The Danube River flows through Budapest. (Qingchen/Picture)

Haruki Murakami wrote this in his notes about traveling in Europe, "Drums in the Distant Place": "I often hear the sound of drums in the distance. Listening carefully in the quiet afternoon, you will hear the sound of drums in the distance." I can feel the reverberation in my ears. The sound of these drums makes me want to go on a journey, which is incredible." He also wrote: "Traveling is a spiritual transformation, and I don't want to get older while dealing with daily life. ." These words really win the hearts of those who love traveling. Many people on the road should often hear the call of "drums in the distance". Sometimes they are themselves, sometimes they take their families and loved ones with them, and they step on the drums and go out to pursue them again and again.

I have been to Europe many times, but this is my first time taking a cruise. The advantage of taking a cruise is that you don't have to change hotels, which saves you the fatigue of traveling and traveling, and you have more energy to absorb the stories outside. This summer, we spent 11 days traveling along the Danube River, passing through Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, and Austria, stopping at historic cities and towns with stories along the Wachau Valley, the most beautiful area of ??the Danube River.

The owner of the cruise company is Norwegian and the company is registered in Switzerland. In the past, the largest customers were Americans, and American ships were launched in 2000. Today, American tourists are also their largest customers - 60 of the company's 65 cruise ships are American ships, traveling like spiders into various waters of Europe. The other five are Chinese ships - in 2016, this cruise company opened a Chinese ship for the first time, all of which received guests from China. China has rapidly grown into a middle-income country, and its strong consumption power cannot be ignored. When we set off, the American ship and the Chinese ship set off at the same time. The two cruise ships sometimes sailed side by side, sometimes sailed separately, and in the end they always came together. It was a very realistic metaphor.

On the Chinese ship, except for the captain, all the staff on the ship are Chinese, and the catering on the ship is mainly Chinese food. Pancakes and fruits, steamed buns and fried dough sticks, dandan noodles, and Peking duck are all available. We respect the Chinese people's customs to the greatest extent. taste. During the maiden voyage, there were not many guests on board, and the occupancy rate was less than half of the 86 rooms. But soon, that number changed. Since 2018, there has been a spurt in the number of tourists, which are often full. They are often families of three, five, old, middle-aged and young.

For this 11-day and 10-night Danube cruise, the ticket price starts at 23,000 yuan per person, and the most expensive "luxury family suite" costs more than 60,000 yuan per person. The food, accommodation and travel are all-inclusive, but do not include air tickets and visa fees. In other words, to board this cruise ship, each person will cost at least 30,000 yuan, and a family of three will spend 100,000 yuan. The ticket price sets a line for the tourists who board the ship. In other words, the tourists on this cruise ship are basically from China’s middle class. They are a group of people who “get rich first”. Most of them This is the first time for everyone to travel overseas. This kind of itinerary with Chinese service staff and Chinese tour guides makes their first step of "going out" much easier.

The only entertainment facility in the cruise ship guest room is the TV. The TV is not connected to the satellite connection, and the movie list is fixed and changed regularly. In the recent film list, one of the few movies related to Asians is "Crazy Rich Asians", which became a hit in the United States in 2018 and was later released in Chinese theaters. Great movie. There are indeed some "rich" items on cruise ships, which are reflected in upgraded itineraries, euphemistically called "once in a lifetime" itineraries. For example, a helicopter overlooking the Wachau Valley costs 549 euros per person, and a helicopter visit to Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany costs 2,129 euros per person. But as far as I know, not many people are paying. Chinese people have become rich, but the tourists on this ship have shown a moderate and rational view of consumption. They "spend money only when it's time to spend it", and they have not gone crazy.

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is the entrance to this Danube route. The older generation of Chinese tourists have an impression of Budapest because of the comedy artist Chen Qiang. After liberation, Chen Qiang came to Budapest to perform and was shocked by the local beauty. After that, Chen Qiang had two sons one after another. He named his eldest son Chen Buda and his younger son Chen Peisi. Everyone knows the subsequent story. Chen Peisi became a household name. Comedy star, this anecdote also spread and became a good story of China-Hungary friendship.

The younger generation is not convinced by this story. More literary and artistic young people came here for the movie "The Grand Budapest Hotel" by the genius director Wes Anderson. However, this is a "joke" Anderson made about Budapest. In the film, except for the real hotel lobby, the hotel itself is a temporary model, and the exterior scenes were almost all shot in Germany. In other words, except for the film's title, the hotel itself is a temporary model. Besides, this movie has nothing to do with Budapest.

The yellow tram No. 2 can be seen everywhere in Budapest, an iconic landscape of the city. (Qingchen/Photo)

In fact, many places in Europe are implicated by their names, causing the public to have many misunderstandings about them. For example, the Danube River. Johann Strauss Jr.’s famous waltz is called "The Blue Danube". People who have been to the Danube River discovered that the Danube River is often green, sometimes yellow, or brown, and it can be any color. No blue.

Why does the Danube look blue in the photo? That's because the sky in Europe is too blue. When the weather is fine, it reflects on the river and dyes the river blue.

Our tour guide is called Gao Shandu. He is in his 50s and is an authentic Hungarian. He is familiar with China and speaks fluent Chinese with an accent. He graduated from Hungary's "985", Chinese Department of E?tv?s Lorand University. He went to Peking University and Zhejiang University to further study Chinese in 2003 and 2006 respectively. Later, he also worked in Zhengzhou for a period of time and traveled to many places in China. "Gaoshan Ferry" is the name he gave himself. His explanation is that his English name is "Alexander", which is homophonic with the Chinese word for "mountain pressure". When it is harmonized again, it turns to "Shandong Ferry". This explanation may sound far-fetched, but it also proves Gao Shandu's understanding of Chinese culture.

Budapest has the world's first public park, called "Citizen's Park". When we passed by, there were people sunbathing and their dogs lying on the grass in twos and threes. "It's so comfortable. Unlike China, there are people everywhere." An old lady from Chengdu who was on the same boat couldn't help but sigh. Her husband responded at the side, "That's why I asked you to come out and see more and open your eyes." "Opening your eyes" has become the first purpose of many families on this cruise ship.

Hungary’s population is indeed small. The country’s population is only 19 million. No city in Beijing has a large population. Budapest, the capital, has a pitifully small population of less than 1.5 million, and the number is about the same as that of Beijing. Decreasing day by day. According to Gao Shandu, one of the important reasons is that city dwellers find Budapest too crowded and suffer from heavy traffic jams during commuting hours, so they have moved to small towns on the outskirts of Budapest. "I used to think it made sense, but since I went to China and Beijing, I no longer think so after I came back." He chuckled.

When walking in this city, you can pick out any building that has a history of hundreds of years. Most of the buildings in the city center were built in the mid-19th century. Budapest people are also quite proud of these old buildings: Chain The bridge is 170 years old; the oldest cable car in Europe has been running for 140 years; on Buda's Castle Hill, near Matthias Church, a restaurant called "Tarnok" has been open for 600 years and is still in business... so much so When people first arrive in Budapest, their first impression of the place always feels a bit old-fashioned.

The Chain Bridge across the Danube River is one of the landmarks of Budapest. (Qingchen/Photo)

"We don't like modernization very much." Gao Shandu told me. In the 1970s and 1980s, the Hungarian government carried out a modernization drive and built three five-star hotels along the Danube River. The people at that time were overjoyed and thought that Hungary's modernization drive had begun. Decades have passed, and now we look back at the three products of modern construction. They are black and square in appearance and ugly in appearance. They are ridiculed by locals as the "scars" of the Danube River.

The boat traveled all night and arrived at Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, at noon the next day. This is a relatively unpopular city, and many people have never heard of its name before. Because its neighbor Prague in the Czech Republic is so famous and very beautiful, Bratislava is often the one sitting on the bench.

As mentioned above, I was still laughing at Hungary’s sparse population. Compared with Bratislava, it can be called a “populous country”. The entire population of Slovakia is only 5 million, and Bratislava, the capital, accounts for one-tenth of the population, which is 500,000.

The most famous building in the city is the Bratislava Castle built on a hill. A considerable part of it was built by Maria Theresa, the Archduke and Mother of Austria, for her most beloved daughter Christina. of. Speaking of Teresa, it is quite interesting. She was nicknamed the "European mother-in-law". In 20 years, she gave birth to 12 children. When the daughters grew up, they were all sent out to become the "Crown Princess" of neighboring countries. Teresa It was through this form of marriage that Austria's imperial status was consolidated.

There are many statues hidden in the streets of Bratislava, the most famous one is a statue called "Kumir". Kumir is a sewer repairman. The cover of the road wellhead was opened. He had just climbed out of the sewer repair obstacle and lay down to rest. His helmet was still stained with mud and his hands were a little dirty, but it was obvious that the work was done. A smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. In the European "statue world" where only royals, nobles, and religious celebrities have powerful statues everywhere, this statue is extremely precious. It is a tribute to the civilian class and a hymn to labor.

The famous "Kumil" statue in Bratislava, the protagonist is an ordinary sewer repairman. (Qingchen/Photo)

Similarly, when the ship arrived in Bratislava, the cruise staff provided us with two options: one was to visit Bratislava with a tour guide; Then follow the shopping guide to drive to the outlets in Austria for shopping. Most people choose the former. Other additional items are popular, such as: going to the country and trying on local traditional costumes, visiting photography museums, and tasting local specialties with a tour guide. These additional itineraries only cost an extra ten euros. In the eyes of foreigners, Chinese tourists have changed from blind consumption to exploration of foreign cultures, which is also a progress.

European culture and history are hidden in churches, monasteries and castles.

On the fourth day, the cruise took us to Melk in southern Germany, a town famous for a monastery. The Melk Abbey on the rocks in the town is known as "the most beautiful monastery in the world".

No matter how you look at it, Melk Abbey does not look like a serious monastery. It is not only grand, but also full of gorgeous Baroque style, more like a royal palace. Later, the tour guide's explanation confirmed my impression - this monastery was originally the castle of Austria's first ruler Leopold I, so the town also became the capital of the time. It was not until 1089 that the capital was changed to In Vienna, the original castle gradually evolved into a monastery.

Melk Abbey is a place of spiritual practice for Benedictine believers. The Benedictine Order is a Catholic monastic order with three main doctrines: absolute beauty, absolute wealth, and absolute will. It is a sect that is very ascetic and pure. At its peak, there were about 500 members of the sect. Today, there are only 33 Benedictines left in Austria. The Benedictines, who advocate "absolute wealth", choose to practice in the most luxurious monastery in the world. How much determination and determination must the believers have to resist these temptations from the world?

The Benedictine monastery on the top of a hill in the small town of Melk, Germany. (Qingchen/Photo)

After leaving Melk and sailing westward along the Danube River, we landed in Linz, the third largest city in Austria. This is a transfer station. Take the bus 132 kilometers southwest to Salzburg; drive 85 kilometers north and enter the Czech Republic, where there is the world cultural heritage town of Cesky Krumlov.

Linz is not a tourist city, and its cityscape looks rather boring. It is similar to many cities in China, with many modern new buildings. But it actually has a secret identity - it was the hometown of Adolf Hitler, who spent his entire teenage years here. Yes, the war fanatic who incited and led Germany to launch World War II was an Austrian. In the Baidu Encyclopedia, there is no trace of Hitler in the introduction to Linz. Probably Linz himself wanted to erase Hitler from the memory of his city.

Many historical scholars have conducted in-depth research on why Hitler hated the Jews so much. To sum up, the primary reason is of course related to religion; in addition, the serious problem of rich and poor differentiation at that time cannot be ignored. Jews are naturally good at doing business, so in Europe, Jews were once synonymous with "rich people". When the poor could not even afford to drink milk, the wealthy Jewish merchants stored tons of milk. Because they could not sell it at a good price, they would rather wait until the milk went bad and pour it into the Danube River. Various details have invisibly increased the antagonism among the people. It can be said that when Hitler left Linz and went to Vienna to study painting and make a living, his hatred of the Jews had reached the bone.

Take the bus from Linz and drive for an hour and a half to Salzburg.

Aerial view of Salzburg. (Qingchen/Photo)

Salzburg is one of the most popular tourist cities in Austria. It has several major business cards, including the former residence of Mozart and the hometowns of Karajan and Doppler. Music, art, and science all produced top talents. Large areas of preserved medieval cobblestone streets, limestone castles, and unique iron cast signs give it a retro charm. Another reason that attracts many tourists is that the famous Hollywood movie "The Sound of Music" was based and filmed in Salzburg. Many people can hum a verse or two of "Doremi". ”, and “Edelweiss”.

But when I got really close to Salzburg, I was a little disappointed. Mozart is consumed everywhere in the city. In addition to various place names named after Mozart, there are also various Mozart souvenirs, Mozart chocolates, Mozart candy balls, Mozart perfume, Mozart daily necessities... Mozart can basically be equated with Disney's ubiquitous "Mickey". Not only that, there are shops of all sizes in its bustling commercial street "Liangliang Hutong". As soon as you walk in, you will be hit by the strong smell of Yiwu's small commodities, the rigorous craftsmanship of the Austrians, the kind of meticulous craftsmanship. The energy of slowly polishing seems to be lost here. Probably due to the sudden influx of tourists in recent years, Salzburg was overwhelmed, so it had to sell shoddy goods to satisfy the greedy appetites of tourists.

Of course, if you don’t buy anything and just stroll around the city, Salzburg will still reveal its charming skirt.

In comparison, another Czech town, Cesky Krumlov, is much more interesting. The town's German name is "Cesky Krumlov", so it is called CK town for short. In 1994, the entire town was listed as a World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO. The Vltava River, the mother river of the Czech Republic, becomes gentle when it reaches Cesky Krumlov, embracing the town in the shape of a horseshoe.

CK is a small town surrounded by the Vltava River. (Qingchen/Picture)

Walking in the town, it is the same road as people in the Middle Ages. Even the buildings on both sides have not changed much. At most, the businesses in the buildings have changed their owners. , Baroque, Gothic, Rococo... various architectural styles are integrated here. 6. Over the past 700 years, this land seems to have been favored by God. It has not been trampled by wars, armies, and even natural disasters, so buildings large and small have been well preserved.

In addition, this also benefits from its title of "World Cultural Heritage".

Since you are a "heritage", your appearance must not be changed. There will also be dedicated personnel to monitor and amplify satellite images to monitor the town's movements. If you renovate the appearance, you will be ordered to change it back to its original appearance in mild cases, or banned in severe cases. Risks to the “World Cultural Heritage” title. Tourism is now the number one industry supporting Cesky Krumlov's economy. Once its cheese is touched, it will have a chain impact on the work of tour guides, catering, hotels and other industries in the town. Therefore, the residents of the town are very careful and will not take it lightly. Breaking ground on historic sites. So much so that there are many blank murals on the walls of the castle. The original murals have gradually faded and become blurred due to the erosion of time. Artists dare not guess what the original paintings looked like and would rather leave them blank.

As a popular tourist destination, CK Town certainly has many souvenir shops, but there are others. You can kayak on the crystal-clear Vltava River, and when you're tired, just find a beer house to quench your thirst. In order to avoid the crowds, these beer houses are specially opened in the forest away from tourist areas, so you have to work hard to find them.

Qingchen