What is this thing called spirituality?

I first came across Joan Borysenko while reading a wonderful collection of spiritual essays called Handbook for the Soul, published in 1995. The words below are taken from her website, with her permission. For me this is a clear and comprehensive wrap-up of what spirituality is all about, and for me it is important that people—particularly those who are confused about it all—become familiar with this understanding:

The late French Jesuit priest and scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience; we are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

When we understand the truth of that realisation, a new world of meaning emerges. Trust in a beneficent spiritual reality with which we can cooperate enhances health, mood, and our capacity for what Plato called goodness. In this section you can access information on what spirituality is, how it differs from religion, what a mature spirituality looks like, and how you can use your soul’s compass to guide you on a path where the inner and the outer become one—where your personal spiritual evolution and purpose in life converge. When that happens, the answers to the two perennial questions, Who am I? and Why am I here? become one and the same. In the words of Ram Dass, that answer is “to love, serve and remember”.

What is spirituality?

It is important to distinguish religion from spirituality since while they may overlap it is entirely possible to be spiritual without being religious and vice versa. Spirituality is a commitment to a life of depth and compassion that connects each of us to a larger whole. It is predicated on the development of a contemplative life in the classic sense of contemplation: an open and curious examination of experience as it unfolds, moment by moment. This is also called Presence, and it is the basis of an awakened life based on guidance from the Source, in service to the highest good. Our personal spiritual development must ultimately serve others for it to be an authentic unfolding of the heart of spirit in action.

Interspirituality

While different faiths developed through specific prisms of culture and contexts in space and time, there are universal spiritual principles which are fundamental to all of them. Interspirituality is the common ground, where all of the wisdom traditions meet. Interspirituality is committed to finding the spirituality both within and beyond religion. What ties us together is a shared desire to connect with the Ground of Being in a way that fully respects our differences. The challenge is to embody what is most true and real for us without seeking to convince or convert others. Our intention is to delve deeply into the perennial interspiritual philosophy of guidance and discernment so that we may become more fully present and capable of clear, compassionate action in the world.

Spiritual growth

Spiritual growth is a maturational process through which our potential for full humanness, the ripening of all our capacities in an integrated way, can be realised as our birthright or true nature. The methods through which we cooperate with the indwelling spirit—which is always moving us towards growth and freedom—are generally thought of as spiritual practices. One of the most profound practices is the willingness to engage with the questions that arise in the process of daily life.

Why are we here? Are we fulfilling life’s purpose? What is evolutionary intelligence trying to express through us? In this time of global change and uncertainty, of spiritual indirection, people are asking these age-old questions with renewed curiosity. There is a thirst for meaning and purpose—a dawning realisation that happiness is not a commodity that can be bought with a gold card.

Fulfilment and joy arise naturally from the capacity to be present to life as it unfolds and to listen for—and discern—the best possibilities in any situation, with informal, enlightened, compassionate action.

The importance of inquiry

Inquiry is a heuristic process of discovery that is driven not by answers, but by dwelling in the deep questions that arise in our lives. In this sense, it is an open, rather than closed, form of learning: open to the truth that can reveal itself directly from authentic questioning. Inquiry requires living in the spirit of openness, curiosity and respect, increasingly mindful of what it is in us that may limit or restrict our willingness to stay with our experience as it unfolds. Deep spiritual inquiry and open-hearted sharing require an atmosphere of trust. Deep learning, a vibrant, unfolding spiritual journey and spiritual transformation are best facilitated not by the top-down provision of dogmatic, final answers, but by dwelling together in the fundamental and deep questions that arise on the journey.

See www.JoanBorysenko.com

Learning and preserving the ancient art of wildlife tracking



Keen to learn: Pokkie Benadie (second from left) and students track
a rhino and calf at Samara.

 The invitation by my son Alex to visit the only wildlife tracker academy in South Africa at Samara private game reserve near Graaff-Reinet was irresistible. We had heard the step by step progress over the months and I had visited Samara for part of a travel story before the academy’s first students arrived. Everything was now in place and it was time to go and see for ourselves.

Lessons start early at the SA College for Tourism Tracker Academy and when my wife and I arrived to join a tracking session one of the students, Robert Hlatswayo was waiting to guide us to the tracker group which had already gone into the bush. Neatly turned out in the academy uniform, Robert was clearly a motivated young man, keen to show us how it’s done. Alex and resident trainer, Pokkie Benadie were supervising the group of four – out of an intake of eight - as they set out to track a rhino female and her calf.

Pokkie is a modest, instantly likeable man with a firm handshake and a ready smile. He is a native of the Karoo, the product of more than 30 years’ experience at the Karoo National Park and a certified master tracker. He started out looking after his father’s sheep and trapping jackal and caracal which threatened them. By age 16 he was able to identify the tracks of all the local wild animals and follow them through the bush.

With Alex and Renias Mhlongo, both veterans of Londolozi private game reserve in the Lowveld, and both senior trackers, Pokkie makes up the team of trainers who are passionate about imparting the techniques and ethos of professional tracking.

Like Pokkie, Renias grew up tending his father’s cattle in the Lowveld and the responsibility was great. His father was a traditional man who was jealous of his herd and sternly intolerant of any dereliction of duty. So, when cows went missing in the veld, there was only one way of dealing with the problem – tracking them down.

Alex and Renias started out as a ranger-and-tracker team at Londolozi, taking mostly wealthy overseas guests on game drives and introducing them to the African bush. Early on, when Alex was still a rookie, they were looking for tracks in a dry riverbed when Alex was charged and knocked down by a leopard female which had a cub nearby. Renias kept his cool and virtually saved Alex’s life by quietly giving him the right instructions as the leopard stood menacingly near, with Alex’s rifle flung out of reach. It was a pivotal moment for Alex and the two have been close friends ever since.

They have travelled overseas together, to London for example – Renias the village boy’s baptism of fire into the Western world – and to train American trackers to follow bears and other wildlife in Yellowstone National Park in the US. They also do a motivational talk together called The Power of Relationships, based on their mutual experiences.

Pokkie, Renias and Alex received tracker certification from Louis Liebenberg who has played a major role in re-igniting the ancient art of tracking in South Africa. He is the author of the seminal book The Art of Tracking and is the only known person to be working with indigenous people on documenting this deep knowledge of the wilderness.

After spending the first six months at Samara the groups of students move to Londolozi where they complete the year’s training with Renias.

All ears: Alex uses a special program to help
students identify bird calls

While walking in the veld with this group of students, we soon saw the enthusiasm and willingness to learn. With his neat military-green outfit and stick (which they all carry when tracking), Pokkie reminded me of an army instructor. But that is certainly not his style. The neatly rolled up sleeping bags and towels in the dormitories do indicate discipline, but these young men are taught to think for themselves. When tracking a dangerous animal in thick bush, for example, they have to make up their own minds whether to proceed or not. They are encouraged to “give themselves permission” to proceed.

Each of the four – Nathan, Robert, Tutani and Clearance – took turns in leading the group as it tracked the rhino and calf. There were some tell-tale signs of the animals’ passage, like fresh dung, but picking up and following the tracks – to the untrained eye simply semi-distinguishable smudges in the soil – is a demanding activity requiring close attention, stealth, silence maintained with hand signals, and constant vigilance. There were signs of apprehension as each individual took the lead, but witnessing the students’ dedication to the task was heart-warming.

We made our way over open ground and eventually to a largely dried up dam where the signs showed that the animals had been to drink and then left. We continued the pursuit - stopping along the way to identify birdcalls - through a dry riverbed and into some thick bush. I could tell by the breeze on my unusually bare legs that we were upwind of the mother and calf (a tip picked up from the bit of training received) and, sure enough, there was a sudden crashing noise of big animals in the bush ahead of us. We couldn’t see them, but they were well aware of our presence and made off again. Keeping this up requires some energy since while large and apparently cumbersome animals, rhino are nimble on their feet.

After about three hours, and opportunities to view other animals, including some beautiful eland, the big moment came. With Tutani leading the group, the two rhino crossed our view. We had found them, and the game was up.

Back at the academy we could relax with all the students, the other half of whom had been watching wildlife DVDs under the supervision of Janetta, Pokkie’s wife. She is delighted to be playing an active role at the academy, providing meals and general “housemother” support of the students, as well as conducting some of the lessons.

Pokkie is also intensely satisfied with the way things have developed: “It has always been my dream to teach these skills, and I am very pleased to be here. You learn a lot by teaching others, which gives you extra confidence.”

Alex had the last word: “Our aim is to empower the custodians of Africa’s wilderness to preserve the continent’s last remaining wild areas. Our intention is that our graduates will bring authenticity and accuracy to environmental education, anti-poaching, eco-tourism, data collection and conservation, all of which hold the promise of gainful employment for these young people.”



Home on the range: The Tracker Academy building.

This story appeared in the Sunday Independent and Weekend Argus Travel.

  





The highest calling available to a human being

When I returned to Cape Town from the country after going through a divorce, a friend of my ex-wife introduced me to the Emissaries of Divine Light. I attended Sunday morning services at which there were no prayers or hymns, only spontaneous expressions of personal truth by the leader of the group and anyone else in it who felt moved to speak. At one of these meetings I picked up a little booklet called Seven Steps to the Temple of Light written in 1936 by Lloyd Arthur Meeker. Among many other spiritual readings, this little book inspired and guided me for 20 years in the city before returning to the country, and my ex-wife, as it still does. As a newspaper sub-editor, the frequent use of capitalisation in the text worried me, but never enough to detract from the basic message that within us is the Wonderful One, which is the same thing as the Holy Spirit, the Higher Self or the Soul. The joy of the freedom I felt reading those words during sometimes difficult circumstances has never left me.

Below are powerful words which also come from the Emissaries:

At the core of each of us there is a being of almost inconceivable majesty and light. This is the reality of who we are. Most of us, however, show only short glimpses of that reality to our world. Many people harbour a deep sense of doubt and an underlying discontent about the direction of their lives. Those feelings can persist through any pleasure and success that may be enjoyed.

Is it possible for the reality of who we truly are to emerge in the world? Is there a way to use every relationship, every job—in fact, everything we do—as a means to let our inner being become more real to us and to those around us? Many would consider this possibility fantastic. Our culture and upbringing try to convince us that we are anything but radiant beings of light. Prevailing thought suggests that the future depends on technology, and that faster, bigger and stronger makes for progress. Meanwhile, what is most precious—the experience of what it means to be all that we truly are—is largely forgotten. People find themselves out of touch with their own power to move past the bonds of culture and hereditary influence.

For each of us, the future depends on how we respond to this essential question: In what do we have the most faith? The potential we have touched to express our highest and finest in every facet of life, or our attachment to factors based in culture and upbringing that hold us back from that? In the end, it won’t matter so much for us what our friends’ answers may be, or what answer is given by the political or spiritual leaders of the day.

Our own answer will be what brings either fulfilment or futility. And while our response in words may be important, our thoughts and feelings in every moment of our living are the ultimate answer that will set the course for our future.

All of the world’s great religions and spiritual teachings point to the potential for the transcendent reality of being to come forth in oneself. The actual experience of this—beyond belief or religious tradition—is the highest calling available to a human being. Our world’s greatest need is the spiritual leadership of people who answer this call.

Beyond the Flames courtroom drama




Hit and run: The Camdeboo region of the Great Karoo where
Boer guerrillas hid from British columns during the Anglo Boer War.

 
Below is an extract from the courtroom drama in my screenplay Beyond the Flames, loosely based on actual Boer War history (see picture below). It is on option with a producer in New York.


INT. COURTROOM -- DAY

Anton sits at the front of the table as Simon addresses the court.

SIMON

Your Honor, Mr. Potgieter was born in the Cape Colony before his family moved to the Orange Free State, where he became a citizen. He has worked as a journalist in Johannesburg and was employed at the Cape Town Chronicle at the time hostilities began. He was sent to the Free State to cover the rebellion there. He met and interviewed De Waal and then joined a British column to see the war from the British side, as a disciplined, professional journalist wanting to give the public a balanced view of events. We have brought his hearing forward in order that his suitability as a state witness in the case against Hermanus de Waal may be tested by the court. I submit that his evidence will be pivotal to the case.

PRESIDENT

Mr Watson?

WATSON

I have no objection, sir, if it advances the case against the accused, but the evidence led by my learned colleague should be watertight. All we have at this stage are the assertions of a man found under arms with De Waal, for all intents and purposes just another rebel who is now trying to get himself off the hook.

SIMON

Very well Your Honor, I would like to call Mr. Fred Hutchings, editor of the Cape Town Chronicle.


Hutchings is shown into the court and Anton stares at him, completely astonished. Hutchings looks around the room and catches Anton's eye. He takes the oath.

SIMON

Mr Hutchings, is the man at the table your war correspondent sent to the Orange Free State?

HUTCHINGS

He is.

SIMON

How long was he in your employ?

HUTCHINGS

He was transferred from a sister newspaper in Johannesburg at about the time of the outbreak of the war.

SIMON

As his editor, how did you find him?

HUTCHINGS

I found him independent-minded and capable, but I didn't like what I considered his pro-Boer sentiments and I didn't trust him. However, when the publisher decided he should go to the Free State, there was nothing I could do about it.

PRESIDENT

Mr. Simon, is this testimony for or against the prisoner?

SIMON

Apologies, Your Honour, we are getting to the point... Mr. Hutchings, were his dispatches from the front credible?

HUTCHINGS

Oh yes, they made good reading and sold many newspapers, especially the one alleging the imminent invasion of the Colony.

SIMON

(Aside) Which turned out to be accurate. Mr. Hutchings, are you aware that Potgieter's brother was in the same unit?

HUTCHINGS

Yes, I am.

SIMON

Do you think that had anything to do with his actions?

HUTCHINGS

I doubt it. Potgieter was never influenced by other people's opinions, I venture even his brother's.

SIMON

So, sir, you confirm that Potgieter was an excellent journalist, but that you continued to harbor distrust of him?

HUTCHINGS

Yes.

SIMON

So why are you here?

HUTCHINGS

His fiancée came to see me to plead for my support. At first I dismissed the idea with contempt, but then, with some consideration, I realized I had been mistaken - that this was a young man of great courage who was able to see both sides and put his principles before politics and prejudice, and was, after all, probably the type of person we will badly need in a newly unified South Africa when the war ends and Boer and Brit will have to work together. (Pause) Take his evidence seriously, he will tell you the truth.

Hutchings and Anton stare at one another.

A touch of Karoo, a taste of olives




Magnificent: The Swartberg Pass.

Finding oneself at 1500m above sea level in swirling mist, in a small car on a slippery, narrow gravel road with a sheer drop into the rocky unknown on the passenger side is not easy on the stomach, even after a hearty Oudtshoorn ostrich burger for lunch. I had driven over the historical Swartberg Pass before in good weather, but this was a little different.

In spite of our slow speed, before too long we passed Die Top, the crest of the pass, and were on our way down through the clouds to late afternoon sun-drenched sheer mountainsides of bright reds and oranges, greens and greys. The danger now past – and my partner Estelle’s grip on the ejector seat lever released - we pulled over to admire the stunning vista, allowing a few 4x4s with smiling, waving drivers to go past before making the final descent into the Great Karoo and Prince Albert.

The Swartberg Pass, a National Monument, with its steep zigzags and sudden switchbacks, is another masterpiece by Thomas Charles John Bain, the road engineer who built no fewer than 24 mountain roads and passes in South Africa during the 1800s. Begun in 1887, this one took six years to build with convict labour and is supported in many places by substantial hand-packed stone walls. No wonder the mortality rate among the workers was high.

Charming is too trite a word to describe the town of Prince Albert, named after Queen Victoria’s Prince Consort, Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. Unlike other such villages, it has not become overly commercialised or overtly fashionable. It’s too small and thoroughly historical for that. The supermarket is basic and the guesthouses, shops, galleries, cafés and restaurants are almost all too unusual to categorise.

Among the informal eateries, for example, are Café Albert, The Lazy Lizzard, La-di-Da farm stall, the Prince Albert Country Store and the Gallery Café, as well as the well-known Karoo Kombuis and the heartwarmingly old-fashioned Swartberg Hotel, where we enjoyed a tasty, well-presented lunch on the patio.

The town represents everything I find attractive about the Karoo, especially in spring when everything is fresh and green and blooming. The constant supply from the mountain gives residents apparently inexhaustible water via the leiwater system of streetside furrows which provide individual properties with a flowing, glittering stream of life for their plants in the rich soil.



Tranquil: Olive House on the outskirts of Prince Albert.

 What makes Prince Albert remarkable is its high content of beautifully preserved architecture - Cape Dutch, Victorian, Cape Cottage and Karoo buildings, 13 of them listed National Monuments. There is a set route one can follow to take in the beauty and historical interest of the built town, as well as other walks into the country.

Estelle and I were lucky enough find the perfect place to stay in order to get the full impact of this quaint semi-rural environment which is loaded with history: a 150-year-old cottage called Olive House, on the edge of the town. It belongs to resident Elaine Hurford, a freelance writer, communications consultant and estate agent with a passion for the beauty and vibrancy of her country and her town.

The house is spacious and comfortable, sleeping six, with two bathrooms, while at the same time providing an old world ambience, including a wood burning stove (as well as the electric equivalent and a microwave oven, if you prefer) and comfortable, down-to-earth furnishing. Sitting in the little dining room transported me to the days when one would have sheltered from the sun for a midday meal after a morning in the fields.

When I awoke on the first morning there I had a view of the real thing as I drew the curtains in the bedroom. As the sun rose, the next door farmer went about selecting some vegetables from the long rows flourishing near his house, tucked away in some trees, with the mountain backdrop as beautiful in the morning sun as in the evening.



Down on the farm: An Angora goat with newborn twin kids.

 Down a path along the edge of the farmer’s land we found a green camp full of female Angora goats – all heavily pregnant. One was in labour, with much agonised bleating. We watched as she gave birth, the little kid trying to stand up almost immediately. Within a short time others began to bear down and by that afternoon the camp was alive with newborn kids, mostly twins. Prince Albert is the centre of the mohair producing region of South Africa and is home to some champion Angora breeders. These animals were probably owned by one, judging by the quick and efficient matched marking and tagging of the kids and their mothers.

By mid-morning on Saturday Church Street was busy, with locals and visitors in and out of the shops, cafés and the Saturday market which offered plenty of local produce, including olives and olive oil, dried fruit, fresh fruit and other homemade delights.



Nearby is the Fransie Pienaar Museum which, like other small town museums, only more so, is packed with fascinating relics. It is named after the woman who started her collection on a farm in the district and later relocated it six times to accommodate its growth. It is now presented in the prominent house built by Jan Haak in 1906.

Being a Boer War history enthusiast, in the museum I soon found references to Gideon Scheepers, Deneys Reitz and Jan Smuts, all prominent Boer fighters who operated in the area. The story of the exploits of Scheepers has long fascinated me, and in a glass case below the photographic portrait of him taken in the prison at Graaff Reinet, is one of his stirrups. He was known for his dashing style of military dress and the stirrup appears to be of above average quality!

While operating against the British, Scheepers fell ill in the Prince Albert district with what is believed to have been appendicitis. Unable to continue on commando, he was left to his fate by his grieving men in a small house on a farm, where he was captured with alacrity by the British, nursed partially back to health, put on trial and later executed as a criminal at Graaff Reinet for trainwrecking, murder, arson and other charges. One of the protected houses in Prince Albert, the Doktershuis, was used at the time by a Dr Mearns who was summoned by Scheepers’ men to come and help him, but failed to treat his condition successfully.

In a separate room off the stoep of the museum is a fibreglass exhibition of the tracks left by a Bradysaurus – an animal about the size of a rhino - about 240 million years ago. The footprints were discovered in the Prince Albert district accidentally by Vivienne Muller in 1989 and confirmed by palaeontologists shorly afterwards.

 A highlight of our visit was being hosted to dinner in the restaurant at African Relish recreational cooking school by one of the partners, Jeremy Freemantle and his wife Di. The well-equipped school and restaurant, in central Prince Albert, offers a fun way to learn to cook in the true South African culinary tradition. It has an open-plan working kitchen which is designed for hands-on training and is easily accessible by visitors who can see the chefs at work. We loved the original fresh tastes of the dishes served, which are influenced particularly by the “heritage cooking” of the Khoi-Khoi veldkos from the area, as well as Malay, Dutch, English, French and Indian traditions. African Relish offers regular courses, and accommodation is available. It caters specifically for specialist groups, small functions and corporate team building – an ideal diversion for jaded city-dwellers.




Charming: The town has a high content of historical houses.

We took the easier, and equally scenic route back to the N2 via Meiringspoort with its spectacular cliffs and twisted rock formations (Vincent van Gogh would have flipped out in this place) via the beautifully maintained tarred road which winds along the floor of the gorge, crossing the Groot River 25 times in this gateway between the Little and Great Karoo. After emerging from the gorge you are welcomed by another lovely little historical village, De Rust, a recommended destination in itself, on the way back to Oudsthoorn which offers a whole world of Little Karoo attractions and places of interest.

Call Prince Albert Tourism on 023 541 1366.

This story appeared in Saturday Star Travel.







Seeking the free expression of ideas

In June 2010 Eric Francis wrote of Aquarius (my star-sign) on the Omega Institute website:

"For a person who loves ideas as much as you do, this is a great time to be alive. You are in territory where you can surpass all limits, yet to get there you need to embrace an idea that is rarely spoken of: intellectual freedom. You understand this intuitively, of that I am certain. Yet because we live in a society that so desperately tries to repress anything it does not understand or that does not follow today’s economic rules, we’re all a little hobbled here.

Yet you have a special advantage: you seek yourself in the free expression of ideas. They may belong to you; they may belong to someone else—but you know a free idea when you see one, and you are gathering the momentum to bring something you love and value to fruition.

You’ve spent a lot of time, perhaps years, thinking about how much you love and value this concept—whatever it is. Now you have an opportunity to do something about it. I am sure you sense the potential: to help people, to establish a new kind of beauty within planetary consciousness.

The ingredient you must work with is a form of discipline called focus. Yes, odd synchronicities will guide you on your way, but you need the full strength of your mind on this. And I suggest you be aware of a factor that feels like living two lifetimes at once. Through this endeavour, you will finally integrate them."

What I think

Baby boomer who likes new ideas.

I have quite often thought of myself as living more than one lifetime in one, but not simultaneously. Perhaps this is where the confusion and frustration comes in. Why is it that my so-called talents in the world have brought so little self-actualisation? Why did I not persevere and become an accomplished painter or movie director? They have always been right there - passions ready to be developed - but to no avail. On the other hand, it is true that I have always “sought myself” in the free expression of ideas.

I remember quite clearly sitting on a bus as a schoolboy, quite confident and comfortable with the idea that one day religion (spirituality) and science would meet – as I saw it, at an imaginary apex in the sky. That is happening today and being clearly articulated by the likes of Deepak Chopra, whose books are among my favourites, not because of this idea necessarily, but because of the stimulating and liberating ideas he has brought to my understanding, not least of all concerning the life and role of Jesus. At the time I sat on that bus I sought myself in Christianity, yet not as a religion, but as a beautiful and mystical way of understanding through free ideas!

So where to from here? I will always be warmed and inspired by visual beauty of any kind. I will always recognise the dramatic in any set of circumstances, and enjoy the images that this conjures in my mind. But behind all that is something that does not necessarily bring worldly recognition and financial reward. It is the intellectual serendipity that comes from really wanting to understand. I now accept that bringing something I love and value to fruition is likely to come through the medium of the written word, and I am comfortable with that, whatever form it may take. Perhaps, as always, the gathering momentum is more than one thing happening simultaneously. I think it is true that focus is needed, that the time has come to realise intellectual freedom, which I do understand intuitively. The time has come to let a society that so desperately tries to repress anything it does not understand and that does not follow today’s economic rules, simply be. I have my own path to follow.

Cruising Europe along the Danube

Fascinating: The village of Durnstein on the Danube.

As the Iberia Airbus A320 swooped low on its approach to Munich airport, and banked steeply over the impossibly neat and colourful Bavarian farmlands in the bright summer sunlight, rousing Spanish guitar music played over the sound system. I felt a surge of excitement. I had not been to central Europe for many years and felt sure I would not be disappointed after the long break. My partner and I were on our way to Passau, a pleasant German town just inside the border with Austria, and departure and arrival point for Peter Deilmann riverboat cruises up and down the Danube.


The trip by train from Munich to Passau was demanding after the long flight from Cape Town via Johannesburg and Madrid. Our pre-booked train tickets took us the long route around via Regensburg with much battling up and down flights of train station stairs, changing from Metro to local train and eventually to the comfortable mainline ICE train. On the return journey, however, we discovered a short-cut by coach which takes you directly to Terminal 2 at Munich International. But our struggles were over when we arrived at Passau station to be met by personnel from Peter Deilmann with a trailer for our luggage and a waiting coach to take us and other passengers to the boat.

I had never seen the Danube before, and hadn’t realised what a huge river it is, averaging about 300 to 400m across and five to six metres deep, the strong current taking it effortlessly on its long journey to the Black Sea. It flows through eight countries - Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and the Ukraine. At 2850km it is the second longest river in Europe after the Volga.

River cruising is obviously big business on all the major rivers of Europe, and enormous barges carrying all manner of freight pass by regularly, a major means of transport on these routes. But these freighters are never offensive in any way, the crew often waving as they sail past, national flag fluttering astern, always neat and tidy, with just a grumble of engine noise as they go by. Apart from a couple of floating plastic bottles we spotted at the far end of our cruise, entering Budapest, I did not see one scrap of litter along the entire route.

As they say, the advantage of cruising, on river or sea, is that you unpack only once and then relax. Not only that, your accommodation and three meals a day for the entire trip are assured.

Our first, and in some ways best stop along the river was the village of Durnstein, population 931, in the Wachau wine-producing area, enclosing the Danube with rocky tree-clad hills and terraced vineyards. Historically, it is well known as the place where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned by Duke Leopold V of Babenberg who had clashed with Richard during a crusade to Jarusalem. Leopold had reason to feel cheated and insulted by Richard and when Richard tried to sneak back to England via Germany after being shipwrecked off the Italian coast, he was apprehended and jailed, later released only after a huge ransom had been paid.

The highlight of the visit to Durnstein was the Monastery Church. Originally built in 1410, the “new” Baroque building was erected in the 1730s. It is magnificent, and one could spend a whole day getting to know it. The sculptures on the outside and inside, the breathtaking nave and the six murals were our first taste of the magnificence of European art along the Danube. On this trip I was particularly enchanted by the beautiful sculptures wherever we went. The depth of Christian devotion is remarkable – everywhere you go there are beautiful images of Christ on the cross, and the churches everywhere are adorned lavishly.

We strolled through the charming village, bathed in bright morning sunlight, with its quaint cafes, taverns and little shops. There is a hotel called the Hotel Richard L(o)wenherz. Some of the historical buildings are literally built into the rockface of the hill behind it. We took the “donkey track” trail up towards the ancient castle ruin right on top of the hill. Along the trail you get beautiful views through the trees of the river below and the buildings on the other side of it.

That afternoon we reached Vienna, to collect crew, but had to wait for the return voyage to go into town. Across the river from the old city are Vienna’s ultra-modern silver and white skyscrapers.

The next morning we awoke to Budapest, a grand city bisected by the Danube, with seven stately bridges crossing the river and magnificent buildings on both sides, dominated by the Castle District up on the heights and the stunning parliament buildings down at the river’s edge - a city with many dramatic stories to tell.

Life aboard the boat is a large part of the fun of a European river cruise. With breathtaking scenery often no more than a couple of hundred metres away, you can relax and take it easy, especially on the sun deck, which provides the best location for sightseeing. There are a number of locks along the Danube, and guests aboard the Danube Princess were always keen to watch proceedings at these large concrete installations, each with a control bridge and huge steel gates that open and close, allowing water to be pumped in or out. The whole operation always went very smoothly and within 20 or 30 minutes we were on our way again.

Budapest: One of the many bridges across the Danube.

Budapest is an impressive city and you need to study the tourist brochure to get an idea of how much it has to offer. Unfortunately the advantages of river cruising have to be balanced by the disadvantage of limited time in the various ports of call, although we had a full day and a half in the city. My partner and I decided to do our own tour on foot and started with a walk in the general direction of the Royal Palace. While Budapest is obviously emerging as a world-class destination, the effects of years of Nazi and then Communist oppression still hangs over the city, it seemed to us, and is reflected in the faces of some of the people. Some historical buildings are boarded up and graffiti is widespread. Many other buildings look as though they haven’t had a coat of paint since the 1930s. It appears there is a lack of funds to rectify these problems.

The woman serving in the ticket office for the funicular to go up the hill to the Palace displayed Communist-style abruptness and simply signalled with her finger when I asked where we might change euros into the local currency - but then language was probably the problem. The local tourist guide we met on the funicular with a couple of her clients wasn’t parting with any free secrets either.

But the Buda Castle District made up for it all with its magnificent Royal Palace and more of the wonderful sculptures that I so enjoyed on this trip. After a long and turbulent history, including complete destruction during World War II, the Palace has been completely restored and offers a dramatic view of the river and the rest of the city. There are a number of museums housed here, but access seemed limited that day. The rest of the district is dominated by the breathtaking Matthias Church, named after one of Hungary’s greatest monarchs, King Matthias, who presides from horseback in the form a beautiful statue nearby. This is part of modern tourist Budapest with cafes, curio shops and restaurants, with friendly service.

The next morning we crossed the bridge and took a walk half way up Gell(e)rt Hill towards the summit, known as the Citadel - the scene of the last stand of the Nazi occupation, marked by the Liberation Monument. While most of the once-revered (and feared) gigantic Soviet-inspired statuary has been transferred to Statue Park outside the city (a tourist attraction in itself, apparently), this figure of a woman holding aloft a palm frond remains a landmark. In a little church in a cave at the base of the hill a service was in progress, and the plaque outside indicates that it is a place of thanksgiving for the fall of Communism.

At sunset, a floodlit Budapest viewed from the Danube Princess’ sundeck dispelled any doubt about the grandeur of this fascinating city.

The Slovakian city of Bratislava is charming. They call it the Little Big City, which is apt. On the sunny morning we spent there the place seemed oddly under-populated and everywhere there is a feeling of colour and brightness. If you don’t feel like walking you can catch one of the veteran bright red tourist taxis which are a common sight around the city. There are many beautiful architectural landmarks and a human-scale feel to everything. We slipped into a beautiful church and watched for a while as congregants attended mass on a Tuesday morning. It is a cultural city full of museums, theatres and galleries. The opera and ballet at the impressive Slovak National Theatre enjoy great popularity, we were informed.
That evening we arrived in Vienna and took a walk with friends around the neighbourhood not far from where the boat was moored. Here we came across the famous fun fair with its enormous big wheel. We watched in fascination as people subjected themselves to some of the scariest rides imaginable, making a Cobra-style roller coaster a tame experience.

At the beginning of the trip my partner Estelle proclaimed that on short visits to all these wonderful places it was more important to get the “essence and spirit” rather than follow a tour guide around like sheep, and I think she was right. We did take an organised tour of Vienna with a very interesting and knowledgeable guide. But to try to get your head around the history and art of Vienna in a morning is, of course, impossible. It is a breathtaking city and would need months to get to know it at all well. It is known as the “comfortable city” (it is 50% green) and one needs the comfort of time to enjoy it. Everywhere you look are stunning buildings and artworks.

We started at Belvedere Palace, where prince Eugene of Savoy once spent his summers. And how he must have enjoyed them on days like the one on which we visited. We drove past the residences of Mozart, Stauss and Freud and disembarked next to St Stephens Cathedral, known as Austria’s most important Gothic building and most conspicuous icon of the imperial capital. It was undergoing a clean-up at the time, revealing its true beauty under the black coat of pollution. Of course we saw the famous Sachers hotel and chocolate shop and Café Mozart (the real original). It was a religious holiday and perhaps the most colourful experience of the morning was the procession that came past as we strolled in the sunshine. Smart young men, four-abreast, in many different historical uniforms and knee-high boots, a military band (not playing at the time), city dignitaries, politicians, monks and the archbishop all went by. It was a magnificent human spectacle.

Halfway back to Passau we moored at Melk, to visit the famous Abbey. For 900 years its monks have lived and worked here following the rules laid down by Saint Benedict. It is known as Europe’s “great cultural ensemble”, which is in no way an exaggeration. The Abbey Museum, the Marble Hall, Library and Abbey Church are almost beyond description in their artistic riches. The Abbey is responsible for 23 parishes and runs a secondary school. Modern monks in neatly ironed black cassocks stride across the courtyard with briefcases and cell phones. They would tell you that Melk Abbey exists “so that God is glorified in everything”. I would not argue with them.

This story appeared in Weekend Argus Travel.