On Thursday, we took only a small bag as we were heading to Transylvania for a two day, one night, visit. We drive out of Bucharest during peak hour which was difficult and headed out on Highway 1. Our first loo stop was at a very modern shopping mall. They certainly are not short of goods and services here. We drove on, into the Carpathian mountains with the scenery turning from wide fields into mountain views along the way. Near the pretty town of Sinaia, we visited Peles Castle. This was built by King Ferdinand, royalty borrowed from the German aristocracy, and was very much in that style. It was set in beautiful gardens and we were shown through various rooms, sumptuously decorated with paintings and mirrors. Very grand. The castle was saved from the ravages ... read more

On Monday, 4th September I woke not feeling the best. We decided to skip the morning tour as we had an optional one booked for the afternoon. We had arrived in Vidin, one of the oldest riverside towns in Bulgaria. I opted for a late breakfast and a rest. Fletcher went for a walk into the town and saw the town square with a war memorial as well as an interesting mall. Next to the ship was a memorial to those who died during the Communist era. After lunch I was much better so we joined the excursion to the Baba Vida Fortress and Dos Alamos winery.We first were driven through the town to the Fortress. This was built in medieval times and used to have a moat surrounding it, the remains of which are still ... read more

We sailed out of Budapest on Wednesday, August 30th. On Thursday morning we arrived in Kalocsa, still in Hungary. Here we first went to the Assumption Cathedral where we admired the church but had an organ concert which was superb. Then we walked around the local area before boarding buses which took us to the area called the Putza. This contains the Plains of Hungary which are the flat agricultural land which grow corn, paprika and other crops essential for feeding both people and animals. Our next destination was a horse farm where we had a great show of horsemanship from a range of horsemen and carriage drivers. The whip cracking riders welcomed us as we drove in and we were then given a welcome drink of local brandy and bread with paprika. Then we settled ... read more

The last three days at the track provided some of the best moments of the trip so far. On Friday morning the only event we wa ted to watch was the women's high jump qualifying. We did that from our room and were pleased that both Eleanor Patterson and Nicole Olysagers both got through to the final. The men's decathlon started but both Ash Moloney and Cedric Dubler had to pull out during the competition due to injury. At 12-15 we met Denis Wilson in the foyer and walked with him to Voromasy Square and to the S/O restaurant. This stands for Soy/Olive. The place has an Italian restaurant on one side and an Asian on the other. The Oceania Area Lunch was being held in the Italian side. This is always a highlight of any ... read more

On Thursday and Friday Fletcher spent most of the days at the Congress where a new council was elected and various committees reported on their activities. I vegged out completely on the Thursday but on Friday morning I walked up to the very vibrant shopping area and square behind the hotel. Here I explored the various shops and buildings. Market stalls had been set up in preparation for St Stephen's day which is Sunday.I bought myself a hat and some make-up, but after an hour and a half I was tired so wandered back to the hotel for a cold drink. Fletcher returned and shared my club sandwich and then in the evening we went to the Local Organisibg Comittee dinner. This was even grander than the opening dinner. It was held in the Museum of ... read more