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Published: September 6th 2023
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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 in for the show. First was the whipcracking riders then a drive by by an oxen cart. Later the riders showed their ability with several horses , showing some amazing skills. The highlight was the driver of a team of 10 horses who drove them standing on the backs of two at the back. After the show we looked through the stables and then had
a wagon ride. A thoroughly enjoyable and impressive spectacle.
Back on board we had our safety drill after lunch and then a poppy seed strudel cooking demonstration. The result was delicious. After dinner the captain explained some of the aspects of the ship and the cruise to come.
On Friday we arrived in Vukovar in Croatia. From here we were bussed to Osijek, which had been targeted during the war in the 1990s. We were entertained in a local church by a young girl, Martina, who had a good soprano voice and sang some familiar sacred songs, accompanying herself on the piano. After that we had a walking tour of the town. Our guide, Helena, was very informative and had been a small child during the war. She told us about being hit by shrapnel and showed us the marks on buildings, still damaged from that conflict. It was a well looked after place.
We then were taken to a smaller village called Bilje, where we were assigned to a house to visit and talk to the locals. We went to a house, run now as a B&B, by a widow called Manda. She welcomed the 10 of us, gave
us her home made liquer and delicious cake and through a young interpreter, Lucia, told us about her life and experiences. We were asked by her to share something about ourselves as well. In all it was a fascinating time with a lovely lady and we all felt very welcome. Back on board, we were entertained by a Croatian Tamburica band. They played some traditional songs, and then also got the crowd on side by singing Stand by Me. One of them. George, did a great Elvis impression singing Blue Suede Shoes. They were a lot of fun.
After dinner, some of the crew shared their experiences of growing up in Eastern Europe . It was a great start to the trip.
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