Budapest

Departed  the ship, and took  a coach ride around both sides: Buda & Pest...stopped at St Stephan's cathedral....absolutely gorgeous! So much gold, sculpture,,painted ceiling etc...the craftmanship is amazing. Where in the world did the money for such richness come from?
Then, stopped at hero square- many scuptures depicting those who have died defending Budapest....quite large and striking.
The Market...ahhhh....several floors of food, veggies & fruit, crafts of local artisans, wine...you name it...fun and interesting, not to
mentioned mobbed on Sat afternoon.  Boosted the economy....bought had crocheted linens and wine....just wanna do my
fair share to help the locals:)
Hilton Hotel is beautiful-located on Castle Hill on the Buda ( old) side.....site of striking old buildings, art anywhere you turn, hills,
and views that are outstanding.  Our room overlooks the Danube and faces the Parliament building across the river....quite the sight!
Much ornate and artistic architecture..old world feel...cobble stone streets and alleys that blend into another alley.  I can see why Budapest is called he Paris of the East.
Met our small group for dinner ...6 of us have been enjoying the trip together.  Great local food, but way toomuch( good complaint, huh?) .
And, we're enjoying the local wines..the dry ones ( they're better known for sweet wines, but.....) 
Took a walk after dinner– Chain Vridge is all lit up, as well as the fortress and castle....looks like a fairy tale!

Hungary

Weather is holding out...sunny and mild again today...perfect for the horse show this afternoon.  It's amazing what they
can train the horses to do...in one event, a man was riding on 10 horses-yes 10- by standing on the last 2 horses and calling out
commands.  Not to be outdone by the riders with the synchronized whips, whirling around ....( of course, whips do not
touch horses, but are quite loud cracking near their heads).  There were several rider demonstrations, games and 
races.....easy to see they all have done this a zillion times!
Countryside is very flat; vast farmlands, with maize, sunflowers and paprika....must be colorful in full bloom....the fields
were just cut a week ago. 
Took a short walking tour around this small town square and had an organ recital in the church. Don't know how in the world
the local folks make a living, besides tourism and farming.  
We'll be glad o get off on our own tomorrow in Budapest and leave the group behind. 

Kalosca, Hungary

The Hungarian Gov often requires face-to-to i.d. to compare to passport....mind you, so far, ship just kept our passports and
showed them to border crossing, while we slept.  Today, a gong & announcement came over p.a. at 6:45 a.m. to proceed to
main desk to show our faces...not a pretty sight after an evening of wining and dining!
En route now to Kalosca, home of the traditional Putzta horsemanship performances.....it's supposed to be a terrific
show.  And, there's a tour of the Archbishop's palace -the bishops always seemed to  live the life of luxury.
Captain's dinner tonight.
Leaving ship tomorrow.
Hilton hotel may not have free wifi ( and I won't pay their inflated charges).
More as continue along to Budapest and Vienna.

Croatia

Croatia still shows signs of the war of 1991....bullet holes in the buildings and buildings bombed out.  However, there is 
another side...single homes,farm land, small cottage industries, as well as tourism.  The outdoor cafes and pubs always
seemed to have people sitting, relaxing and having a beer  or slivovitz ( plum brandy that warms your shackles!).
This a.m. we strolled into the center of Vukovar...boosted the local economy a bit and interacted with the locals.
There was a huge market with fruits and veggies; locals shop every couple days for fresh produce, rather than stocking up.
After lunch, tour bus took groups to Osijek( 4th largest city in Croatia) ...toured a small cathedral- not too fancy by some
European standards, except for an altar packed with gold.  Then onto a fort....good views of the river, of course.
The last stop was to a private residence, whose owner dreamed up a money-making idea: tell about life in Croatia, show a film,
do a comedy routine and give out lots of local wine, cordials and appetizers.....win-win business:)

Belgrade, Serbia

A bigger city with lots of history.....often getting bombed and invaded......the people seem to accept whatever happens....
it's a poor country with unemployment rate@24%.  There is a pedestrian zone with lots of regular stores and kiosks
on the sidewalks.
We walked around the Kalemegdan Fortress with tour guide; highest point in the city, overlooking the Sava River and the Danube.
The "white fortress" moniker refers to all the white buildings, made with local stone. The fort is now a lovely park....benches, vendors,
tennis, play areas....and right now, there were special exhibits: huge photos on display of different topics: the doors of
Belgrade ( really neat...we saw some of the buildings in photos); another was Discover America- scenic views taken in each 
of the states; the last was a display on Russian....this was a nice discovery.
We left the group after the fortress tour and explored on our own....could be tricky since signs are in cyrillic  alphabet...
Found our way to Princess Ljubica's residence- now a museum....mid 1800's furniture in household setting....unique
adornment, elaborate vases, intricate rugs, jewels and more.....glad we" deviated" and visited this site.
Also went to an unfinished Orthodox cathedral...outside ( white marble) looks finished; inside work ongoing....lit candles for
the moms. 
Lunch at a Spanish outdoor restaurant and wine bar....dee-licious paella!!
Vendors in park on way back to ship....striking jewelry - varieties of stone: turquoise, malachite, amethyst, black stone ( can't
recall it now)...boosted the local economy a bit:)
Strolled back to ship....had a medicinal beer.....David is headed for a lecture on the Yugoslavian puzzle ( I'll take the Monardh
notes- headed for a lovely shower and rest before dinner).

Bulgaria

An hour coach ride to spectacular natural sight:  Belogradchik Rocks.....a mini Grand Canyon and Sedona rolled together....
interesting rock formations– created by wind and water...people spotted everything from Abe Lincoln to Madonna...just
gotta use your imagination.  We climbed to the top level...about 2700 '- worth the view.  Stone stairs were weathered and railings,
when they had them were rickety...this site would never be open to the public in the U.S., due to safety issues.  But, it didn't
stop us.  Worth getting that perfect pic!
The excursion included a fortress.....stone openings to shoot from.

Spent a couple hours on deck...used the hot tub and soothed my feet in the jets....beautiful, sunny day...not so raging hot...

Orsova, Romania and Iron Gate

Today was a day of  R&R...relaxed as we sailed along the Danube....mts on each side; narrow twists and turns.  The Iron Gate refers to the locks.  Last night, we went up on deck and watched as the ship entered the lock , gates closed, and the water level rose....interesting! 
Again @ 4:00 a.m. we went through another lock-skipped that viewing.
The gorge is made of enormous limestone cliffs, which makes it very scenic.  The lower Danube is said to be one of Europe's most 
dramatic natural wonders....I'd have to agree:)  It's so narrow in spots that only one ship can enter at a time; upstream traffic has 
rights.  Along the way were a few forts and sheltered caves.  The scenery looks like a postcard......
We had a tour of the wheelhouse; no wheel ,just a joystick.  Captain seemed to speak only German - tour director was interpreting.
Let's hope all the signs are in German.....
There was time for jacuzzi and reading....doesn't get much better!

Bulgaria

An hour coach ride to spectacular natural sight:  Belogradchik Rocks.....a mini Grand Canyon and Sedona rolled together....
interesting rock formations– created by wind and water...people spotted everything from Abe Lincoln to Madonna...just
gotta use your imagination.  We climbed to the top level...about 2700 '- worth the view.  Stone stairs were weathered and railings,
when they had them were rickety...this site would never be open to the public in the U.S., due to safety issues.  But, it didn't
stop us.  Worth getting that perfect pic!
The excursion included a fortress.....stone openings to shoot from.

Spent a couple hours on deck...used the hot tub and soaked my feet....ahhhh.
later, watched us leave port and sail under an interesting bridge, which isn't quite completed...may take years, according to the local
style of completing major projects.
Time or dinner and sunset.

ancient village, Romania

Yesterday, Sat, we visited  a village comprising houses relocated from all over the countryside. ( kind of like our Mumford Village)...
it as fun to poke into the houses and glimpse life from long ago....certainly, not the lap of luxury!
Lunch was at a restaurant with local dishes and local entertainment....2 1/2 hours for lunch( and a bit of Romanian wine).
I'll have to read tour notes and see what the other activities were....bit jet-lagged, I guess.

Bulgaria

Last night, we moved just across the river and were in another country....we went from Romania to Bulgaria in just a few minutes.
First two days were full day excursions.  Let me record thoughts of Bulgaria because it 's fresh in my mind....
Motor coach to Veliko Tarnovo, about 1 1/2 hours away..scenery changed from farmland to mountains in the distance....very 
narrow roads; driving is a bit treacherous.  We visited a walled city, quite a bit crumbled, of course.  It made for interesting
photos cause you were in the "middle" .  We interacted with local vendors, of course...hard working folks, many who are
very talented in various artisan crafts. A period house was moved and open for touring....interesting to see how people lived ages ago, how incentive they had to be just to survived.  Toured a small 16th century church with the original frescoes, restored and looking vibrant. 
Visited a cobblestone street, line with small shops....boosted the local economy quite a bit:) 
Lunch was  at a restaurant with outdoor seating and local entertainment....young dancers in colorful costumes, dancing up a storm...
musicians had instruments that were quite unique...and we had a ringside seat!
Weather is extremely hot!!
We just went up on deck and watch the ship leave this port and head to the next port overnight.
Time for a rest, before having a lovely dinner and local entertainment.