Lucky me, I got to go on a Viking River Cruise up the Danube River, starting in Budapest and ending in Passau, Germany. What amazed me was how the river affected everything. First thing in the morning I’d open my curtains and see it flowing by. We ate breakfast looking at the gray-green water swirling around us (sorry, but the Danube isn’t blue) and at the other ships going by. We got off the boat and did walking and bus tours, but then, happily came back to our boat. And at night, as I was falling asleep, I could feel the force of the river as we cruised.

One night I had trouble sleeping so I got up and opened the curtains. I gasped as I was faced with total blackness. My poor husband thought I’d hurt myself, but when I burst out laughing he realized I was okay. We were in a lock and were so close to the walls, I could touch them. And then, as if by magic, in the morning, we were at a new  port.

It was always there. It sustained busy boat traffic and was lined by parks, forests, old churches and castles in the surrounding hills. It never stopped moving but invited me to stillness. I loved being up on the top deck, just watching. As it rushed by on its way to the Black Sea, its simple lesson was be here now. Discover. Enjoy.