I returned to the spectacular Budapest. Mary and I had joined a Backroads trip down the Danube from Prague to Budapest in 2016. My daughter-in-law, Natalie, suggested a trip down the rest of the Danube from Budapest to Bucharest and I enthusiastically agreed.We hopped on a Uniworld Cruise !This trip I was able to enjoy more time exploring the city. This building,” The Whale”, is a new addition to the waterfront. The whale tail was added to a preexisting warehouse and is now a multipurpose venue. A boat very similar to ours is parked in front. Our next stop was Croatia. We visited the Vucedol cultural museum and dined at a local family restaurant. This tower suffered major damage during the wars of the 1990s. It has been left standing as a reminder of the brutal conflict. Belgrade, Serbia is a vibrant city. We rode along the waterfront to an island where locals enjoy the summer. We stopped for Turkish Coffee and Turkish delight! I was directed to this “sweet shop.” It was probably ten feet square and the woman behind the counter did not speak English. Luckily some young people came in and helped me buy a ridiculous amount of Turkish delight to bring home. You may remember Turkish Delight from ” The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe” In the afternoon, we “hiked” up to the fortress. It now includes a beautiful park and several small churches. This Greek Orthodox church was open and we wandered in. Imagine my surprise when focusing on the chandelier! Those are bullet casings. In the evening we enjoyed a private concert by a string quartet in the Serbian National Museum. Continuing downriver we stopped in Golubac to visit the Lepenski Vir Archaeological Park. They have successfully moved an entire Mesolithic village from the banks of the Danube before the dam was built and sadly the water now covers at least fifteen other sites. Because of gale force winds, we had to continue through the Iron Gates but were able to see this rock sculpture of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia.Our next stop was Vidin, Bulgaria. This Belogradchik Fortress was built into the natural rock formations.We hiked up to the top to get a view of the rock formations. These reminded me of Bryce Canyon and Goblin Valley in Utah.Stopping in the town of Ruse, Bulgaria, we visited the Basarbovo Monastery. The records indicate this monastery dates back to the 15th century. Th monks lived in the caves and there is an active monastery just below these rock dwellings. The ceilings of the rock caves were painted with religious scenes and I was amazed at how long these have survived.This is the entry hall to the Palace of the Parliament or “People’s Palace.” This enormous, opulent palace was ordered by Nicolae Ceausescu. Our tour guide indicated that there has been a referendum and the people of Romania would like it torn down. Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were executed during the uprising of 1989 and the fall of Communist Romania. We spent two days exploring Bucharest. It is a thriving, beautiful city. There are tiny Orthodox churches all over town. This is the ceiling of the Stavropoleos Monastery Chapel reported to have been built in 1724. It was fascinating to learn some of the meaning behind the imagery and use of iconsOn Saturdays the streets of old town are closed to cars and the citizens “Promenade” We had dinner at Caru cu Bere and were treated to a lively group of folk dancers at the end of our meal. Peles Castle in Sinaia, Romania is a gem! It was built between 1873 and 1914 by King Carol I of Romania. Queen Elizabeth was an avid knitter and an artist. She is depicted here in the lush gardens surrounding the palace.The wood carving throughout the palace is unbelievable.This is the music room where Queen Elizabeth spent a great deal of time. Her personal story is a very sad one with much loss and grief.This beautiful mirror is placed in the exact location to capture the reflection of the painting on the ceiling of the room.The King and Queen dined in this room with or without guests. Our last stop was Bran Castle or “Dracula’s” Castle in Transylvania. It really has nothing to do with Bram Stoker’s ” Dracula” but it is now a much visited site. We tried to eat like the locals and I most enjoyed the eggplant salad, cabbage rolls, the Turkish coffee and the gelato we just had to taste at a Two Star Michelin shop in Bucharest. We had a great trip and I learned so much about the region and its history, religions, politics and struggles over centuries of time.
