Vienna-Budapest trip

Hi everyone,
As some of you know I have just returned from a week in Vienna, with a three day Avalon riverboat cruise to Budapest. We traveled with some very good friends who live in Sydney, BC, which is on Vancouver Island, a very beautiful part of the world, but far from us in West Palm, Florida. So it was doubly nice to meet up and share this wonderful vacation.
Vienna, the city of music, is everything that one expects it to be. Gorgeous architecture, clean, classy, one of the nicest cities I've ever visited. We enjoyed the operar one night, and although we didn't go to the main Opera House, we enjoyed the Golden Hall which you may have seen on PBS every New Years Eve. We dined on a fabulous and famous Vienna special--boiled beef, which is actually a very tasty stew. We walked and shopped, and toured the Palace, and our two days flew by too quickly.
Next we boarded our "ship" and were delighted with our spacious room, and the relaxed atmosphere and entertainment on board as we cruised the Danube, sipping on wine from the upper outside deck while viewing castles and breathtaking scenery on our short trip to Melk, then Slovakia, ending our journey in Budapest.
Melk was an unexpected treat. The Abby was worth the visit, and the small town was extremely charming. I would have preferred more time there and less in Slovakia but the cruise packed in a lot in the short time.
Budapest, with their castle, their stunning parliament buildings and elaborate monuments was an exciting city to see. I hope to share some photos with you, if I can figure out how to download them!!
 I will most certainly try.