Thursday 11 September 2025: Kalocsa – Roger

It was 8:30 in the morning when we disembarked and boarded buses for a short trip to Kalocsa. The river in this area is 4 to 500 metres wide, 6 metres deep and flowing at a rate of about 2500 cubic metres per second. As we headed along the country road on each side of us were large fields. Down this part of Hungary they mainly grow sunflowers. Hungary produces about 1.9 million tons of sunflower seed each year and up to 15,300,000 tons of grain. Nearly three years ago when I drove down the other side of Hungary it was all large cultivated rolling hills. Around here it is dead flat; most of the land has been recovered from river flats and swamps over the last few hundred years.

Cutting through a part of the town, the guide pointed out old military barracks from the days when this town was the centre for compulsory military training, which has now ceased. These are now part of the town’s accommodation. Not far into the country on the other side of town we came to a horse farm with a rather unique entrance made of hay bales. A horseman cantered along in front of the bus, cracking his whip as we drove down the drive and pulled up to a rather extensive group of buildings with lots of parks for buses. We were herded around the corner into the grandstand which faces onto the arena. A bunch  of horsemen cantered around the arena on their sturdy looking steeds, followed by a short stocky but sturdy donkey with a rather large bloke on it. They put on a number of displays including one where they stopped in front of us and the horses lay down with the horsemen sitting on them. It was then I realised that the saddles on these horses had no girths but just sat on the horse. Staying on like that this is a skill in itself. The donkey too laid out.

Next they were up and going again and demonstrating with their whips how they used to catch quail by knocking down a small wooden block as they galloped past. Next up was a bullock-pulled wagon, pulled by a bunch of Hungarian cattle. Originating in Asia, these are a sturdy animal whose milk  is too powerful for humans to drink, but I’m sure with the amount of meat on them they are pretty good eating.

There were more wagons in the demonstration, one in particular 4 x 3-horses, two tied to the front stay and one to a stay coming off the back wheel apparently making this much more effective in muddy ground they called it primitive four-wheel-drive.

The finale was a guy standing on two horses at the back of eight other horses as they galloped around the arena. He was pretty effective at adjusting his balance as they rode around.

The display over, we were all taken for a ride on a wagon out of the yard and across the paddock and back again. There were some lovely thatched buildings around. Beside some of these buildings was a well with a long pole and a bucket attached to the device for extracting the water. Apparently back in the day the bucket and pole were left in different positions to let people know what was going on around the area. For example, if the wife was having an affair, common practice here they say, she would leave the bucket in a certain place so that her lover knew it was safe to come in because the husband was out – well so the story goes.

We then wandered through the stables, where apart from horses, cows and pigs, there were also some Hungarian Racka sheep. According to my farmer mate, Ross, back in NZ, only 2,500 of these are left in the world. With sharp, corkscrew-like horns, I imagine they would be pretty hard to manage.

Back on the buses, you guessed it – we had to go and visit the local cathedral. This, originally build in the 1300’s, burned down, was rebuilt, was knocked down by the Mongolians, rebuilt, knocked down by the Ottomans and then rebuilt again.  The one that stands here is the fourth one. It was quite bright inside with, of course, lots of gold and a massive pipe organ, which we had to listen to for 20 minutes while it played some Bach and  various other pieces of music.

On the way back to the boat the guide pointed out some old Soviet barracks from the communist days when apparently there were lots of Russian troops here.

Back on the boat we enjoyed lunch with Greg and Susie, who had been in a different tour group this morning so we enjoyed a good catch up. We were soon on the move, heading down river, stopping again about 4pm at a place called Mohacs. Here, the people who had gone on the afternoon wine tour from our last stop rejoined the boat. There was also a car ferry there taking vehicles back-and-forth across the river. There are very few bridges on this part of the Danube so car ferries are a very common sight.

Later in the evening, Gabor, our cruise director shared some of his personal memories of growing up in Hungary during the Soviet era. It was very interesting and even humorous at times.

 

Friday 12 September 2025: Osijek and Vukovar – Sylvia

We woke this morning in Vukovar in heavy fog. It made for quite a pretty view out the back of the boat, the fog almost seeming to shimmer in the morning light.

At 8:30am we were on our bus, headed for a small village just outside Osijek, about a 45-minute drive away. As in Hungary yesterday, the land around here is very flat and heavily cultivated. We passed many fields of sunflowers, their petals having long faded and their heads now drooping, loaded with seeds waiting for harvest. We also passed lots of fields of corn, most already harvested.

Along the way, our guide regaled us with the history of the area, with a focus on the war in the 1990’s. As she put it, “Tomorrow you will hear the Serbian side; today you will hear the truth.”Croatia is a country of about 3.8-million inhabitants, about 90% of whom are Croatian. Croats are generally Roman Catholics and use latin script. About 7% of the population are Serbian, mostly orthodox and using cyrillic script. Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire but after WWI in 1918 became a part of Yugoslavia. At that time Yugoslavia was a monarchy, made up of several smaller countries, who believed they would be better served by combining resources. The king was Serbian, and moved to London, in exile during WWII. At that time the country became divided – some people collaborated with the Nazis. Tito fought against the collaborators as part of the partisan resistance. But as a communist he also fought against the king. After the war in 1945, the king abdicated and Tito became president. He was a communist but remained separate from the Soviet regime and maintained some ties with the west. He died in 1980 without leaving a successor. It was intended that leadership would rotate among the different countries but Milosevic, a Serbian became leader and clung to power. When Slovenia and Croatia chose to break away (as was their right based on the constitution), Milosevic chose to fight. The war with Slovenia lasted only two weeks, but in Croatia it lasted for seven years. It was not a religious war but was really about access to the Adriatic Sea and the tourism industry and agriculture of Croatia.

Vukovar is a smallish town close to the Serbian border. It became the centre of fighting, facing three months of intense bombing with ~300 bombs being dropped per day. On 18 November the city was occupied by the Serbs. Many of the residents evacuated and became refugees. Two hundred and sixty three people in the local hospital waited for evacuation but instead were handed to the Serbian paramilitary. They were taken to a concentration camp at Ovcara, where they were tortured and killed. They were buried in a mass grave that was discovered about a year later but the bodies were not recovered for another 6 years. To this day not all the bodies have been recovered. The devastation of Vukovar was massive with about 95% of the town ruined in the war. Even today many of the buildings bear the scars of shrapnel.

We drove through the city of Osijek (130,000 inhabitants), which was bombed during the war but never occupied. A brave Croat refused to back his car away from the tanks and it was crushed (he jumped out at the last minute). There is now a memorial in the town showing the car attempting to crush the tank.

Soon after, we arrived in the small village of Bilje. We were split into three groups of 14 and each invited to visit with a local family. We entered the home of Helena and her daughters, Anita and Mariana. We were warmly welcomed and served a piece of chocolate cake with honey from Mariana’s apiary, as well as some mint and herb tea, made with herbs from the garden. They shared stories of their life and answered our questions. Prior to the war they were living in Vukovar. The father was a soldier in the Croatian army and ended up in the Ovcara concentration camp for three months, after which he was released as part of a prisoner exchange. They lived as refugees in a different part of Croatia for ten years, The father lost four members of his family and after the war they did not return to Vukovar as there were too many memories there. Instead they moved to this house in Bilje. For the last 18-years they have been hosting tour groups like ours up to three times per week during the season. It was a very inspiring visit.

After leaving the home we bused into the Bilje village hall where a local woman played piano and sang a number of hymns. She is a member of the Croatia choir, which has won numerous awards, and sang beautifully. We were offered a glass of plum brandy after the concert, but declined.

We next visited an old fortress in Osijek. It was originally built in the 18th century by the Hapsburgs. We wandered around, with the guide pointing out a number of different buildings and places of interest, before getting back on the bus and driving back to the Lif for lunch.

At 2:30pm we were back on another bus, a much smaller group of us this time – only 13, heading out on a tour specifically related to the war. Our first stop was the military base, which today serves as a museum, showcasing a variety of tanks, guns and other equipment. The Croatians had to use whatever was available. I could not help but make parallels with what is happening in Ukraine today. We spent about an hour wandering around and exploring the different exhibits.

Next we headed to the site of the Ovcara concentration camp, which is today a memorial to the 263 people who were killed from the hospital. It was very poignant. Whilst what happened in Vukovar was absolutely tragic, it was unfortunately not the worst massacre that took place in Yugoslavia. In Bosnia, over 8,000 people were massacred in Srebrenica in 1995.

We stopped for a refreshing drink at a cafe near what would be our last stop for the day, the water tower, originally built in 1968 and 50m tall. It was built on the highest point of Vukovar and took over 600 hits during the three months of bombing in the town. Today, while the outside facade remains the same, showing all the devastation, inside it has been reinforced and now stands as a monument to the war, with a museum of sorts inside. Susie, Greg and I climbed the ~200 steps to the top while everyone else took the elevator. From there we walked up to the roof of the tower, with fantastic views across the city.

We decided to walk the kilometre or so back to the ship, through the picturesque town. Vukovar stands as a monument to resilience, although the population today, at 20,000,  is half what it was before the war.

As we sailed on down the Danube, the sun set over the city, a fitting way to end this day of reflection.

 

Saturday 13 September 2025: Belgrade – Roger

It was just after 9 am when we stepped off the boat, which had tied up at Belgrade on the Sava river, just off the Danube. We walked down alongside the dock passing numerous restaurants and shops and a number of fishing poles tied to the rail alongside the river – no owners in sight, but I presume someone was keeping an eye on the lines in the water. We found a spiralling ramp that took us up to the Kalemegdan fortress. Originally built in 270 BC, this is a huge fortress and at some stage would have been a walled city. The fortress was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times throughout history, with significant reconstructions under Byzantine, Serbian, Ottoman, and Austro-Hungarian rule.

There was a huge amount of activity going on at the fort today with lots of young, strong-looking men running around as if there was some sort of competition on. We eventually wandered into the military museum, the outside of which is surrounded by a huge number of tanks and artillery pieces, just about every size and shape you could think of.

Inside the museum it was a bit dingy, but it took is through the military history of this area dating back to the BC days. Starting off with clubs, spears and other objects, which were used to try and kill each other, and advancing through matchlock, flintlock and percussion-cap into modern firearms, it took us through conflict after conflict. What was really apparent here was the huge number of Serbs and their rivals that have been killed in battles over the last couple of thousand years. Numbering  well into the hundreds of thousands, it makes you wonder what the population would be if there had been no wars in this area.

It’s a long and complicated history involving the Romans, Genghis Khan, the Ottomans and the Austro-Hungarians, before becoming Yugoslavia and finally Serbia, the country of today. As Sylvia covered yesterday, in the 90’s it was involved in another conflict, which cost thousands more lives. Interestingly this last conflict was not really mentioned in this museum. 

From the museum we went out the other side through a Jurassic Park type area, with lots of dinosaurs etc., then through some markets and onto the Main Street, which was packed with pedestrians. Restaurants were full with people out having Saturday lunch. We found a restaurant on the fifth floor of the shopping complex and sat and enjoyed a very nice pizza and I tried the local beer. As we were dining, the Serbian Air Force was having a big day out. About 12 fighter jets flew past, followed by a couple of cargo or fuel type planes, more than a dozen helicopters and some other aircraft. Not quite sure what was going on but they didn’t drop any bombs so we were okay.

We strolled down to the end of the Main Street to catch a bus out to the local cathedral. Unfortunately we struggled to get internet coverage and didn’t have a paper map with us so it took us a while to work out which bus to take.

Eventually, we got things sorted and bus 31 took us to the Saint Sava Temple, one of the largest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world. It is huge and bright inside and out. As we were there there was a wedding going on down the front. They had a small group of people standing off to one side with great voices, singing through the wedding vow process. Photographers circled with cameras on gyroscopes as the process went on.

From there we got a bus back into town and headed into the Ice Box, which is an ice-cream shop, where if you don’t get your ice-cream in a cone, they put it in a box with ice in it to keep it cool. Quite a smart idea and it was very tasty ice cream as well.

After that we caught the shuttle from outside the French embassy back to the boat where we relaxed  for the rest of the day.

 

Sunday 14 September: Golubac and Kazan Gorge – Sylvia

I was woken about 6:30am by an odd motion of the boat. Peeking out the window I could see white caps and noted the shore a long distance away. Turns out we were very close to the widest point of the Danube river, nearly 6.5kms wide, and the wind was howling. At about 8am we docked at Golubec, the site of a restored medieval fortress, and we disembarked shortly after.

A very short walk, leaning almost horizontally into the wind, brought us to the fort, still in Serbia. Despite Roger having remarked as we were leaving the boat that he was nearly ’forted’ out, it turned out to be a very good visit. This fort, which was built in the 14th century, has never been defeated. It has a very good position with the wide river on one side, high cliffs behind, and a clever design for defence.

There is another fort on the Romanian side of the river and a rock in the middle of the river. Apparently a chain used to run between the fort and the rock to make it easy for the king to stop boats to ensure they paid taxes on their way past.

The river here was not always this wide – in the 1960s Romania and Yugoslavia collaborated to build the Iron Gate dams, which we would sail to later in the day. These dams raised the river level by 30 metres, and this inundated the bottom level of the fortress but the rest remains and has been extremely well preserved.

We were only able to climb the three lower towers (a limitation from Viking unfortunately) but really enjoyed exploring what we could.

Afterwards we returned to the boat and continued sailing down river (or down lake), with Serbia on the right bank and Romania on the left bank of the river. Sometime after lunch we reached the Kazan gorge and sat up on the upper deck to enjoy the views. This 9km gorge includes the narrowest part of the Danube, at one point it is only 150m, and also the deepest part, reaching 96m. It is part of the reason for the high winds this morning, apparently acting as a very good funnel. Prior to the dam, the river was very treacherous to navigate but now is much easier. The cliffs tower on both sides, 300-500m high, making for some very picturesque sailing. We sailed past a number of small villages, caves, and monuments. At one point we passed an old monastery on the Romanian side of the river. The original had been flooded when the dam was built but the monks got together and built a new one.

A little further on we came to a giant carved sculpture of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, who fought against the Romans. Standing 43 metres high, it took 12 people over 10 years to carve and was finished in 2004. It is the tallest rock relief in Europe and is quite imposing. Apparently there are mixed feelings about it locally.

On the opposite side of the river is a monument to the Roman Emperor, Trajan, who built a 1100m bridge across the Danube in 103-105AD to conquer the Dacian kingdom. This had to be raised when the river was flooded.

For Roger, the highlight was the Iron Gate dam itself. Over 1.2 kilometres wide and 30 metres deep it has a power station on each side of the river, one supplying power to Serbia and the other to Romania. Finished in 1972, there are 24 turbines in total, generating 2000 megawatts of electricity. We sailed through two locks, each 15m deep, to lower us to the level of the river on the other side. There is a second, smaller Iron Gate dam a little further down river that we will pass through at some stage during the night.

Tomorrow we will wake up in Bulgaria.