Janice Cruises Europe 2017

Did You Know? - Vác is located 35 kilometers (22 miles) north of Budapest on the eastern bank of the Danube river, below the bend where the river changes course and flows south. The town is seated at the foot of the Naszály Mountain in the foothills of the Carpathians.

During World War II, Vác was captured on 8 December 1944 by Soviet troops of the 2nd Ukrainian Front in the course of the Budapest Offensive.

Did You Know? - The town is located on the Danubian Lowland, on the Nitra River, at an altitude of 119 meters. It is located around 100 km from Bratislava and around 25 km from the Hungarian border. It is a road and railway hub of southern Slovakia.

The town lies in the temperate zone and has a continental climate. Annual average temperature reaches around 10 °C (50.0 °F), with the warmest month being July with an average of 20 °C (68 °F) and the coldest January with −2 °C (28 °F). Average annual precipitation is 556 mm.

Did You Know? - The hotel is located within the walking distance to all famous historic sights, Charles Bridge can be reached within 15 minutes walking. The hotel provides comfortable accommodation in 33 rooms and a cozy restaurant with a modern Czech cuisine. The entire hotel is non-smoking. Dominant features of the hotel are summer terrace with view of Prague Castle and the English styled library with a fireplace.

Did You Know? - The Vltava is the longest river within the Czech Republic, running southeast along the Bohemian Forest and then north across Bohemia, through Český Krumlov, České Budějovice and Prague, and finally merging with the Elbe at Mělník. It is commonly referred to as the "Czech national river".

Did You Know? - Charles Bridge is an historic bridge that crosses the Vltava river in Prague, Czech Republic. Its construction started in 1357 under the auspices of King Charles IV, and finished in the beginning of the 15th century.

The bridge replaced the old Judith Bridge built 1158–1172 that had been badly damaged by a flood in 1342. This new bridge was originally called Stone Bridge (Kamenný most) or Prague Bridge (Pražský most) but has been "Charles Bridge" since 1870.

As the only means of crossing the river Vltava (Moldau) until 1841, Charles Bridge was the most important connection between Prague Castle and the city's Old Town and adjacent areas. This "solid-land" connection made Prague important as a trade route between Eastern and Western Europe.
The bridge is 621 meters (2,037 ft) long and nearly 10 meters (33 ft) wide, following the example of the Stone Bridge in Regensburg, it was built as a bow bridge with 16 arches shielded by ice guards.

It is protected by three bridge towers, two of them on the Lesser Quarter side and the third one on the Old Town side. The Old Town Bridge Tower is often[vague] considered to be one of the most astonishing civil gothic-style buildings in the world.

The bridge is decorated by a continuous alley of 30 statues and statuaries, most of them baroque-style, originally erected around 1700 but now all replaced by replicas.

Did You Know? - According to the Guinness Book of Records, Prague Castle is the largest ancient castle in the world, occupying an area of almost 70,000 square meters (750,000 square feet), at about 570 meters (1,870 feet) in length and an average of about 130 meters (430 feet) wide. The castle is among the most visited tourist attractions in Prague attracting over 1.8 million visitors annually.

Did You Know? - The Lennon Wall or John Lennon Wall is a wall in Prague, Czech Republic. Once a normal wall, since the 1980s it has been filled with John Lennon-inspired graffiti and pieces of lyrics from Beatles' songs.
In 1988, the wall was a source of irritation for the communist regime of Gustáv Husák. Young Czechs would write grievances on the wall and in a report of the time this led to a clash between hundreds of students and security police on the nearby Charles Bridge.

The movement these students followed was described ironically as "Lennonism" and Czech authorities described these people variously as alcoholics, mentally deranged, sociopathic, and agents of Western capitalism.
The wall continuously undergoes change and the original portrait of Lennon is long lost under layers of new paint. Even when the wall was repainted by some authorities, on the second day it was again full of poems and flowers.

Today, the wall represents a symbol of global ideals such as love and peace.
The wall is owned by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, which allowed the graffiti to continue on the wall, and is located at Velkopřevorské náměstí (Grand Priory Square), Malá Strana.

Did You Know? - Love padlocks (also known as Love Locks) are a custom by which padlocks are affixed to a fence, gate, bridge or similar public fixture by sweethearts to symbolize their everlasting love. Love padlocks have existed for quite some time, though there are no certain sources for their origin. In Europe, love padlocks started appearing in the early 2000s. If you walk along the Lesser Town, very close to the Lennon Wall, you will see small locks on the gate over the canal. Legend has it that when you find your true love you carve your names on a lock and lock it onto the gate. You then throw the key in to the canal.