Viking Cruises

C lose your eyes for a second and imagine biting into the perfect, crisp, buttery gingerbread – sweet and melt-in- the-mouth with just the right amount of spicy warmth. My favourite can be found at the stylish Café Simon, a hop and a skip from the shimmering white limestone wedding cake of St Stephen's Cathedral in pretty Passau, known for its glitzy churches with interiors bursting with gold leaf, marble and stunning frescoes. Of course, you don't have to travel all the way to Germany for a sweet treat, but a European cruise is the perfect opportunity to sample a range of culinary delights. Whether your foodie heaven is luxurious fine dining or a juicy gourmet burger, you'll find it in abundance on your Viking Longship. e food on board cleverly reflects the cuisine of the destination and nothing is quite so welcome as a steaming bowl of rich, paprika-laced goulash after a chilly day exploring Budapest. Cruises are heaven for food lovers, and a river cruise ship is a wonderful form of travel. Imagine meandering gently from the heart of one beautiful destination to another, each ripe for culinary discovery. Experiencing the gastronomic traditions and specialities is one of the best ways to really get under the skin of a region – history and culture are inextricably linked to food and chestnuts, and steaming mugs of mulled wine. Vienna is perfect at any time of year, but in her Christmas finery, she's irresistible. Snuggle up on a horse-drawn fiaker, or visit pretty pink Café Diglas – a Viennese institution – for frothy cinnamon lattes and rum-soaked punschkrapfen, enjoyed on velvet chairs under chandeliers hung with old whisks and wooden spoons. e beautiful Christmas markets are a must. Wrap up warm and explore the pretty stalls packed with handmade crafts – a glühwein sipped while wandering keeps out the cold. If you fancy getting a bit more hands on, I enjoyed an afternoon apple strudel lesson with the patient chefs on board Viking Vilhjalm (even more so when we got to eat the results with lashings of cream). If I'm not eating or dreaming about food, I'm planning my next foodie adventure, and there's so much of Europe left to explore: sun-drenched Portugal is on my list – a melting pot of cuisines and cultures (and a perfect excuse to indulge in the traditional Pastéis de Nata, a tart with a crisp pastry shell enveloping a cinnamon-topped custard filling), as is the Rhône Valley region – a gastronomic haven for food-lovers, with historic vineyards and local specialities including charcuterie and pâté, heavenly cheeses and local breads and pastries. Where will your next adventure take you? wine – and the best thing about a Viking river cruise is having an expert in every port to guide you to that market the locals want to keep secret, or the tucked away vineyard that produces the best local vino. e Wachau Valley Gorge is one of Europe's most beautiful stretches of river, with sweeping vistas of lush green banks lined with weeping willow and silver birch trees. Ruined castles and pastel coloured buildings dot the landscape, alongside acres of vineyards, introduced by the Romans and still used today by local winemakers. Keen to discover more about the Wachau Valley's famous wines, I joined the optional trip to Winzer Krems, whose Sandgrube 13 vineyard is run as a co-operative, with over 1,000 members working 2,500 acres of vines. More than half the grapes are the fresh, zingy Grüner Veltliner, and we sniffed and sipped the peachy wine as we took a tour of the cellar and learned more about the production process. e winery also produces a fruity, apricot scented Riesling and a velvety red wine, with delicious notes of sour cherries and cinnamon. You'll often find the local wines available with dinner on board, but I purchased a selection, just to be on the safe side. Christmas is the perfect time for a European river cruise - think twinkly lights, the scent of roasting Experiencing the gastronomic traditions and specialities is one of the best ways to really get under the skin of a region A taste FOR TRAVEL Join food and travel writer Becky Wiggins as she recollects her culinary highlights from her European river cruise 42 VIKING

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