John and Ardys' Grand Danube Cruise
Sunrise Rotarian John Jones recapped his and wife Ardys' Avalon River Cruises float down the Danube through Prague onto Berlin. Enchanted with the Czech capital which survived WWII with only one dropped bomb, and that was a mis-released Allied armament, Prague was not considered a strategic target, possessing more in terms of art than industry, it's centuries of old treasures were sparred destruction. Among the most prominent is the 1410 Astronomical clock, now featuring statues of the 12 Christian Apostles.
The Bone Church, Sedlec Ossuary also in Prague represented an artistic solution to scarcity of burial space during the Black Death, Bubonic plague years in the early 1500's: Use the bones for decorative purposes and preserve the sacred tradition held at the site. Over 30,000 bodies were waiting for underground internment, only to find rest above in creative, iconic repose.
On a brighter note, John and Ardys visited the Passau Dom Organ in Bavaria, an 18,000 pipe composite of 5 organs boasting claim to the largest in the world outside the United States.
John and Ardys also witnessed art history in Berlin at the Pergamon Museum. Appropriated by the Germans from the Middle East as far back as 1910, the Museum is the most frequently visited in Germany and 9th globally.
Rick Steve's would be proud of this couple's itinerary and attention to historic significance. Where are you traveling next??
