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Top Brochure of Portraits of Eastern Europe
Trip Type : River Cruise
By Uniworld
Travel Style: A lot of free time, with very few inclusions. Ideal for independent and/or low-key travelers and cruisers. Relaxed
Physical Level: Some walking over short or flat distances. Some trips may include cycling options. Some are wheelchair friendly (check for individual trips). Some cruises. Easy
Lodging Level: 3 to 4 star western hotel equivalents. While not all lodging will be 'luxury' they will be quite comfortable by western standards. Premium - 4 star
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On this extraordinary voyage through eight nations, you will cruise past quaint villages and great cities on the glorious Danube, visit baroque abbeys and medieval cathedrals, taste fine wines, and encounter many new cultures.
No Additional Member Saving
The tour operator chose not to provide any additional savings for members.
These vessels are smaller than most ocean cruisers, limiting which amenties are available. Passenger counts can vary. One of the biggest advantages of a river cruise is the ability to dock at smaller ports and local villages.
Trip Type River Cruise
3 to 4 star western hotel equivalents. While not all lodging will be 'luxury' they will be quite comfortable by western standards.
Lodging Level Premium - 4 star
Flights & Transport N/A
Start City Bucharest
End City Prague
Cultural 50 plus Small Ship Cruise
Romania Czech Republic
Belgrade Bucharest Budapest Croatia Nuremberg Prague Romania Vienna
Culture Historic sightseeing River cruise
2019 version
Bucharest to Prague
Day 1 - Bucharest
Port - Bucharest
Arrive at Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the hotel.
At the end of a quiet, tree-lined street, is one of the wealthiest districts of Bucharest. There, sits a seemingly unassuming villa hiding a unique history, one that visitors have only been able to delve into since the building opened to the public in March, 2016. Today, you will have the distinct pleasure of exploring the extravagant interior and grounds of Ceausescu's Palace for yourself, with a history lesson on its infamous former residents.
Excursion(s) - Ceausescu's Palace: the Dictator's private mansion
Excursion Price - $70
The opulent former residence of Romania's former leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, is nestled in one of Bucharest's most desirable neighborhoods, where you'll enjoy a guided tour of this impeccable mansion. It's been a quarter of a century since deposed Romanian President Ceausescu and his wife Elena were executed by a firing squad on Christmas Day in 1989, but now you have the chance to roam the breathtaking 80-room residence where the couple once lived, which had been closed to the public since that fateful day. Get a glimpse into the extravagant lifestyle that Romania's final dictator and his family enjoyed during a time when most Romanians were suffering, surviving only on food and fuel rations. The palace is said to be the third largest administrative building in the world, after the Pentagon and China's Long'ao building. Marvel at the striking interior, designed by Romanian artists with the influence of Baroque, Rococo, Rocaille, medieval Romanian, and Renaissance styles. See the precious gifts receive by Ceausescu during his reign from famous heads of states, like Charles de Gaulle and Elizabeth II, still sitting proudly on display.
Day 3 - Bucharest, Transfer to Giurgiu (Embark)
Port - Giurgiu
Bucharest is a fascinating combination of Communist grandiosity, elegant French-influenced 19th-century buildings and surprising survivors dating from the 1500s. Perhaps nothing more perfectly encapsulates Romania's 20th-century experience than the mind-boggling People's Palace, which you can visit today. Another option is a walking tour that shows you this city from a local's perspective. Later, you'll travel via motorcoach to Giurgiu, where your ship awaits.
In the evening, a special Captain's Welcome Reception and Dinner will be prepared for you.
Excursion(s) - Bucharest panoramic highlights tour
A panoramic tour will show you that Bucharest is a fascinating combination of Communist grandiosity, elegant French-influenced 19th-century buildings and surprising survivors from the 1500s, which are acquiring new gloss in Lipscani, the restored old quarter. Bucharest began as a fortress in the 15th century, a warlike origin that set the tone for its turbulent history. It saw glory days as the summer residence of the Wallachian princes and was burned to the ground by the Ottoman Turks; then Austria-Hungary and imperial Russia fought over it for a century. After Wallachia and Moldavia united to form Romania in the mid-19th century, Bucharest enjoyed a prosperity that was reflected in its extravagant architecture, some of which miraculously survived WWII bombing and Communist building programs. You'll see Bucharest's very own Triumphal Arch, which is modeled after the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and Victoria Boulevard, lined with chic shops and handsomely restored prewar buildings—and sites where protests brought down Ceausescu's regime in 1989. These days Bucharest enjoys a lively and eclectic cultural scene, hosting international arts festivals and concerts, and a measure of prosperity apparent in its busy cafés and thriving street life.
Perhaps no sight in Bucharest more perfectly encapsulates Romania's 20th-century experience than the mind-boggling structure known as the People's Palace. Nicolae Ceausescu razed one-sixth of the city to erect this enormous palace—the second-largest building in the world—which all but bankrupted the country and helped trigger his downfall. Some 20,000 laborers worked on the building, which has 1,100 rooms in its 12 stories. Only a small portion of it is open to tours—in fact, only a small portion of the rooms are furnished—but you'll see the vast marble-sheathed halls, huge chandeliers and basement bomb shelter that comprise an astonishing monument to the dictator's ambition. The cost to the country was enormous, but the craftsmanship is exquisite; the dictator meant it to be a showcase of Bulgarian decorative arts, and in that he fully succeeded.
Excursion(s) - "Do as the Locals Do" Bucharest walking tour
"Give a penny for the Athenaeum." Back in the 1880s, this was the theme for the fundraising campaign that resulted in one of Bucharest's most beautiful and most beloved buildings: the Romanian Athenaeum. Ordinary citizens, not wealthy patrons of the arts, contributed their pennies and built a jewel-box concert hall with perfect acoustics, which they cherish to this day: It's called the spiritual and artistic heart of the nation. Start to explore the Bucharest locals love right here with a look at the stately neoclassical home of the George Enescu Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra, and continue to Revolution Square, perhaps best known for the moment when Nicolae Ceausescu climbed into a helicopter on the roof of the Central Committee building and fled Bucharest in 1989. Stroll past the elegant shops in the neighborhood, as you head to Lipscani, the restored old quarter. Just a few years ago this neighborhood was all but a shambles; now it is a lively social center. Here you'll find everything from a famous beer hall to a spectacularly renovated bookstore, as well as the city's oldest surviving church and the remnants of the Old Princely Court, where the Wallachian rulers—including Vlad the Impaler—lived in the 15th and 16th centuries. Your walking tour ends at Hanul Lui Manuc, built two centuries ago as an inn and recently restored, where you will take a seat in the tree-shaded courtyard and relax over some favorite local appetizers—perhaps some stuffed mushrooms and a variety of sausages.
Day 4 - Rousse (Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi or Rousse and Ivanovo)
Port - Rousse
Bulgaria's foremost Danube port, Rousse is sometimes called "Little Vienna" for its elegant 19th-century mansions and public buildings. You may choose to see some of the town after venturing to a pair of historic monasteries or spend the day visiting two historic hill towns.
Excursion(s) - Rousse "Do as the Locals Do" walking discovery tour with Ivanovo and Basarbovo monasteries
Walk through the woods of Rusenski Lom, a protected region that is home to a wide variety of rare birds, among other wildlife, to Ivanovo Rock Monastery—once an enclave of more than 40 churches and chapels that the devout built inside caves above the Lom River Valley. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is famous for its beautiful and well-preserved 14th-century murals.
Your next destination, the Basarbovo Rock Monastery, is the only rock monastery where monks still live and worship today. Climb the narrow rock stairway to the 15th-century cloister, which is cut into the limestone cliffs high above the Lom River, and take a look at the arresting frescoes. You'll also spend some time in Rousse, a city with an easygoing, gracious feeling. Freedom Square, a huge open plaza, takes its name from the Freedom Monument, which soars from the center of the square; the stately Belle Epoque buildings surrounding the square attest to the city's prosperity in the 1890s. Stroll along wide, tree-lined Alexandrovska, the main pedestrian street that links the city's many attractive squares, encountering such landmark sights as Rousse's grand theater, the city museum and the first movie theater (it opened in 1896).
Excursion(s) - Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi with authentic Bulgarian lunch
Twice the capital of Bulgaria—before and after the Ottomans conquered the nation—Veliko Tarnovo climbs steep hills above the Yantra River, topped by the ruins of Tsarevets, the stronghold where Bulgaria's kings ruled between 1185 and 1393. The remains of the great stone walls and towers that you see formed the historic heart of the Second Bulgarian Empire. History lives in this town, as a quick look at the wares for sale in Samovod Marketplace will show you: Handicrafts are all made by local artisans using ancient, medieval or Renaissance technologies. You'll have time to peruse the exceptional local pottery and textiles there before heading to Arbanassi, home to six amazing 17th-century stone churches, each one decorated with colorful and intricate frescoes. Learn something of the multicultural history of this fascinating town at the Ethnographic Museum and visit the UNESCO-designated Nativity Church, where murals of the Nativity, the Last Judgment and the zodiac brilliantly blend religious and humanist iconography. At another of the churches, Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, you'll hear the otherworldly singing of an Orthodox choir in a short concert. Your day's adventure includes a traditional three-course Bulgarian lunch, complete with live folk music.
Day 5 - Cruising the Danube River, Vidin
Port - Vidin
Vidin is a port town on the Danube the once played an important role in medieval Bulgarian politics, as the great fortress Baba Vida attests. It's your base for today's featured excursion—a visit to the fascinating Belogradchik rock formations.
Excursion(s) - Belogradchik Red Rock Valley
Drive through the scenic Bulgarian countryside to Belogradchik, a small town in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains, not far from the Serbian border. After some light refreshment at a local hotel, you'll be ready to explore the astonishing rock formations nearby, which are over 200 million years old—and have inspired nearly as many legends! Many of the strange wind- and weather-hewn shapes have names, such as Adam and Eve, the Bear and the Castle. The outcroppings formed a natural defense for the town that was enhanced with man-made fortifications over the centuries. Whether you choose to hike with a local expert to the top of the path or not, you'll be rewarded with spectacular views. Your return will take you past some sights that highlight Vidin's mixed heritage: the Orthodox cathedral, the Turkish mosque, the Konak (the 18th-century headquarters of the Turkish police) and the cruciform barracks (which date to the 1790s). The final stop will be Baba Vida, whose stern 10th-century stone walls were built on the site of a Roman watchtower.
Day 6 - Cruising the Iron Gates, Golubac
Port - Golubac
Today's main attraction will be the spectacular scenery along the Danube, as you cruise a stretch of gorges known as the Iron Gates. Later, head ashore to explore a Paleolithic site and an extraordinary well-preserved medieval fortress. All along the way, history lines the banks of the river. Keep an eye out for Trajan's Plaque, which the ancient Romans erected to commemorate the road they anchored in the steep cliffs above the water, and Golubac Castle, built in the 14th century and attacked successively by the Serbs, Magyars and Turks. The Turks won the castle in 1458, which helped to reinforce their control of the area until 1867, when they abandoned it.
Excursion(s) - Lepenski Vir archaeological park and Golubac Castle
Lepenski Vir is one of the largest and most significant prehistoric archeological sites from the Stone Age, located on the Danube. It was once the epicenter of one of the most highly developed prehistoric cultures, with complex social relations and even rudimentary urban planning. The discovery of this prehistoric settlement has changed the image experts once had about the early Stone Age, expanding scientists' knowledge about human communities that walked the earth millennia ago.
Later, you'll visit Golubac Castle, one of the best preserved medieval fortresses in Europe, a powerhouse that has loomed over the Danube for centuries.
Unwind onboard as you cruise the breathtaking Iron Gates, an 83-mile-long (134-kilometer-long) stretch of scenic gorges that were cut through the Carpathian and Balkan mountains over eons by the Danube River. These gorges, which act as a natural border between Serbia and Romania, are among the most dramatic and beautiful sights in all of Europe. This was one of the swiftest and most dangerous stretches of the river before two dams were built: Iron Gate I and Iron Gate II. Construction on the dams began in 1964 and took 20 years to complete; they have dramatically altered the area's landscape, raising the water level by 114 feet (35 meters) and drowning several islands and villages.
Day 7 - Belgrade
Port - Belgrade
Belgrade, the modern-day capital of Serbia, is one of Europe's oldest cities, dating back some 7,000 years. Signs of its tumultuous history are visible everywhere, juxtaposed with the city's vibrant modern-day present. See it all with a choice of excursions, either a city tour that visits the palace or a guided bike ride. You have two very different ways to see Belgrade today—the choice is yours!
Excursion(s) - Belgrade city tour with visit to the Royal Grounds of Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace
As a motorcoach carries you through the city, you'll see a mix of architectural styles that reveal the city's past, ranging from Gothic, Ottoman, baroque and art nouveau to utilitarian Communist apartment blocks and modern high-rises. While Belgrade has been no stranger to political upheaval, the 19th-century Residence of Princess Ljubica and serene old residential streets speak of calmer days, as do the bustling present-day café-lined boulevards. You'll pass the tomb and memorial museum of Josip Broz Tito, which is located at the site of Tito's former residence in Belgrade's affluent Dedinje neighborhood, and visit Kalemegdan Fortress, high on a hill above the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers.
Ancient Romans built the first fortress here, and successive conquerors and defenders—Slavs, Byzantines, Ottomans, Habsburgs—continued to build and destroy fortifications on this site for another 1,500 years. Walk along the old stone walls, passing monuments and memorials (some will surprise you—poets and composers are honored here as well as military actions), for a sense of Serbia's distant and more recent history. It's not the only intriguing historical sight you'll see today, however. You will also visit the Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace and sip a glass of sparkling Serbian wine as you tour a compound of palaces built in the 1920s and 1930s. Serbia's royal family, which is related to most of Europe's royalty, has a strictly honorary position in modern-day democratic Serbia, but Crown Prince Alexander (who did not feel that taking the title of king was appropriate when his father died in exile in the United States in 1972) and his family still live in these palaces. A local expert will show you the public rooms of the Royal Palace, the White Palace, the adjacent chapel and the spacious grounds.
Excursion(s) - "Let's Go" "I Bike Belgrade" tour
Mount a bike and spend a leisurely half-day getting an up-close look at Belgrade, complete with lively commentary from your guide, who will tell you not just about the tumultuous recent past but also what it's like to live here. Ride past Branko's Bridge, Staro Sajmište (a former concentration camp), the Palace of Serbia and Hotel Jugoslavija; after a refreshing stop at a traditional fisherman's bar, you'll be ready to pedal to Kalemegdan Fortress and see a bit of Serbia's more distant past.
Excursion(s) - Meet Belgrade - people, places and little wonders
Day 8 - Vukovar (Osijek), Cruising the Danube River
Port - Vukovar
Welcome to Croatia! This ancient country has made a remarkable recovery from a brutal civil war, and its beautiful countryside, colorful folk traditions and delicious rustic cuisine make it a most rewarding place to visit. You'll dock in Vukovar, Croatia's biggest port, at the confluence of the Danube and Vuka rivers.
Excursion(s) - Full-day tour of Osijek with exclusive home-hosted lunch
Venture into a lesser-known part of Croatia today. Set off from the port of Vukovar with your local expert, who will tell you about Vukovar's calamitous experience during the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), when much of the city was shelled, and head to Osijek, the capital of Slavonia. Osijek is an attractive town on the banks of the Drava River that combines a long history—settlement predates the Romans, who built a fortress there that was conquered by Attila the Hun— with an easygoing charm and a readiness to embrace the future. You'll stroll through Tvrda, the baroque military and civil complex begun in 1687 by the Habsburgs after they seized the town from the Ottoman Turks, and see some of the historic highlights via a panoramic tour.
You'll follow up your tour with a stop in a village just outside the city for a traditional Croatian lunch hosted by local villagers. Translators will be on hand to help you and your hosts converse, so you can actually learn a bit about one another's lives and interests.
Excursion(s) - Vucedol Culture museum and lunch at a family winery
The bullet-riddled water tower stands as a reminder of the bitter Croatian War of Independence, fought between 1991 and 1995, when Croatia sought to break away from Yugoslavia. Thousands died during the siege of Vukovar, which was heavily damaged. As you take a short walk through the town now, you will see lasting signs of the conflict, but you will also see a revitalized community, determined to rebuild. From Vukovar you'll head to Osijek, where you'll visit Tvrda, a military and civil complex begun in 1687 by the Habsburgs after they took the region back from the Ottomans. You'll also learn something of Osijek's long history—which dates back to Roman times—and stop by the Church of the Holy Cross, built by the Franciscans after the Ottomans left.
Enjoy an Ajvar demonstration in the courtyard of the monastery, a local specialty made from bell peppers, eggplant and tomatoes. You'll also learn how to prepare vegetables in authentic Croatian style. From there, the group will split up and head off to different nearby villages for a home-hosted lunch.
Later, you'll visit the Vucedol Museum. The basic idea behind the concept of this unique museum was integration into the terrain—the entire structure is designed to be mostly buried in the ground and only the façade is open to the landscape. Its shape, as serpentine, follows terrain, and on whose green roof you can reach the archaeological sites over the museum. Along the path, you'll encounter the various Vučedol culture archaeological findings that have been discovered to date, which showcase the daily life and customs during a turbulent time of the immigration of the first Indo-Europeans and their relationship with the natives, the blending of material cultures and religions. Following your time at the museum, enjoy lunch at the Goldschmidt winery.
Day 9 - Cruising the Danube River, Budapest
Port - Budapest
Located on opposite sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest each has a distinctive character and allure all its own. Explore this dynamic and multi-faceted city with your choice of excursions—you can see it from a local's perspective on our exclusive walking tour, or cover more ground with a panoramic tour. Vibrant Budapest, Hungary's capital, offers an enchanting combination of East and West, old and new. Even its geography is made up of two parts—Buda (the hills) and Pest (the flatlands)—divided by the Danube. Which part will you choose to explore today? You have two options to choose from.
Excursion(s) - Budapest panoramic highlights with Parliament visit
This panoramic tour is a wonderful way to get an overview of the city if you have never been here before. It will carry you from Heroes' Square, created in 1896 to honor the thousand-year anniversary of Hungary's founding and its greatest historical figures, past some of the city's most striking architectural sights—Dohány Street Synagogue, the Hungarian National Museum, the state opera house, St. Stephen's Basilica and the truly stunning Parliament Building—to Castle Hill, which has been called the heart of the nation. The city of Buda began here, when King Béla built a strong keep in 1243 as a defense against Mongol invaders; a castle replaced the simple fortress, and over the centuries other castles replaced that one. The current castle is primarily 18th century; a museum dedicated to Budapest's archaeological finds is housed there, and the Castle Hill district has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You'll go inside the magnificent 700-year-old Matthias Church, named for one of Hungary's greatest kings, and then wend your way on foot to the picturesque Fisherman's Bastion, whose seven fairytale-like towers represent the seven tribes that originally settled the region. It offers a glorious view of the city and the Danube below.
Note: Visits to the interior of Matthias Church may not be possible on some weekends and Catholic holidays.
Excursion(s) - "Do as the Locals Do" Budapest walking tour
Get ready for a fun immersion in the daily life of Budapest—your local expert will show you how to use the metro (one of the oldest in Europe) to easily reach all the city has to offer. Start with a visit to one of the city's irresistible market halls. Stalls spill over with produce, sausages and meats, festoons of dried paprika, cheeses, and jars of honey, all of it authentically Hungarian. After you leave the market, stop for coffee and a sweet treat at Szamos Gourmet Palace, a combination pastry shop, café and chocolate maker in Vörösmarty Square. Marzipan is a favorite confection in Budapest, and Szamos has specialized in making it since the 1930s, so you might want to try some—but the shop's truffle selection is equally irresistible. Refreshed, you'll be ready to hop back on the tram for a visit to the gracious green spaces of Károlyi Garden, sometimes described as Budapest's most charming small park. You'll ramble along the boulevards and pass the Hungarian National Museum, truly getting the feel for this dynamic city, as you head back toward the ship.
Note: Budapest's market halls are closed on holidays. If your tour lands on a holiday, we will skip the market.
Day 10 - Budapest
Enjoy a day of leisure, exploring the Hungarian capital to your heart's content. Other passengers are heading home today, but you are only halfway through your marvelous holiday. Today you have an opportunity to explore Budapest's treasures at your leisure. It's a mecca for lovers of art nouveau architecture—the building housing the Franz Liszt Academy of Music is a particularly noteworthy example of the style—so perhaps you would like to take yourself on a tour of some of these beauties. For a reminder of the centuries when Hungary was ruled by the Ottoman Turks, take a look at the 16th-century tomb of Gül Baba (and enjoy a Turkish coffee at the adjoining coffeehouse). Treat yourself to a relaxing day at one of the city's splendid spas, such as the Gellért Baths, or borrow one of the ship's bicycles and explore Margaret Island. Your options are many, and all of them are delightful.
Day 11 - Budapest, Cruising the Danube River
Located on opposite sides of the Danube, Buda and Pest each has a distinctive character and allure all its own. Explore this dynamic and multi-faceted city with your choice of excursions—you can see it from a local's perspective on our exclusive walking tour, or cover more ground with a panoramic tour. Vibrant Budapest, Hungary's capital, offers an enchanting combination of East and West, old and new. Even its geography is made up of two parts—Buda (the hills) and Pest (the flatlands)—divided by the Danube. Appropriately enough, you have your choice of two different ways to explore it today.
Excursion(s) - Budapest: panoramic highlights
Get ready for a fun immersion in daily life in Budapest— your local guide will show you how to use the metro (one of the oldest in Europe) to easily reach all the city has to offer. Start with a visit to one of the city's irresistible market halls. Stalls spill over with produce, sausages and meats, festoons of dried paprika, cheeses, and jars of honey, all of it authentically Hungarian. After you leave the market, stop for coffee and a sweet treat at Szamos Gourmet Palace, a combination pastry shop, café and chocolate maker in Vörösmarty Square. Marzipan is a favorite confection in Budapest, and Szamos has specialized in making it since the 1930s, so you might want to try some—but the shop's truffle selection is equally irresistible. Refreshed, you'll be ready to hop back on the tram for a visit to the gracious green spaces of Károlyi Garden, sometimes described as Budapest's most charming small park. You'll ramble along the boulevards and pass the Hungarian National Museum, truly getting the feel for this dynamic city, as you head back toward the ship.
Your ship sets sail from Budapest after your tour, cruising along the Danube Bend, which is lined with scenic towns—among them are the oldest settlements in the country—nestled at the foot of lovely wooded hills.
Day 12 - Cruising the Danube River, Vienna
Port - Vienna
A city tour will show you the architectural highlights of the Austrian capital as well as the legendary opera house in the heart of the city. Or, indulge your passion for art with visits to two distinctively different collections—a "cabinet of curiosities" collected by the Habsburgs and the Belvedere's extraordinary cache of paintings by Klimt and other renowned artists. The grand dame of the Danube, Vienna was the heart of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and remains, to this day, the political and cultural center of Austria. Klimt painted here; Beethoven and Mozart composed here; Freud developed his theories here. It's a treasure trove of splendid architecture, astonishing art collections and inviting cafés—and today it is yours to explore.
Excursion(s) - Schönbrunn Palace
Excursion(s) - Vienna panoramic highlights with Old Town food and art walk
Excursion(s) - Vienna panoramic highlights World Museum Vienna: the manic Habsburg collector's treasures
Day 13 - Cruising the Wachau Valley, Spitz
Port - Spitz
Sit back and enjoy the ever-changing views as your ship cruises through the Wachau Valley, famous for its apricot groves, Rieslings and natural beauty. Later, enjoy a private sparkling wine reception at Artstatten Castle. You'll want to find a comfortable seat in the lounge or on the Sun Deck today as your ship cruises through the Wachau Valley toward Spitz. Over the eons, the Danube cut a gorge through the foothills of the Bohemian mountains, resulting in a 19-mile (30-kilometer) stretch of riverine scenery so beautiful, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Landscape. Castle ruins dominate hilltops; baroque church towers appear on the riverbanks, marking historic villages and splendid abbeys; and apricot orchards and vineyards cling to the rocky slopes. Some of Austria's finest white wines are produced from grapes ripening on the dry-stone terraces above the river, where grapes have been grown for 2,000 years. Your ship will dock in Spitz, midway through this glorious landscape.
Excursion(s) - Private sparkling wine reception at Artstatten Castle with a member of the Habsburg royal family
Day 14 - Engelhartszell, Cruising the Danube River, Passau
Port - Engelhartszell
Passau is a crossroads in more ways than one—three rivers meet here and three nations nearly do, making for a fascinating cultural mosaic. Get to know the town and its main claim to fame, Europe's largest pipe organ, or join an invigorating riverside hike or bike ride. Your ship cruises through a scenic highlight of the Danube today, the Schlögener Schlinge—a hairpin loop in the Danube that was once very hazardous for ships and is now a lovely, serene stretch of water—and leaves Austria behind today. Your first German port of call is Passau, where three rivers meet—the Inn, the Ilz and the Danube—and three nations almost meet: Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic. Explore the historic Old Town or choose a more active adventure.
Excursion(s) - Passau walking discovery tour
The skyline of Passau is dominated by two buildings that owe their existence to the prince-bishops who ruled the city until 1803: the great fortress looming on a hill above the three rivers, home to the bishops until the 17th century, and the green onion domes of St. Stephan's Cathedral. As you walk through the cobblestone streets toward those green onion domes, you'll realize that Passau retains the layout of the medieval town. However, many of the wooden medieval buildings burned to the ground in the 17th century, and the prince-bishops imported Italian artists to build a new cathedral and a magnificent new residence for the bishops themselves. As a result, these splendid structures flaunt Italian baroque and rococo style and ornamentation, complete with opulent gilding and wonderful frescoes. Your guide will introduce you to some of the architectural highlights—the rococo stairways of the New Residence; the cathedral; and the Town Hall, which boasts a magnificent atrium adorned by large paintings by Ferdinand Wagner—and make sure you get a close-up view of the point where the three rivers meet.
Excursion(s) - "Let's Go" scenic Bavarian river biking
Excursion(s) - "Let's Go" hike along the Ilz River
Day 15 - Regensburg
Port - Regensburg
You have your choice of adventures in Regensburg, famous for its beautiful, UNESCO protected old city center. "Regensburg is so beautifully situated; this region had to attract a town," wrote Goethe in his Diary of an Italian Voyage. And attract a town it did, but not due to its beautiful location alone. Ambitious and farseeing locals built a bridge (Steinerne Brücke, or Stone Bridge) over the Danube back in the 12th century, making Regensburg an international trading hub. Because so many of the handsome buildings from that period remain, UNESCO declared the old city center a World Heritage Site in 2006.
Excursion(s) - BMW factory visit
Here is your opportunity to see German engineering, famous the world over, in operation as you tour the state-of-the-art BMW factory on the outskirts of Regensburg. About a thousand cars a day roll off the assembly line here, many of them in the BMW 3 series. You'll see the fascinating production process from beginning to end, starting with rolls of sheet metal that are stamped out into body parts and continuing as the body is built and the various other elements are robotically assembled. You'll follow a car into the finishing department to see it painted, polished and have the final touch applied—the BMW roundel.
NOTE: If the tour lands on a day when the BMW factory is closed, we will visit the Audi factory instead. The Audi production line is closed on weekends, so if your visit is scheduled for a weekend, you will see the Audi museum instead
Excursion(s) - "Baroque 500" Thurn and Taxis castle visit
Excursion(s) - "Let's Go" Regensburg hiking experience
Excursion(s) - Bavarian sausage-making workshop
Day 16 - Regensburg, Roth, Nuremberg
The Main-Danube canal is a masterwork of engineering: It allows ships of all shapes and sizes to cruise from the Black Sea all the way to the North Sea, through no fewer than 15 countries. Sixteen locks punctuate the 106-mile (160-kilometer) stretch between Kelheim and Bamberg, linking the Rhine, Main and Danube rivers. Building the canal was no small task, especially considering changes of altitude (each river is different); the locks gently lift and lower the ships an astonishing 1,332 feet (406 meters) over the continental divide. Efforts to connect the rivers began with Charlemagne in AD 793, but the present-day canal was only completed in 1992.
Excursion(s) - Nuremberg panoramic city tour with WII rally grounds visit
Hitler considered Nuremberg the perfect expression of German culture (partly because of its significance in the Holy Roman Empire, which he called the First Reich), and so beginning in 1927, he chose to hold his massive rallies in the city. By 1933, his favorite architect, Albert Speer, had designed the vast Nazi Party Rally Grounds, where thousands upon thousands of Nazi troops saluted Hitler. (Leni Riefenstahl captured these events in her famous propaganda film Triumph of the Will.) Not all of Speer's plans were executed, and some of his grandiose structures were bombed out of existence, but the remainder stand as vivid testimony to Hitler's megalomania. A four-square-mile (10-square-kilometer) complex known as Zeppelin Fields contains parade grounds and a huge grandstand, the excavation site where a stadium for 400,000 people was begun—the hole is now filled with water—and the half-finished Congress Hall. Step into Congress Hall, intended to outdo and outlast the Colosseum in Rome, to walk through the Documentation Center and its exhibition "Fascination and Terror," which covers the causes, the context and the consequences of the National Socialist reign of terror. The second part of this excursion takes you from the Rally Grounds to the Nuremberg Memoriam, dedicated to the Nuremberg trials, where you'll visit Courtroom 600, the scene of the Nuremberg trials, and an exhibit that discusses the historic trials.
Note: Courtroom 600 is an active court. Visitors will only be permitted to see the courtroom during trial breaks.
Day 17 - Nuremberg (Disembark), Transfer to Prague
Port - Nuremberg
Disembark the ship early in the morning—leaving your luggage in Uniworld's expert hands. Enjoy lunch on your own and then transfer via motorcoach to Prague, where you'll check into your hotel.
Day 18 - Prague
Port - Prague
Is it possible not to be completely enchanted by Prague, with its fabled skyline of spires, fortress-like castle, beautifully preserved architecture and iconic Charles Bridge? A magnet for generations of artists, writers, scientists and composers, Prague is famous for its dynamic energy and elegant ambiance (and the beers here are pretty amazing, too). A thousand years of architecture, from ornate Gothic to fanciful postmodern, have been beautifully preserved in Prague, which has been a magnet for artists, writers, scientists and composers for centuries. It also boasts great beer, a lively art scene and up-and-coming fashion designers, making it a fun as well as a beautiful place to visit.
Excursion(s) - Prague Old Town and Charles Bridge walking tour
Get an overview of the city with a panoramic tour that carries you past such sights as the State Opera House, the National Museum and Wenceslas Square on your way to massive Prague Castle. Step inside the castle's protective walls and enter a self-contained city, with courtyards, palaces, towers, churches and gardens designed for kings and emperors, along with housing and workplaces for all those who tended the rulers. Among the highlights are the lofty St. Vitus Cathedral, which took 600 years to finish, and Vladislav Hall, whose complex stone-vaulting system was one of the most advanced engineering feats of the late Middle Ages. After strolling through Golden Lane, a street of quaint cottages where Prague's 17th-century goldsmiths lived (alas, there's no truth to the legend that it was named for the royal alchemists), you may reboard the motorcoach for a ride back to the hotel or continue our guided walk through the picturesque Lesser Quarter, the district around the castle, to Charles Bridge. Cross the landmark bridge named for Charles IV, who ordered its construction in 1357; it's strictly for pedestrians now, so you can pause and look down at the Vltava below you and examine some of the statues that line the bridge, before you head to Old Town Square. This was the original market square; the buildings that surround it form a case study in Prague's architectural history. You'll find Prague's most famous Gothic church, Our Lady Before Týn, there, along with the 14th-century Old Town Hall (which boasts a famous medieval astronomical clock), the beautiful baroque St. Nicholas, the rococo Kinsky Palace and a group of Renaissance houses.
Excursion(s) - Hradčany Castle visit
Day 19 - Depart Prague
You've experienced the best of the Danube River and Prague, sampling myriad culinary delights and exploring fascinating stops along the way. Now your journey comes to a close. If your cruise/tour includes a group departure transfer or if you have purchased a private departure transfer, you will be transferred to Prague Václav Havel Airport for your flight home. Your Uniworld adventure may be over, but we know you'll enjoy the memories you've made for years to come.
Prague to Bucharest
Day 1 - Prague
Arrive at Václav Havel Airport Prague. If your cruise/tour package includes a group arrival transfer or if you have purchased a private arrival transfer, you will be greeted by a Uniworld representative and transferred to the hotel.
Day 3 - Prague, Transfer to Nuremberg (Embark)
Nuremberg will forever be associated with the post-WWII Nuremberg trials, but the city's profound historical and cultural significance stretches back many centuries before that. You'll gain a newfound understanding and appreciation of both aspects of the city today on an in-depth tour with a local expert. Leave Prague this morning and travel via motorcoach to Nuremberg, where your ship awaits. Before you embark on your river voyage, you'll have time to enjoy lunch on your own and then explore historic Nuremberg and visit sites associated with the rise and fall of the Third Reich. One of Germany's leading cities for many centuries, Nuremberg's glowing heritage as a center of German arts, culture and economy was, sadly, also responsible for its disastrous experience in the 1930s and 1940s.
Day 4 - Cruising the Main-Danube Canal, Regensburg
Day 5 - Passau
Port - Passau
Passau is a crossroads in more ways than one—three rivers meet here and three nations nearly do, making for a fascinating cultural mosaic. Get to know the town and its main claim to fame, Europe's largest pipe organ, or enjoy an invigorating riverside hike or bike ride.
Excursion(s) - Bavarian Country Cooking Class
Day 6 - Engelhartszell, cruising the Danube River
This may be the most leisurely day of your entire journey, as you spend it onboard, admiring the scenery, chatting with new friends and perhaps enjoying a massage in the spa. Your ship leaves Germany behind today, sailing into Austria and cruising through the Schlögener Schinge—a hairpin loop in the Danube that was once very hazardous for ships.
Day 7 - Spitz, cruising the Wachau Valley
Your ship will dock in Spitz, midway through the glorious landscape, where you are invited to enjoy a private sparkling wine reception at Artstatten Castle. Later in the day, you'll want to find a comfortable seat in the lounge or on the Sun Deck as your ship cruises through the Wachau Valley. Over the eons, the Danube cut a gorge through the foothills of the Bohemian Mountains, resulting in a 19-mile (30-kilometer) stretch of riverine scenery so beautiful, UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Landscape.
Day 8 - Vienna
Day 9 - Budapest
Excursion(s) - Budapest - panoramic highlights & Opera or Highstreet shopping
Day 12 - Cruising the Danube River, Vukovar (Osijek)
Day 13 - Belgrade
Ancient Romans built the first fortress here, and successive conquerors and defenders—Slavs, Byzantines, Ottomans, Habsburgs—continued to build and destroy fortifications on this site for another 1,500 years. Walk along the old stone walls, passing monuments and memorials (some will surprise you—poets and composers are honored here as well as military actions), for a sense of Serbia's distant and more recent history. It's not the only intriguing historical sight you'll see today, however. You will also visit the Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace and sip a glass of sparkling Serbian wine as you tour a compound of
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Aug-12-2019 Aug-31-2019 $ 8,199 NA $ 13,699 Prague to Bucharest Available Reserve Reserve Reserve
Aug-26-2019 Sep-14-2019 $ 8,799 NA $ 14,299 Bucharest to Prague Sold Out Reserve Reserve Reserve
Clark Norton
24 Uniworld Travel Reviews & Ratings
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I thought the entire experience was outstanding
I thought the entire experience was outstanding. The attention to detail couple with flexibility in meeting passenger needs was terrific.
OperatorUniworld Company Reviews
Friendly and competent
Everybody very helpful, friendly and competent
Excellent service par Uniworld Boutique River Cruises
Marie-Christine And Jacques
Excellent customer service. Everybody makes you feeling like a king!
From start to finish we were made to feel as if we were the most important
From start to finish we were made to feel as if we were the most important guests the crew had ever hosted. Nothing was too much trouble and the attention to detail was outstanding. In particular I must mention Tibo, Marco and Virgil as staff that were outstanding. In addition the cruise director was very helpful, full of advice and so interested in everyone.
Simply superlative. Lived up to its motto in every way
The complete cruise experience was excellent, from trip planning and documentation through debarkation and transport to airport for return trip.
Ship was clean and well maintained- cabin immaculate, crew was great- service impecca ...
Excellent service by Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Professional Service given!
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Subscribe to Marketing Insider
It Pays To Overhaul Way Your Brand Speaks
by Shana Pilewski , March 18, 2019
"If we spoke a different language," the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein once said, "we would perceive a somewhat different world."
Wittgenstein's essential insight — that the languages we speak don't merely describe the world around us, but also shape how we experience it — has significantly influenced the fields of philosophy and linguistics. But it's also grist for the mill of marketers.
If how we speak helps determine our experience of the world, it follows that how a brand speaks about itself will influence how people perceive that brand.
Indeed, research shows that the words a company uses to market its products can significantly impact its bottom line. In a study using machine learning to analyze product descriptions, scholars at Stanford University found that product descriptions conveying respect and politeness toward customers drove higher sales.
So did product descriptions that mentioned specific functions — like "year-end gift" — and that emphasized tradition and authority, such as highlighting a brand's long-standing presence.
Whether they're fine-tuning a product description, a landing page, an ad, or a guide, marketers should approach all brand communications with meticulous attention to the messages broadcast.
Here are some tried-and-true methods for overhauling how your company speaks.
Compose a Style Guide
Style guides touch on a wide range of topics – from whether or not to use the Oxford comma to the specific tone a brand wishes to convey. For any company seeking to bring clarity, consistency, and cohesion to its communications, having such a guide is essential.
Without clear guidelines for how to package your company's story, each individual employee effectively acts as a free agent, and messages get muddled – causing customer confusion and skepticism. Stylistic and tonal consistency, by contrast, conveys authority and expertise – making the story you tell all the more compelling and persuasive.
Mind Your Audiences
Segmentation underpins the most powerful marketing strategies and is an essential element of effective communications.
From disseminating messages to different demographic groups within a market to developing marketing strategies for brand offices in different countries, take special care to make sure that the language you use shows appropriate levels of empathy, understanding, and cultural nuance.
As any foreign tourist who's ever over-relied on Google Translate can attest, there's a lot more to effective communication than a literal translation of a word or phrase. When dealing with different segments, don't assume that what worked with one segment will work with another. Adjust key words, messages, and calls to action accordingly -- but always make sure that your segmentation is occurring within a cohesive framework that tells a consistent story.
Reinforce It Internally
The story you're telling externally won't carry any force if it doesn't reflect what's going on within your company, which is why it's crucial for brands to harmonize their internal communications with customer- and public-facing messages.
It's much harder for an employee to be a stellar brand ambassador — and it's much harder for marketers to be effective — if internal documents, culture handbooks, HR communications, and company slide decks aren't consistent with your overall branding and messaging strategy. Instill a sense of mission in internal communications:
Research shows that 73% of employees who believe they work for "purpose-driven" companies are engaged, compared to only 23% who aren't.
If you want to promote higher engagement internally and drive real results externally, the key is to work on speaking a different language – and your company will enter a different, more successful world.
SHANA PILEWSKI, head of content, Dynamic Yield
Brand Insider Summit D2C March 20 - 23, 2022
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Interview: Soilwork's Björn "Speed" Strid and Dirk Verbeuren on a majestic ride
Swedish melodic death metal band Soilwork is currently in a ridiculously great form and they're in the middle of a knockout world tour supporting their latest brilliant album, "The Ride Majestic". Roppongi Rocks' Stefan Nilsson sat down with vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid and drummer Dirk Verbeuren when they recently visited Japan.
Soilwork's latest album, the magnificent "The Ride Majestic", is the band's tenth studio album and its best to date. Since its release in August last year, the band is on a massive world tour in support of the album. Soilwork has a loyal following in Japan. During the band's twenty years they have played in Japan many times, both doing headline tours and played at the massive Loud Park festival in 2014.
"It's an important market but we also have a strong connection as well. It's very easy to become nostalgic and sentimental when it comes to Japan because we came to Japan at a very early stage in our career. Just after our first album, in 1999 was our first time in Japan. It's a very special feeling coming here," says Björn "Speed" Strid as he and drummer Dirk Verbeuren sit down with Roppongi Rocks backstage at Tsutaya O-East in Tokyo's Shibuya district a few hours before Soilwork's gig.
During its two decades of recording and touring, Soilwork has seen quite a few line-up changes. Speed is the only remaining original member of the band but despite that the band seems to have managed to keep its musical identify intact and rather consistent. "It is definitely tough sometimes. Being a touring band, you have to find somebody who fits in, especially personality wise and not just as a musician. It's tricky but luckily we always seem to rebound," explains Dirk. Speed continues: "We been lucky enough to have fresh new blood coming into the band that actually brought something to the table. Maybe from the outside it looks like there's been a lot of line-up changes and maybe people think that 'Björn must be really hard to work with because he's the only one who has been there since the very start.' I don't know. It might look like a circus and a revolving door. But if you're in the band…it's been more natural." "He's not at all a difficult person to work with," insists Dirk. "I think it's more just…life, you know?"
Dirk Verbeuren, who joined the band in 2004, is one of the best drummers in the extreme metal business. Apart from his Soilwork duties, the Belgian drummer now based in the US has played with acts such as Devin Townsend, Satyricon, Jeff Loomis, Aborted, Naglfar, Bent Sea, Scarve, Powermad, and many more. "When Dirk came in to the band he brought something new with the drums. He's an extreme drummer but he also has that kind of unique groove to it even when he does blast beats for example. It is a lot more double kicks than compared to when Henry Ranta was in the band before. He definitely brought something new and fresh to the band," explains Speed of Dirk's contribution to Soilwork's sound.
Soilwork is a band that is quite consistent. They keep delivering top quality melodic death metal to the world. At the same time they continue to evolve and develop their sound with every new album. "We don't like repeating ourselves," says Dirk. "Of course there needs to be a certain consistency, but at the same time we like to push the limits a little bit and see what we can pull off. And also make every new album a bit of a discovery for people and not just 'Here's a bunch of songs that sound just like three albums ago.'" Speed continues: "The feeling of being in a band where there are no limits – we can do whatever we want. It's about the song in the end. That's a really cool feeling."
Both Dirk and Speed do a lot of session work with other acts when Soilwork has breaks once in a while. "Soilwork has a pretty intense schedule, especially once we're done with recording an album and touring starts then it's usually everything else, including our private lives, get worked around that," explains Dirk. "The session work is a great way to keep busy and keep income coming in. It's a tricky thing when you're a band like us, it's not like we have a steady flow of money flowing in. When we're at the end of a touring cycle and we're, say, writing music for half a year or a year, then all of a sudden there's very little income. That way it works out and it's fun!"
Soilwork was founded in Helsingborg, a Swedish town away from the death metal capitals of Gothenburg and Stockholm, and thus took its own path in the dark forests of melodic death metal. "It definitely had an impact on us," explains Speed. "The only difference there I think was that we wanted to more than just that. We got influenced by the Gothenburg scene and most of the death metal bands back then sounded very similar. Then we had the Stockholm Sound and that had an impact on me as well. We also started listening to for example 'Heartwork' by Carcass, the twin guitars and the trade-offs. Then Strapping Young Lad came in as a big influence and Devin Townsend in general. 'Wow! What is this?' We had never heard anything like this before. That really inspired us. Especially the 'City' album."
With ten studio albums released to date, the band has quite a back catalogue of great music to choose from when deciding on set lists for its gigs. It can't be the easiest task to make the selection. "There are songs there that don't work live or don't work as well as others," explains Dirk. "There are a number of songs we've tried because people want to hear them or we want to play them. And after a while we go 'Hmmm.. No!' We get a pretty good sense of what people want to hear, what we want to play and what works. But it does get complicated."
Soilwork's music is quite complex with frequent changes and a melting pot of different styles of playing and singing and with often dark lyrical themes. Writing such music can't be that straightforward. "When it comes to songwriting I try to be as spontaneous as possible. I usually write the lyrics and the vocal melody after the song is done," explains Speed. "There is definitely a vibe when we start writing," says Dirk. "With this album, even though there are maybe not many lyrics written first, we knew kind of the atmosphere that was happening in our lives at the time. It was definitely a big factor." Speed continues: "We did capture some of the songs that have darker atmosphere on 'The Living Infinite'. And then kind of cranked those a little bit on the new album."
On the latest album, Soilwork has continued to work with Jens Bogren in the studio but this time they used David Castillo (Opeth, Katatonia, Bloodbath) as the producer. "I was excited because I am a big fan of some work he did with Bloodbath When I heard about David being involved I thought 'This is going to be cool!' and it turned out to be great," says Dirk. "We've had our share of issues with album productions. We have also learned to not repeat certain mistakes that we've made in the past that we need to be careful with and how we proceed in the studio as well. When we did the 'Sworn to a Great Divide' we got trapped in the 'Oh, we're at home, we have plenty of time' thing and it ended up just dragging out forever."
Two decades on and Soilwork is doing some of their best work ever, both in the studio and live. "I'm just happy we're still doing this and that we still have something to say," explains Dirk. "Because you have bands that have been around for a while and it's kind of like, yeah, they're still doing decent stuff but their peak is definitely behind them." Speed continues: "It becomes corporate metal!" Dirk elaborates: "The hunger sometimes, you can tell, is not really there. They're just touring because that is what they do. With us we challenge ourselves musically, we challenge ourselves from a live point of view. We still try to make the shows better with more energy onstage even though we are getting older and it is more and more getting hard! Haha!! For me the most exciting part is still coming up!"
Since releasing their latest album in August 2015, they have been touring North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Korea. Do the band members still enjoy touring? "The touring yes, but the travelling no," states Speed. "It's getting harder and harder. I need more and more routines and it is hard to find routines when you are travelling all the time. Back when you were 25 you couldn't care less if you slept two hours, but now you're just like a wreck!" Dirk continues: "It's still fun to play live. It's even more fun actually now with the experience. For me for a number of years it was kind of an anxious thing to go on stage and kind of stressful. Now we know what we're doing, we know we're going to pull it off no matter what. It's fun!"
What's next for Soilwork? More touring? "Plenty more!" says Dirk. "We are going out with Fear Factory in North America a few weeks after this tour. That is going to be a long North American run, then some summer festivals in Europe and some club shows as well possibly. In September we are supposed to go to South America but it's not a hundred percent confirmed yet but we are finally going to go there for the first time. And then probably more dates in Europe and North America after that. And then we're already in the spring of 2017 by the time all that stuff is over."
Soilwork – band members
Björn "Speed" Strid – vocals
Sven Karlsson – keyboards
Dirk Verbeuren – drums
Sylvain Coudret – guitar
David Andersson – guitar
Markus Wibom – bass
Steelbath Suicide (1998)
The Chainheart Machine (2000)
A Predator's Portrait (2001)
Natural Born Chaos (2002)
Figure Number Five (2003)
Stabbing the Drama (2005)
Sworn to a Great Divide (2007)
The Panic Broadcast (2010)
The Living Infinite (2013)
The Ride Majestic (2015)
www.soilwork.org / www.facebook.com/soilwork
← Ex-Accept singer David Reece is back at the top with Bonfire
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Q: File not found on heroku I am using the geoip gem in my rails app and I need to access the geoip.dat file, to get the ip data.
GeoIP.new("geoip.dat")

On my local environment I can access this file from anywhere, but when I put it on Heroku I just cant get it working. I always get the error that the file does not exist. I tried to put it in the root, /public, /lib/assets.
What am I doing wrong?
Thanks.

A: If the file is in your public directory you can access it on Heroku. Make sure the file is in public/geoip.dat and ensure that it is committed and pushed to Heroku. If you are developing locally on a Mac and pushing to Heroku, make sure you have the case of the filename exact. The case will be ignored on the Mac but will matter on Heroku.
You should be able to load the file with:
GeoIP.new(Rails.root + 'public/geoip.dat')

You can test this on heroku:
> heroku run console
Running `console` attached to terminal... up, run.3472
Loading production environment (Rails 4.0.0)
irb> File.exists?(Rails.root + 'public/geoip.dat')
=> true
irb> GeoIP.new(Rails.root + 'public/geoip.dat')
=> #<GeoIP:0x007f05a0215230 @mutex=#<Mutex:0x007f05a0215258>, @flags=0, @database_type=1, @record_length=3, @file=#<File:/app/public/geoip.dat>, @database_segments=[16776960]>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Neal Ardley is always looking to add to his AFC Wimbledon squad, some moves for players this summer already that been thwarted by others.
If what sky sports 'understands' is correct then he'll hope that Wimbledon have a little more success trying to lure Southport left back to Kingsmeadow, however with him still under contract with the conference side it might be a little harder to finance a deal?
24-year-old David Fitzpatrick is the player in question with his performances for Southport last season, with him scoring a belter from 30-yards to keep them in the conference, seeing him gain attention from a host of league 2 clubs, reportedly the Dons aside also Carlisle United, Newport County, Oxford United and Luton Town.
Wimbledon are going to be 'keeping tabs' on the England C international's situation anyway, as far as the claims go….


Why is frequency of service so important to pressure washing walkways?
Concrete is porous and will receive oils and resins deeply into those pores. Food, drinks, gum, motor oil, and rust all seep into the point where surface cleaning cannot fully remove the embedded stains. Acid applications are able to etch the concrete, like shaving off a very thin layer, to get down below the absorbed oils and resins. But this can only be done to a limited degree.
Oils are a somewhat obvious problem. However, gum is often overlooked as a potential problem. Even after old gum is removed, there remains a discoloration spot on the concrete. The more gum that accumulates, the more the once lovely concrete is sadly and permanently blemished.
The best way to fight permanent stains, and maintain beautiful concrete is to pressure wash frequently, removing gum resins and other oils before they seep too deeply into the concrete pores.
How often should I have my walkways pressure washed?
This depends on the foot traffic that your property receives. In most cases, walkways should be pressure washed at least once every three months. Food establishments and heavy traffic sections should be cleaned anywhere from once per week to once per month.
What is the difference between cold water and hot water pressure washing?
While cold water pressure washing is able to effectively wash off dirt, it is ineffective for the removal of gum and oils. Hot water washing quickly breaks down oils and gum, and it also increases the effectiveness of degreasers.
Why are parking lot lines sometimes not perfectly straight?
Parking lot painting machines roll on wheels which are affected by holes and undulations in the parking lot surface.
How many inches of snow should my snow removal contracts stipulate?
Commercial industry standards typically stipulate 2 inches for plowing, and 1 inch of snow for shoveling walkways. However, we always advise keeping safety and liability matters in mind. Injuries that occur from slip and fall tend to be litigated for damages regardless of how much snow has fallen.
Another thing to keep in mind is that snow accumulations will be greater on the north side of buildings. So, while one section may only be wet, another section may have icy conditions or snow accumulations. Again, we advise to consider safety and liability.
Why do my windows still have white spots?
Blow-back from your lawn sprinklers will deposit calcium and lime onto your glass. Over time, this becomes extremely damaging. Those minerals etch into the glass. Even if removed later, the glass may be permanently pitted at a microscopic level. There are remedial options, however, they are labor intensive.
If your sprinklers tend to spray your windows, fix that problem as soon as possible. Then, call us and we will help you to remove the spots.
How can I keep my service costs down?
Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your costs down. The longer that you wait to perform services, the worse the conditions, and the greater the costs. Parking lot lines that become too worn out will not only require extra paint but may also require new layout charges. Windows cleaned once per year take significantly longer to clean than those that are cleaned quarterly or more often. Pressure washing is especially affected by the frequency of cleaning.
Will a personnel lift damage my landscape?
Our Scanlift personnel lift weighs 6500 pounds. By using plywood boards, we are able to protect landscaping. The Scanlift is light enough to be safely supported by most parking lots and walkways. By contrast, some snorkel style lifts weigh as much as 30,000 pounds. Always be sure to know how much weight will be used on your property and what limits should be imposed.
How can I prevent awning decay?
Canvas fabrics hold dirt, which has an abrasive effect. Vinyl and acrylic fabrics, while less porous, are vulnerable to sun rot. Both should be cleaned at least four times per year, and vinyl/acrylic fabrics should also be sealed just as often.
Will pressure washing splatter my windows?
Pressure washing of walks will get windows wet within two feet of the sidewalk surface. But not to worry! Our pressure washing prices include cleaning those splatters with professional window cleaning equipment.
Pressure washing of walls will spray the windows. So, we will always provide an itemized price to professionally clean the windows from top to bottom at such times.


As young girls growing up in an Italian American household we would often hear the banter between our Mother and Grandma. It was mostly in Italian with a few English words thrown in. Grandma always had these great pearls of wisdom. One phrase we would hear over and over again, "troppo fa male" the English translation, "too much hurts". What Grandma really was telling us was "less is more". Little did we sisters know at the time that Grandma was teaching us the basics of staging!
So naturally when we were asked to view a property requiring our staging services, Grandma's words echoed in our minds. The property was located in a very prestigious condominium locality in Miami. Upon walking into the unit the first thing that hit us was wallpaper. There was wall paper on the walls, wall paper on the ceilings, even the switch plates were covered in wall paper. There wasn't a room that escaped this massive covering! Now, don't get us wrong…..we love the trends in beautiful wall coverings but in this case "troppo fa male".
To add to this was the overkill in florals; floral bedspreads, floral headboards floral draperies and the overabundance of furniture everywhere.
It wasn't that the home was unkempt or messy, it was just the proverbial can't see the forest through the wallpaper & florals. It was time to put Grandma's wisdom to task!
Next Next post: SISTER ACT! HOW DID WE GET HERE?


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Rent Like A Champion started in 2006 as a student housing company – much different than what the company is today! The original founders (Drew, Derrick, and Jordan) listed a vacant apartment on Craigslist and eBay, offering it as a weekend rental for football games. The home was immediately scooped up by rabid Notre Dame fans, and just like that, RLAC had stumbled onto a new business model.
In 2010, Mike Doyle joined the company and began expanding the business to other college towns with major football programs. Early success proved that Rent Like A Champion was needed nationwide! Rent Like A Champion is now offering weekend rentals in more than 20 college towns around the country.
After graduating from 1871, Chicago's hub for digital startups, Mike and the team moved into Catapult Chicago, an incubator for startups that are scaling quickly. The Rent Like A Champion team is made up of rabid college football fans with a passion for providing a high-level of customer service to make sure that their customers have the best college football experience possible.
Learn more about renting a home, listing your home or working with Rent Like A Champion!
Mike began working with Rent Like A Champion in 2010 as a college sophomore and hasn't looked back since. Mike sets the vision for the company, helps clear obstacles from the path of his team, and oversees the general operations of the business. The de facto HR department, Mike is always looking for talented new people who are interested in joining the Rent Like A Champion team - if that sounds like you, reach out today! Mike attended Notre Dame, graduating in 2012.
Denise Wright
Denise Wright joined the Rent Like A Champion team in 2014, quickly becoming a vital member of the team. Denise came to us from non-profit world where she worked for Junior Achievement of Chicago, coordinating thousands of volunteers in Northern Indiana. Denise ensures that RLAC renters and homeowners alike have a fantastic experience, providing prompt and exceptional customer service and advice. Denise graduated from Purdue University with an engineering degree.
Dave Longwell
Dave joined RLAC in 2015 and is our digital marketing expert. Dave is tasked with exposing college football fans around the country to our site and ensuring that our guests have the best possible experience. Prior to joining Rent Like A Champion, Dave was very active in the Chicago startup community, working for companies like SpotHero and Pathfinder Software as well as organizing the Lean Startup Challenge. Dave holds a BA from the University of Illinois.
Betty Kunisky
Betty Kunisky joined the Rent Like A Champion team in March of 2015 and assists with a variety of renter and homeowner customer service needs. Betty also assists on several marketing and outreach projects. Prior to RLAC, Betty was working in Business Development for an international law firm. Betty graduated from Notre Dame in 2013.
Hank Greene
Hank Greene joined the Rent Like A Champion team in February 2017, and handles the team's marketing/web communications, email campaigns, and social media strategy. Prior to joining RLAC, Hank worked at Goodman Theatre as an Audience Development Associate, and as a freelance writer specializing in web and marketing copy for clients in a wide variety of business spaces. He is a former member of the Disney College Program, and is a proud graduate of Indiana University.
Mike Hostetler
http://epicfirm.com
Mike Hostetler is an entrepreneur & technologist currently working to help technical teams grow and thrive. Mike formerly founded appendTo, a boutique consultancy born out of the jQuery project. He is an active OSS supporter and currently serves as editor-in-chief of ModernWeb.com. Mike is passionate about remote work, the future of work, leadership and helping others succeed.
Reuven Lerner
http://lerner.co.il
Reuven joined Rent Like A Champion in April 2010, back when the company served only Notre Dame. Today, Reuven manages the technical aspects of the site, including servers, databases, billing and payments, as well as the implementation of new features. Reuven has a degree in computer science from MIT, where he created one of the first 100 Web sites in the world, and a PhD from Northwestern. Reuven lives with his wife and three children in Modi'in, Israel.
Genadi Reznichenko
Genadi joined RLAC in Fabruary 2012. He has more than a decade of software-development experience in technologies as diverse as C++ and Ruby. Genadi currently specializes in web applications using Ruby, JavaScript, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. He studied at the Technion before graduating from Polytechnic University in New York. Genadi previously worked at Columbia University, Citibank, and Amdocs.
Trevan Hetzel
http://trevan.co
Trevan Hetzel is a front-end engineer working to make Rent Like A Champion as user friendly and performant as possible. Trevan formerly wrote lots of CSS & JavaScript at appendTo, where he led several front-end projects for clients such as Zumba, Celebrity Cruises and Microsoft. He is currently a member of the Flywheel team, where he works to change the way WordPress websites are hosted.
Jordan Curnes
A serial entrepreneur, Jordan lives in Chicago with his wife and two children. Jordan is also the Co-Founder of MicroTransponder, a medical device company treating tinnitus and stroke patients. He co-founded the Irish Angels and currently serves on the board. Jordan holds a BA from Notre Dame and an MBA from Duke.
Drew Mitchell
One of the original founders of Rent Like A Champion, Drew Mitchell started the company while in graduate school. The company's real estate expert, Drew works in real estate development in the Northern Indiana and Chicagoland areas. Drew has a BBA and MBA from the University of Notre Dame.
Derrick Shenk
Derrick is the President and Founder of Mobile Generation, the Chicago area's fastest growing chain of Verizon Premium Retail stores. Prior to Mobile Generation, Derrick worked at Accenture for 7 years. An avid boater, Derrick lives in Chicago with his wife. Derrick holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame.


Office 2013 for Seniors in easy steps concentrates on the most useful elements of Microsoft Office 2013 and Office 365 (the subscription version). Written with older citizens in mind, it uses larger type for easy reading and it'll get you up to speed with Office 2013 features in easy steps. It will help you to: Install Office 2013 on your computer Write stylish documents using Word Use Excel to manage your finances Master Access basics to manage large data Build stunning presentations slide by slide Utilize Outlook to email and get organized Find all the key extras such as OneNote, Office Tools, MapPoint and more! Packed with extra tips, this guide will help you get more from your Office 2013, Office 365 and Office Web apps.


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MARCH 31ST 20 / DAN ROBITZSKI Mass Protest On Monday, General Electric workers staged a mass protest and walked off the job. …
MARCH 31ST 20 / DAN ROBITZSKI
Mass Protest
On Monday, General Electric workers staged a mass protest and walked off the job.
Their demands for the company: stop going about business as usual and start mass-producing ventilators for coronavirus patients, according to The Independent. Ventilators are in extremely short supply, especially in cities hit hardest by the pandemic, so the GE workers reasonably posit that the country needs them more than their usual output of jet engines right now.
President Trump has invoked but not actually used the Defense Production Act, which grants him the authority to compel manufactures like General Motors and General Electric to manufacture whatever is needed in a crisis. In this case, that would be medical ventilators and other supplies for overburdened hospitals.
Meanwhile, GE, which The Independent reports stands to benefit from the government's $2 trillion bailout, recently announced that it was laying off 2,600 factory workers and half of its maintenance staff in a bid to save money — an unfortunate display of priorities in the face of a global crisis.
"If GE trusts us to build, maintain and test engines which go on a variety of aircraft where millions of lives are at stake, why wouldn't they trust us to build ventilators?" union leader Jake Aguanaga said during a press conference, per The Independent.
It's reassuring to know that the nation's factory workers are ready and willing to get to work manufacturing the supplies hospitals need, but equally unfortunate that the company's leadership still hasn't gotten on board.
Face-Mask Fashion In The Coronavirus Age


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A Laravel-based API for Buddi, an Android app for City of Toronto: Animal Services

The goal is to create a REST API that the companion Android app can interact with through CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations.

The API user will have access to the following features depending on their token permissions:
* View animals and their attributes by ID
* Create/Edit animals (administrator)
* View a user's profile (authenticated user, limited access for non-authenticated users)
* Create/Edit user profiles (authenticated user)
* View animals matched to a user (authenticated user)

Full Documentation can be found here: API Documentation

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This video might feel familiar. And it might be because you saw one like it here on Kotaku a while back.
Well YouTube creator Kutkop345 is back with another episode of Death Race and it makes the game look just as stunning as the first video did. Take a look.
Dice should actually put a race mode into the game. Would be epic!
There was a mod in 1942 that gave you cars with rockets attached and you had to navigate stunt courses to get to the end first at which point from memory every one else exploded.
Just watched this while listening to Metallica's 'Fight Fire with Fire' and it synced up so well!


Materials for nanophotonic devices ideally combine ease of deposition, very high refractive index, and facile pattern formation through lithographic templating and/or etching. In this work, we present a scalable method for producing high refractive index WS 2 layers by chemical conversion of WO 3 synthesized via atomic layer deposition (ALD). These conformal nanocrystalline thin films demonstrate a surprisingly high index of refraction (n > 3.9), and structural fidelity compatible with lithographically defined features down to ~10 nm. Although this process yields highly polycrystalline films, the optical constants are in agreement with those reported for single crystal bulk WS 2. Subsequently, we demonstrate three photonic structures - first, a two-dimensional hole array made possible by patterning and etching an ALD WO 3 thin film before conversion, second, an analogue of the 2D hole array first patterned into fused silica before conformal coating and conversion, and third, a three-dimensional inverse opal photonic crystal made by conformal coating of a self-assembled polystyrene bead template. Furthermore these results can be trivially extended to other transition metal dichalcogenides, thus opening new opportunities for photonic devices based on high refractive index materials.
Search OSTI.GOV for author "Chen, Christopher T."
Search OSTI.GOV for ORCID "0000-0001-5848-961X"
Search orcid.org for ORCID "0000-0001-5848-961X"
Search OSTI.GOV for author "Toma, Francesca M."
Search OSTI.GOV for ORCID "0000-0003-2332-0798"
Search orcid.org for ORCID "0000-0003-2332-0798"
Chen, Christopher T., Pedrini, Jacopo, Gaulding, E. Ashley, Kastl, Christoph, Calafiore, Giuseppe, Dhuey, Scott, Kuykendall, Tevye R., Cabrini, Stefano, Toma, Francesca M., Aloni, Shaul, and Schwartzberg, Adam M. Very High Refractive Index Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Photonic Conformal Coatings by Conversion of ALD Metal Oxides. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39115-3.
Chen, Christopher T., Pedrini, Jacopo, Gaulding, E. Ashley, Kastl, Christoph, Calafiore, Giuseppe, Dhuey, Scott, Kuykendall, Tevye R., Cabrini, Stefano, Toma, Francesca M., Aloni, Shaul, & Schwartzberg, Adam M. Very High Refractive Index Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Photonic Conformal Coatings by Conversion of ALD Metal Oxides. United States. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39115-3.
Chen, Christopher T., Pedrini, Jacopo, Gaulding, E. Ashley, Kastl, Christoph, Calafiore, Giuseppe, Dhuey, Scott, Kuykendall, Tevye R., Cabrini, Stefano, Toma, Francesca M., Aloni, Shaul, and Schwartzberg, Adam M. Tue . "Very High Refractive Index Transition Metal Dichalcogenide Photonic Conformal Coatings by Conversion of ALD Metal Oxides". United States. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39115-3. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1503660.


The statement "A Star Is Born deserves a Grammy for original soundtrack" will make everyone who've watched it nod in agreement. However, the entire album didn't qualify for the award and only "Shallow," performed by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, will be holding the torch.
According to IndieWire, the soundtrack was released on Oct. 5, four days after the Grammy qualifying date (Oct. 1), which ruined the film's chance at getting nominated. But since "Shallow" debuted at Sept. 27, it might just get a nom for Record or Song of the Year.
Before you get your pitchforks out, A Star Is Born—both the film and the soundtrack—still has a shot at next year's Oscars. Aside from "Shallow," Warner Bros. also submitted "I'll Never Love Again" and "Always Remember Us This Way" for the Best Original Song race. So it's possible for Lady Gaga to get triple Oscar nominations if all the songs get chosen.
In case you haven't heard the A Star Is Born OST, listen to it here. It has all the feels from the film, too.


The Staubbach Fall (German: Staubbachfall (sing.), lit.: dust creek fall) is a waterfall in Switzerland, located just west above Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Highlands. The waterfall drops 297 metres (974 ft) from a hanging valley that ends in overhanging cliffs above the Weisse Lütschine.
The stream, on reaching the verge of the rocky walls of the valley, forms a cascade so high that it is almost lost in spray before it reaches the level of the valley. After rain, and early in the season when fed by the melting snows, the Staubbach Fall is a very striking object. The force of the stream above the fall at such times is sufficient to carry the water clear of the precipice, and the whole mass descends in a condition of liquid dust, between spray and cloud, that sways to-and-fro with the gentlest breeze. In a dry summer, when the supply of water is much reduced, the effect is comparatively insignificant.
The falls were featured on the Swiss 3-centime postage stamp of the 1930s.
This page was last edited on 22 December 2017, at 11:01 (UTC).


There's no other place in the Philippines (and even South East Asia) that captures the image of an exotic tropical paradise better than Palawan Province, at least to my knowledge. Palawan is HUGE with a various destinations that will take months to fully explore. This summer, I'm set on traveling to Cuyo Town located in the middle of Sulu Sea between the main islands of Palawan and Panay. Cuyo was heavily popularized by the movie, Ploning, and Amanpulo Resort, one of the most expensive resorts in the Philippines with rates over $1000/night. Of course, I'm not rich enough to stay in Amanpulo but with 45 islands composing the town of Cuyo, there are many other beautiful islands to visit.
I've been to Caluya, a similar group of islands in Sulu Sea located further north of Cuyo, and I was very impressed with the beauty and preservation of marine resources in this part of the Philippines. I'm expecting Cuyo will be similar or even more spectacular since it's further down the midst of Sulu Sea. Aside from the sightseeing of island attractions, I wish I could get a taste of sea urchins locally called "Tirik" again, can't get enough of them.
Cuyo will be my first destination in Palawan and then I'll be heading to Puerto Princesa City, the capital of the province for a couple of days.
Discover more blogs and travel tips in Palawan.
hey marcos! you said above that Amanpulo Resort charges $1,000/night? I tried checkin' it out sa Agoda link mo diri, I can't even book any spot JUST TO CHECK THEIR RATES. I don't think agoda site is workin' here. Sa El Nido they charge $157/ night which is a very reasonable rate. I paid that same price at the Intercon Hotel sa Makati last Feb. Yes, Palawan is one of my target islands to visit nxt time.
Yes, it's mostly $1,000 and up. You could probably get a room as low as $750 (still very very expensive) but then you have to pay for round trip transfers at $400 / one way flight.
great links about palawan. wish i could stay in amanpulo someday.. in my dreams. great blog!
Dude thanks for the links! really appreciate it… btw, hows your trip at Cuyo Palawan?
Don't mention it ^_^ Cuyo was great!


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A Few Minutes With CHILDRENS HOSPITAL's Rob Huebel
Yesterday I got to talk with the gracious, dulcet-toned Rob Huebel and learned about Adult Swim's generous censorship department, the benefits of occasional anonymity, and why you probably don't want to go to karoke with him.
Give me three words to describe Dr. Owen Maestro.
RH: Stupid, horny, and really stupid…oh wait, that's four words.
That works. When you got involved, how much did you bring to the character and how much was set up before you got there?
RH: When we started the show, we were all old friends or a lot of us knew each other at least from the comedy world or performing live. Rob [Corddry] and I knew each other from New York and doing a lot of improv shows and stuff like that. The characters weren't really set up, it was more like we knew what this world was, you know? We basically want to make fun of those super-serious hospital dramas so once you understand what that world is like, then you can fill out your character a little bit. It was really just open to whatever we wanted to bring to it.
You said you knew a lot of the guys and the cast is full of a lot a great improvers. Who's so good you kind of want to punch them in the face?
RH: They're all so good…the person I'm really jealous of is Megan Mullally. She's just so funny and when you watch the show, everything she does is so funny. There's really not a time where she shows up where she's not doing or saying something that's not retardedly funny. I just think she's really smart about that. She's great at stealing scenes and she's so fun on set so I'm really jealous of her. The one person I'm not worried about is Ken Marino. I know that I can always smoke him. He is just…I can take that guy to college and school [him] all day long…I hope you're writing all this down…
Yes, yes…
RH: Ken Marino doesn't know shit about shit.
Should I bold that or italicize that statement?
RH: Underline that, bold that.
It seems like there's a lot of off the cuff stuff and [in "Run Dr. Lola Spratt, Run"] you got up from a pilot seat with no pants on – are you surprised by the stuff Adult Swim lets you get away with?
RH: Yeah, that really surprised me. When we shot that thing that was kind of on the last day and that was the actual airplane cockpit that they shot the film AIRPLANE! in with Leslie Nielsen.
RH: Rob Corddry and some of the producers weren't there because that was a second unit day on location. It was me and the director and it was the very last take and I said, "Oh, I have an idea – can I try one more thing?" And I didn't tell anyone what I was going to do, I just took my pants and my underwear off and the guy sitting next to me, the co-pilot, I didn't know him at all so I'm sure he was like "What the hell is going on." [laughs] I really did that as a joke so when [Rob] and all the producers looked at the footage they'd just be shocked and they would laugh but they got the last laugh because they fucking put that in the fucking show. So that was a surprise to me – I turned on the tv the other night and there was my white ass. Evidently at midnight you can show anything, I didn't know that. You can show bare ass, you can show I'm sure at least thee sides of the penis – not all of the penis but probably three sides of it. You can show breasts, you can show cattle giving birth probably…you can show all sorts of insane stuff at midnight.
Another thing I find really funny is how much blood there is around. What is it about buckets of fake blood that is so funny?
RH: Yeah, that's a great question. There's something really absurd about it. Obviously when you see blood in real life it's terrible, it's like, "Oh god, oh no, there's been a car accident! This is awful!" But on TV, especially a hospital show, the more blood the better. When people are just eating lunch, they should be just bloody. If someone's going to take a nap, when they lie down they should be bloody. If they're standing there brushing their teeth, blood should come out of their teeth. To me, when you're doing a hospital show, that demands you have blood and our blood budget this year was like $14 million I think so we just got all sorts of blood.
That's a good amount
RH: It came in really really handy.
I have a Twitter question from @HeavyRaines17 – he asks "How are you so good at playing d-bags? From THE OFFICE to CHILDRENS HOSPITAL, so perfect."
RH: [laughs] Well probably the real answer is, [mock serious tone] "What are you talking about? Do you think I was playing a douchebag? Oh no, there must be some sort of misunderstanding. I don't know what you're talking about." I think to me that it's a really fun [thing] to play. Obviously I play a lot of douchebags and unfortunately now when they're casting a douchbag I think my name is like first on the list, which is probably gonna end up hurting me in life [laughs], if I ever want to do something else. But at least it's a fun way to pay the rent.
I think douchbags and assholes – and there's a big difference between them which would probably take the rest of the interview to explain – but I love those types of guys because I love guys that are really obnoxious and completely oblivious to the rest of the world. I think that they're just barreling through life and I run into those guys all the time – believe it or not, there's a lot of douchebags in L.A. So I see all types [here] and it just always makes me laugh. I guess I just think making fun of those guys is funny.
And it's amazing how many varieties there are. You'd think there was just one blanketed type but no, no.
RH: No, oh no no. There are MANY different types of douchebags.
Speaking of douchebags, you were in I LOVE YOU, MAN and that's the thing that probably accelerated your career. You also have HUMAN GIANT and ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT…what do you get recognized for most?
RH: It sort of depends. I LOVE YOU, MAN was really great for me, that was a really fun movie to do and the director, John Hamburg, is a really smart, funny guy. Yeah, that helped me a lot, that opened a lot of doors for me. It depends where I am. A lot of times I get recognized for CHILDRENS HOSPITAL but they think I'm Ken Marino and I tell them, first thing I say is "Fuck you, I am not Ken Marino. Ken Marino doesn't know shit about shit." And I tell them, "Write that down, underline it, italicize it." And then they do that. So I get recognized for CHILDRENS HOSPITAL but then anytime you do a network show, you realize how powerful tv is. I've been on THE OFFICE a few times so people who are really into that show will stop me and recognize me from that. [I]t depends on where you are geographically. If I'm in a part of town where there's a lot of hipster comedy nerds, then they recognize me from HUMAN GIANT or CHILDRENS HOSPITAL. If I'm in an airport going somewhere, then it's a more mainstream thing like THE OFFICE or I LOVE YOU, MAN. We're also assuming I get recognized a lot which is an unfair assumption. I don't get recognized very much. To most people I'm just a really pale white guy who looks like a lot of other people. I don't get recognized too much.
It helps if you ever have to make embarrassing Target purchases, to not be recognized.
RH: Exactly. Yeah, I can go into Target and buy all the toilet paper in the world. I can buy toilet paper, I can buy condoms, I can buy diarrhea medicine…um, I buy tampons, bulk, and none of these things are a problem for me because people don't recognize me.
Netflix Orders MIDNIGHT MASS Series
What else do you have coming up besides more CHILDRENS HOSPITAL?
RH: I just shot a pilot for FOX that might become a mid-season show. It's called FAMILY ALBUM and the guy who directed that is this really awesome director Shawn Levy – [he] directed A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM, DATE NIGHT, and REAL STEEL, his new movie. He directed this pilot and we're waiting to see if it gets picked up. It's with Mike O'MAlley from GLEE and Rachel Harris [THE HANGOVER, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID]. It's a family comedy but it's super funny and my guy, I'm actually the uncle so I can be totally inappropriate and I have no responsibilities and I say and do the wrong things all the time so it was right in my wheelhouse. And then I shot a movie a while ago that's coming out this December called THE DESCENDANTS with George Clooney. I don't know if you've heard of him – George Clooney is his name. It's C-l-o-o….
I had a small part in the movie but Alexander Payne [is the director] and he's my favorite director. Listen to this job: Three weeks in Hawaii working with the best actor and best director maybe alive right now so it was really fun. George Clooney is so ridiculously charming that you end up hating yourself. It's like, "Oh, I thought I was funny and cool and smart. Nope. George Clooney is funny and cool and smart." But that'll be a really good movie. And then I just shot a movie called RAPTUREPALOOZA with Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson from THE OFFICE. Craig [plays] the Anti-Christ and Corddry and I work for him and it's after the rapture happens. That was really fun, we shot that in Vancounver.
Very cool, I'm really looking forward to all three of those. Is U.S.S. ALABAMA still anywhere?
RH: No, that died. That was this really cool, hilarious pilot that [Thomas] Lennon from THE STATE and [Robert] Ben Garant [RENO 911!] did.
Yeah, I heard about it last year and was hoping that it would go through…
RH: They shot the pilot for FX. It was this really cool STAR TREK, sci-fi world…but FX fucked up. They really fucked up. [laughs]
How dare they. [laughs]
RH: FX does a great job, they have a lot of great shows. This was really funny, I'm not sure what happened to it. It didn't happen. It did not go.
So, last question. This is a very important, very serious question. What is your go-to karaoke song?
RH: My go-to karaoke song…hmmm. I usually like to close it out with some Van Halen. I usually like to [go with] "Panama" by Van Halen and really bring the house down. What I do is get up on stage, put in "Panama", and then I literally take a lighter and light the building on fire and burn the house down, literally burn it down. I'm into a ton of legal trouble because of this. There are warrants out for me in a lot of different states but fuck it. It's really fun and it's entertaining for most people.
Good to know. I'll make sure I'll watch out if I'm ever at a karaoke joint with you.
RH: Yeah, yeah. If you ever see me go up onstage for karaoke, get the fuck out.
Check Out All New Episodes Of CHILDRENS HOSPITAL Thursdays At Midnight ET/PT on Adult Swim
Seat42F June 16, 2011
HOT IN CLEVELAND And HAPPILY DIVORCED Premiere Ratings
ABC Renews WIPEOUT And Vanessa Minnillo Named New Co-Host


On November 1, 2017, Union Gas announced the in service of a CAD $622.5 million expansion of natural gas pipeline and compression facilities that will support the reliable movement of affordable natural gas to Ontario homes and businesses and markets further east.
The facilities placed into service on time and on budget include additional compressors and related station facilities at the Dawn, Lobo and Bright Compressor Stations. Together, they will move an incremental 0.45 PJ/d (.4 Bcf/d) of natural gas supplies through the Dawn-Parkway System, which links markets in eastern Canada and the northeast U.S. with the Dawn Hub.
These facilities represent the third phase of a CAD $1.5 billion-investment in the Union Gas Dawn-Parkway System between 2015 and 2017. This three phase Dawn-Parkway System expansion will provide 1.3 PJ/d (1.2 Bcf/d) of incremental capacity for a total capacity of 8.2 PJ/d (7.5 Bcf/d), making it one of the most robust pipeline systems in North America.
"With the emergence of abundant, affordable supplies located close to Ontario in areas such as Pennsylvania and Ohio, the demand for natural gas transportation along the Dawn-Parkway System continues to increase," said Steve Baker, president of Union Gas. "Our investments, in conjunction with related infrastructure projects by Enbridge Gas Distribution and TransCanada Pipelines east of Parkway, provide eastern Canadian and U.S. northeast markets with increased access to the Dawn Hub and Appalachian supplies."