Author Archives: Jan European Barging & River Cruises

A Dutch City and Delftware

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PotteryDutch City of Delft: Pottery History

The Dutch city of Delft is well known for its Delft pottery. The first Delft pottery was made in 17th century, when citizens of the Dutch town began to hand-paint classic pottery. Delft pottery is a tradition in blue and white and comes in various forms. You can find Delft pottery in blue and white milk jugs to kitchen tiles to a little girl and boy poised for a kiss. These porcelain pieces are classic symbols of the Netherlands.

With the passage of time, the distinctive blue-and-white Delftware grew in popularity, increasing the amount of antique vases, plates and figurines that may be found all around the world. It’s quite surprising that in a time when craft work is gradually losing appeal, the interest in Delftware is increasing. So anybody who is visiting Delft must visit the Delft pottery.

Explore Delft Pottery And Authentic Delftware

You can find Delftware in many Dutch households, and it’s enormously popular with tourists. However, authentic Delftware only can be found in the city of Delft, which was one of the most important ceramic production centers in Europe between 1600 and 1800. Delftware products have been an important export product from the Netherlands for 400 years, and it still enjoys a great reputation around the world. The 17th-century Royal Delft Factory (i.e. Koninklijke Porceleyne Fles) and De Delftse Pauw are the only genuine Delftware producers still operating. The charming town of Delft and its pottery factories and shops make it a must visit place.

In the creation of Delftware, a clay mixture is used that is covered with a tin glaze after it came out of the kiln. Delftware painters then paint the traditional patterns on the porcelain items totally by hand. Sadly, however, today only a small percentage of the Delftware is entirely painted by hand.

The city of Delft is often a port on either a barge or river cruise in Holland. So, you must visit the beautiful town of Delft and its Delft pottery and observe the art closely. You can also shop for some exclusive Delftware as a memory of the place! Europeanbarging.com 888-869-7907

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