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Danube cruise & Istanbul
  • WendyTravels
  • WendyTravels

Danube cruise & Istanbul

Actually, 2 weeks in Austria before an Eastern Danube River cruise - starting in Vienna and moving east to the Black Sea, then popping over to Istanbul for a couple days. Les mer
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  • Reisens start
    1. mars 2026
  • WendyTravelsDanube cruise & IstanbulReisende
    Grätzlhotel (not really a hotel) but a down comforter was all we needed. Zzzz

    Sleepless in Vienna

    2. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    All day (and night travel) but no problems other than a wrong hotel address (and Greg almost leaving his jacket in Newark - whoops 😬). It was a typical first day, catatonically riding the Metro and trolleys around town, too tired to see or do or eat anything so an early night/afternoon.
    Zzzzzzzzz 😴    Les mer

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    World-famous Vienna Opera House
    Monument Against War and Facism1Jew forced to scrub anti-Nazi graffiti with a brushAlbertina Museum - may catch on the flip side when we return for the cruise.St. Stephans - built in 13th century on site of a Roman pagan worship site. Mozart married here.Loving the gargoylesStephansplatz (see reflection of St. Stephans)Maria Pócs Icon - said to have wept real tears in 1697 when Turks were coming.1Spring is coming!North Tower never completed because the Turks were comingHoly Trinity Plague Column - built by Emperor Leopold I (pictured on knees) 1679.Hofburg Imperial Palace gate. Note Roman ruins in front.Hofburg from park we like.4Happy wife, happy life

    1st "real" day in Vienna

    3. mars, Østerrike ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

    Ok...don't judge us...19 hours of recovery in sleep; I have never done that in my life! But it made us time-adjusted and rested. (In all fairness, we were catching up on multiple sleep-little nights; I don't know how my brother does this. 😴)

    Did the Rick Steves' walks all day and relived all the beautiful places we saw 3 years ago. (See captions on pics for interesting factoids.) And OF COURSE had to have gelato! (After 2 stops that were closed.) Sweet hubby went with Wendy to fix my sweet tooth; shop owner wanted to know if we were Americans; he was not a fan of our president.    Les mer

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    1
    2Used to be a butcher shop in 16th century so painted animals on side of the wall.Melk aldstadt (old town)View of town from monastery.

    Melk Abbey

    4. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☀️ 50 °F

    Up and out to the train station for our trip to Melk. Had to kill a couple hours before checking into our new place for 2 nights and found this MARVELOUS restaurant (due Post) with yummy Austrian food (don't ask what...I'm not that much of a foodies...beef, potatoes, some other stuff; then apple strudel and a curd pudding with vanilla sauce); worthy of food pics.

    Absolutely adorable town and bet this place is swamped in the Summer. 😬 Checked into our 16th century lodgings (can't tell from refurbishment) and then up...up to Melk Abbey, fortification built in 11th century then later given as a Benedictine monastery since then. Love all this old stuff they still use!    Les mer

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    12Sustenance! (A bit on the old side but sustenance nonetheless!)1Durstein Castle, where Richard the Lionheart was imprisoned for a year on his way back from Crusades1Finally figured out these smooth spots on stairs are for bike people like me to get up and down.1Our super cute apartment on the oldest street in Melk.

    Danube River "cruise"

    5. mars, Østerrike ⋅ 🌙 48 °F

    Once Wendy heard about renting a bike and cruising the well-marked, flat bike trail she had to do it! Took a while to find a bike (we are pre-season) but then she figured out how to do those place-to-place rentals and voila! she was on her way!

    The Wachau valley would be even more beautiful in other seasons but there was still charm, and castles and vineyards. 26.5 miles Melk to Krems and Greg met her there. And only 6.32 euros. 👍 Thank God for the kind person along the way who left a basket of apples for sale!    Les mer

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    Wheeling the clean clothes over to the dryer. Fun times!

    Good-bye Melk, Hello Salzburg

    6. mars, Østerrike ⋅ 🌙 43 °F

    Super low-key day today as we said good-bye to the sleepy little town of Melk and Greg-the-magnificent-train-coordinator got us through a train change and into Salzburg.

    Our hotel is in a wonderful, old, pedestrian-friendly part of town and almost everything should be walking distance. So for our exciting day we walked on over to do laundry. Dinner at an Italian restaurant (Wendy was craving pasta) and a little snack/drink shopping at the local Spar.

    Weather has been insane; we feel so fortunate. Apparently 2 weeks ago there was still 4' of snow, but we only saw a smidge of that in Vienna. Been close to freezing at night but high 40s or low 50s in the day. (Cold enough on my bike ride yesterday to wear gloves, a headband, and down jacket the whole time.) Salzburg feels even warmer. It was gorgeous training into Salzburg and seeing the countryside - very much like Pennsylvania - and the gorgeous, snow-covered Alps. Beautiful country!    Les mer

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    Mozartplatz
    Salzburg Cathedral where Mozart was the organist for two years (and after him, Hayden)Cathedral with fountain covered for Winter (took us a while to figure this out)Modern art above a chessboard in Kapitelplatz.Water wheel, used to crush grain but similar ones helped flush the streets.St. Peter's cemetery; see monk rooms built into the wallMore St. Peter's; like where VonTrapps hid (behind the gates in the movie)Inside St. Peter'sHappy boy!Famous GetteidegasseHouse on Getteidegasse where Mozart was born in 1756.Old way you ring the apartments from downstairsToo hazy a day to see the Alps clearlyAldstadt (old town) on both sides of the Salzach River.Marionette museum in fortress

    1st full day in Salzburg

    7. mars, Østerrike ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

    What a great 5+mile day; first, free breakfast in the hotel, and then off to do the Rick Steves' walk - very traditional of us and gives us a good feel for things while also seeing sights. All of this was on the other side of the Salzach River, indicating by its name that this was a critical junction for the salt trade. (Salzburg = salt fort).

    This was the "Rome of the North" and lays just north of the Alps so lots of trading with Italy and Germany (before it became Germany) and all sorts of other places. It stayed independent until 1805 when it was annexed into Austria, having started in the late 8th century from one monk that came from Wurms, and later another from Ireland (St. Rupert and St. Virgil, respectively).

    The imposing fortress on the hill started to be built in the late 11th century. This fortress was never breached as it scared everyone away for centuries, ensuring Salzburg's independence. They wisely used springs and the river and flushed the streets of filth, so Salzburg never underwent any Black Death from the plague in the Middle Ages. Nice.

    Greg finally got a brat and gingerbread in the farmer's market before we hoofed it up to the fortress. Not! There was a wonderful funicular. Tooled around up there seeing views and a marionette museum (think little goatherd schtick in Sound of Music) before coming back to our side of the river and getting gelato. (See Vienna! You can open your gelato stores in March!)

    Despite being a Saturday with incredible weather (high 50s) the crowds weren't bad, but I bet this place is nuts in the Summer.    Les mer

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    Salzburg Cathedral
    We learned about "castling"; never knew about that beforeMirabelle Palace concertAmazing acoustics!

    Music, music everywhere

    8. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    What a blessing to be able to worship this morning in the Salzburg Cathedral (where Mozart served as organist, etc. before getting his big break in Vienna). Very holy and respectful, except for me who forgot to remove her glove when receiving communion. 🤦

    We love watching people play (and second-guessing them) on the huge chessboard and chatted with some other visitors soaking up the sun. Then ran around town some more before catching a concert in Mirabelle Palace with a mother/son pianist/cellist. For some reason the acoustics reminded me of when Dad used to lay under the piano when Mom played.    Les mer

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    All by ourselves
    1St. Peter's bakery, in operation since the 12th century.St. Peter's cemeterySt. Peter's cemetery - caretaking one of the plots in the shadow of the fortress.212:00 and everyone knows it because of the bells!Getreidegasse1Old wall (Middle Ages) on the north side of old town

    Around town

    9. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Apparently we are the only ones who spent the night here at Aldstadt Salzburg Stadtkrug (Old town Salzburg city tavern) as they asked us what time we wanted breakfast the night before.

    Had to go get our Christmas ornament (we opted for wood instead of a hollowed-out egg that will break before we get home), watched some more chess, visited St. Peter's cemetery again, and also visited St. Sebastian's cemetery where Mozart's father and wife are buried.

    Wendy walked a few miles along the Salzach then was famished enough to split Italian food again with Greg. Don't forget the apple strudel!    Les mer

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    Bus had about 15 older women who were there to hike. Go girls! 💪
    Bunker systemDeep dig that wasn't finished to get to a set of other bunkers.Documentation Center with Alps behind

    Berchtesgaden

    10. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ⛅ 54 °F

    Grabbed a bus for a 33 minute ride to Berchtesgaden, Germany. We're such WWII nuts that we wanted to see this famous area where Hitler had his alpine home, the Berghof. The Eagle's Nest is actually a more common misnomer for the area, but is actually a separate residence high on a mountain he only visited a handful of times and is closed except in Summer. But enough for the WWII geek-out.

    Great Documentation Center (museum) above the plethora of bunkers built toward the end of the war. All high above the town of Berchtesgaden and the soaring, beautiful Bavarian Alps.

    Had dinner at our hotel's restaurant and met some lovely Aussies who got stuck in Dubai for a few days with the start of the war. She showed us some incredible footage of missiles and debris at the airport and around town. Really brought this horrible atrocity home.

    Off to pack for Hallstatt.    Les mer

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    1Salzkammergut
    SalzkammergutFirst view of HallstattThe StephanieNot too shabby a room!Hordes at the famous spot. Notice smiley face depending on if people were being quiet🤫Love us a graveyard, this one at the St. Michael's.Inside St. Michael's, 500+ years old.Town squareI love how Europeans attach the lids so they don't end up on the ground. We should do that!

    Salzkammergut and Hallstatt

    11. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 50 °F

    Last breakfast and left our adorable Salzburg digs and hoofed it to the bahnhof to catch our bus. Beautiful drive through the Salzkammergut (name of the area) - who makes mountains and lakes like this? No one but God!

    Switched to a train then arrived at the Hallstatt station to catch the boat, Stephanie, across to the town...along with a gazillion other tourists. (It was bad, but would be much worse in another month or two.)

    We have an amazing hotel in old town with a sauna where we can schedule private time and a balcony with a lake view. Woop, Woop!

    Will try to take a picture at the famous location in the AM before all the tourists descend. Finally the weather is changing and getting a bit of rain, maybe even some snow will come!    Les mer

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    More of Hallstatt

    12. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 43 °F

    Weather changed but didn't stop Wendy from going out early to beat the crowds and finding a nice guy from Taipei for pictures before back to a sumptuous breakfast. Greg is feeling a bit under the weather unfortunately.

    We went to the Hallstatt museum. This town isn't just a pretty face; salt has been mined here since 800 BC and there was actually a thriving culture here they now call for European archeology the "Hallstatt era." Romans were then here (of course) and Celts (of course) and the town was very prosperous because of the salt.

    Then we went to the bone chapel or charnel house, by St. Michael's. It contains over 1200 skulls, 600 of them decorated, plus assorted bones. Since the 12th century here, because land against a mountain is at such a premium, they would dig people up after 10-20 years to make room for others. They started decorating them in the 18th century and then, once the Catholic church ok'd cremation, it went out of vogue in the 1960s. Pretty amazing to think of these people walking around back then. "From dust you came...to dust you shall return." What an appropriate Lenten reminder.

    We've fallen in love with the sauna in our hotel, so hopefully that sweat some of the gunk out of Greg.    Les mer

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    The not-in-operation cable car to the lookout. Greg was NOT happy.Looking back on old town2Heli-logging - first the saw then move the downed tree. 🤯Found a less-traveled road and it made all the difference.Apparently Empress Sisi loved swans so the town always kept some around for her visit.A miniscule portion of the Salzkammergut Soleweg route.Lots of contraptions to keep falling things off the town.

    Last day in Hallstatt

    13. mars, Østerrike ⋅ 🌙 45 °F

    After another sumptuous breakfast (I'm in love with the muesli/almond/raisin/yogurt concoction), then we walked to the "new" Hallstatt to find tranquility at a park peninsula. You can't take a bad picture in this place and we did some mutual picture-taking with some Turkish gentlemen. On the walk back we ended up being fascinated with heli-logging this helicopter was doing on one of the steep slopes above the town.

    Wendy went for a hike above the town...as much as she could because they closed a bunch of trails because it's "Winter" (it's not - people were in shorts and t-shirts). Grrrrr.

    Lovely fancy dinner and a star-lit evening walk one more time around town.    Les mer

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    Our hotel room is the beige building to the right of the mustard color; we had the top balcony.The hordes of people coming on the train to get on the boat to Hallstatt. Every train...every hour!Oops! Unexpected stop in Wels while we switched trains.

    Travel back to Vienna

    14. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 55 °F

    😢😢So sad to leave our beautiful Hallstatt. It's so out of the way to get here I doubt we'd ever be back.

    Lots of train travel and excitement. We were able to catch an earlier 2nd train but oops! Caught the wrong one. 🤦 Fortunately just got off in the next town until our train came.

    Arrived in Vienna (Wien) and took the metro to our hotel, the yuckiest Best Western Plus I've ever seen! Laundry so all our duds are clean and ramen noodles from the local grocery store. Aren't we exciting?!    Les mer

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    2English-speaking Catholic church
    St. Francis of Assisi in MexicoplatzOur schedule for the longboat river cruise2Balcony upgrade - yeah!The hot chocolate machine we plan to frequent...a lot.1Happy! Still thinking it was going to be Madame ButterflyStanding room area1St. Stephen's at night3My walking-back frustrated face about the Hungarian cacophony I walked out on.

    Onto the boat!

    15. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    We are actually stationed in Vienna at the dock for a couple of days, but no longer have to find our accommodations at whatever byway and highway Booking.com finds us.

    But first, Wendy woke up remembering it was Sunday (it's easy to lose track) and found that the Catholic Church near us (St. Francis of Assisi in Mexicoplatz) had an English service at 10, yeah! Opened with all 5 verses of Amazing Grace and great reminders of how God doesn't see people as many see.

    Then off to the Viking Rinda! One of us thought there was no way they'd let us on at 11:30, but the other of us thought it was worth trying. They did and our room was ready. And, did we mention that the other day Viking gave us a free upgrade to a room with a balcony?! Yipee!

    Unpacked (for 2 weeks now, yeah) and ate lunch with some people and then confirmed schedules.

    Wendy has been smitten with visiting the Vienna Opera House (Wiener Staatsoper) and really wanted to see Madame Butterfly tonight but sigh...it was sold out. So not to be stopped so easily, she traipsed to the opera house and asked if there were any single cancellations. Bingo! 🙌 Middle row balcony - absolutely perfect...until it was NOT Madame Butterfly, it was a horrid Hungarian monstrosity of sexuality and dissonance that she walked out of at the 1st act (as did many others). What a waste of a 6 mile round trip walk and 100 euros.

    Greg stayed on board entertaining all the old ladies and thereby missing dinner. We'll figure this out yet.    Les mer

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    Original hand-painted drawings, made to look like they were moving in the normally-low light.Porcelain heater in the corner with incredible parquet floors.Tapestry - apparently monkeys used to help get the fleas off people. Ick!Hurrah! No selfie sticks!Backside (front had all sorts of construction stuff).Gardeners at work, and looking off to a celebratory arch for their one (?) battle victory.They have started some planting!

    Day-tripping (and freezing) in Vienna

    16. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    It's strange being on a boat that is moored still, but all is well as a floating hotel. Our heater was not working last night so it was quite chilly while sleeping, and that extended into a cloudy, drizzly, freezing-wind day. We expected mid-50s per our weather apps, which were egregiously wrong; more like low 30s with wind chill.

    But off we went to our Viator tour with Christina at Schönbrunn Palace. While so many places look alike, it was much better with a tour guide of whom you can ask questions. Of course so much that was the Habsburg Empire was "the best" of everything in the world during those years, but she did a great job. Schönbrunn was the Habsburgs Summer palace (vs. the Hofburg Palaces in town) and modeled after Versailles, but much smaller and 100 years later.

    Shuffled back to the boat and took an SPU conference call and then an early dinner. We've about seen all there is to Vienna, but have two more museums tomorrow, and a stop at the opera to see about my refund.    Les mer

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    I've never seen such faces on armour before!Maximilian ISo long!Incredible hallway!Glass harmonica, originally created by Benjamin Franklin.Good bye to our favorite courtyard at Hofburg (with an adorable family playing today).McCartney Daumier tributeImpressionism - our fave!MichaelangeloRafaelsStopping for a brautThe Albertina with "diving board"Bye U-bahn!

    Auf Wiedersehen, Vienna

    17. mars, Østerrike ⋅ ☁️ 48 °F

    Last night we left the curtains open so we could see the lights of the city, and this morning...what?! There's another boat tied to us! Quick! Close the curtains! We heard this happened when ports got busy.

    After breakfast with the Canadian couple who negatively categorize all Americans ("you're ok because you're Democrats," which I had to correct her on), we were off to some museums we had to hit yet. First, the World Museum Vienna (Weltmuseum Wien) where Greg got to look at armor to his heart's content. A great many suits of armor (back to Maximilian I, former Holy Roman Emperor in the 15th century) to Turkish items from when the Ottomans under Suleimen II tried to take Vienna in the 17th century. There was also a great collection of early musical instruments (Greg got to play an 18th century clavinet). Also saw a well-said piece on how we can view other cultures, "Encounters between these worlds...are characterized by fear and attraction. People transfer their own sensitivities and desires onto that which is new and unfamiliar. Sometimes they might even find it intoxicating, until one day unexpected sides of the opposing culture reveal themselves, and admiration turns into contempt."

    Then off to the Albertina (a cute combination of Albert and Christina, Maria Theresa's favorite daughter, in which they used to live). Some interesting art and an animated video on Honoré Daumier and a nice Impressionism section.

    We leave Port tonight at 11:30 for a quick jaunt to Slovakia.    Les mer

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    Slovakian flag with the "UFO" bridge and restaurant, built by Soviets.
    Memorial honoring Slovakian writersMemorial to Communists; what?!Promenade with Slovakian coat of armsPromenade looking the other way to opera houseLooking toward castle on the hill with plague memorial in foregroundSt. Michael's church (with tour group from the boat...ugh).Holocaust memorial; Slovakian Jews didn't fair well in WWII.So many cute, narrow streetsSt. Michael's gateLike we said, some dilapidated buildings stillView from castle on the hillCastle wallInside St. Michael's churchNote cannonball from Napoleonic wars to left of pointed windowSchöner Náci - statue honoring chap who used to greet pretty women until 1960a.Cumil (the peeper), put there just to get people out walking around town.Going through our first lock - Gabčíkovo Dam - since Vienna (10 more to go!)

    Bratislava, Slovakia

    18. mars, Slovakia ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    Rough night of sleep; the trip up from Vienna was sooo noisy in the middle of the night. And vibrations galore. Hope that doesn't continue.

    Took the Viking-offered walking tour, which was adequate, at least until we accidentally lost them while in a store buying a Christmas ornament. Oh well.

    Slovakia split from the Czech Republic a few years after the Velvet Revolution with what they call the Velvet Divorce (both very amicable and peaceful). Slovakia hadn't been an independent country since before WWI, and then it was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. Communism didn't do them any favors (though our tour guide denies that's what they had), but the city doesn't seem to be as far along as Prague. Cute in some areas, but still a lot of decay showing,

    Came back for lunch and then Wendy went back out to do the Rick Steves walk and up to the castle for the view. Started planning our time for Budapest; early departure tonight as it's a bit later.    Les mer

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    Central Market Hall
    Chain BridgeThe boat has a prime parking spot next to the bridge; we're on top upper left.One of our favorites - Matthias Church, Church of our Lady of Buda.St. Stephen, who brought Christianity to Hungary.Apparently little boys from a school down the street rub a part of the horse's anatomy before exams.We missed that there was a whole cavern system under Buda Castle before.More government buildings

    Budapest, Hungary - Day 1

    19. mars, Ungarn ⋅ 🌙 43 °F

    As we walked around today we realized we both love this incredibly beautiful city. It's big, but so much is walkable and the buildings are so much prettier than in most cities; they've really done a great job.

    We went to the Central Market Hall to shop for paprika and also found a fun, orange, leather purse and new wallet.

    This evening we scheduled a walking tour with "dark" historical stories. Interesting, but a bit long and pretty dang cold. The walk both ways across the bridge was wonderful; the bridge was closed the last time we were here, so that was a treat.    Les mer

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    Momento Park, way out on the Buda side.
    Replica of former Stalin statue.Communist-era housing; you can just tell.Pedestrian zone in front of St. Stephens.St. Stephens (remember, he was the king who brought Christianity to Hungary).Memorial of shoes from Hungarian Jews who lost their lives during WWII, along the Danube.Parliament (usually more iconic when it's lit.)Looking over to the Buda side (we're moored on the Pest side).1Space between our boats.The 3 Vikings tied up side-by-side (we're on the outside since we leave tonight).

    Budapest, Hungary - Day 2

    20. mars, Ungarn ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Just as we get ready to get off the boat this morning we started moving. Apparently 2 other Vikings just got here and we leave first so we had to maneuver to be on the outside. Fun to watch.

    Then we hired a Bolt (gotta support those Estonians) to Momento Park, waaaaay outta town. We'd heard about this through Rick Steves and being history fans wanted to see where the old Soviet-era propaganda, er, I mean statues, were. What a treat, when we unexpectedly discovered we were 15 minutes away from the English tour. And he knew EVERYTHING! One thing we learned, you see the boots left over because they were solid bronze, so when the people revolted and toppled the statues, they had to cut them off at the knees (see multiple examples).

    Back to the boat...famished as we were because we'd missed breakfast and lunch so we hit up the hot chocolate machine (a very dangerous contraption) and the cookies they had.

    Took another walk to St. Stephens in a pedestrian zone, and then Wendy continued on down the Danube but back in time for dinner.    Les mer

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    1Mohács Busójárás is a famous six-day Hungarian winter-ending carnival.
    Ugh, part of one of those giant tour buses.Disciples taken down off the church in the 1850s.St. Peter and St. Paul CathedralEverything had painted!Replacement disciplesFranz Liszt was asked to compose a piece for the reopening of the cathedral.2Multiple of these...can't say I understand it.Pécs pedestrian centerPécsPécsFinally getting some flowers; Spring is almost here!Church in MohácsMohácsShopping for snacks in the local Spars.Cute apartment area in MohácsPedestrian area in Mohács; not too bad500th anniversary of Ottoman battleWWII and 1956 Uprising memorial in Mohács.

    Mohács and Pécs, Hungary

    21. mars, Ungarn ⋅ ⛅ 48 °F

    We hadn't heard of these places before either, but that's why one travels! We docked at Mohács (pronounced mohoch) but then had to climb on a bus for a 45 minute drive to Pécs (pronounced page).

    In Pécs we visited the beautifully hand-painted St. Peter and St. Paul cathedral - I mean ALL of it painted; very different and very beautiful. Visited by Pope John Paul II and of course became a mosque during the 150 years of Turkish occupation.

    Then we went to the Cella Septichora, an ancient Christian burial site dating from the 4th century, from when the Romans were up here. It seemed like there were some burials here as some jewelry and coins were found, but honestly the guide rushed us through so fast we're not sure.

    Super cute town with a quick stop in the Vasarely Museum to see their hand-painted porcelain from this town. Unfortunately, too rushed also.

    45 minute drive back and then walked around Mohács. THAT'S where I was hoping we would have had a tour. 500 years ago this year the Hungarians fought the Ottoman Turks and lost. Horrific losses in a matter of hours and then 150 years of Hungary being carved up and this southern part being occupied by the Ottoman empire. Later in this same area they beat them back, with the help of the Hapsburgs. Unfortunately, the battleground was closed, so we had to suffice with just the learning and a walk around town.    Les mer

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    Vukovar water tower - still standing!
    Vukovar after the siegeEltz museumAn early Eltz big whigPreviously a mine field2Memorial to a brave soul who put his car in front of a tank.Traditional neighborhoodOur host familyStork homes way upPresent dayPresent dayCroatian Tamburica bandChurch and monastery on the hill over IlokWalking to the hillNo wonder they couldn't breach these walls (sometimes)St. John Capistrano2Remains of St. John Capistrano (died defending Ilok from the Turks)

    Vukovar, Osijek, Ilok Croatia (Hrvatska)

    22. mars, Kroatia ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    Wow, the things you don't know until you travel. I knew there had been a Balkans conflict but never understood some of the nuances (knowing we're only hearing the Croatian side today). Vukovar was where the conflict really began when the Serbs attacked Vukovar (on the border) after Croatia announced independence from Yugoslavia. They totally decimated the town and then set up concentration camps. The water tower stands in defiance - though hit with 600 shells - so they let it stand. They've done a marvelous job fixing the town back up, but only 20,000 vs the original 40,000 people are here now.

    We visited Gradski Muzej Vukovar, Dvorak Eltz. Now a museum, with info on the war, and formerly the home of the Eltz family, who came over from Germany to help fight the Turks. We found out it's the same Eltz family from Burg Eltz, that we first visited in Germany. Small world.

    Then off to Osijek for the best part, snacks in a Croatian family's home. They raised bees and were delightful! They escaped from Vukovar during the war and after a few years stint in a refugee camp, resettled.

    Lunch and a Croatian Tamburica Band (the Tamburica apparently has Mesopotamian roots) while we moved down the river to Ilok. We walked around town and up to the 15th century church on the hill behind fortress walls.    Les mer

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    1Love us tile on a roof or spire
    Large open-air market2 old Serbian guys 😁 (PS, smoking allowed everywhere)Inside the synagogue1Even the turtles were enjoying the aunPetrovaradin Fortress on the hill, 18th century and one of the largest areasNational Theatre on the left

    Novi Sad, Serbia

    23. mars, Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    Didn't know this was the second largest city in Serbia (we're at the 1st, Belgrade, the capital, tomorrow) as well as a non-EU country so we have to keep our passports on us. Also has been voted a cultural capital of Europe, whatever that means. Walking tour through a market with a stop for fried dough, pedestrian old town, past Serbian Orthodox church (they are not part of other Orthodox sects); past their very nice theatre with commemorative plates for key things in Serbian history or key people. (Albert Einstein's first wife and Monica Seles were from here; and Nikola Tesla, another Novi Sad honorary citizen.)

    Then they hosted a wonderful concert in a synagogue with a violin, viola, and singer. Nice selection of songs including theme from Schindler's List, Fiddler, and Hava Nagila (what a throw back to when Wendy learned on the piano! And why do I still remember all the words!) The synagogue is no longer used as a Jewish meeting place (70% of Novi Sad's Jews were killed), but the acoustics are so good they use it for concerts.

    Sun came out and we went on the sundeck with our Canadian friends. Then back out to the city to revisit the beautiful park we'd raced through before and to see the theatre area also. Getting a little lost showed us some of the "other" streets.    Les mer

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  • WendyTravelsDanube cruise & IstanbulReisende
    Friendship with France outside Belgrade Fortress (apparently they helped with their WWII orphans).Entry to Belgrade FortressSava and Danube Rivers confluence1Prince Michael pedestrian streetInteresting all the concerts and events they'll have, including a smaller Expo.1This dog just insisted on enjoying the sunshine!Republic Square with Prince Michael who saved Serbia in 1867.Moscow Hotel, apparently the oldest and still one of the nicest.St. Sava temple, built between 1935 and 2004.250-60 million mosaics built by 150 Russian artists weighing 320 tons and covering 160,000 feet.Love us a mosaicRussian icon holders given to the temple (multiple throughout)St. Sava church - the "neighborhood" one.Frescos in the church.Iranian embassyJosip Broz TitoSome of the more ancient gifts given to him (Greek helmet, 400 BC).1Tito and his wife's mausoleum in the House of Flowers; his death was quite the big world event.1Pubic transportation experts!Intentionally left as reminder of the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.Victor monument; placement was controversial because he's nude.

    Belgrade, Serbia

    24. mars, Serbia ⋅ 🌙 54 °F

    I don't think we knew what to expect from this capital city of 1.2 million. It's like drinking from a fire hose to learn all this history, and Serbia certainly is - as our guide put it - "complicated." It's one of the oldest continuously-inhabited cities (8000 years) due to its position at the Sava and Danube Rivers. Way back to the Celts and Huns and Romans and well, just about everyone. In addition they are Serbian Orthodox - not Catholic, not Russian or Greek Orthodox - and have preserved that for over 500 years through the Hapsburgs, a bunch of border changes, WWI and WWII, communism, and present day. 1 million Yugoslavians were killed in WWII (they weren't on Hitler's side) and then through Tito's communism run, Slobodan Milosevic, and NATO bombing of the city when there was ethnic cleansing going on. What a history!

    Our walking tour and guide were amazing, through Prince Michael street (Serbian Christmas ornament!), to the 18th century Belgrade fortress (pretty mundane and "new"). Belgrade is translated in Slavic, "white city" or "white fortress." We then got a bus city tour (these bus drivers are amazing) to the St. Sava temple until we got back to the ship for another lunch on the sun deck.

    Then we braved the free public transportation system with the help of Google Maps to get to the Museum of Yugoslavia. (They still use that term liberally despite there not being a Yugoslavia anymore as it was split up.) On the way to the entry we saw the Iranian embassy with their flag at half-mast and a sign outside with pictures of dead children. 😬

    The museum should be called the Tito Museum because it was all about him - things he'd been given by other countries and some commentary on why the country went communist as well as his mausoleum. Apparently Tito and Stalin weren't pals so they did Communism on their own. That may explain why the US and other Western countries cozied up to them (we gave them all sorts of things like the key to Los Angeles, moon rocks, etc.) to keep the Soviet Union at bay.    Les mer

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  • WendyTravelsDanube cruise & IstanbulReisende
    Beautiful town on Danube
    3 teens from the local school answering our questions.St. Nicholas Orthodox Church1Acapella choir who had beautiful voices and blendingSt. NicholasGood-bye Donji Milanovac and hello putting green.The Iron Gates looming in the distance.Abandoned monastery,.most of which is under water now because of the dam.Decebalus on Romanian sideMilitary establishment to help guard passage on the Danube.Old signal building with tunnels for the road.Tabula TraianaIron Gates dam2Got a soft spot for locks!

    Donji Milanovac, Serbia and Iron Gates

    25. mars, Serbia ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F

    Quick stop this morning in Donji Milanovac and a tour of the very small town. We were fortunate enough to have a resident, whose daughter was at the school we went to. Children are the same all over. 😁 And then we went to their local church (beautiful frescos) and heard a lovely concert.

    We then bided our time until we took off for the famous Iron Gates. Beautiful tall cliffs separating the Balkan Mountains (Serbian side) from the Carpathian Mountains (Romanian side). The split actually caused some confusion this morning, as our phones changed times depending on if they were pinging the Serbian or Romanian time zone (Romania is 1 hour ahead).

    Two of the most popular sights on this route are the rock sculpture of Decebalus, who tried to fight off Trajan, and at 40' high is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe (fashioned, in a way, after Mt. Rushmore supposedly); and the Tabula Traiana, an ancient Roman tablet put up to commemorate when Trahan built a road and a bridge over the Danube.    Les mer

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