Home again!

On Monday morning the city of Budapest was just waking up as we took a 6AM taxi to the Airport.  The driver did not speak English. He finally understood that we were taking Lufthansa so he dropped us at the first terminal.  Tried to check in and found out that we were actually taking Germanwings and had to walk to the second terminal  Our flight was  on Eurowings---I didn't care, I just wanted to get to Dusseldorf and our next flight.  The Dusseldorf connect was easy.  Made it to O'Hare where they have installed new machines in Customs to read your passport. It also asks you questions and takes your picture.  Then we had to stand in line for a Customs person.  When we finished all that, our luggage was the last on the carousel and we missed our  4 PM bus. Took the 5 PM bus.  By then there was an accident on the I 90, took a detour, got caught in very heavy traffic and did not get home until 8:00 PM.  Nancy picked us up.  Now we are unpacked and reflecting back on our trip.
Most beatiful sight:  People's Palace in Romania.
Best people experience:  The school children, their program, and the home-hosted meal in Croatia.
Most disappointing factor:  Rainy weather the entire time.
New favorite food: Chicken Paprisha with Spaetzel.
What I took that I didn't wear:  red flip-flops, black sweatsuit, and one blue scarf.
What could I get used to: Breakfast buffets and someone else doing the laundry.
That about summons it up.  Off to do more laundry.  Until next time--Travel safe

Last day in Budapest

This morning the ship was a bustle with activity.  Some left as early as 3:30 AM to catch planes back to the states.  Other took a five day extension trip.  A few left to travel independently--that was us.  We left the ship at 9:00 and took a taxi to our hotel City Matyes- located in the middle of town.  Our travel agent in Rockford made this reservation for us based on good reviews on the internet.  It is definitely an European hotel--enter from the street and walk up one flight to the reservation desk--with our luggage, of course.  More steps and then an elevator that was crowded with just the two of us and our 2 suitcases (totally).  Our room is on the 3rd floor and looks out onto a courtyard. Nice.  We spent the day walking around town, drinking coffee in cafes, napping, and winding down.  Tonight we ate dinner in the hotel restaurant -very nice with white tablecloths, real candles, delicious food and a four piece Gypsy orchestra.  Chuck ate stuffed porkchop with sauerkraut , a sausage and a stuffed cabbage roll.  I had chicken paprish and butter dumplings (looked like spaetzel to me).  We shared a dessert - crepes stuffed with ground walnuts, covered with chocolate sauce and flamed with brandy.  Tomorrow this orgy of food and drink ends and we fly back to the real world.  May post one more time when I get home if I have some more thoughts on this adventure.  Thanks for traveling with us.  

Beautiful Budapest

Our ship is docked in the middle of Budapest.  Because the river is so low (looks like 10 to 15 feet low) the ramp to the shore is very steep.  We left via bus for a city tour.  We walked up to the Fisherman's Bastion for a great view of the city.  The truth is that every tourist in Budapest was up there and it was body-to-body.  We travel in off season to avoid such experiences.  Anyway, I bought a book of good pictures of Budapest highlights.  Budapest is very beautiful with architecture similar to  Paris with the Danube separating Buda (hilly) from Pest (flat).  After lunch we visited a huge green market across the street.  The street level had stalls with all kinds of meat, produce, spices (mostly paprika), honey, etc  Upstairs had stalls with souveirs, embroidery, eggs, etc.  Made some purchases.  At 4:15 we left for a concert by the Danube symphony.  They played a wonderful selection of favorite Hungarian composers.  We arrived back in time for dinner at 7:00 pm.  Dinner started with Hungarian goulash (actually soup).  Enjoyed good conversation with Platteville friends. After dinner, they repositioned the ship to a spot where it would be easier to disembark tomorrow morning. Of course, there was champagne. The city was beautfully lighted and we glided along with the tour guide telling us what we were seeing.  It was the first time we were able to be on the top deck--no rain!!  A great ending to an  absolutely idyllic evening.  Oops, it didn't end there, we still had to pack.  

Kalocsa, Hungary

We docked at Kalocsa.  Our morning tour included a beautiful organ concert in a Catholic church.  For the encore, the organist played, "Battle Hymn of the Republic."  Then we went to a restaurant where you could either decorate eggs (I bought two), do embroidery, or make paprika bread (eating it was easier).  This area is a great Paprika area and we saw it sold (sweet or sharp), grown, burlap bags of it, sold in jars, foil or tubes.  Walked back to the ship --it was sprinkling--and had lunch.  Took the optional tour to a Hungarian Puszta (horse farm) and attended a horse show.  The show ring was very muddy.  Chuck, being older and wiser, said,"We are not sitting in the front row."  The show consisted of teams of three pulling a wagon, a team of four beautifully matched horses pulling a cart, etc.  The star of the show was a rider standing on two horses, driving eight horses.  The horses were white Arabians. Then we toured the barn and rode in a horse drawn wagon.  P.S. the people in the front row were astonished with their mud-splattered clothes!  It rained heavily as we struggled down the steep ramp to the ship. Ramp was steep because the river looks to be about 10 feet low here.
Tonight's dinner was the Farewell Dinner because tomorrow night is too complicated.  Entree choices  were beef tenderloin or Rock Lobster.  Baked Alaska for dessert.
I blogged tonight becauuse our schedule is getting more unpredictable as the cruise comes to a end.  Will write when I can.  

Pecs: the Cultural Center of Hungary

Yesterday morning as we arrived in Hungary, Border Guards came onboard.  It was 6:30 AM and I was stepping into the shower as cabins on the second level were called.  I was dressed with wet hair when our cabin was called for a face-to-face.  The front desk man turned our passport to the picture page, handed it to the Guard who stamped it and threw it on a pile and we walked back to our room.
Our bus trip was to Pecs which has received awards for culture and in recognition of its many musums.  We traveled by bus for an hour.  First toured an ancient Roman church that had recently been unearthed.  Actually the church was underground so sometimes we were walking on glass over it.  Strange.  Then we toured a huge Catholic church that had been rebuilt and restored.  It had many frescos on the walls. The plain walls and the windows had Moorish designs.  At first glance the church looked rather dull, then the guide asked them to turn on the lights and the 14 kilos of gold leaf decoration really made the place pop and sparkle.  We toured the town further and eventually met for lunch.  The restaurant's specialty was Chicken Paprish served  with spaetzel.  and it was delicious.  Walked to the bus and slept to the boat.  Although the day had been grey, it didn't start to rain until we got in the bus.  Back on board we enjoyed an afternoon tea complete with little sandwiches, fancy desserts (cheesecake, cream puffs, tortes, ice cream,etc.) and of course, tea.  There was also a party for the President's Club (those who have traveled 3 or more trips with Vantage).  Followed by a lecture on disembarkation. Veal shank was served for dinner.
Forgot to tell you that we saw a small refuge camp (tents and porta-potties) in a city park by the train station in Belgrade.  

Arriving in Huguary

First I have to tell you that not all the posts are in the right order or may be repeated. WiFi is intermittent. I also can't get in to correct.  So if you can ignore those errors, I will try, too.
Yesterday was very rainy.  Our first stop was in Vukovar, Croatia.  It was seriously damaged by the war in 1991. We visited a Catholic Church which had been completely flattened and rebuilt.  Outside there were large pictures of how it looked after the 'War of Serbian Aggression" first and only time we have heard that term.  Next we stopped by an elementary school (ages 7 to 15) where they had prepared a singing, dancing, short play, etc program just for us.  They all spoke excellent English  and were a total joy to see.  The Guide told us that their television is in English with Croatian subtitles. Also saw a medieval fortress and got soaked.  Drove some more to a small town where we had lunch with a family.  A group of 10 followed a young lady in her 20's to the home she shared with her Dad and Grandma.  The home was modest, but located on a beautiful piece of land on the river.  The young lady had heard (from a cousin) about the opportunity to entertain foreign guests and it fit right in with her long range plans of opening a B & B.  The house was heated with wood and felt so good on a rainy day. We had schnapps, vegetable soup (very good), homemade bread, meatloaf (half pork and half wild boar) with hard-cooked egg in the center, bean paste, salad of lettuce and tomato and apple bars for dessert.  We were offered local white wine or juice.  Grandma had coached the young woman, Vanda, but we could tell who had done the work.  Grandma looked and acted very old--turns out she was 74.  Our guide today was Igor, a handsome 6'5" bald, psychology professor at the local university.  Excellent. He also strived to give a balanced picture of their warring past.  Back to the boat to dry out. The entree for dinner was rack of lamb--delicious.

Through the locks and into Serbia

Early yesterday morning we passed through Iron Gates, Lock 1 and then we were in Serbia (on the left).  Romania is still on the other side of the river.  Just to help you picture this, it is still misty and grey (the natives are getting a little snarky about the weather).  At 2:00 pm we left for a walking tour of the town of Donji Milanovac.  I have a rain coat with a quilted lining and decided to wear a fleece jacket under it (also a hat and gloves) and was very glad for the warmth.  The town was moved to this site in 1971 when the dam was built.  All the building are heated by wood so there were stacks of wood outside.  Of course, there is dense forest all around.  We walked to St. Nicholas Church (covered in icons) and heard an hour long concert.  First, we heard two identical twin men sing.  Apparently they were quite well known for their abilities.  They sang religious songs in their native tongue.  Then we heard a choir of 14 people - men dressed in long black cassocks and women in long red dresses with lace collars.  Then we visited a school and saw a few children and teachers.  Also saw a small museum.  The quote of the day was when the guide was asked about how many languages he spoke, he admitted that he should have studied language more if he wanted to work in the tourist industry and said, "When I was younger, I had other interests!"  By 4:30, we finally headed back to the ship.  There were many little stands selling embroidery work.  I overheard several women say the same thing I was thinking, "That takes ironing and I'm not interested."  Yesterday's food included a beef stroganoff which Chuck said was very good and I had fish which absolutely melted in  my mouth.  Time to hit the shower!

A Sunny Day in Belgrade, Serbia

Yesterday was sunny --what fun!  Belgrade is the capital and a city of 2 million people.  Serbian has been in many wars over the centuries.  Our guide looked to be about 60 and had 6 different passports and never moved .  Her mother had had 9.  The war theme repeated itself many times.  We took a bus tour of the town for two hours.  Some bomb destruction from the 1990's war between the former Yugoslavian states is still obvious.  After a potty/coffee stop, we had time for a little shopping. One-third of the population are heavy smokers and they can smoke everywhere.  It was a shock to walk into a cafe    and instantly smell smoke.  Back to the ship for lunch.  In the afternoon, Chuck and I took the optional tour of the Royal Palace and Tito's Memorial.  The palace was modest in size and built early in the 20th century.  Tito who was a communist dicatator had lived there for a short time before the communist reminded him that it was not appropriate for a communist to live in a palace! Now Crown Prince Alexander (grandson of the last reigning king) lives there.  We toured the first floor and basement.  Tito had a media room in the basement with a huge screen.  He watched over 8,000 movies and was a great movie buff.  The palace grounds were in the city.  A short distance away was Tito's memorial which had been a House of Flowers (conservatory) that Tito built.  He was buried there and was his 3rd wife.  Our guide struggled to give a balanced picture of Tito--there was a bloodbatth at first, followed by prosperous, peaceful years, followed by lots of debt and war after his death.  All in all, he kept the Russians out.  Back to the ship for dinner.  Chuck had the Venison Loin that was featured.  He has a curious palate!  We sailed at 8:30 PM.

Another Misty Morn

Early yesterday morning we passed through Iron Gates, Lock 1 and then we were in Serbia (on the left).  Romania is still on the other side of the river.  Just to help you picture this, it is still misty and grey (the natives are getting a little snarky about the weather).  At 2:00 pm we left for a walking tour of the town of Donji Milanovac.  I have a rain coat with a quilted lining and decided to wear a fleece jacket under it (also a hat and gloves) and was very glad for the warmth.  The town was moved to this site in 1971 when the dam was built.  All the building are heated by wood so there were stacks of wood outside.  Of course, there is dense forest all around.  We walked to St. Nicholas Church (covered in icons) and heard an hour long concert.  First, we heard two identical twin men sing.  Apparently they were quite well known for their abilities.  They sang religious songs in their native tongue.  Then we heard a choir of 14 people - men dressed in long black cassocks and women in long red dresses with lace collars.  Then we visited a school and saw a few children and teachers.  Also saw a small museum.  The quote of the day was when the guide was asked about how many languages he spoke, he admitted that he should have studied language more if he wanted to work in the tourist industry and said, "When I was younger, I had other interests!"  By 4:30, we finally headed back to the ship.  There were many little stands selling embroidery work.  I overheard several women say the same thing I was thinking, "That takes ironing and I'm not interested."  Yesterday's food included a beef stroganoff which Chuck said was very good and I had fish which absolutely melted in  my mouth.  Time to hit the shower!

Another Misty Morn

Friends, It may be misty, but I am propped up in bed with my IPad and a fresh cup of coffee and a crusty roll watching the banks of the Danube float by.  There is a coffee machine right down the hall from us and you can guess which one gets the coffee??
Last night was the captain's dinner.  I am going to try to remember most of the courses served.  Wine was flowing all night.  We started with a cocktail reception in the lounge with appetizers.  Then we proceeded to the dining room.  Salmon tartare was served on a curved spoon.  I spread it on bread-delicious.  Next was soup (not memorable).  Tiger prawns were next. A tall glass with a tiny scoop of sorbet in soda appeared  Followed by Veal Tenderloin on risotto.  Next was a beautiful French apple tart served with a brandy sauce and vanilla ice cream.  A small dish of chocolates was passed and then Chuck went to the Cheese serving station and brought back a selection for our table.
Our experience was enhanced by wonderful dinner company.  David and Jan had been missionaries in Nigeria for 40 years.  He and Chuck talked non-stop plus I could tell he would eat anything--another common bond! Two women from Maryland were at the other end of the table and were also enjoyable.  We finally waddled back to our rooms.  Last night we gained an hour.  We needed it.  

Sailing up the Danube

Sunday noon and I am finally able to get on the internet.  Travel is an adventure and doesn't always go the way you wish (want).  For instance, Europe has not had adequate rainfall the last few months sooo the Danube is low sooo we didn't get to go to the Black Sea.  Secondly, the ship had to travel during the day (the first day of the cruise) while we took our day long bus trip because he needed to travel the low river in daylight.  Despite Europe's lack of moisture, it has been grey and hazy since we arrived with rain today.  We actually have taken very few pictures because of that.  Today, we are sailing all day (Romania on one side of the Danube and Bulgaria on the other) which is nice.  Slept late today and had a great breakfast which included smoked salmon.
Yesterday was a lazy day docked in Ruse, Bulgaria. Good lecture comparing Romania and Bulgaria - posts communist, economics, etc.  Last night we went to an Opera Performance in Ruse. It featured excerpts from several different operas with probably 10 vocal soloist, 10 in the chorus and 25 in the orchestra.  Very nice performance.  Walked to and from the bus in a light rain.  Came back late (couldn't find one of our passengers - he was on another bus), ate dinner (entree was duck breast or red snapper), and then went to the caberet show with 4 dancers in G-strings and feathers and a French songstress.  Our dinner companion was Fergus, the music expert onboard.  He is Irish, living in Bulgaria, and makes his living as a composer and lecturer--very interesting.  It was a slow day that ended with a flurry of activity!

A Day in the Bulgarian Countryside

Each day we are assigned a different color group.  Our guide carried a paddle with that color and the bus has a placard of that color in the front window.  Although there are four buses, we are never at a spot at the same time so there is no waiting==quite amazing.  Well, yesterday we were yellow.  We left the ship and drove through the Bulgarian countryside for at least 2.5 hours.  Half the time we traveled on poor, narrow country blacktops.  During that time, we passed 10 (ten) New Holland combines that were huge--not easy when the bus took almost all of the road and the combine did, too.  Aftter the fall of communist, land was eventually returned to original owners.  The fields were large with no fences.  So the land is owned independently, but they farm cooperatively. There are no farmsteads out in the country.  The farmers live in villages with large gardens right up to the house - both vegetable and flower.  Every night all equipment (which is why the combines were all headed back to the fields) is returned to the village where it is kept under armed guards.  Every once in a while there was a flock of sheep or goats or a herd of cattle out in a field.  There were no fences and a herdsman and dog were always with the animals.  Every night those animals are returned to a barn in the village.  In contrast the Romanian fields were much smaller and their equipment was smaller, too.
Anyway, we eventually found a highway and drove to a town, Veliko Tarnovo, which had been the country's capital in medieval times.  Had lunch which included the basic lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers, a meat and vegetable stew/soup.  (Chuck and I can't remember if we had dessert or not so it obviously wasn't memorable!)  We also visited a nearby village and toured a house which had been a wealthy merchant's house from the 1400.  It was basically a two story building with lots of rooms to accommodate the 9 children.  Then we visited Bulgarian Orthodox church built in the 1600- two rooms of worship with one for men and one for women. The interior was covered with icon all over the walls.  While there four men dressed in long black cassocks came in singing.  Beautiful.  Drove back to the ship which had moved to Ruse.  Ate dinner with two couples from Platteville,  WI --delightful--delicious pork tenderloin. 

Greetings from the River Splendor

Good Morning,

Yesterday when we arrived, we had no signal so I am blogging early in the morning before we take off.  I'll start back on yesterday.  First of all the dessert from the night before---in the Marriott.  We gathered for our orientation and then had dinner.  We have always traveled with small groups on Vantage.  Didn't realize that all 160 people who will be on the river boat were gathering in Bucharest so people straggled in all evening.  Some had been on the pre-trip to Transylvania so we heard plenty of Dracula conversation.  Anyway, had a basic  chicken breast dinner followed by a frosted chocolate mousse mold, topped with whipped cream and a chocolate butterfly, served beside several pieces of fresh fruit --tasty and beautiful.
Yesterday morning, we left in four busloads and toured the city of Bucharest.  The buses were brand new and wonderful and had clean windows.  The city looked much cleaner.  We visited the People's Palace or the Palace of Parliament---the seconded largest (first is the Pentagon) building in the world.  It was built by the dictator Ceauseseu in the 80's.  It was not finished before he was (firing squad after war crimes conviction).  We had been told that there was 100 steps to climb.  I had many second thoughts about going but finally pulled on my big girl pants, slooped down some Advil and went (turned out to be over 150 steps).  The building was spectacular in it's use of marble, crystal, gold, etc with  several huge ballrooms.  Nadia Comanech had her wedding reception there when she married Bart Conner. It was definitely not a sight to be missed.  Couldn't take pictures so bought a book.
Had lunch in a local cafe complete with traditional music (pan flute, violin, bass, drum, and guitar) and six dancers.  Cabbage rolls for main course.  Very forgettable apple cake for dessert.
Boarded the bus again and road for three hours to board the ship.  Nice ship.  Fairly new.  We are on the same level as the dining room.  I think we were upgraded.  Dinner featured butterfish.  Good.  Dessert was sponge cake marinated with lemon --not strong enough for Chuck so he explored the cheese selection instead.  We ended up sitting with two sets of mothers and daughters.  There are quite a few groups on the shis --nice for them , not so nice for us when we are trying to find a place to sit.  Anyway, we had delightful conversations and the rooster (Chuck ) had no male competition.
During the  night the ship moved across the river and we are now in Bulgaria.

Greetings from Bucharest, Romania

We have arrived.  We had a successful trip which means we arrived safely and at the same time as our luggage.  It doesn't mean that we feel rested (I know far too many details about the lives of two old biddies who talked loudly all 'night'- the three or four hours that lights were out. Bucharest looks like the Eastern bloc countries that we have seen before- shabby, elaborate old buildings, cheap newer buildings, grimy, etc.  Of course, as I was looking at the city on our airport to hotel ride, I realized that the bus windows were very dirty on the outside so the city may not be as grimy as it appeared to me.  In contrast to all of that we are staying in a huge new Marriott with a casino. It is located very near to the palace.
We have met some of our group and will join them later for orientation and dinner.  I just wanted to let you know that we have arrived.  On the trip over, I decided that I am going to try to describe some of the unusual food we have on this trip.  Now I'm hungry.  

Packing, packing

Hi,
I'm just trying to get in the swing of blogging.  Mostly we are packed.  Now we are in that stage of taking some stuff out of the suitcase and trading it for other stuff.  Chuck has been watching the weather in the Bucharest to Budapest area and figured out that it looks about the same as our weather so I packed a few warmer things.  A few years ago we were on a trip and hadn't packed warm enough clothes --that was miserable.  Anyway--we are getting ready and getting excited.  Will blog more when we get to Bucharest!  SLS