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 19th 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.
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