Lakeside Senior Reporter Pam Keene continues her travel articles with the highlights of her most recent journey from Budapest to Bucharest and the Black Sea in eastern Europe.
A riverboat cruise through multiple countries in Europe is always a treat. Here’s why:
You only need to unpack once. You have a home base that moves with you, with excellent on-board dining, entertainment and plenty of new people to meet. You are able to explore the sights along the shore and dig deeper into local culture, history and customs.
On my recent riverboat cruise with Grand Circle Cruises, gtc.com, I added three more countries to my current tally of more than 80 and explored a part of the world that held many stories and new discoveries. “Eastern Europe to the Black Sea” had been on my list for a while, and when my friend Brenda said she’d never done a small-boat river cruise before, we made our reservation right away. A fan of larger ships and ocean voyages, she was soon introduced to a more relaxed and personal way of travel.
We flew into Budapest, Hungary and were whisked to the ship, the MS River Adagio, a 150-passenger vessel with a crew of 42. It would take us down the Danube toward the Black Sea, with stops in Croatia, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. I had visited Hungary several times and had been to Croatia – Dubrovnik – more than 25 years ago so I was eager to find out how things had changed.
Budapest is really two cities – three if you’re getting technical – Buda on the Danube’s west bank, Pest on the east bank and the Obuda island. The three were combined in 1873 to become the Hungarian capital city of Budapest. Both sides of the Danube are filled with historic buildings, including The Hungarian Parliament, The Fisherman’s Bastion and St. Stephen’s Basilica.
My focus on this part the journey was to learn more about Hungarian Jewish Heritage in the city. From an in-depth tour of The Great Synagogue, the largest in Europe, that combines Moorish, Byzantine, Romantic and Gothic styles, to the smaller Rumbach Synagogue that now serves as a community center, we learned how the lives of the Jewish community changed and how their lives and deaths have been commemorated.
A drizzling rain greeted us on the day of our tour. In light of our exploration it seemed more than appropriate.
The large metal weeping willow, The Holocaust Tree of Life, was tucked behind a small synagogue in the Jewish Quarter of Budapest. The leaves bear names of some of the those killed during WWII. American actor Tony Curtis funded the project that was installed in 1991.
Hidden behind The Great Synagogue the Holocaust Tree of Life commemorates the lives of 400,000 Hungarian Jews who were killed by the Nazis. Created in 1991 by a Hungarian artist, the large metal weeping willow’s leaves bear the names of many of those who once lived in the city’s ghetto. American actor Tony Curtis paid for its construction in recognition of his Hungarian-born father. It stands on top of the mass graves of people who were murdered in 1944-45.
On the Pest side of the river “The Shoe Memorial” speaks volumes. In the winter of 1944-45, hundreds of Jews were lined up along the banks of the Danube, told to remove their shoes and then were shot by the Germans and thrown into the Danube. The shoes were sent to Germans during the war.
Installed in 2005, the 60 pairs of iron shoes along the riverbank appear to be askew, but a closer look reveals a powerful statement. At all hours of the day and night, visitors leave candles, flowers, ribbons and notes to commemorate the tragedy.
The Shoe Memorial on the Pest side of the Danube tells a sad story. This pair of iron shoes is just one of 60 pairs representing tragic events during WWII.
The beautiful blue Danube
Let’s switch gears to talk about the rest of the journey. Our first stop in Vukovar, Croatia, featured a home-hosted meal – a chance to meet locals and learn about their lives. The hosts who participate gladly share their homes and a meal with smaller groups of Grand Circle travelers.
Our hostess had an amazing garden. She had prepared a typical Croatian lunch of soup, roasted meat with vegetables, potatoes or noodles. The food was delicious and we ended the meal with a toast of Rakija, the national alcoholic drink of the country. Made of fermented fruits, nuts or plants, it’s similar to vodka and brandy.
In the Serbian capital of Belgrade, we visited the Museum of History of Yugoslavia and the House of Flowers, the tomb of Josip Broz Tito, the former president of Yugoslavia. The museum is the most visited museum in Serbia.
As we continued down the Danube, we passed through the Iron Gates, a pair of dams built to raise the level of the Danube and to produce hydropower. The 2-mile river gorge was flanked with wooded mountains and occasional high bluffs. Our trip leaders provided commentary as we enjoyed an afternoon of cruising from the sundeck of the ship.
The Iron Gates section of the Danube was made deeper by a pair of dams that also produce hydropower. This rock relief sculpture of Decebalus took 10 years to build; it was completed in 2004.
Rounding a bend in the river, we soon saw the tallest rock relief sculpture in Europe. The Face of Decebalus is a 180-foot tall, 82-foot wide figure carved into a mountain. Decebalus was the last king of Dacia, which is now Romania. Commissioned by a Romanian businessman, it took 10 years to carve by a team of 12 sculptors; it was completed in 2004.
On we continued down the Danube to our final country: Bulgaria. In the Danube port town of Vidin, a special treat awaited. The Vidin Symphonic Orchestra, supported in part by the Grand Circle Foundation, provided an impressive concert. Made up of more than 40 professional musicians and community members, their concert featured the classics. One of our travelers was invited to the podium to conduct.
We reached our next destination, Constanta, Romania, via the 40-mile Danube-Black Sea Canal. At last, we arrived at the Black Sea. It was surprisingly calm and off in the distance we could see docked cargo ships. I dipped my toes into the cold sea water.
It was time to leave our ship to travel to our final destination: Bucharest. The trip would end with a multi-day hotel stay to explore the city. Two things stand out to me in Bucharest: first, we were taken by a 1970s bus to hear a man who was part of the 1989 revolution that ended Communist rule in Romania. Needless to say, our bus drew plenty of looks from people on the street.
Inside the world’s second largest administration building, the Palace of Parliament in Romania is still used by the Bulgarian government for meetings, summits, global events and administrative offices.
Second, we toured the Palace of the Parliament, the second-largest administration building in the world. It’s also the heaviest building, weighing more than nine billion pounds.
Built by Romanian Dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, construction began in 1984 and was completed in 1997. The dictator intended it to be the seat of communist government and his palatial home, but he was executed in 1989. An expensive project, it was already too far along to demolish it. It would require another eight years to complete.
Truly a palatial building, large curved staircases allow access between floors. It has 12 floors above ground and eight below and includes a bunker.
The building continues to be the seat of the now-democratic government in Romania. Travelers are allowed limited access to several floors; all visitors are required to be accompanied by official guides.
A street musician plays a pensive song.
Our hostess for the home-hosted lunch didn’t speak much English, but her smiles and her hospitality made us feel like part of the her family.
Perched nearly 700 feet above sea level in Veliko Tarnova the Medieval Tsarevets Castle was the center of the Second Bulgarian Empire between 1185 and 1393.
This fortress, Baba Vida, in Bidin, Bulgaria, was built in Medieval times to withstand a siege by Byzantine forces.
Looking back on the two weeks we spent in Eastern Europe, my mind is boggled by how much we heard – and that I tried to remember – about this part of the world. And if that’s not enough, wait until next month when I report about the other half of the Balkans: a return to Croatia and Serbia, plus visits to Montenegro, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia.
Photos: by Pamela A. Keene
