baux. Presently, huge images of works of art are projected onto the walls, ceiling and floors, accompanied by music.

AMA Waterways Provence River Cruise offers an exciting excursion to the Carrieres de Lumieres, located in the caves of the old quarry. The term Carrieres de Lumieres refers to the ever-present role of light here.

Make Cave Exploring Real

An innovative and ambitious project is being organized in order to give this man-made site a new focus. There are four main aspects of the project:

  • A new program of cultural events is proposed on the theme of the “History of Art” in the Carrières rooms and galleries with audio visual shows, live shows, concerts, lectures, and more. The aim of the program is to make ‘Carrières de Lumières’ a cultural hub for multiple events. It will be offering one big new show every year, profiling the greatest names in the history of art.
  • A new and quite captivating event has the Carrières quarries gradually lighting up, highlighting the unique nature of the site between each show. No wonder, the spectators all praise the mineral beauty of the site.
  • New high-performance technological equipment is being procured for this outstanding audio visual show. Each area of the Carrières invites visitors on an extraordinary audio visual journey made possible by cutting-edge technological equipment and methods developed by Culturespaces and its multimedia partners, which includes 70 video projectors, 3D audio adapted to the specific characteristics of the site, etc.
  • More surfaces are to be used in the show to give it a bigger platform and extend this artistic journey.

Visitors are totally spellbound and get immersed in the images projected onto all the surfaces of the rock. Now, twice the number of video projectors is being used in order to cover twice the wall area. The completely covered ground itself becomes a huge carpet of images.

An upcoming new show will continue until January 5, 2014, titled Monet, Renoir … Chagall – Journeys Around the Mediterranean.  Europeanbarging.com   888-869-7907

Europeanbarging Offers Cruises in Spain

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Spain pr 1Spring, Tx., July 6, 2013 — Europeanbarging announces its 2014 schedule of River Cruises in Spain, Guadalquivir and Guadiana. These cruises include both the Rivers of Spain Cruise, and the Sevilla River Cruise.

These cruises offer a unique view of Spain’s historic region of Andalusia through tours of two significant rivers: the Spanish Portuguese border’s River Guadiana, and Seville’s River Guadalquivir, as well as Cadiz Bay’s coast, which lies between the two rivers.

Among the ports of call we visit on our Spain river cruises:

• Seville, Spain’s fourth largest city
• Jerez, an opulent, lively town, noted for its equestrian art as well as for being the cradle of the flamenco
• Cádiz, called “tacita de plata” (which means “small silver cup”), which is attached only by a narrow isthmus to the mainland on the Costa de la Luz
• Gibraltar, famous for its panoramic view of the Bay of Algeciras as well as Africa’s coastline
• Sanlucar de Barrameda, the point from which Christopher Columbus began his voyage to the Americas and from which Magellan set out to circumnavigate the globe.

Our packages are all-inclusive, and we have special offers and discount packages that make traveling with us even more attractive.

For information about our sailing schedules, and specific services, please contact:

Jim Baumgartner
Europeanbarging
25132 Oakhurst Dr. Suite 130
Spring, TX 77386
713-240-6753

Website: http://www.europeanbarging.com

Tags: River Cruises in Spain | Guadalquivir and Guadiana Rivers of Spain | Sevilla River Cruise

The Benefits of Buying Travel Insurance for Overseas Travel

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Travel InsuranceBe Sure To Have Travel Insurance Before Traveling Out of The Country

“I did not always buy travel insurance for myself, but then I mis-stepped off a step on a train in Marseilles and fell and twisted my ankle really bad. This was not a serious fall, but it made me realize how something serious could happen. So I always have travel insurance now. For several years I bought the annual program that my American Express card offered but then I realized that this gives me good medical coverage while I am overseas but does not reimburse any of my travel expense, so I now have a regular travel policy.

Do Not Be Alarmed Travel Insurance Is Normal

When I mention travel insurance to travelers, I tell them that they might not need the insurance for themselves, but if they have teenagers (especially in sports), or elderly parents, then you should get the insurance in case you need to cancel or return from a trip for them.
In the last few years, there have been policies offered that let you cancel for work related reasons (often offering a full refund of travel funds) and even canceling for any reason (getting about 50% of your money back). Another benefit of a Gold or Platinum type policy is that the insurance coverage becomes your primary insurer – this means that when you go into a hospital for treatment, that the hospital calls the insurance company and get approval for payment rather than you laying out the money and filing out paper work when you get back to get reimbursed. As with all offers these days, there are some restrictions.
Travel insurance does not just cover medical expenses. There is reimbursement if your luggage is delayed or lost, if you lose your passport, need legal assistance. Some programs even include Concierge services that assist with all types of travel needs, such as tickets to special events, travel recommendations, changing travel arrangements and such. Be sure to ask about travel insurance next time you travel out of the country as most policies in the US will not over you overseas.”