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2023 River Cruise

September - October 2023
Doug and I will be sailing the Danube from Vienna to the Black Sea. This will be our first big trip together since February 2020. So happy to be traveling again! Read more
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  • 19days
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  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 8

    Oct 3 - Kalocsa, Hungary

    October 3, 2023 in France ⋅ 🌧 18 °C

    We docked this morning about six kms from the town of Kalocsa – pronounced Kal-OH-cha. Kalocsa used to be a riverside town, but the meandering course of the Danube over the years has taken away that status. This area is the epicentre of the paprika universe, with its long hours of sunshine and perfect soil conditions. Paprika is used in the classic Hungarian dish of goulash that comes in all grades from sweet to ferociously hot.

    It's another spectacular day – warm and sunny with just enough breeze to keep us comfortable. We don’t have any activities until 1:00 p.m., so we enjoyed a lie-in and a late breakfast. The water level on the Danube is very low, so the slope up the ramp to ground level was very, very steep. We managed it, but there are a lot on this ship who are going to struggle. We walked about 2/3 of the way into town through fields of corn and something we need to identify. With 1.5 hours and 10,000 step under our belts, we retired to our balcony (for the first time on this trip) to enjoy some down time. The balcony can be fully enclosed for use in cool or damp weather. Today, we put the top window down to soak up the soft, lapping sounds of the Danube and the wonderfully fresh air.

    This afternoon’s activity is a horse show at Bakodpuszta, followed by a stroll through Kalocsa. Will let you know about those later. Time to eat – again!

    By the way, the location feature of FindPenguins isn't working very well with the weak internet, so some of the locations showing are wrong - like this one that thinks we are in France. I'll fix things when I get access to strong internet which might not happen until I'm back home. We've been warned that the farther east we head in Europe, the sketchier the internet will be. Oh well......

    Bakodpuszta is a traditional Hungarian farm that raises cattle and pigs and sheep and uses horses for both work and pleasure. It was located just a short drive out of Kalocsa. The family put on a show for us. The first “act” was five horsemen and a short guy on a donkey. They displayed their riding skills and their whip skills. The whips make a cracking sound when snapped with the right force. Then they did a display knocking over a peg standing on a stump using just their whip while galloping at high speed. (Donkey guy finally used his foot.) Then they played “take the kerchief”, a form of tag where they try to get a kerchief from one another. The kerchief would have been given by a pretty lady as a token of her interest. This display of manliness is often done at weddings to set up the next loving couple. Yes, Donkey Guy captured the scarf and gave it back to the lady. A skilled driver with an assistant for making the turns races around the ring in a light weight wagon with drawn by four perfectly matched horses. The highlight of the show was when a young man drove 10 white horses, arranged 4-4-2, while standing upright on the last two horses - no carriage or wagon. Such arm and leg strength. No Planet Fitness membership required for him!

    After the show, we had an opportunity to go out into one of the fields to see the livestock, and then to tour the barns which had horses, pigs with curly furry coats, sheep with long, curled horns and one dog that loved Doug.

    Next stop – the town of Kalocsa. One of the main attractions is the Holy Trinity Square, named after the Holy Trinity column, which stands next to the Baroque-style Archbishops Cathedral. The present archbishopric, founded about 1135, is a development of a bishopric said to have been founded in 1000 by King Stephen the Saint. Many of the buildings in Kalocsa are yellow because yellow was the favourite colour of Empress Maria Theresa. We saw other buildings painted pale green and pink – so very different from what we see in Canada.

    Then it was back on the buses to the ship. We set sail at 4:45 p.m. Next stop is Mohács, Hungary. We should dock about 8:30 p.m.

    We docked in Mohács (MOW-haw-chs) right on schedule. A troupe of five so-called gypsy - they were probably just plain Hungarian - musicians clambered aboard. We enjoyed their music for close to an hour and then called it a night. It had been a full day.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    1
    Day 9

    Oct 4 - Mohács and Pécs

    October 4, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We woke in Mohács to another sunny day, albeit a little bit cooler than we have been experiencing. Our activity for today is a walking tour of the town of Pécs (PAY-j). The drive was close to an hour. We drove through farming country – the land here is quite fertile, so the farms look to be quite prosperous. Corn harvesting was underway on several farms.

    Pécs is one of the most ancient cities of Hungary. It was established in the Iron Age, was occupied by the Romans, and eventually became an important early Christian Centre (the old cemetery is now a UNESCO site). The town features remnants from its Roman past, Turkish and Mediterranean architectural influences, and Baroque over-the-top buildings everywhere. Pécs is proud of its history of having an excellent university in the last 1300s, and today boasts a university student population of 35,000. The town used to thrive because of the nearby uranium and coal mines, but mining was curtailed during Hungary’s time behind the Iron Curtain. Pécs has successfully transitioned from being a manufacturing town to being a cultural centre, with education now being the number one industry and ceramic-making and tourism growing yearly in strength.

    We had a walking tour. Unique to Pécs are three locations where lovers place a lock and then throw away the key to seal their union. Paris used to have the same tradition, until the weight of the locks started to cause one of the bridges over the Seine to collapse. All the locks (but hopefully not all the unions!) got snipped off.

    The architecture of the city is wonderful with so many styles, colours, details, and intricate ceramic decorations. We had some free time in the city centre. I tried on beautiful leather gloves, but between my short fingers and my right hand that is still slightly swollen after my broken wrist episode in May, nothing fit. So, I bought fabric instead because a quilter can never have enough fabric!

    Back on the bus. Back to the ship. Late lunch. We set sail for Osijek, Croatia promptly at 1:30 p.m. Croatia will be our fourth of seven countries on this tour.

    We actually have an afternoon to ourselves. Watching the shoreline slip by is almost hypnotic. Might be a day for a nap!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 10

    Oct 5 - Aljmaš, Croatia

    October 5, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    First some background about Croatia (thank you Wikipedia):

    Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe. Its coast lies entirely on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and shares a maritime border with Italy. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country has a population of nearly 3.9 million. It has had a turbulent history. Let’s pick it up after WWII.

    In October 1918, the State of Slovenes, Croats, and Serbs, independent from Austria-Hungary, was proclaimed in Zagreb, and in December 1918, it merged into the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Following the Axis invasion of Yugoslavia in April 1941, most of Croatia was incorporated into a Nazi-installed puppet state, the Independent State of Croatia. A resistance movement led to the creation of the Socialist Republic of Croatia, which after the war became a founding member and constituent of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On 25 June 1991, Croatia declared independence, and the War of Independence was successfully fought over the next four years. It became a country on November 12, 1995, as a result of the Erdut Agreement.

    Croatia is a republic and a parliamentary liberal democracy. It is a member of the European Union. It adopted the euro as its currency in January, 2023.

    Croatia is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy and ranks 40th in the Human Development Index.. Education is highly encouraged and is mostly free of charge for Croatians, even post-secondary education. Tourism is a significant source of revenue for the country, which is ranked among the top 20 most popular tourist destinations in the world.

    We arrived at Aljmaš (AL-mosh) yesterday afternoon. The captain moored us with such delicacy that we didn’t feel even the slightest thump. We watched the almost balletic artistry of the mooring process. To our amazement, we found out later that it was the crew’s first time mooring here. Low water levels have caused major changes to many itineraries.

    Aljmaš is a small community with a corner store, five bars, a tiny post office and an ATM. It is mainly a holiday home community, so this being the off-season, it was very quiet. Doug and I hoofed around yesterday afternoon before dinner, and took bikes out this afternoon to cover all the town.

    Aljmaš was reportedly the sight of a Marian apparition and since 1704, a significant number of believers and tourists have made a pilgrimage here annually for the Feast of the Assumption on August 15. A Catholic Church in the name of Our Lady of Laus and Our Lady of Consolation was constructed in 1864. During the Croatian War of Independence in the early 1990s, the Roman Catholic church in Aljmaš was destroyed and rebuilt almost completely in 2006. The church has the most unique shape I’ve ever seen for a church – it’s designed to look like a wave, but others think it looks like a swan.

    On our bike ride this afternoon, we rode up to the hill overlooking the town and the river. There is a statue of Christ and an outdoor set of Stations of the Cross. The Catholic religion is alive and vibrant in Croatia.

    We have a special dinner invitation to dine in Portobellos Restaurant tonight. Everyone gets an invitation at least once during the cruise. Portobellos is a special, high-end dining spot on the front of the boat. We will enjoy superb service, carefully selected wines, and about nine meal courses. Eating is like an Olympic sport on this ship!

    We had dinner with Carl and Janet from Stittsville, near Ottawa. We had a delightful time. Dinner was six courses, served with impeccable attention to detail, wonderfully good humour and a continual flow of wine. It was a fine evening!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 10

    Oct 5 - Osijek, Croatia

    October 5, 2023 in Germany ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Our activity for today was a walking tour of Osijek (AH-see-eck) which is the fourth-largest city in Croatia, with a population of about 100,000. Our guide for today was Dora – she’s the best guide we’ve had so far. The drive was about 40 minutes. We remarked again at how incredibly flat the countryside is. Friends from Windsor say that it feels like home for them!

    Our first stop was at a rather non-descript church, the Church of Our Lady. But inside, it is an explosion of Baroque design. Fortunately the church survived with only minor damage being sustained during the War of the Homeland in the early 1990s. We were treated to a short concert by a young lady, Martina, who played the piano and thrilled us with her exquisite voice.

     A giant fortress was built in Osijek in the early 1700s by the Austrians. The fortress was like the Citadel in Halifax or the one in Quebec City, designed like a starburst with very thick walls. It had just four gates over a moat. The city sits on the Drava River, one of the main tributaries of the Danube River. The fortress would have held a small city of people within its walls.

    Our tour concentrated on the part of Osijek located within what would have been the confines of the old fortress. It now holds a few residential buildings, but mainly high school and university buildings, administrative offices, museums, and lots of pubs and coffee houses.

    Only one gate remains – the Water Gate – so named, because it was the one closest to the Drava River.

    Trinity Square is surrounded by Baroque buildings in the nice, light colours that we have come to appreciate. The centre of the square is dominated by The Plague Column, a statue to the Holy Trinity, giving thanks for an end to the scourge. Turns out, that weasels (aka martens) finally killed off all the rats that were spreading the disease and that’s what brought about the end. No monuments to weasels.

    We jumped back on the buses and went to Erdut where the war of independence finally concluded in 1995 with the signing of an agreement. We broke up into two groups for lunch. Our group enjoyed a lovely lunch made by Zlatica who runs a little restaurant and a B&B. She was widowed when she was just 46 years old. The property has been in the family for 350 years. They have been able to hang on to it despite all the political turmoil and fighting that the country has seen.

    Lunch was fluffy rolls, garlic soup, noodles, chicken and chocolate cake, all washed down with wine, cherry brandy and Croation moonshine (slivovitz and wine).

    Back to the ship – see the footprint about Aljmaš for the rest of the day.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 11

    Oct 6 - Novi Sad, Serbia

    October 6, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We docked in Novi Sad last night – we are now in Serbia, the fifth in our tour of seven countries.

    Serbia is a landlocked country in southeast and central Europe. It shares land borders with Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. Serbia has about 6.6 million inhabitants. Its capital Belgrade is also the largest city. Like Croatia, it has had and continues to have a turbulent history. In the early 19th century, the Serbian Revolution established the nation-state as the region's first constitutional monarchy, which subsequently expanded its territory. In 1918, in the aftermath of World War I, the Kingdom of Serbia united with the former Habsburg crownland of Vojvodina; later in the same year it joined with other South Slavic nations in the foundation of Yugoslavia, which existed in various political formations until the Yugoslav Wars of the 1990s. During the breakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia formed a union with Montenegro, which was peacefully dissolved in 2006, restoring Serbia's independence as a sovereign state for the first time since 1918. In 2008, representatives of the Assembly of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence, with mixed responses from the international community while Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory.

    Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia after Belgrade and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. Population is about 370,000 according to the 2022 census.

    Novi Sad was founded in 1694, when Serb merchants formed a colony across the Danube from the Petrovaradin Fortress, a strategic Habsburg military post. In subsequent centuries, it became an important trading, manufacturing and cultural centre, and has historically been dubbed the Serbian Athens. The city was heavily devastated in the 1848 Revolution, but was subsequently rebuilt and restored. Today, along with the Serbian capital city of Belgrade, Novi Sad is an industrial and financial center important to the Serbian economy. Three bridges cross the Danube in Novi Sad, serving vehicle, truck, rail, and pedestrian traffic.
    Novi Sad is one of the most important centres of higher education and research in Serbia, with four universities overall and numerous professional, technical, and private colleges and research institutes, including a law school.

    It’s another sunny warm day, perfect for sightseeing. The captain is desperately looking for rain. The water level of the Danube is extremely low – changes to the itinerary may be necessary.

    Our choice of activity for today was a walking tour of the city of Novi Sad which is right beside our mooring point. Our guide, Jelena, explained the history of the city and some of the cultural practices like long, relaxing times spent over coffee. The city abounds with cafés. The city boasts 26 nationalities and five official languages, making it truly multi-cultural. We walked through the Friday morning market which abounded with fresh local fruits and vegetables and every type of cheese imaginable.

    A lot of buildings reflect the influence of when Novi Sad was under Habsburg rule – ornate, colourful buildings. Each different colour of building along a shopping street would indicate a different type of merchandise available there. So handy back in the days of widespread illiteracy.

    In the 1960s, a “progressive” mayor razed a lot of the old, historic buildings and built brutal new structures. Sadly, the current mayor is carrying on with this “50 Shades of Grey” type of architecture.

    Prior to WW II, one in eight citizens of Novi Sad was Jewish. Following the war, the number of Jews who returned to the city was so low that they couldn’t afford to keep their school and their synagogue going. They deeded the buildings to the city on the proviso that they be used for cultural activities. Today, the synagogue serves as a concert hall. It’s a stunning setting with its striking stained-glass windows, round dome, and huge pipe organ. We were fortunate enough to hear a young man play the piano for a bit – the acoustics are fabulous.

    We will set sail today at 3:00 p.m. for Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We should be there by 8:00 p.m.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    1
    Day 12

    Oct 7 - Cycling in Belgrade

    October 7, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    Belgrade, situated at the confluence of the Sava River and Danube River, was destroyed and rebuilt 44 times over the centuries as it shuttled between the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world. It was the capital of Yugoslavia until ethnic unrest exploded into full out war in the 1990s. Since 2006, Belgrade has been the thriving capital city of the newly formed Republic of Serbia. It has emerged as a banking and media centre as it awaits entry into the EU. Its population is about 1.7 million.

    Belgrade is home to the world’s largest Orthodox Christian church, neo-Byzantine St. Sava’s dome towers over the city. The church can hold 10,000 people. Belgrade University is one of the largest in Europe, with 90,000 students. Those students have made Belgrade into a serious party town, with lots of floating nightclubs on barges along the riverfront.

    Our activity for today (another glorious, warm, sunny day) was a bike ride to the new part of Belgrade. Our guide was Jelena and her sweeper was Stefan. Jelena explained the new buildings going up in the waterfront area – much of the construction money comes the United Arab Emirates, and many of the expensive apartments/condos are now occupied by Russians. On the other side of the river, and area that used to be swampy and held a concentration camp during the war, is where much more construction is taking place.

    We did a lot of biking and not much picture taking. Our destination was Lake Sava on Ada Ciganlija, with its man-made beaches of about 6 km in length, is the largest open swimming area in the Republic of Serbia, which welcomes up to 150,000 visitors on a daily basis during the summer bathing season. The area boasts tennis courts, pickleball courts, playgrounds, BBQ pits, picnic tables, soccer fields and lots and lots of green space – a really welcome relief from the city especially in summer. The area also boasts diving and rowing competition facilities. We stopped for a break at a little café. We got to watch automated water skiing – no boat/motor/driver/spotter required – very eco-friendly. Lines with handles just rotate around a course and the skier snags one and is guided around, past buoys and over small jumps. Very cool.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 12

    Oct 7 - Exploring Belgrade on foot

    October 7, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    After lunch, we went to explore Belgrade on foot. First stop, was Belgrade Fortress that sits high above the Danube River. We didn't go into the fortress itself, but walked around the beautiful grounds that surround it and took in the lovely views of the river.

    Then we headed into the heart of the city. The juxtaposition of architectural styles is what struck us most - old butted up right beside very new (and usually very plain, bordering on ugly). The city has many huge pedestrian-only streets that were alive with Saturday shoppers and thousands of people enjoying outdoor dining and drinking in the hundreds of little cafés that line every street. We saw three weddings - one at a church, one high up at the fortress and another down by the waterfront. Love is all around in Belgrade.

    We have an early dinner tonight, and then we head to a concert at St. Sava's Church. This type of private concert is a signature offering of Scenic Cruises.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 12

    Oct 7 - Concert at St. Sava's Church

    October 7, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    The concert at St. Sava’s Church deserves its own footprint.

    St. Sava (1169 or 1174 – 14 January 1236), known as the Enlightener, was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the first Archbishop of the Serbian Church, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat. At Mount Athos, he established the monastery of Hilandar, which became one of the most important cultural and religious centres of the Serbian people. In 1219 the Patriarchate exiled in Nicea recognized him as the first Serbian Archbishop, and in the same year he authored the oldest known constitution of Serbia, thus securing full religious and political independence. Sava is regarded as the founder of Serbian medieval literature and is widely considered one of the most important figures of Serbian history.

    The Church of St. Sava is a Serbian Orthodox church which sits on the Vračar plateau in Belgrade, Serbia. It was planned as the bishopric seat and main cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church. The church is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church and an important figure in medieval Serbia. It is built on the presumed location of St. Sava's grave.

    The church cannot be described in mere words and my photos can only hint at its magnificence. It is enormous (it can seat 10,000 people) and is covered inside in intricate mosaic and gold. Our concert was actually held in the crypt, which we expected to be cold and dark and creepy. It wasn’t. It was a beautifully constructed hall with more painted scenes from the life of Christ.

    The private concert was presented by the St. Sava Choir and included religious pieces, Serbian folk songs, “Memory” from “Cats”, and the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves from “Nabucco”, one of my all-time favourites. The voices were fabulous, and the acoustics were superb. It was a memorable evening. On the bus ride home, our guide sang songs from the different regions of Serbia and the added some Broadway tunes. We were delighted to have two concerts in one evening!    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 13

    Oct 8 - Golubac Fortress

    October 8, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Today started a little oddly. The time on my phone showed 7:15 a.m., so despite the fact that it was dark outside (I rationalized that we were probably deep in a lock), I hustled into the shower and wondered why Doug wasn’t up and at ‘em by the time I was finished. Ooops – my phone was set to automatically change time zones. We were sailing on the part of the Danube that separates Serbia and Romania, and my phone had picked up the Romanian time zone which is one hour ahead. We don’t formerly change the time until tonight – J.J. had made that very clear last night at port talk but didn’t warn those of us with iPhones to override the automatic feature. We were ready for breakfast before the dining room was open, so we headed up top for a few minutes. We were rewarded with seeing a rainbow rising over the morning mist. There was much talk at breakfast of the consternation that this time change caused lots of other people. Our friends, Barry and Sherry, actually called the front desk to get an official ruling about what the real time was because they couldn’t agree! There was some extra coffee required this morning to get the human engines going.

    Our activity for this morning had two parts. The first was a visit to the Golubac Fortress beside which we were moored, albeit temporarily. This is called a “technical stop” because the stop is only for 1-2 hours. The ship would be sailing further along the river to another “technical stop” location where it would moor for just 1-2 hours, long enough to get us all aboard again, do the paperwork, and set off.

    The Golubac Fortress was a medieval fortified town on the south side of the Danube River, 4 km (2.5 mi) downstream from the modern-day town of Golubac, Serbia. According to recent discoveries, the fortress, which was built during the 14th century by Medieval Serbian state, is split into three compounds which were built in stages. It has ten towers, most of which started square, and several of which received many-sided reinforcements with the advent of firearms.

    Golubac Fortress has had a tumultuous history. Prior to its construction it was the site of a Roman settlement. During the Middle Ages, it became the object of many battles, especially between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. It changed hands repeatedly, passing between Turks, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbs, and Austrians, until 1867, when it was turned over to the Serbian Knez, Mihailo Obrenović III. The fortress has had the distinction of successfully repelling over 120 attacks in its long history.

    In the 21st century it is a popular tourist attraction in the region and a sightseeing point on Danube boat tours. This point is the widest section of the Danube at 6 km. We will be sailing to the narrowest point of the river this afternoon where the river is just 150 metres wide.

    Our guide, Nikolai, gave us the history of the fort and guided us around. In the early part of the 20th century, a tunnel was cut right through the fortress to serve the road that runs along the side of the Danube. About 20 years ago, the folly of this venture was righted, and a new tunnel was bored through the mountain which surely has helped to preserve some of the structural integrity of the fortress. The palace portion of the fortress is now used for presentations and meetings, and is currently hosting an art display.    Read more

  • Traveler2023 River Cruise
    Day 13

    Oct 8 - Djerdap National Park

    October 8, 2023 in Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    The second part of the morning was a hike through Djerdap National Park which was about a 45-minute drive from the Golubac Fortress. It was a lovely drive along the banks of the Danube, although the many tunnels were a bit sketchy because they had no lighting. Glad it was Dragan at the wheel and not me. We got to see the Scenic Ruby sailing down the river to our pick up point in Donji Milanovac.

    Djerdap National Park, one of five national parks in Serbica, stretches along the right bank of the Danube River from the Golubac Fortress to the dam near Novi Sip, Serbia. It was established in 1974 and covers about 300 square miles. In July 2020 the wider area of the national park was designated as the UNESCO global geopark, as the first protected area in Serbia labeled that way.

    We zigzagged our way up a narrow road – bus access is strictly controlled by the park authorities because there is no place for two buses to pass. At the top, we began to hike along a dirt path that was quite passable. Nicholai told about the trees, the animals, and the birds found in the park. We were rewarded for our hiking (it was mostly walking on a flat trail) with the fabulous views at the Kovilovo lookout. The Danube is about 2 km wide at this point, with stable water levels and a still surface on this lovely, calm day. We took in the views and heard Nicholai talk about the town directly opposite on the Romanian side – it was purpose built to house people whose towns and villages were wiped out when the big dam was built and the course of the river was changed.

    We hiked back down and after a short bus ride were in Donji Milanovac nicely in time for lunch. We will set sail about 2:00 p.m. The afternoon's entertainment is simply watching the river as we sail towards the narrowest part, known as the Iron Gates.    Read more

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