September 6, 2013

After a restful month or so in our motor home in Oshkosh, we took off for yet another lifetime adventure.  A trip to Eastern Europe with our good friends Bill & Judy Hesser,  cruising the Danube river from Budapest, Hungary to the Black Sea, Constanta, Romania, covering some seven countries.  We began with a 4 day optional tour of Prague, Czech Republic, before boarding our boat, the MS River Aria in Budapest, Hungary.  Total trip was 15 days, with 11 days on the boat cruising the Danube. Our final day we were bused from our ship in Constanta, Romania to Bucharest for our trip home. We booked through Grand Circle Cruise Line.

The trip was awesome, and we can certainly recommend to any interest parties.  There are way too many things to detail here, but I will attempt to outline the highlights of the trip.  Suffice to say this was much more than a “cruise”, it was a “learning and discovery” experience, with excellent program directors and arranged tours.

Prague, Czech Republic

Boat Ride Prague

Prague Castle

A beautiful city, lots to do and see.  Easy to get around with a good transit system either trolley/train, subway, or bus, a single ticket can use all.  We took in the Prague Castle, St. Vitus’s  Cathedral, Old Town Square, Charles Bridge, Petrin Hill, and the Old Jewish Ghetto.  We also took a boat ride on the Vltava River, which separates the city.  Marvelous City.

Budapest, Hungary

Our Boat MS River Aria

Beautiful Budapest

Here is where we boarded our boat, the MS River Aria.  A beautiful, well maintained river boat, with wonderful amenities.  Our cabin was comfortable, with a small two chair balcony.  We got two days to tour the city.  The river was illuminated nightly highlighting the palaces, cathedrals, and parliaments. After a very nice guided tour, we walked to the famous “covered market”.

Kalocsa, Hungary

Local Village

Our first river stop for an overnight.  A shuttle bus to town to explore on our own. A local taste of Hungarian culture.  Our tour guide gave us a local challenge, giving us 10 units of local money with a slip in their language to purchase a local item, and told to get as much personal information from the vendor as possible, ie; name, children, spouse, etc.  Language a barrier and challenge, but fun.

Local lunch Hosts

Vukovar / Osijek, Croatia

The highlight of our second stop was a lunch hosted by a local family in their home.  While our family did not speak English well, they were very gracious and provided a lovely meal.

Belgrade, Serbia

Tito Memorial

A wonderful tour of the city highlighted by a visit to the Josip Broz Tito memorial, the leader of Yugoslavia before its fall.  Lots of history relative to the break up of Yugoslavia from Communism to a socialistic capital system.

Danube Gorge and Iron Gate Lock

Danube Gorge

Iron Gate lock

A full days sail through the Danube Gorge, followed by entering the Iron Gate Lock, a double lock some 90 feet of water level change.

Baba Vida Fortress

Vidin and Ruse, Bulgaria

Village Ruse

The next two stops were very historic cities, visiting the Baba Vida Fortress.  This was a medieval fortress very important to Bulgaria.

Constanta, Romania

Constanta Port

Our final river stop covering a 40 mile canal constructed from 1949 and not fully completed until 1987.  Much of the labor performed by prison camp prisoners.  Constanta is the largest port on the Black Sea.

Bucharest, Romania

Largest Gov't Bldg

Our final stop before our return home.  This is the capital of Romania serving since 1659.  A drive along Victory Avenue to Revolution Square to a local sharing his story of the bloody war freeing Bucharest from dictator Ceausescu in 1989.

Fun Trip

Morning boarded our fight to London Heathrow, Chicago and then drive home, total travel time 24 hrs.  Jet lag!

In summary, the trip was awesome.  This area is filled with so much history and persecution of people it is truly amazing.  The change from Communism to a socialistic capital system is still fresh in many people’s minds.  They have gained tremendous freedom, but many are hurting economically, so the capitalistic system has not yet been embraced by all.