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Danube Cruise
David and Rosalia Rojas, both Retired, LAPD, took an 11-day Danube River cruise and visited Budapest, Hungary; Vienna & Krems, Austria; Passau and Regensburg, Germany; and Prague, Czech Republic. Photos were taken at the Astronomical Clock and Love Locks Gate overlooking the Vitava River, and Prague Castle.
Letter From Texas
The Wurst Salute in Texas
Deep in the heart of Texas Hill Country, located between San Antonio and Austin, is the historic town of New Braunfels. It was founded by German immigrants in 1845 and built on the Cornal River, one of the world’s shortest rivers – it only winds three miles through the town before meeting the Guadalupe River. It is a trendy place for families wanting to enjoy watersports like innertube rafting during the summer! Every year, the citizens celebrate their European heritage with a ten-day salute to German sausage called Wurstfest, with beer and lots of Volkstümliche (Oompah) music.
Once the nationwide annual Octoberfest celebrations are over in Germany, German bands travel from all over the United States to perform on one of the festival’s four stages during Wurstfest. The bands range from those dressed traditionally and playing all the old classic Bavarian and German drinking songs to more youthful bands playing more modern tunes. There is even a very attractive female band that wears very short lederhosen while dancing and singing to a lively audience! All this fun and merriment attract thousands of visitors, who drink gallons of beer and devour all kinds of strange and wonderful sausage creations. It really is a fun event.
Consuming alcohol onsite is not straightforward and involves buying a drink ticket from one of the ticket booths dotted around the grounds—unsurprisingly, there is always a queue. These tickets are then presented to any on-site bar in exchange for an ice-cold adult beverage – yet another queue.
To allow more time to enjoy the shows and avoid standing in line, purchase a large souvenir jug of beer ($30) with plastic cups to share. This is a place for adult merriment, so please leave your kids at home. It’s no place to push strollers or walkers while strolling through crowds of happy people drinking beer.
If the music gets too loud, or you need a rest from too much dancing, check out one of the picnic benches around the perimeter. Here, you can spend a little time people-watching while you catch your second breath, ready for the next round of dancing and merry-making.
Local history: In 1836, Texan colonists defeated Mexico and founded the independent Republic of Texas. Nine years later, in 1845, nobleman Prince Carl Solms-Braunfels and a group of 21 aristocrats known as the Noblemen’s Society (Mainzer Adelsverein) from Biebrich on the Rhine near Mainz arrived in Galveston on four sailing ships full of German artisans and tradesmen.
Prince Carl had purchased 1,265 acres of land by the Comal and Guadalupe rivers from Spanish landowners Maria and Jose Garza. Upon fording the river, they established a colony there and laid the cornerstone for Fort Sophienburg (Sophie’s Castle), which was named in honor of the prince’s fiancée, Lady Sophia, Princess of Salm-Salm.
Five years later, New Braunfels had become the fourth largest city in Texas. The New Braunfels Schuetzen Verein, the oldest continuously active shooting club in the United States, was founded for security and pleasure. For moral and spiritual support, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church was also established; it is now the oldest Lutheran church in Texas.
With the changing times, New Braunfels is no longer a powerhouse for the cotton industry. Today, it is a popular tourist destination, with its salute to the sausage and preserved architectural icons of an earlier historic era, where you can dine in the ruins of the original gristmill or enjoy live music at Gruene Hall (claimed to be the oldest dance hall in Texas).
This is a great place to visit for a long weekend or a planned family vacation. Direct flights go from LAX and Long Beach to Austin, and from there you can rent a car and drive across the prairie toward the beautiful foothills around the wonderful town of New Braunfels.
Have fun before it’s too late and you retire and go to bed at 9 p.m.!
Prost!
Cheers!
— The Captain
