Croatia and Serbia

 

The Orthodox Cathedral in Belgrade.

Our next port was in Vukavor, Croatia. We traveled by bus to Osijek to visit a church where we enjoyed a nice recital given by a local girl.

This part of Croatia was subjected to a lot of damage during the war with Serbia in the 90s, and some damaged building are evident to this day. One such building in Osijek was left in it's damaged state as a memorial.

This building was left as it was at the end of the war to serve as a memorial.

After the church we were divided into smaller groups and visited a local home where we had a snack and drink and talk with a local who talked about life in Croatia. That evening we were treated to a demonstration of traditional music by local musicians. 

The next day we reached Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. We had an interesting walking tour through the town including a short visit to a large fortress, the Kalemegdan Fortress.  We visited a brand new Eastern Orthodox Catherdral that was amazing!  After lunch, I went back to the fortress to check out the large historical armor, (tank) display on the grounds. 

This cathedral is new construction!

Part of the Tank display at the Kalemgdan.

Besides the tanks, the Fortress also has some wonderful views of the city!

A view from the Kalemgdan.

Pictures from Croatia and Serbia

Budapest, Puszta and Paprika.

 

Budapest's Hungarian Parliament Building.

When you arrive in Budapest on the River, the Parliament Building is one of the first things you see. It's quite striking, and even more so when you view it at night!

The city actually comprises of two older towns on opposite sides of the Danube. The "Buda" side has a lot of historic buildings while the "Pest" side is more modern. We first toured the Buda side, visiting the Cathedral and Battlements, and enjoying the views. In the afternoon we walked around the "Pest" side, not so picturesque but with more modern amenities. 

Cathedral on the "Buda" side.

 view from the "Buda" side.

The next day was a free day as some of our fellow passengers were disembarking, Budapest is the end of the short cruise. We visited a huge market place and bought some paprika, dolls for the granddaughters and a cork purse for Shelly. Later we visited a haunting memorial for the victims of the Holocaust that was on the river walk.  

The Holocaust Memorial on the river bank. 

That night we were treated to a view of the city at night as our ship departed town.

Nighttime on the Danube.

The next day we awoke a little further downriver and disembarked to visit a church at Kalocsa which included an impressive organ program. Now I don't usually get excited about organ programs but this one was pretty impressive! 

After Kalocsa we visited the stables at Puszta and were treated to a horsemanship demonstration which was pretty cool. We then boarded our ship and left Hungary.

At the show in Puszta.

Pictures from Hungary