Cruising through Europe on the river Danube

IT’S not really until you experience Central and Eastern Europe up close that you can fully understand the cause and effects of centuries of warfare.

The Balkans, Austria and Germany are all connected by a single river and it was in this region that the First World War began 100 years ago this month.

It created the concept of modern warfare — aerial bombardment, chemical weapons, and tanks in a vicious and doggedly cruel campaign that infected all of Europe. It bred WW11 and the fallout continues to this day.