The Iron Gate Gorge

We had to put our clocks forward an hour when we went to bed last night.

Today is a sailing day and the ship passed through the Iron gate Gorge.  I got up early and went to the sundeck to watch the scenery.  it was freezing cold first thing in the morning and I wrapped up in a blanket as the ship sailed through this scenic area. 

By mid morning the sun had come out and it started to get really hot and it wasn't long before I ditched the blanket for an umbrella to shield me from the burning sun.  They cant put the big sun umbrellas up while the ship is sailing so we had to use the Viking rain umbrellas instead.

We passed the Medieval fortress Golubac which is right on the edge of the water.  We passed high cliffs with many caves.  In some parts the river narrows to just 100 metres in width but is 40 metres deep. 

 

Serbia

Our ship sailed through the night and this morning when we woke we were docked in Belgrade Serbia. 

It has a prime location at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers and has suffered a tumultuous past, with the remnants still very visable.  There are many blocks of flats left over from the Communist era that are grey and depressing with rusting balconies.  The locals refer to them as Commi Condos. The roads and pavements are pot holed, broken up and in rubble in some places.  There is graffiti everywhere.  It is grimy and dull.  We saw 2 government buildings that were bombed in the war with Croatia.  These will be demolished at some stage but are a stark reminder of that war.

We visited Kalemegden Fortress which is set above the city and surrounded by parkland.  It has been fought over at least 115 times and razed to the ground 44 times.  The current fortress dates back to the 18^th century.  There is a military museum and a large open air display of tanks dating from WW1.

We visited the Orthodox church said to be the biggest in the world.  It is currently being renovated.  Built where the Turks were said to have burnt the relics of Saint Sava the son of the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church.  The church has 3 choir galleries that can hold 700 choir members and the ground floor can house 10,000 people.  In an Orthodox church there is no seating.  You stand during a service which last anywhere between 1 ½ to 4 hours.  There is limited seating around the edges for the elderly or infirm.

We also visited the lively pedestrian mall area which is filled with shops, cafes and restaurants. that part was really the only bit of Belgrade that you could say anything good about.

We were told we had to carry our passports at all times and produce to them to any officials who requested them.  We did not feel very comfortable about that at all, however, we were never asked to produce our passports

When we returned to the ship for dinner it was a Taste of the Balkens dinner and we also had a tour of the galley.  Such a small space to turn out nearly 200 meals at breakfast,

 

 

 

 

 

lunch and dinner. 

We had quite a feast with Hungarian goulash, meat filled dumplings, cabbage rolls, Hungarian salami and sausages.  It is a mixture of cuisines from Greece, Russia, Turkey, Hungary and Austria.  Sweets such as baklava and Viennese cakes and pastries and strong Turkish coffee.

 

After dinner we were treated to a performance of music and dancing from a traditional Serbian group.  It was excellent.

 

Croatia

We have arrived in Croatia.  Prior to arrival we had to hand our passports in at the ships reception and then the boat was boarded by passport officials and we had to do a face to face passport control.

The ship docked in Vukovar and we had to go by coach to Osijek.   Osijek is a pretty town well known for its Baroque architecture and impressive monuments.  We went into the church and listened to an organ concert.

We returned to the ship for lunch and then after lunch we were able to just stroll ashore into the town of Vukovar where we were docked and we walked around the town and stopped at a café and enjoyed a nice coffee watching the world go by.

Near the ship is the famous water tower where a local man, during the Serbian Croatian war put the Croatian flag atop the water tower and the Serbs would blow it to pieces.  The next day the elderly man would put a flag atop the water tower and the Serbs would blow it pieces.  This happened every day for two weeks.  at the end of those two weeks the Serbs shot the elderly man.  A very sad story.  There are many sad stories.  There is a memorial in the park next to the ship symbolising all the lost houses.

 

In the evening after dinner we had a band of Croatian musicians come aboard and play their instruments for us.  It was very enjoyable and lively music and singing most Croatian songs but then they sang some tunes that we all knew and sang along with them.

 

Kalocsa Hungary

This morning when we woke we were docked in Kalocsa Hungary.  After breakfast we got off the ship at 8.30am and were taken on an excursion to Trinity Square in the city centre to see the cathedral and Archbishop’s Palace.  We also listened to a short organ concert in the nearby church as the cathedral was closed for some renovations.

Then a short bus ride and we arrived in Puszta to see the horsemen perform.  Hungary has a great tradition of horsemanship and none greater than the Csikos, or cowboys, of the Hungarian Plains.  These mounted horse-herdsmen were peasants employed to control vas herds of horses and so via the sound of their cracking whips.  Dressed in flowing blue and black costumes these 19^th century herdsmen have become the romanticized heroes of many folk songs, dances and literature.

We sat in the stands and watched a fabulous display of horsemanship, carriage driving and a rider standing on a team of 10 horses and riding around the arena.  The youngest horseman was a mere 8 years old and he was riding a donkey.  Very cute.

We tasted an apricot brandy, a lard spread on bread topped with paprika and a type of muffin.

After the show we went on a carriage ride around the farm and saw some sheep and cattle in the paddocks.

We then returned to the ship.  It sailed shortly after to Mohacs where the ship was boarded by Customs Officials of Croatia.  We had to wait a long time for them to come onboard and then we had to present ourselves with passports for a face to face encounter.  It was 2 women officials and they weren’t too intimidating.

Budapest Hungary

Our ship sailed through the night powering along the almighty Danube river which is extremely fast flowing.  At one point during the early morning hours I stood out on the balcony and the river was so wide you could almost not see any land.   by the time we woke in the morning our boat was docked just beside the Chain Bridge on the pest side of the city.  It was a very easy stroll into the heart of Pest.

We went on a city tour which took us to Heroes Square and then to Fishermen’s Hill to Fishermen’s Bastion and Matthias Church.  The views of the Danube and the city of Pest from up on the hill are breathtaking.  We had some free time to wander around there and visit the many gift shops.  There are many shops selling paprika which is grown locally.  I bought some paprika to take home.

We returned to the ship for a light lunch and then we had the entire afternoon to wander around the city.  We walked into the main square of Pest which had a lively market with food and beverage stalls as well as gifts and souvenirs.

We walked along the main shopping Street and then alongside the river and sat in the park for a while taking in the view of the Danube.

Returning to the ship late afternoon we got ready to go to the open air theatre on St Margaret Island to see the Opera Aida performed. 

We had a quick dinner on the Aquavit Terrace.  The ship had organised taxis to take us there.  The taxi ride was an adventure.  The driver sped through the streets completely ignoring red traffic lights and pedestrian crossings and whisked us to the theatre in minutes.

The theatre reminded me very much of the Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, very similar shape.  It had permanent fixed seating and our seats were slightly to the right of the stage but with excellent unobstructed views.  The play had just begun when we got there.  The set was fabulous.  It looked like Ramesis’s tomb in Egypt.  The costumes were amazing, the singing excellent.  It was sung in Italian with Hungarian sub-titles on a screen to the side.  We didn't understand but it didn't matter.  Colin googled it at intermission so we could find out the story.  For a mere 15 euro we were treated to an amazing performance that we truly loved.