Click for a larger version.

Earlier this month, Burlington branch manager Robin Callis enjoyed a nine-day trip along Europe’s Danube River, traveling from Budapest, Hungary, to Regensburg, Germany, with husband Dwain and her sister and brother-in-law Dawn and Adam. Besides taking in the incredible architecture and some delicious meals, she managed to squeeze in a little North Shore Bank promotion as well — the group is pictured above in front of the rose garden of Austria’s Melk Abbey, wearing our branded shades.

“We all sported the North Shore Bank sunglasses and received many comments!” Robin says. She talked to Shorelines about her river cruise.

How did you decide on a trip down the Danube River?
My sister and her husband booked it for themselves, and when they mentioned it last Christmas, I kind of jumped on the bandwagon and said, “Oh, we should go with you!” And it was a really good deal that we couldn’t pass up. We actually just booked another trip with them to Italy in March. It’s kind of funny, because 20 years ago, we went on vacation to Disneyland with them and their kids, and my husband said, “Never again!” But we had a great time on this trip.

“This photo was taken as we arrived in Duernstine, Austria — my favorite of all of the cities we visited,” Robin says. “My sister and brother-in-law hiked to the castle ruins on the hill. A little too steep for me, but apparently, the view from there was incredible!”

What were your big takeaways from the trip?
I’d never been to Europe before, so I think the most impressive part was how old the buildings are. You think of anything in the U.S., you’re thinking a couple hundred years old is old. Over there, “old” can mean thousands of years. We went into some catacombs built in 867 B.C. — and they’re in great shape! They’re not crumbling, like you’d expect them to be. It’s amazing to me how they could have constructed all of that without the benefit of modern technology.

Another thing that really surprised me is the amount of corn grown in Germany. We couldn’t take the boat to the last stop, because the water was too low, so we took a bus, and we passed miles and miles of corn. And none of it is for human consumption — it’s all grown for animals and fuel.

Robin’s boat as it passes through a river lock on the way from Budapest to Vienna, Austria. Click for a larger version.

What is traveling on a riverboat like?
Very, very pleasant. You couldn’t even tell you were moving, if you weren’t watching the land go by. It’s a totally different experience than an ocean cruise — we’ve been on nine of those. I wouldn’t say it was better or worse, just different and fascinating. We went through a lot of locks, because of the different levels of the river. I’m fascinated by locks — I don’t know why. Anytime I could be on deck watching us pass through them, I was.

Last of all: Did you bring the North Shore Bank sunglasses on purpose or just happen to have them?
It was planned! I was going to take Seymour, but I know that’s been done before. Then I was out at Taste of Wisconsin the night before our trip, and we had so many sunglasses left, they said, “Take some!” We got a lot of fun comments.